Last week's full meeting of Barnet Council was, for once, a relatively light-hearted affair.

Councillor Maureen Braun, the borough's new Mayor, provided a refreshingly amusing approach to chairing what is usually a raucous event.

Unlike her predecessor, Councillor Eva Greenspan, Mrs Braun did not resort to using her gavel, but stuck to her quick wit to keep her noisy colleagues in check.

She reprimanded Labour councillor Kath McGuirk for chatting while others discussed council business. When Ms McGuirk protested and claimed 'I'm not the only one talking', the Mayor swiftly told her no, but you have the loudest voice'.

A rather more shambolic moment came from Labour's Linda McFadyen, who was meant to be reading out a question she had tabled on the topic of Meals on Wheels, but inexplicably managed to ask someone else's on skip hire from the pre-written list without realising. Even more ludicrously, cabinet member for community services Lynne Hillan attempted to answer it.

The award for most pointless appearance of the evening undoubtedly went to the Tories' Hugh Rayner, who took it upon himself to provide one of the most unintentionally funny speeches heard at the Town Hall.

Supposedly a reflection on the authority's recycling record, the Hale ward member's diatribe instead included references to his family in China, and a long-winded suggestion that new Prime Minister Gordon Brown would fill his cabinet with 'waste from a Liberal Democrat skip'.

Unsurprisingly, Mr Rayner was laughed back into his seat by members on all sides of the chamber.