There was uproar in the Town Hall at the Annual Meeting of the council when Labour refused to back Fred Pugh for Deputy Mayor. A split vote saw the councillor for Mapledurham Pavilion elected to the post by 21 votes to 19.

The Leader of the Council, Jo Lovelock was angered by the decision. "This is a black day for Reading, er, I mean a multi-coloured rainbow alliance of a day, but the non-colour specific bad part of it." She cited examples of 'Fred’s attitude' including backing the death penalty for taggers, his letter of support to Hitler for the 1938 Anschluß and shouting out "she's in the attic" during a performance of the Anne Frank Diaries at the Hexagon.

Fred is unrepentant about his past remarks. "It's true that I do believe in calling a spade a spade," he told us, "but I was terribly pleased when Andrew Cumpsty put my name forward although I was puzzled by the attached note saying 'I hope that will keep him out of mischief'."