Status Quo Angry Over Council Advert Which 'Insults Fans'

Brighton and Hove City Council has been forced to apologise to veteran rockers Status Quo and their fans after a recruitment website designed to find four new strategic directors for the city was interpreted by the band as an insult.

Britain's finest purveyors of heads-down, no-nonsense boogie failed to see the funny side of a recruitment website that is dominated by the words, "Status Quo fans need not apply." The denim-clad rockers are now planning to hang a banner reading, "Councillors for Brighton and Hove need not attend" when they play the Brighton Centre in December.

"This is a direct insult to the capabilities of millions of Quo fans, many of whom are probably totally overqualified for these jobs," fumed Simon Porter, the band's manager.

"On top of that, this just seems like a ludicrous waste of money, and particularly in the very week that the new prime minister is warning everyone about the future budget cuts. Perhaps Brighton should make some savings in its recruitment department."

John Bardell, the city's chief executive, responded to Porter's outburst in an open letter on the council's website.

"I'm sorry if any offence has been caused by our advert slogan "Status Quo fans need not apply" -- none was intended," Bardell wrote.

He continued, "What we mean by this play on words is that we want people who will come to the council with brilliant and original ideas about how to make residents' lives better. We don't want people who will accept things the way they are."
Mr Bardell accepted that the wording may come be open to misinterpretation.

"I accept that it was a little insensitive," he conceded. "My wife did say when she saw it that 'it might upset Quo fans.' I hoped it would make us stand out from the crowd and would get people interested. Clearly she was right."

Mr Barradell confirmed that applications from headbangers would be welcomed. He said, "Finally, I should clarify that the question of musical preference will not be asked at interview; it is not relevant to the recruitment of these jobs."