Votes cast on town improvements

Residents are being urged to send in their votes by text or email

Cheaper housing and safer communities are topping a text and email poll to find out what residents would most like to see improved in their town.

People across Bournemouth, Dorset, are being urged to send their suggestions ahead of the Great Bournemouth Debate on the town's future, on Saturday.

The public is being invited to attend the discussion at the university.

They will be able to vote for their top improvement using a Who Wants to be a Millionaire-style voting pad.

All feedback will be considered by borough councillors when the town's priorities are set next year.

They will get to tell us what they think of our priorities, as well as the things we might have missed off our list Richard Smith, council leader

"Using Who Wants to be a Millionaire-style voting pads, residents will be asked for their views on our nine priorities for improving things in Bournemouth," the spokesperson said.

At Saturday's meeting, councillors will give a two-minute pitch on a variety of issues, including sustainable transport and children's services.

After the public has cast its votes, the results will be compared with the council's own priorities.

So far, the public has said affordable housing and safer communities are their joint top priority, while the council said customer focus and recycling were top of their own choices.

Richard Smith, council leader, said: "We will get just two minutes each to make our case for each service improvement - then it is over to the audience.

"They will get to tell us what they think of our priorities, as well as the things we might have missed off our list, that they think need the greatest attention.

"Then, when we review our service improvement priorities later this year, we can better line them up with the service improvement priorities of residents."