A meeting set up so parents and pupils could voice their concerns over a trouble-hit college fell flat when only three people turned up.

Councillors thought no one was going to come to the event to talk about East Brighton College of Media Arts last night.

Members of a scrutiny panel set up to investigate what went wrong with the college's Fresh Start initiative got ready to leave the meeting, held at Whitehawk Youth and Community Centre.

But 20 minutes after the start time, two former pupils and an ex-parent-governor turned up.

Councillor Jackie Lythell, who chairs the panel, said the lack of response was disappointing and added: "The meeting has been quite widely advertised."

But Labour councillor John Newington said: "It may well be that pupils and parents are looking forwards rather than backwards and are happy with the way it is going."

Councillors agreed to call for a report on whether another meeting should be organised.