A CITIZENS' panel involving up to 1,000 residents will help lead the next step forward in extending "people power" in Pendle.

Local people will be asked to volunteer to join the panel, which could cost more than £20,000 to set up, and have their say in shaping the way Pendle Council is run into the next century.

The "blueprint" to extend public involvement and local democracy was outlined by council leader Alan Davies during the authority's annual meeting.

"Pendle leads the way in Lancashire in the way the council involves local people," he said.

"The next step forward will be the creation of a citizen's panel, over 1,000 people who will be recruited to provide regular views on council services and new proposals. "This is a major contribution to Pendle achieving 'best value' status which the Government is now demanding from councils. 'Best value' is not just about getting things as cheaply as possible. It's about consulting local people about what they think about the quality of local services and priorities for future spending."

Up to 1,500 volunteers will be needed to make up the final panel and they will look at the way other authorities such as Bradford and Eastleigh, near Southampton, have run citizen panels.

Panel members could be consulted on a regular basis by questionnaire and may also be asked to take part in telephone polls on topical issues.

"We will have to find the setting up costs which might be £20,000 or more," said Coun Davies. "Once the panel is up and running we will hope that other organisations may use our services to consult people in Pendle and so help us to recoup running costs. It will be more effective and cheaper than conventional opinion polling.

"This is an exciting new venture and we expect to be calling for volunteers as soon as possible this summer."

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