IS it little wonder people seem to have so little faith in politicians these days, when we see examples of ignoring the rules such as our front page story today?

Cllr Louis Stephen’s supporters will no doubt say he has hardly committed the crime of the century by not seeking planning permission before building an extension.

Of course he has committed no crime but it is a clear breach of regulations and will not sit pretty with people who may feel they have been unfairly treated by the planning system in the past.

We expect our councillors to follow the authority’s own directives. If not, how can they possibly expect the public to do so?

Cllr Stephen is not the first or won’t be the last city or county councillor to ignore rules they enforce themselves.

He was rightly berated by the planning committee on which he served for five years.

In the interest of balance, we would like to hear Cllr Stephen’s take on the issue.

Unfortunately, he was not available for comment on Friday.

Let’s hope he is available today to explain his actions to the people who elected him.