OXFORDSHIRE County Council finance chief Arash Fatemian, right, has offered the shirt off his back in a bid to help charity.

During a twitter conversation about a particularly vibrant pink shirt Mr Fatemian wore to Tuesday’s full council meeting, plans for an auction for the garment were unveilved.

Local blogger TonyOX3 weighed in, saying: “Yes, the Great @TheOxfordMail Charity Shirt Auction! Bring it on! All proceeds to potholes fund.”

But Mr Fatemian, the generous man that he is, decided that the shirt should be auctioned for more noble causes.

He said: “Tell you what guys, setup a charity auction/raffle whatever for the shirt [and] i’ll personally match whatever it raises up to £150.”

An Oxford Mail reporter who saw the shirt has informed The Insider that Mr Fatemian probably won’t have to delve that deep to match the amount raised...

VETERAN councillor Charles Mathew channelled a renowned pro-life activist when he stood up for one of his usual filibusters at full county council on Tuesday. Mr Mathew weighed into a debate about gravel, one of his specialist subjects, in the style of American campaigner Mary Wagner.

The debate was on the subject of the council’s waste and minerals core strategy, and whether it should be scrapped.

Mr Mathew said: “I stand before you accused of boredom and repetition on gravel matters in the county of Oxfordshire over the past five years.”

Later, we realised this was in fact Mr Mathew’s way of telling the chamber he supported the recommendations of his Conservative colleagues.

ON the subject of veteran councillors, Neville Harris has insisted on a blanket policy for his responses.

At the full council meeting, independent councillor Mr Harris told chairman Tim Hallchurch: “You might as well put me down to speak on every item”.

The Insider is pleased to see Mr Harris has hit the ground running in his new role, but judging by the number of rolling eyes on the other benches when he speaks, we assume the other councillors don’t share our pleasure.

TOM WATSON raised eyebrows when he tried to appear down with the kids in his resignation letter to Ed Miliband by recommending Derbyshire rock duo Drenge, or Dirge, or something like that.

Our own Ed Vaizey has perhaps taken up the challenge by yesterday broadcasting that in a meeting with a Lithuanian ambassador he had a Martynas Levickis commended to him.

His claim to fame? He was the first accordionist to reach the top of the classical album charts.