I notice Chris Baker's hotline to Brighton Urban Design and Development (BUDD) and its allies has been buzzing in order to write the piece "A tale of a new city" (Argus, July 25).
The notion that city status has made Brighton and Hove a place where big business and the super-rich trample over poor people and local companies is a myth.
Brighton probably has the most thriving small-business economy in the South-East, from the biggest collection of independent shops outside London in North Laine, through the seafront clubs, cafes and bars run by local independents, to the hundreds of small freelance computer and creative experts. We're famous for it.
Sara Bragg of BUDD is wrong to say Brighton and Hove City Council doesn't support local small businesses. Council initiatives, such as the two thriving media centres, small business units at New England House, Sussex Innovation Centre and many others, exemplify support for small firms and underpin the council's successful job-creation strategies.
Clearly, there are problems with affordable housing but that was the case before city status.
-Coun Ken Bodfish, Leader, Brighton and Hove City Council
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