BEATING crime topped the list when local people voted for the issues they want council bosses to tackle.

Boosting the local economy and helping Blackburn and Darwen people build better communities were next on the agenda, according to the collated results of the Vision conference at Ewood Park.

The meeting, hosted by the Blackburn with Darwen Council, allowed people from the private and voluntary sectors as well as community groups, the police, NHS staff and other to share their views on the area's future for the year 2020.

Executive director Graham Burgess, who organised the event, said: "We are extremely pleased with the outcome of the conference which included people from all sections of society.

"This is an exciting time for local democracy and for a new involvement in decision making by the community."

At the conference, people voted for projects to increase self-worth, better quality policing and community workers to tackle crime. Encouraging industries to expand, attracting more investment and making education more accessible were the main suggestions for boosting the economy.

The fourth priority was increasing harmony between races, followed by improving health and increasing learning opportunities for adults as well as children.

Lancashire Evening Telegraph editor Peter Butterfield said the conference's results mirrored the responses to a questionnaire printed in the newspaper, when readers were asked to choose their six top priorities from a list.

He said: "I was surprised that every single response had tackling crime as a priority but obviously it's a subject that's exercising everyone's mind as the conference came to exactly the same conclusion.

"It's not just the big crimes, it's the neighbourhood nuisances like yobs stoning buses which impinges on people's lives, because suddenly they are without buses. Everyone's been touched by crime.

"A lot of people are affected by the fear of crime because the perception is that the problem is worse than it is."

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