People who care for the future of their city will be able to invest in it under a new scheme being launched next year.

They will get a good return and will also be able to ensure jobs and homes are provided through regeneration schemes on derelict sites.

The Brighton and Hove City Mutual Project should be able to raise millions of pounds for a new business centre, live work units and homes for key workers.

It will bypass developers. It will be flexible and adaptable, suiting modern, expanding companies.

The scheme is being run by Family Assurance, a friendly society based in Brighton. It has big backing from the city council, the regeneration partnership, New Deal in East Brighton and the regional development agency.

Brighton and Hove is booming on the leisure and media fronts but deprivation and poverty are obvious for all to see.

Yet there are derelict sites which have been idle for years because no one has yet found the alchemy to blend altruism with imagination and develop them in the way Brighton and Hove needs.

It won't be as easy as it sounds. But it's a good idea to get the people involved so they can see a real return on their investment both in their personal finances and the good health of the city.