POLICY-MAKING for Rossendale Council is set to involve people from all walks of life in a bid to increase communication between the council and voters.
Poor communication between the two were identified by the Audit Commission report this summer, which ranked the council as the country's worst performing authority.
Councillors propose to allow the young people of Rossendale Youth Council and the public to speak at committee meetings -- by setting up a People's Panel along the lines of the Citizens' Juries elsewhere in the country.
The intention is to widen policy-making from 36 councillors to include representative groups from across Rossendale, although the final decisions will be left to councillors.
Coun David Hancock, deputy council leader, said: "We envisage that the People's Panel will involve 100-plus people from all sections of society. We will probably advertise and ask people to write in to become members."
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