THE Green Party in Oxford has issued a spoof Christmas card sending up the Lord Mayor's official greeting.

The card, created by Green group leader Craig Simmons, mimics Bryan Keen's card, and shows him and wife Elise Benjamin in the Mayoral robes, instead of Mr Keen and wife Beryl, both Labour city coun- cillors.

The alternative card, which features all the Green city councillors, also takes the opportunity to remind Mr Keen of the council's decision earlier this year to choose the eco-friendly Toyota Prius as the Lord Mayor's new car, instead of a BMW, Mr Keen's choice.

Mr Simmons said: "When we saw Brian's card we agreed it was a bit pompous and thought it would be an opportunity to send out one of our own.

"He has been a pleasant enough ambassador for the city, but perhaps he has dipped his toes in the political water a bit too much.

"We're not attacking the good work that the Lord Mayor does, but we thought it would be an opportunity to remind him to pick up the Prius when it is delivered early next year.

"We have sent Bryan our card and I hope he sees the funny side."

Yesterday, Mr Keen, who represents Cowley, failed to see the funny side.

He said: "I don't think it's funny at all. It's a bit sick and yet another publicity stunt by the Greens.

"When Beryl was Lord Mayor in 1996-97 she sent out an official card and we wanted to do the same again.

"We had 350 of our cards printed and it cost about £200 out of the civic budget. I then paid for about 150 myself.

"The cards will go all over the world and to the different organisations in Oxford and it's good for the city council.

"We get a lot of Japanese visitors coming to the town hall and they think it's the best thing since sliced bread when I show them round.

"I will carry on doing my job as Lord Mayor, which is attending lots of civic engagements and raising £6,000 for my three nominated charities, including the Nightshelter.

"The Lord Mayor is a civic tradition in Oxford going back hundreds of years and the people of the city like it, but the Greens don't seem to recognise that.

"In the past, the Green group would cooperate with other political groups, but at the moment they have only got their own agenda."

In October, after months of debate over the replacement of a Rover 75 as the Lord Mayor's car, the executive board decided to buy the Prius, rather than a BMW 5-series, made by the German owners of the city's Cowley car factory.

The Prius, which runs on a mixture of electricity and environmentally-friendly fuel, creates fewer exhaust emissions than the BMW.

At one point, the Lord Mayor said he was not in favour of a Prius, also owned by the Bishop of Oxford, because the ceremonial mace would not fit in the boot.

Mr Keen caused controversy last month when he launched an attack on some fellow city councillors for failing to attend this year's civic Remembrance Sunday service.