Area committees will be axed by the end of the summer to support Redbridge Council’s bid to slash £60 million from its budget over the next four years.

Speaking at a meeting of Redbridge Council last night, deputy leader Cllr Wes Streeting said: “We have no intention of area committees seeing beyond the summer.”

Meetings scheduled for later this month have already been cancelled, a decision opposed by the Conservative and Liberal Democrat groups.

Leader of the Liberal Democrat group, Cllr Ian Bond, told the meeting there was no other forum for Redbridge’s residents and organisations to raise issues and seek funding.

Cllr Streeting said financial constraints meant the council had to find alternative ways to consult to with residents.

Meetings of the seven committees take place every six weeks and are predicted to cost between £850,000 and £1 million.

More to follow