Give us a break, Ian Hart.

There is no justification for him saying in his column that Brighton and Hove City Council gives more support to Pride than it does to the Albion (The Argus, August 13).

Even the club's bosses disagree and had prepared a statement supportive of the council in the Luton Town match programme.

For a start, we didn't fund Pride. We give it a lot of organisational support and a handful of groups get grants up to £500 to assist their involvement.

By contrast, we're offering to donate millions of pounds worth of land at Falmer, we've just spent £250,000 supporting the club's case at the planning inquiry and we bent over backwards to bring them home to Withdean with unique planning permission.

We're doing absolutely everything which resources permit.

If the Albion "received the same level of support as Pride" as Ian demands, Falmer would never happen. It requires a lot more support than that.

The fact that we're not a northern town is significant but not in the way Ian thinks.

Lots of places up north have acres of derelict industrial land available.

We're crammed between the downs and sea with virtually none.

Getting a site has caused the biggest delay.

On Falmer, Ian says with unintentional humour: "Is it too much to ask the council for £20m towards for the cost of construction?"

Well, Ian, I don't know whether you ever read the rest of The Argus but it recently reported that the council is working out how to fill an £18m predicted hole in our budget next year, caused by spiralling costs of things like social care.

So the answer to your question is, unfortunately, "yes".

-Coun Ken Bodfish, leader, Brighton & Hove City Council