Scottish Labour has thrown open its party conference to ordinary members who can attend for just £5 and debate whatever they like.

New leader Kezia Dugdale said she is determined "nothing should be swept under the carpet" in the debates that could shape the future policy of the party, which has suffered a series of electoral defeats in recent years.

She pledged to end the "conference control freakery" of previous party leaders, who are understood to have suppressed contentious issues in favour of more consensual debates at conference.

Members will be balloted on the issues they want to discuss on Friday October 30, with the selected issues to be debated the following Sunday.

Ms Dugdale has already advised that a debate on Trident is on the table following renewed splits created by UK leadership candidate Jeremy Corbyn's anti-nuclear stance, which has been backed by Scottish Labour deputy leader Alex Rowley.

In an email to local constituency Labour parties announcing the changes, Ms Dugdale said: "We shouldn't be afraid of the views of our members and supporters. We want you to have your say. Nothing should be swept under the carpet because it's too difficult.

"The days of conference control freakery in all political parties in Scotland must come to an end."

The move came as Scottish Labour unveiled it had attracted more than 3,400 new members since the general election.

The party now has more than 28,000 people in Scotland signed up to help its campaign, made up of more than 17,000 members, almost 3,300 registered supporters and almost 8,000 affiliated supporters.

At a meeting in Stirling today, the executive committee of the party confirmed the ballot for selecting Scottish Labour's candidates for the 2016 Holyrood election will take place in January.

Party members will vote for regional list candidates throughout the month, with the results announced in early February.

Ms Dugdale said: "I was elected leader with a big mandate to change Scottish Labour and give us a fresh start. Today's announcement is a key part of the process of change for our party.

"My message to people all across the country who share our Labour values is this - come and help us shake up Scottish politics.

"Join us as we stand up to the new Scottish establishment and campaign for a society where a person's potential, work rate and ambition decides how far they get in life, not their background.

"I won't be the only face of a new generation taking Scottish Labour forward. By the end of this process I want to be joined by lots of different people with experiences far beyond the world of politics.

"I want people from business, lawyers and doctors, but we also need more office workers, cleaners and porters. The Scottish Parliament needs to look more like the Scotland it represents.

"This will be an entirely democratic process. It's for Labour Party members and supporters to decide who will represent our movement in the years to come."

An SNP spokesman said: "For all the talk of reform, the suspicion will linger that Labour in Scotland remains the 'branch office' described by Johann Lamont.

"Labour's continued negativity, infighting and failure to stand up to the Tories leaves them with a gigantic credibility gap in the eyes of the Scottish public."