Many people in Brighton and Hove will be breathing a sigh of relief that bids to house asylum seekers there have been rejected.

For many, it's not because they have a prejudice against asylum seekers. It's simply that Brighton is at breaking point trying to cope with a rising tide of homelessness.

If any more people in need turned up, the city would be hard-pressed to cater for them.

There have been persistent rumours in Brighton and Hove that dozens of asylum seekers were to have been housed at the Grand Ocean Hotel in Saltdean.

This has been proved wrong but it is true many will go to the Adelphi Hotel in Hastings, a resort which, despite suffering from considerable deprivation, has less pressure on housing space than Brighton and Hove.

It has taken a long time to make the decision on asylum seekers, in line with previous dealings on them.

The authorities seem paralysed with inaction every time an application is made.

It would be good both for the asylum seekers and those having to look after them for decisions over their future to be made more swiftly and fairly.

While some are in genuine fear of persecution in their homelands, many others are understandably seeking a new life in Britain because life is better here.

This country has always accepted refugees but, as Brighton and Hove is discovering, we simply cannot meet the needs of many more economic migrants.