Councillor Tehmtan Framroze partly blames private landlords for the loss of rented accommodation (Letters, October 4).

Coun Framroze is well aware that Brighton and Hove has one of the largest private rented sectors in the United Kingdom, with approximately 20 per cent of all accommodation being rented. What he failed to say is the local authority does absolutely nothing to encourage private landlords to continue letting in the city.

The planning regulations are set against the interests of private landlords in that social housing has to be provided by them at no cost to the city. Equally, the same landlords, when converting properties for let, are required to pay for traffic-calming

measures. In addition, the planning process in the city takes months for an application to be finalised - not conducive to allowing pri-vate landlords to conduct their business in a sensible manner.

Is it any wonder some private landlords, sick at the way they are treated by the council, make less stressful investments?

It is the job of government to provide the necessary accommodation for the people in need in this city. It is the job of housing benefit to make up rents where the tenants cannot afford them. These are the problems that should be addressed by Coun Framroze. He will not by achieve this by criticising and targeting private landlords.

-Mike Stimpson, Chairman, Southern Private Landlords' Association