A PANEL of public services chiefs will be grilled by residents in a Question Time-style debate at the Parr Hall next month.

Senior councillors and representatives from health, police and local transport services will take questions from the gallery at Borough Conference 2000.

An electronic voting system based on the same technology used in TV's 'Who Wants To Be A Millionnaire?' will allow the audience to respond via electronic key pads connected to a giant results screen.

It will be the second time the panel has faced the public, following a pilot event last December which saw 400 people attend.

Last year's compere, radio's Alan Beswick of GMR, will once again oversee the event, which will again be attended by council leader John Gartside and council chief executive Steven Broomhead.

All are welcome to ask questions on any council-related subject, while the panel will be able to ask some questions of its own and get instant feedback through an on-the-spot poll.

Among the public services flagged up by audience members last year were waste management, public transport and public safety.

Forty-four per cent said that they didn't feel safe in the town centre at night, 63 per cent said there was not enough youth provision in the town, and a third felt that the council did not keep them well enough informed.

Entrance will be strictly by ticket only and questions must be submitted beforehand. For tickets and further information, contact Sharon Parker on 442161.

The event takes place on Tuesday, September 12, from 7pm to 9pm.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.