And, my goodness, they have made some over the years.

Just as the summer holidays start, some dingbat decides to close the popular children's playground in Endcliffe Park for renovations.

So, at its busiest time of the year, in the weeks when a trip to the park is a free day out for hard-pressed, credit crunched families, the council puts the place out of bounds.

Instead, small faces press disconsolately against the fence at the forbidden Paradise within.

Not for them the swings or the roundabout or the seesaw.

You'd have thought someone would have twigged, wouldn't you?

All it takes is to look at the calendar and ping! we're up against the summer hols, aren't we? Better delay it, then.

But no, the poor old kids get a double whammy. Because, you'll remember, they couldn't use it last summer because of the floods.

As one parent said: "I really do wonder what standard of IQ is required to become a decision-maker at Sheffield City Council these days."

As they say in the tabloids, you couldn't make it up.

I've been thinking about some of the sillier decisions our dear old council has made over the years.

Do you remember, in the days of the Socialist Republic of South Yorkshire, they would fly the red flag from the Town Hall on May Day.

And the one where they stopped drum majorettes using wooden rifles because it was "too militaristic?"

And who could forget when the council banned The Sun from the members room because it was far too right wing and owned by Rupert Murdoch who was running rings round the print unions at Wapping.

Well, David Blunkett could.

When the former council leader left the government who should turn up writing a column for The Sun?

You've guessed it.

He did.

Fast forward a few years and we're outside the Peace Gardens, on Pinstone Street. Do you remember those fine old wooden bus shelters?

They were so distinguished they had a preservation order on them. But it didn't make any difference.

Some twit at the council ordered them to be demolished and the Town Hall had to admit later that it had all been a big mistake.

Back in Endcliffe Park – where luckily you can still buy an ice cream and a bag of chips at Ashley Charlesworth's popular park cafe, feed the ducks and hop on the stepping stones across the River Porter – no-one is actually saying sorry.

If just one official put up his or her hands and said "OK, we messed up," it would make things just a little better.

But no. Shaffaq Mohammed rejoices under the title of cabinet member for Climate Change and Local Environment but obviously not Common Sense.

He says: "It is important that these exciting improvements are carried out at this time of the year when the weather is fine."

Perhaps if something daft is going to happen, it's always going to happen in Endcliffe Park. Because that was the scene of the Great Dog Warden Cock-Up.

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