I take back all I said about our disaster movie-inspired housing department.

After two elderly people skidded and hurt themselves on the permanent puddle outside my flat, Brighton and Hove City Council sent round a contractor within five minutes of my phone call.

I could almost smell the burning rubber as the van screeched to a halt.

With response times like this, I thought: "If only we had local elections every day."

It gave me no small pleasure to picture our municipal masters sweating buckets as they calculate votes lost through yet another revelation of the council's Mr Beanlike building standards.

They won't be able to relax until May 1.

Is there any more argument needed for tenant control of our council housing before it goes the same way as the West Pier?

-Ian Hills, UK Independence Party candidate, Brighton