The Lib Dems have been on David Parsons' case since 2009

We saw on Friday that David Parsons, the Conservative leader of Leicestershire County Council, was under pressure to resign after the revelation that he had cost taxpayers more than £1m in expenses and allowances over the past five years.

The latest news is that Parsons has announced that he is giving up his chauffeur-driven car, but this has not stopped a Labour councillor calling for an extraordinary meeting or the leader of the Lib Dem county group Simon Galton backing his call.

But it turns out all this is old news. Because the Liberal Democrats have been on Parsons' case since 2009.

Here is the lead story from a tabloid newspaper (kindly sent to me today by a reader) that the Hinckley and Bosworth party put out during the county council elections that year:

Conservative bosses on Leicestershire County Council have come under fire after official figures reveal they spend nearly £20,000 per year on providing a chauffeur driven limousine for the Tory Leader. 

County Hall also spends a staggering £245,000 on public relations each year. 

Liberal Democrats in Hinckley and Bosworth have slammed these figures as a “breathtaking waste of public money.” 

Chairman of the local Lib Dems Cllr Stuart Bray said, “Since the Conservatives took over the County Council in 2001, the average Council Tax bill has gone up by over £235. We believe it is scandalous that the Conservatives waste public money in this way. 

“At a time when everybody is tightening their belts and worrying about their jobs we are calling on Tory bosses to scrap this extravagance and concentrate on keeping bills down.”