Moulsecoomb was off the map when it came to getting assisted area status from the Government.

But the estate is celebrating after being part of the East Brighton area which receives £47.2 million of Government cash under the New Deal for Communities scheme.

Also included are Whitehawk, the Bates Estate and Saunders Park which suffer from some of the worst problems in the town. The idea is to use the cash to boost jobs, training, education, health and the fight against crime, and the community has made a good start.

By preparing for this cash boost for several years, it should be able to ensure that the money is spent wisely. No one should expect miracles. The problems will not disappear overnight and the programme is intended to cover a ten-year period.

There is a good community spirit, despite all the difficulties, in this swathe of East Brighton. That will be needed as much as any Government cash to make the New Deal really work.

Drunk's order

Adam Richards has become notorious in Lewes for being a drunk who insults and abuses people. But police have always charged him with minor offences including being drunk and disorderly which means he has never spent a long time in jail.

Richards has now become the first drunk in Sussex to be banned from harassing women after magistrates imposed an anti-social order on him. If he breaks the order, Richards could be liable for a long prison sentence which would be no less than he deserved.

Pros and cons

Dr Stuart Lieberman had extraordinary advice for a man who feared he might be a homosexual, according to allegations by the General Medical Council.

According to a barrister, he told the patient at a Worthing clinic a sure-fire cure for his virginity would be to sleep with a prostitute.

The patient took the advice twice but according to evidence before a conduct committee, it didn't work at all. There is a moral to this cautionary tale. Before you consider the pros, look at the cons.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.