The new public forum plans and safety at a roundabout will be debated in a full council meeting tonight.

The decision to implement the new forums was requisitioned by Redbridge Conservatives, triggering a debate on the subject at 7.15pm in Redbridge town hall, Ilford.

Proposals were passed by the Labour cabinet last week, to establish the meetings to replace area committees, saving around £800,000.

The proposals include one meeting a month across Redbridge with an informal ‘market place’ drop- in session, followed by a formal public meeting in which residents can put their questions to a council panel.

Unlike the area committees they are replacing, which were held 40 times a year and considered planning applications, these meetings will have no decision-making powers or budget.

Also to be debated at the full council meeting tonight is the issue of safety on Redbridge Roundabout, just east of Wanstead, where it was found there was on average a reported accident every week.

Redbridge Roundabout Action Group (RedRag) will present their petition of around 3000 signatures to the meeting, calling for traffic lights to be installed on the junction with Redbridge Lane East.

A statement from Transport for London is due to be shown which rules out any new traffic lights at the junction, but it is expected the council will ask it to rethink the decision.