With a chronic shortage of affordable housing, it never ceases to amaze me how local authorities seemingly choose to ignore their stock and let it fall apart. Take, for example, the Brookmead building in Albion Street, Brighton.

Many people have highlighted this building over the years as ripe for conversion, yet it still stands there, neglected and deteriorating.

I worked with a local action team back in 2011 to spruce it up a bit. We cleared mountains of rubbish and cut back the greenery in order to make it look at least a bit more presentable.

Sadly, Brookmead has reverted to being a complete eyesore. This is just one example of a wasted opportunity, replicated across all the wards in our city. It’s about time Brighton and Hove City Council acted to put such buildings to good use. We really need to get to grips with tackling the enormous waiting list of people desperate for accommodation. Let’s start reclaiming these buildings now – or are we going to leave it another year, in the hope mother nature creeps in and we can simply forget about them?

Chris Cooke, Montague Street, Brighton