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     "Oxfordshire dustmen are having £30,000 worth of lessons on how to be nice. West Oxfordshire council is spending cash on courses in which staff play with pebbles and keep a happiness log.

     The council's chief has defended spending taxpayer's cash on the 'Even better place to work' lessons, despite making cuts of £755,000 this year. More than 300 workers at the council are to be taught how to be nice to each other.

     The training scheme has been branded a waste of money by residents of Witney, Oxon, where Mr Cameron is the Conservative MP, and as 'airy-fairy and daft' by one council worker.

     Staff are taught to share their feelings about each other by moving pebbles around a table to indicate who they do and don't get on with. The course is mandatory for all 316 staff and workers are expected to attend one-hour sessions every month and keep a log of their happiness.

     The council's chief executive has taken part in the sessions and said the courses were a good investment of public money 'to raise staff motivation and morale' and 'is a small investment to support staff in these difficult times."

     Users of South Oxfordshire's library in Sonning Common are aghast at this latest revelation of wastage when shortage of funds is claimed as being the reason behind the library's threatened closure, and that of their youth club.

     Using locally sourced pebbles, with which South Oxfordshire is well endowed courtesy of the last ice age, residents are developing a table game similar to 'snakes & ladders' where the aim is to get to the top of the ladder before the money runs out.

     During the game players will have to maintain a happiness diary and complete a satisfaction survey if they land on the wrong squares, but can win ladder points if they snitch on a neighbour for putting out the wrong rubbish or join the 'lend your own books' campaign. Double points are awarded for spotting useless budgets and triple points for awarding contracts based on 'best value'.

     The winner is entered into an annual county-wide prize draw and could become director of council finances for a whole year. Players must be over the age of three to take part and pebbles must be returned at the end of the game.