"You will hear of wars and rumours of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come." (Matthew 24:6)

For my Christmastide sermon, soz, column I thought I'd start with something topical, if not exactly seasonal.

Alas, don't we just live in a time replete with struggles and gossip about forthcoming punch-ups even as we all come together to celebrate the birth of our Saviour (and generously donate to our frazzled clergy's gin supplies. Father Derek has been looking very thirsty of late, by the way, brothers and sisters. Just thought you need be aware)?

Now, the historians among you will recall multiple multiplied aggressions. There were two Punic Wars, three Romano-Parthians ones, eight western crusades and a similar number, one way or another, of recent Arab-Israeli conflicts.

But these necklaces of despair between the same protagonists hang lightly compared with the most vicious and enduring battle for supremacy of all: the Great Babergh Car Parking Wars.

Whether, how much and at what point to start filching cash from motorists who have the temerity to work, live or shop in our market towns began as I recall a few decades prior to my rocking up as Dean in the mid-sixteenth century.

And they've never gone away since.

Now John 'Generalissimo/Littlissimo' (depending whether he's the leader or deputy' at the time. I'm not really sure) Ward has pronounced a resumption of hostilities.

Babergh is broke, you see.

And the financial eggheads based far, far away in Ipswich have consulted their spreadsheets like latter-day seers scrabbling through pig entrails and have concluded that there's nothing inherently wrong with charging council taxpayers and business rates payers to use the facilities they have coughed up for once already.

The idea that the car parks should be viewed as investments in attracting folks to shop in Hadleigh seems beyond the slide rule sages.

At the very least, you would have hoped that the elected elites around Generalissimo/Littlissimo would have tasked the bean counters to find savings elsewhere before cutting back on free short term parking.

Like reviewing whether the Council really needs all those very well-paid managerial roles. There's an interesting document on the Babergh website called 'Extended Leadership Team' which details the 12 Apostles, no not that, the 12 most senior staff employed by the Council.

When cross-referenced (what a little investigator I'm becoming! Watch out Richard Nixon, although I'm a little late to the party on that one) with information elsewhere would suggest that the likely annual salary bill for these 12 is likely to be into seven figures.

Perhaps, Babergh might at the very least consider not recruiting for replacements as and when vacancies arise amongst this cohort so as to make some savings? At least for the next financial year.

I wonder whether Babergh should look also to cut its losses at Corks Lane, the previous site of its headquarters? The original decision to decant Babergh out of its own area was, in principle, a wrong 'un, admittedly taken by a previous administration under an earlier chief executive, one Charlotte 'Mount' Adan, so named as she was rumoured to be a least 7ft tall.

Work now on the ground seems to have, er, ground to a halt and as a correspondent to Hadleigh Nub News recently and astutely observed the whole development seems to be in direct competition with the swimming pool given all the water features appearing on site.

At least Babergh isn't proposing throwing more money at this misconceived project.

The same applies to CIFCO, its joint venture with Mid Suffolk which operates an out-of-district retail property portfolio. Although the funds do generate income, their value continues to fall (wrong sector, wrong time perhaps?) with future revenue likely to follow suit. Surely now is the time for Babergh to sell up and bank the money?

After all, by reducing the number of highly-paid staff for a while and exiting the worlds of property development and high street investments, Babergh might have enough wherewithal not to reduce free car parking any further.

The end is still to come. Good luck to all those campaigners against this silly proposal.

And to all, I wish you a happy and peaceful Christmas.

*The opinions of highly-rated Hadleigh Nub News columnist Rowland Taylor's Ghost are his own. If you would like to send us your views with contribute on our various social media platforms, or use our Readers' Letters facility here...