I think I like our new Dear Leader.

Councillor Simon Letts has arrived in post with a clutch of common sense proposals.

Speaking to this paper yesterday he was plain on how he will approach the thorny question of plans to add fluoride to the city’s waters. Unlike some of his fellow politicians Cllr Letts is promising a referendum for the people of the city to decide whether to switch the stuff off.

Taking into consideration the science teacher – who is proposing to give up his teaching post while at the city helm – actually agrees with fluoride on a personal level, this is an honest approach. I hope he will campaign with vigour in favour of the chemical so that when the time comes to place their cross city folk will have all the facts before them and not just the hysterical headlines ( I personally have not made up my mind on the issue).

Cllr Letts says he is also open-minded on the subject of the city’s huge art collection and whether some of it could be sold off. Hoorah! To be fair, the previous Tory administration were also in favour of such a move, first mooted by this paper and part of our on-going Show us the Monet campaign.

On this subject i have made up my mind and strongly believe that we can afford to flog off a small proportion of the £180m 4,000-strong collection to pay for arts-based developments such as the new Cultural Quarter. The broad-brush approach by the new leader to the arts issue is welcome, all the more so as in appearance at least he comes across as a arty type of bloke arriving for his photo shoot for the paper in chunky fisherman-style sweater rather than the more usual pin-stripe whistle.

I just hope he can keep up this refreshingly man-of-the-people approach.