As a long-serving member of the Brighton and Hove Private Sector Housing Forum, I am appalled the forum is being threatened with extinction as a result of Brighton and Hove City Council threatening to remove the funding for facilitating the quarterly meetings.

This situation has come about directly as a result of forum members opposing the proposals made by the council for setting up a strategic housing partnership in the city.

It seems the council will only fund organisations which support its objectives, not those that challenge what they are doing.

This is not democracy but dictatorship and the sooner it stops the better.

-Mike Stimpson, chairman, Southern Private Landlords Association