It came as a shock to discover it was Councillor Wallis who had been taken to court for his unpaid council tax bill.

He is well known as a hard working councillor, and his work on the council’s parking panel has been widely respected, if not agreed with by everyone. However, there can be no excuses for his lack of judgement. As a councillor, you have to pay your council tax bill on time.

Some may be able to sympathise with the situation he found himself in. Mounting bills meant he had no choice but to prioritise payments – and food, housing and energy costs came first. However, many find themselves in that situation and still pay their bill, and Mr Wallis will be judged for that.

With the outstanding arrears long-since settled, he must have believed it was an issue long since behind him – until last week’s edition of the Packet hit the streets.

As we reported, 17 councillors received reminder letters, and 14 of those received a second reminder.

No one other than Councillor Wallis has yet put up their hands and admitted – that was me.

He deserves credit for facing this issue head on, and for coming clean when he could have remained hiding behind the data protection act.

There are 15, or more, other councillors who have not stepped forward, and are happy to drag their colleagues’ names through the mud with them.

Councillor Wallis made a grave mistake, and he is paying for it. It will take time and hard work to fully repair his reputation.

However, at least he had the decency and honour to step forward and hold his hands up. Is it too much to hope that others may now decide it is time to follow his example?