It was felt that the accessible public platform provided by the BBC and the research expertise available through the university together made for an ideal combination

Professor Kevin Morgan

Issues to be discussed include: education; sustainable development; poverty and deprivation; and health and rural policy.

The guest speaker at the first event, on Thursday 24 January, is Dr Peter Williams, deputy director general of the Council of Mortgage Lenders, who will examine the pros and cons of a new form of social housing, the community model.

His talk is called: Regenerating our Communities - Are Community Mutuals the answer?

Six such events are planned over the coming months and members of the public can apply for tickets to attend each talk.

The BBC Wales Lectures series continues on Wednesday 20 February when Lord Haskins, the government's rural recovery chief and chairman of food giant Northern Foods, discusses: The Future of Food and Agriculture.

Professor Kevin Morgan is director of The Regeneration Institute at Cardiff University.

Professor Morgan: Wants 'lively debate'

He said: "This regeneration lecture series was born out of a desire to promote a lively discussion of public policy issues affecting the people of Wales and its place in the 21st century.

"They also stem from a sense that such issues - education, health and rural policy, social and economic regeneration, policy towards Europe and the issue of entry into the Euro - needed a greater airing at the public level.

"It was felt that the accessible public platform provided by the BBC and the research expertise available through the university together made for an ideal combination to stimulate a timely and vigorous public debate."

Aled Eirug is Head of News and Current Affairs at BBC Wales.

He said: "BBC Wales has decided to create this new lecture series in order to give the opportunity for people to discuss controversial areas of public policy where none has existed.

"The subjects selected are all important areas of policy but which haven't received much airing publicly.

"It is an innovative joint venture between BBC Wales and The Regeneration Institute and we will be giving publicity to this platform on BBC Wales's news and current affairs programmes."

Regenerating Our Communities - are Community Mutuals the answer? is held at 6.15pm on Thursday 24 January 2002, Committee Rooms 1 & 2, Glamorgan Building, Cardiff University, King Edward VII Avenue, Cathays Park, Cardiff.

For tickets contact: Shelagh Lloyd, The Regeneration Institute, Cardiff University, Glamorgan Building, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3WA.

Email: LloydS10@cardiff.ac.uk tel: 029 20 87 6412