Participants watched Tony Blair in a pre-recorded video

The voters, chosen to represent a cross-section of society, took part in a Citizen Forum to debate and vote on policies for public services.

Labour Chairman Hazel Blears was among the ministers at the meeting, which is part of a six-month government policy review. Tony Blair did not attend.

The findings will be presented to a meeting of the Cabinet on Thursday.

Participants were debating and then voting on statements such as: "The police should spend more time on the beat and the streets, even if it means less time spent investigating more serious crime."

I'm not cynical, but I'd say I'd be very keen to see how this all translates into policy Participant Anna Tees-Nutt 'It changed my view' Analysis: Citizens speak up

Although not there in person, the prime minister sent a video message in which he assured participants their views would be taken into account.

But Conservatives accused the government of using taxpayers' money to carry out Labour Party research.

And anti-war campaigners said it was "farcical" that Mr Blair appeared ready to listen to the voices of a small hand-picked group, when he ignored more than one million people who marched in the streets against the invasion of Iraq.

'Profound dialogue'

The voters, chosen by pollsters Ipsos Mori as representative of British society and paid �50 to attend, were discussing public services, the role of the state and crime.

The forum is part of the government's ongoing policy review process, a cross-departmental initiative which aims to look at the challenges for the UK in the next decade.

The review has been looking at issues ranging from public services to the role of the state, crime, Britain and the world, economic dynamism and energy and the environment.

Conclusions are due to be announced in mid-March and will set a direction for government policy over the coming decade.

Mr Blair said the forum would allow a "far more profound dialogue" than was usually possible between politicians and the public, and said that the discussions would "certainly help form government policy".

'Charade'

Participant Anna Tees-Nutt, 32, from Sutton Coldfield, told the BBC News website there had been a huge range of different opinions and experiences.

"I'm not cynical, but I'd say I'd be very keen to see how this all translates into policy," she said.

However the session overall had changed her opinion of politics "phenomenally", she said, "in terms of the complexity of the analysis that needs to go on".

Conservative shadow Cabinet Office minister Oliver Heald condemned the use of taxpayers' money to "do the Labour Party's dirty work" and said public funds should not be spent on "helping them cook up new policies".

Andrew Burgin, of the Stop the War Coalition, said: "The majority of people in this country are opposed to the war in Iraq - two million went on the march in 2003 - and Tony Blair has failed consistently to listen to that message for four years.

"It is a charade that he should now say he will listen to 60 hand-picked people. It marks a nail in the coffin of democracy in this country that this is presented as a serious exercise in policy-making."