YOU could never accuse county council leader Keith Mitchell of ducking an issue.

Love him or hate him, he’s always up for a spot of sparring on the topics of the day and if you want to lock horns with him, he’s easily found via his website, Twitter and even a quick call to County Hall. That’s commendable and increasingly rare for a politician.

However, he does let his obvious passion for an issue get the better of him at times and can play too rough.

So while Mr Mitchell may have a valid argument in the ongoing debate about libraries versus elderly care, he loses support and sympathy with his vitriolic barbs against authors Colin Dexter and Philip Pullman.

We commend him for sticking his neck out so often. But on this occasion he needs to wind it in a bit.