ON THE face of it the council is doing an excellent job in finding ways to create new homes.

It has found a housing association willing to work with it to provide 1,000 homes in a bid to create more affordable housing.

Homes for young people, first-time buyers and those who are not on huge wages is the big challenge of our time.

Somehow we have got ourselves into a mess in this country whereby people are spending half, and often more than that, of their salary on keeping a roof over their head.

Nowhere is this issue more acute than in Brighton.

Lots of people want to live here but cannot afford to.

Lots of people do live here who cannot afford to and when they get emergency housing from the council they may find themselves living in Newhaven or further away even, from loved ones and their jobs.

People moving here to start new jobs find it financially better to move into outlying areas.

So yes it is admirable that the city council is looking to find ways to house the people who work in the city, at our hospitals, in our restaurants and shops.

So one may be surprised that there are loud concerns about its scheme with Hyde Housing.

The problem is that, like in the case of the King Alfred leisure centre scheme, partners are being chosen in a process that has not been public.

Councillors are right to question this process. The council must be held to account to ensure all is being done properly, publicly.

If this project can be made more public then it has every chance to gain more support and, crucially, more momentum.