Brighton and Hove City Council received a 16.4 per cent increase in income from council tax this year and now it is forecasting a massive increase in council tax for next year.

Since the council became a unified authority, council tax has risen 79 per cent.

One must query councillors' financial competence as they appear unable to keep expenditure within the agreed budgets.

The present party system for electing councillors ensures taxpayers have the same councillors for many years and cannot get rid of them no matter if they are totally incompetent.

There must be changes in how long a person can serve as a councillor so taxpayers do not have financially inept councillors for more than eight years.

The council's chief executive is there to see council departments do not go over budget and clearly he is failing in this area.

Perhaps it is time he should go.

-B Bayliss, Hove