MONDAY'S Argus contained a letter which was headed "Councillors, stop wasting time on irrelevant issues".

It mentioned that some councillors wanted July's city council meeting to debate the US Supreme Court decision on abortion in America, that there had been two debates on nuclear weapons during this council term, and that other UN-level items had been put before meetings of Brighton and Hove City Council.

The writer was of the opinion that, while councillors were spending their time discussing issues like these, the city and its precious heritage was rotting away, basic services were being cut and neglected and whole areas of the city had become graffiti ghettos.

Come Tuesday and there were two more letters critical of the council, the first covering the city's extremely low waste recycling rate, the funding of the i360, the lack of park and ride schemes and the high vacancy rate for allotments while, at the same time, there was a long waiting list for them.

The second one bemoaned the state of the Madeira Arches and expressed a fear they would go the same way as the West Pier.

The same edition of The Argus contained an article, written by the deputy leader of the Labour group on Brighton Council, which was published under the heading "Labour's view".

What was Labour's view on the rotting of the city's heritage? Basic services being cut and neglected? Graffiti ghettos? The Madeira Arches? The recycling rate? The i360? Lack of park and rides? Unused allotments?

We weren't told. Instead the councillor used the whole of her two allotted columns to discuss the lack of black players in England's team when our women footballers faced their counterparts from Norway last week.

Perhaps, in a future column, she can let us know what effect greater diversity at Wembley would have had on the myriad problems facing the residents of the city that she and her colleagues represent.

Or is it a case that it is far easier to criticise the diversity of a national football team than it is to face up to, and do something about, matters that the residents of Brighton and Hove consider far more important - issues that affect their lives on a daily basis?

After all, that is what they expected councillors to do when they voted them into power,

power that they could so easily lose at the next elections if they don't start concentrating on local issues and leave Parliament to sort out national and international ones.

Eric Waters

Lancing