Citizens panel to have a say on city issues

The council is looking for up to 50 people to join the panel

A panel of Stoke-on-Trent residents is to be set up, allowing the public to have a say in the way the city is run.

The city council said it wanted volunteers to find "new ways to address problems that affect local residents the most".

Similar Citizens' Assemblies had been used successfully in other parts of the UK, it said.

The council said it was hoping to find between 40 and 50 people to take part.

It also said the city would benefit from "tapping into local people's creativity, knowledge and experiences".

Jane Ashworth, the leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: "A Citizens' Assembly provides that opportunity with residents from any walk of life to step up and express their opinion."