Sorry, I may have misunderstood - but are you seriously suggesting that, if only in staffing terms, we should be more like McDonalds? Have you not heard the derisive term "McJobs" to imply underpaid and unmotivated posts?

More seriously, some authorities currently have barely enough staff to keep the branch network open and not enough to keep the mobiles on the road. I currently provide two thirds of the professional cover for the entire west of Northumberland and our senior management team, with responsibility for arts and heritage in addition to 38 brances and mobiles, consists of 3 - efficient enough, I would think, for even Laser and Tim Coates. Not, however, a model that I would think of recommending to anybody and certainly not one that will allow developments such as extending opening hours - however much we might wish to do so.