DULVERTON residents will be handed the purse strings in an initiative that gives them a say in how a community pot of cash will be spent.

Around £10 million is invested in public services in the town each year.

Now five public authorities have earmarked a total of £10,000 for local people to decide their priorities for making Dulverton a better place to live, work and play.

The town is taking part again in a national programme that gives local people the chance to say how some public funding should be spent.

The 2013 'Sensible Spending' event will take place on March 23 when community groups will be able to make a bid for up to £1,000 of the pot of cash.

The money is intended to help ideas for community benefit that need a small injection of cash to make them work.

People in the town will vote on the bids at the event, which will take place in Dulverton Town Hall from 11am.

"Residents are experts about what needs doing to make their environment, recreation, safety, transport, education and roads better for everyone," said a spokesman for the organisers.

At the last Sensible Spending event the successful bids including money for salting Amory Road, mental health, dance town cinema and fitness groups, as well as junior cricket, school books, the medicine car, sportsfield lights and repairs and Hanover sheltered housing complex.