As a resident of Brighton and Hove since 1967, I have witnessed the changing face of what has become a city.

It’s now 2013 and I do wonder what it is doing to evolve into the so-called “place to be”.

The city has on the one hand carved out a niche for young and raucous hen and stag weekenders, with a stroll on the seafront in Brighton a mixture of enormous tatty bins surrounded by the filth and aroma of backstreet alleys and pubs.

It is easy to accept this low standard until you venture east to Hastings to see its regeneration and renewed vitality thanks to an art gallery, the vibrant and welcoming Old Town and reasonable parking options and charges.

Head west to the once unfashionable Worthing and you find a seafront and town in harmony, with a brand-new swimming pool built for a little more than £19 million – just its latest addition for residents.

Yet in Brighton and Hove I just see a burnt-out pier, a swimming pool on its last legs and a seafront which lacks the broader appeal it could so easily prosper from.

We have a council happy to lend £18 million to a private project residents will see little amenity use from and a lack of any vision for our city’s future, with parking charges that do a great job in forcing both locals and tourists elsewhere along the coast.

Brighton and Hove City Council needs to wake up from its complacent attitude and realise it is not the only place on the South Coast for tourists, families and businesses.

I hope this strikes a chord as driving through Worthing the other week was a real wake-up call.

The competition from neighbouring South Coast towns is something Brighton and Hove can ill-afford to overlook.

Bob Howitt, South Street, Portslade