ANOTHER series of community forums will take place across the Dudley borough in the new year.

The next round of the Dudley Council-run public meetings will be held from January 8 to 22.

People can meet with their ward councillors and a representative from the police to discuss issues in the community.

Community groups can also bid for grants of up to £5,000 for projects or activities which benefit residents.

Councillor Patrick Harley, leader of Dudley Council, said: “With the start of a new year, it’s a great time to get together with local communities to focus on our key priorities for the year ahead.

“We know we’ve got a lot to look forward to in 2018 but we still want to hear about ideas and issues that matter to local people on the ground.

"Making decisions that are right for local people and the borough as a whole is key and that’s why we want to put local people at the heart of the decision-making process.

“It’s more important than ever before for people to come along and talk to us about any ideas or issues they have, big or small in their local area."

The first meetings will kick off on Monday January 8 when the Brierley Hill, Brockmoor and Pensnett community forum will run at Brockmoor Primary School, Belle Isle, Brockmoor, and the Castle & Priory, St James’s and St Thomas’s community forum will run at St John’s Parish Hall, St John’s Road, Kate’s Hill, Dudley.

On Wednesday January 10, the Kingswinford North and Wall Heath, Kingswinford South and Wordsley community forum will be held at Dingle Community Centre, Madeley Road, Kingswinford, and the Norton, Pedmore and Stourbridge East and Wollaston and Stourbridge Town meeting will take place at Ham Dingle Primary School, Old Ham Lane, Stourbridge.

The Belle Vale, Hayley Green and Cradley South community forum will take place on Monday January 15 at Earls High School, Furnace Lane, Halesowen.

Also that night the meeting covering Coseley East and Sedgley will take place at Cotwall End Primary School, Cotwall End Road, Sedgley.

On January 18 the Gornal, Upper Gornal and Woodsetton community forum will take place at Upper Gornal Pensioners Club, Kent Street, Dudley, along with the Amblecote, Cradley and Wollescote, Lye and Stourbridge North community forum at Thorns Primary School, Thorns Road, Brierley Hill.

The Netherton, Woodside and St Andrews and Quarry Bank and Dudley Wood community forum will take place at Quarry Bank Community Centre, Sheffield Street, Quarry Bank, on Monday January 22 - and the Halesowen South and North community forum will be held at Leasowes High School, Kent Road, Halesowen, on the same evening.

All the forums start at 6.30pm.