I find myself increasingly exasperated at the actions of Brighton and Hove City Council.

There was no doubt after decades of neglect by the previous Tory administration that public money was needed to rebuild the city's infrastructure.

I was pleasantly surprised with the design of the "boardwalk" on Brighton seafront and the newly-opened library.

However, with those two exceptions, the whole project seems to have headed rapidly downhill.

Let's take the newly-installed paddling pool adjacent to the West Pier (that's another story). While its predecessor - which was perfectly serviceable and has been in use since the Thirties - quietly disintegrates in the summer sun, the new facility has had to be totally relaid just a year after its construction while the accompanying mosaic artwork has mostly disappeared.

Further along the front towards Hove, the council has chosen to present the city as the European capital of petanque/boulle - or whatever the French are calling it this week.

This is not a national pastime but we now have two huge areas, one previously a mini-boating lake, the other a beautiful art-deco sunken garden - now both pits of gravel.

This is either a severe paucity of imagination or, as I suspect, a case of very low maintenance.

Why stop there? We could easily tarmac over Hove Lawns, set them up as a huge car park and make a bit more revenue for the council.

Last week, however, came the icing on the cake - notices planted in the middle of each lawn and attached to the railings prohibiting barbecues. Can you imagine such a thing in Australia or California?

We already pay for the maintenance of this area through our council tax, so rather than playing the proverbial King Canute in attempting to ban people enjoying themselves, couldn't the council concentrate on providing facilities to allow people to barbecue in safety.

I hasten to add this doesn't mean providing areas near Aldrington Basin, for which users would have to pay an exorbitant licence to use something they already pay to maintain.

People have held barbecues on the beach for many years and are not about to stop doing so now just because the council has wasted more municipal funds on superfluous signage.

-Shaun Steer, Hove