Put your thinking caps on

Isle of Wight -- Nearly £1,750 was spent by County Hall on its efforts to encourage staff to find money-saving solutions by giving them "Thinking Caps" and foam jigsaw puzzles.
The council confirmed this week it had paid £1,155 for 3,000 puzzles, to be re-arranged into a cube bearing the work Think.
County Hall also said it paid a further £587.50 for 250 baseball caps bearing the words "Thinking".
The council said the sums were small compared to the efficiency savings that could be made from ideas suggested as part of the initiative.
The best idea will earn the team that devised it a £1,000 prize.
"Already we have had some very good suggestions and the project only started on Monday," a council spokesman said.
But news of the cost of the gimmicks has brought further criticism from Labour group leader Cllr Deborah Gardiner, who last week said the caps made those who wore them look like "bloody idiots".
"At a time when the council is freezing posts and making other cutbacks, spending nearly £2,000 on things that have been thrown quickly into the bin is a bit rash to say the least," she said.
"I've not seen anyone wearing a cap. They seem to be largely a source of amusement, rather than being taken seriously."
Mark Chiverton, secretary of County Hall union Unison, said staff felt the credibility of the authority, and the work being undertaken there to deliver services in the face of cut-backs, would be undermined by the "gimmick" hats and puzzles.
"Another worrying thing is the very people brought in to improve the public perception of the council feel that aim is served by getting staff to wear baseball caps."