Everyone in Brighton and Hove will feel the sting of council tax rises if the city council is forced to plug an £18 million gap in funding.

None more so than families on low incomes, who are already struggling to keep their heads above water.

Cuts in social care and non-statutory services such as children's playgrounds will also be felt most severely by the families who have grown up in the city without the benefit of a six-figure salary.

However, such measures seem inevitable after a new financial settlement with the Government left a hole between what the council brings in and what the city needs to spend.

Money previously allocated to the South-East has been snatched away from local authorities and handed to the North.

In a bid to claw back cash, the council has been forced to put up council tax and make savings.

It is crucial all the political voices in the council seize this opportunity to work together and solve this cash dilemma.

It is too important to be used as an exercise in political point-scoring.

The road to financial stability will undoubtedly be a rocky one but decisions made wisely should ensure quality of life is not threatened as a result of government policy.