Northamptonshire County Council's new course on '˜how to wear a scarf' critcised as a '˜waste of time'

The authority is advertising for people to attend the three-hour class which is titled “Discover How To Wear Scarves Effectively”.

The course, which is due to run on November 3 at Abington Bowling Club, costs £24.60 per person.

In the advert on council’s website, the authority says the event has been designed to teach participants “how to wear scarves more effectively for their personal style.”

Learners will also “discover different ways to tie and wear scarves” as well as “understand how scarves can make a difference to your outfit and proportions.”

It also adds that pupils can learn to “practice a variety of ways to tie scarves using knots, twists, loops and folds”.

The bizarre class comes two years after the council was criticised for advertising a two-hour adult learning session titled “Meeting The Welfare Needs of Hamsters”.

The evening course led by rodent expert Sophie Hacking was designed to teach pupils how to feed their pet “a balanced diet” and assess their “social needs.”

But the £5.90 session had to be scrapped due to a lack of numbers.

Earlier this week, local residents criticised the authority for wasting resources as it tries to slash budgets by £128 million over the next five years - though the council says the group will not be subsidised by the taxpayer.

Danielle Westwood, 43, from Spinney Hill, said: “I don’t understand why the council are wasting time and resources on something as pointless as this.

“It’s just absurd. Why can’t people look online to see how to put a scarf on.”

Steven Tolley, 35, from Upton, added: “No one in their right mind would pay £25 to learn how to put a scarf on.

“Adult learning courses can be very helpful, but this course is just a joke.”

A Northamptonshire County Council spokesman has dismissed the criticism, adding that it is actually “very popular.”

“Our adult learning service is self-financing and not subsidised by the county council,” the spokesman said. “In this case, the ‘Discover How To Wear Scarves Effectively’ course is fully paid for by the learners who sign up for it. This course receives no taxpayer funding at all.

“If there are insufficient numbers to finance the course, then it will not go ahead. However, this is a very popular course and one of a number of personal development classes we offer that aim to help people to build their confidence, particularly for those who are looking for work and want to dress to impress for a job interview.”