OXFORD City Council is a leak-proof local authority, it turns out. The Insider wondered when the annual Port Meadow cattle round-up would be taking place and tried to check the details with some of those who would be taking part.

The traditional event, lead by the Sheriff of Oxford, is held under a shroud of secrecy to prevent any illicit cattle owners getting wind and moving their cows off the common land, which only Freemen of Oxford may use by ancient right.

But every well-briefed city councillor we got in touch with refused to say whether it was happening or not.

In the end one of our photographers “just happened” to turn up at Port Meadow at 6.30am on Monday. Funnily enough he found the cattle drive taking place.

Keen Tweeter Antonia Bance lasted less than a day when she tried to turn her social media head off as she holidays in Istanbul.

The Labour city councillor tweeted on Monday: “Okay. Putting iPhone away. On holiday til Friday. Fiction only & no news / no twitter is the rule.”

But less than 24 hours later she was back, showing the twittersphere a picture of her holiday.

Meanwhile, in a sweeping generalisation at Oxford Crown Court earlier this week, a barrister managed to successfully damn the public as a whole.

Judge Charles Harris, pictured left, while sentencing a lead thief, said: “I think if you asked the public if people who go around stripping lead from roofs shouldn’t go to prison they would say of course they should go to prison.”

Defence barrister Jeannie Mackie then retorted: “The public watches Celebrity Big Brother so their judgment may not always be quite right.”

And some of the public practise law.

Former Oxfordshire County Council leader Keith Mitchell gave a resoundingly optimistic preview of this week’s full council meeting.

He tweeted: “County council meets today from 10am to 3.30pm. Unlikely to change the world, the country or the county!”

If you cannot make changes to the county with a budget of £1bn, five-and-a-half hours of talking and a buffet lunch, we wonder how you ever will.