As an initial enthusiast of Brighton and Hove achieving city status, I am fast going off the idea.

I suspect our new-found fame and all the recent publicity has had a massive impact on the availability of homes for local people and this is causing serious distress for many of our current residents.

A recent newspaper report stated that more than 40 per cent of houses in Brighton and Hove are now sold to people from London and this is bound to increase as prices continue to rise out of reach of locals.

I know of several friends who are finding it difficult to find a new home due to such an overwhelming demand.

This situation is fast becoming intolerable and it is a problem with no easy solution but the council should be looking at ways of solving it.

The recent examples of other councils restricting the sale of properties to non-residents and larger taxes for second homes are areas that need more examination.

Estate Agents are, of course, in the business of achieving the best prices for vendors and helping people to find a house but their service could be improved by offering homes to locals first. A few are already doing this.

It is not enough to state that local housing costs are all about supply and demand - the positive aspects of Brighton achieving city status are now in real danger of being totally spoiled by the negative ones and housing for locals would be somewhere near the top of the list.

I certainly do not blame people for wanting to move here, it is still an excellent place to live but the endless publicity will only exacerbate our current problem.

-Pete Gillman, Toronto Terrace, Brighton