TWENTY-FIVE resident representatives will take their seats on Hartlepool Borough Council's neighbourhood consultative forums for the first time next week.

They were elected to their roles in recent ballots and will work with councillors on the forums.

It is hoped the appointments will give communities a greater voice and bring people closer to the local authority's decision-making process.

The council has three neighbourhood consultative forums covering the north, centre and south of the town.

They meet every eight weeks to give people a chance to find out more about matters affecting their communities and to raise issues of concern.

Eight resident representatives have been elected in the north, ten in the centre and seven in the south.

They include a vice-chairman for each forum, who will also be given a seat on the Hartlepool Partnership.

Chairman of the north neighbourhood consultative forum Councillor Edna Wright said: "The forums have proved very successful and the appointment of these resident representatives now takes them on to the next level by increasing public participation in their work still further.

"I am certainly looking forward to working closely with those residents elected to sit on the north forum to try to improve the lives of local people."