Opinion is divided over the new parking proposals for the town centre of Hove which include a permit scheme.

More people are against the scheme than are for it. Yet Brighton and Hove Council is ploughing ahead with its plans.

This council is consulting more than any of its predecessors over subjects ranging from an Albion stadium at Falmer to whether there should be an elected mayor.

It cannot abide by the results of every single consultation because the antis are nearly always more vocal than people in favour of new projects and almost nothing would ever get done.

But there is a real and growing feeling in Brighton and Hove that the council simply ignores consultation when it does not like the result. That is a dangerous impression to give and can lead to a breakdown in trust between the council and the community it serves.

The deed has been done in the case of the Hove parking scheme. All we can say is that the results had better be good.

Otherwise, opponents will remember what happened in 2003 at the next local elections, which for councillors are the one set of results which really matter.