WYRE Borough Council has been urged by its newly established Community Panel to improve communications with the area's electorate.

The panel meeting, on July 29, allowed representatives from a diverse cross section of Wyre organisations an opportunity to tell the council what they think of the services it provides - no punches pulled.

Chief executive Michael Brown stressed there was a need for a fresh approach to be taken to ensure people's views were listened to and ultimately had an impact on the way decisions are made.

After the event, in which groups discussed community involvement, safety, the environment and service delivery, Mr Brown said: "We wanted to make the most of having everyone here to find out what we do well and where there is room for improvement."

"And that's exactly what happened," added council treasurer Alan Hunter, who helped organise the event. "People got straight to the point, no holds barred.

"One of the main issues arising from the discussion was the need to improve, expand and build upon existing channels of communication between the council and the electorate."

Now the council will be analysing all the information and feedback from the day as part of the Government's plan to modernise local government.

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