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by Asa Bennett

With spending cuts and efficiency drives in vogue, as typified by David Cameron's promotion of Tesco's approach, Conservative-controlled Barnet Council has announced an overhaul of their business model so, paralleling systems pioneered by Ryanair and Easyjet, they will offer a "no frills approach" with extra costs for services classed as non-essential.

The Council Leader Mike Freer explained about the initative that: "Some things will be cheap and cheerful and in other areas we will provide complete services".

However headline-grabbing this decision may be, it may be unwise for Barnet Council to associate themselves with budget airlines that while economically succeed, are often subject to fierce criticism and vilification and are notorious for how far they may go with charging for "non-essential" services.