THE idea of a public forum for people living in Worcester - so that people can question local authority leaders and police chiefs - is being proposed by council bosses.

City council chief exe-cutive David Wareing said the success of a new forum in Pershore, where 100 people turned up at a recent meeting, could be bettered in Worcester.

It is debating whether it should set up a regular service in the city centre or head out to St John's.

The forums would take place regularly throughout 2006 and address crime and quality of life. They would be advertised locally. There could even be two or three different forums across the city if bosses feel there is a need to cast the net wider.

The idea has come from the Government - which has told councils to make serious attempts to bring service providers into contact with local people.

Police have responded favourably to the idea so far, and have set aside time to meet with council bosses.

Chief Inspector Sharon Gibbons, of South Worces-tershire police, said: "We are very pleased to be involved with this scheme and will work with our partners to ensure the forum is relevant to local communities."

An additional idea being floated is to supply forms for questions at each meeting, which would be answered within two weeks.

The large number of people living in the city is seen as ideal for such a pilot.

Maggie Bryan, of the chief executive's unit at the county council, said: "At the moment we are about to have more discussions with the police. We want to get people engaging with each other. We certainly want a forum to get up and running but the debate is whether to locate it centrally or out in St John's."

Mr Wareing said: "One idea we have is to pilot two or three forums across the city. Police would address crime and we would address quality of life issues.

"I'm pleased with the response from all parties so far - everyone recognises the need to get involved. We need to take this forward together."