Homes are in short supply in Brighton and Hove.

In the past five years the most desirable houses have soared in price, way beyond the pockets of most people who live and work here.

The city council has responded to this looming crisis by inviting representatives from elsewhere in the country to tempt families away.

There is even the hint of cash on offer for those who take the bait.

In purely rational terms it is a solution which makes sense. In Wales and the North of England there are much cheaper homes to buy and plenty of council houses sitting empty.

But the city's housing boom has been at least partly fuelled by the policy of marketing Brighton as the perfect getaway for stressed Londoners.

Poorer families, born and bred in Brighton, could be made to feel the city has left them behind.

An alternative solution lies in improving the housing which is available.

Green shoots are starting to show after four years' work in the traditionally run-down Whitehawk estate, as we report today.

A community-driven regeneration scheme, eb4u, is repairing the damage caused by years of under-investment.

Homes there which have been empty and unwanted for years are now becoming hot property.

Should we now be asking the people who need them to move away?