A COUNCIL department that is looking at cutting benefits has raised eyebrows by striking a deal with a Petersfield firm to keep its staff looking good.

Staff and councillors at East Hampshire District Council are being offered tickets to buy discounted goods at the Estée Lauder shop.

They can also enjoy cut-prices massages at Penns Place if the stress of working at the coal face gets too much.

The public sector employees can obtain tickets to visit the beauty store in Bedford Road on Saturdays via an officer in EHDC's council tax department.

But the offer comes at an embarrassing time for the authority, as it is considering a cut in council tax benefits for the poorest people in the area.

For full story, see this week's Petersfield Herald.