The way opinion is flowing in Brighton and Hove, it is not the Liberal Democrats who will be fighting for survival at the next city council elections but the Tories (Voice Of The Argus, January 29).

Conservatives are quitting their party at such a rate they will soon be an endangered species. Councillors Jenny Barnard-Langston and Mark Barnard have joined the Liberal Democrats because they recognise it is important to stand up for the real interests of local people rather than scoring points in the council chamber.

Whether it is fighting for local voluntary organisations starved of their grants by Labour's cuts or leading the battle for true community democracy through neighbourhood forums, it is increasingly the Liberal Democrats who are setting the agenda in the city. Expect some surprises at the next city council elections.

-Peter Bartram, Brighton and Hove Liberal Democrats