The Packet's exclusive story last week revealing that a county councillor has had to repay £257 in over-claimed mileage expenses may not on the face of it seem that significant.

You may well feel that, in the grand scheme of things, such a small amount of money is not worth causing a fuss about and hardly merits front page news.

But hang on a minute. There is more to this story than meets the eye. An in-depth investigation by the Packet nearly two years ago revealed that many councillors were claiming far more than they should be for using their own cars to travel from home to County Hall.

Using the Freedom of Information Act the Packet obtained copies of the councillors' expenses claim forms and checked all the mileages against AA and RAC computer mapping systems. We named over a dozen councillors who appeared to be claiming more than the motoring organisations suggested they were entitled to.

The council promised to investigate and to make a full statement. But, despite constant reminders and several broken promises, the statement never materialised.

The only reason that an internal inquiry was eventually held in respect of one senior councillor - Mrs Terry Lello, a member of the Liberal Democrat ruling executive - was that two of her constituents in Hayle refused to let the matter rest. Owen Philp and Brian Oliver constantly complained until the council was eventually forced to act.

Two senior officers who work for the very council that Mrs Lello and her party colleagues control were tasked with investigating the complaint. In effect, they were investigating one of their own political masters.

They found that Mrs Lello's claims over a six-year period "had not been completed as accurately as they should have been" although there was "no evidence to support an allegation of fraudulent intent."

Astonishingly, the officers excused Mrs Lello's mistakes because their own County Hall colleagues had not done their job properly. "Our internal checking systems were inadequate," they concluded. This is in spite of the fact that guidance notes for councillors state: "There are rules enabling you to claim expenses and allowances in connection with your duties as a councillor. These rules must be scrupulously observed."

So what of all the other councillors who claimed more than the AA and RAC suggested they should have done? The report into Mrs Lello's claims acknowledges the Packet's 2006 story and says: "Members regularly do not follow the shortest route, but have their favourite routes to avoid congestion."

Have any of these other councillors - like Mrs Lello - been asked to repay over-claimed mileage expenses? That does not appear to be the case. Luckily for them they don't have public spirited constituents like Mr Philp and Mr Oliver who were prepared to demand justice.

And what of the future? Can we now expect to see a sharp drop in the annual expenses bill? You must be joking! The council has simply amended the wording of the guidance rules "to allow members to use the most convenient route."

With councillors collecting 50p for every mile they travel, you can just imagine which routes they will find convenient!