New forums for residents to raise concerns with councillors will go ahead as planned following an unsuccessful challenge by Conservatives.

The forums will replace area committees and, unlike their predecessors, will have no decision-making powers or budget.

The Tories, who along with the Liberal Democrats opposed the move, tabled a motion calling for the new forums to be held 21 times a year, rather than the planned one a month.

 But the motion was voted down by Labour following a heated debate at Ilford town hall last night.

Conservative Cllr Robert Cole said: “For residents to only have one meeting a year is definitely not enough, as problems may arise that need to be discussed.

“We hope to double that number, which isn’t too much to ask. Public engagement needs to more than once a year, people are not going to travel across the borough to attend one of these meetings.”

Labour’s deputy leader Wes Streeting hit back, describing the debate as “depressing nonsense”.

He said: “This is just stalling decisions that need to be made and the opposition have nothing to talk about other than these local forums.

“It is nonsense that there will only be one meeting a year for people, they will be able to attend all 12 if they want to around the borough.”

The area committees were scrapped soon after Labour took control of the council, with a saving of £800,000 a year.