WHEN we dared to suggest last year that Christmas had been virtually removed from the city’s festive celebrations, we were accused of fabrication.

The row erupted after a mix-up between Oxford Inspires and the city council and sent civic leaders into full outrage mode over our coverage.

Now it has emerged that a visiting band from Oxford’s twin city of Leiden in Holland was told by a city council officer not to play in Santa Claus costumes in Oxford last year, in order to tone down the Christmas theme.

True to form, the city council issued a vague statement that the band must have got “the wrong impression”, but refused to answer a direct question about exactly what it told the musicians.

To stop a band playing in Santa costumes at Christmas time is the worst kind of political correctness and it serves absolutely no purpose.

Oxford residents of other faiths, like Muslims and Jews, do not have a problem with Christians celebrating Christmas. But it appears that Oxford City Council and its partners do.

City council leader Bob Price, caught on the hop by our story last year, took this paper to the Press Complaints Commission, claiming inaccuracies in our reporting.

This week his complaint was thrown out.

So we’ll say now what we said then: It is not only individual intolerance that creates disharmony, but also examples like this of petty meddling and bonkers diktats.

The city council must get its act together this year and be straight with the people of Oxford.

For starters, could Mr Price tell us if Christmas in the city is going to be celebrated in the manner that the vast majority of taxpayers expect this year?

Or it is going be relegated to a bit-part in some nonsensical ‘lights festival’ because our dear leaders think Santa suits and the word Christmas are offensive to other faiths?

We’ll bring you the answer as soon as we have it.