BLACKPOOL residents have been meeting to decide who will chair their new area forums.

Members of the public in Layton, Revoe and Marton areas attended their second area forum recently to elect a chairman and hear feedback from Blackpool Borough Council on various issues.

Bob Wills was named Layton area forum chairman and Roy Parr was elected chairman of Revoe area forum. Marton's chairman is John Porter.

Mr Wills, 65, of Foxdale Avenue, Layton, was the first of the area forum chairmen to be elected and said his voluntary work for Blackpool Advocacy Service would stand him in good stead for his new role.

"We are in a unique position and as chairman I will be able to put the views of the people," he said.

The new Layton committee was looking to adopt a residents' charter which they hoped would be adopted across Blackpool, aimed at regeneration, crime reduction and creating an environment where people support and respect each other, he said.

The quarterly forums began last October to improve communication between the council and Blackpool residents.

Tony Williams, head of corporate policy at Blackpool Borough Council, said this year's first forums were well attended and chairmen were successfully elected from the general public.

He added: "The forums received presentations on project funding within the areas with a view to actually highlighting the potential of a number of community projects.

"They also received feedback on what the council had done in response to the issues identified in October."

Issues included worries about crime, youth nuisance, litter and houses of multiple occupancy -- such as hostels and flats.

The council feedback updated the forum on what the council was doing on "a range of issues", he said.

Three area forums are still to go ahead. North Shore area forum will take place tonight (Thursday) at Claremont Primary School, Westminster Road, at 7pm. Bispham area forum will meet at Montgomery School, All Hallows Road, on January 29 and South Shore forum is at Roseacre Primary school, Stonycroft Avenue, on January 31.