FAILING hospitals, “sordid” beggars, fly-tipping and death trap roads were all on the agenda at a local forum this week.

Residents had the opportunity to grill those who represent them in the Town Hall at Redbridge Council’s Local Voices Matter panel at Woodford Methodist Church yesterday (January 16).

Chaired by leader Cllr Jas Athwal, the panel was also made up of Cllr Hugh Cleaver, of Church End ward, Cllr Lloyd Duddridge, of Roding ward, and leader of the Redbridge Conservatives Cllr Paul Canal, of Bridge ward.

Redbridge chief executive Andy Donald was also there, but mostly remained quiet in favour of councillors or officers answering questions.

Veteran NHS campaigner Andy Walker asked what the council is doing to lobby the Government to reverse plans to close the A&E department at King George Hospital in Goodmayes.

Cllr Athwal said: “We may be healthy now, but that may not always be the case, and when inevitably us or our family end up in hospital, we want the best care for our loved ones.”

Liberal Democrat Cllr Cleaver said it seemed “incredible” to him that Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospital Trust (BHRUT) wants to push ahead with plans to centralise services at Queen’s Hospital in Romford.

He said: “The whole process needs to be reconsidered by the powers that be.

“Because all that’s going to happen is more pressure being put on two nearby hospitals already struggling to cope.”

Cllr Duddridge added that a King George A&E closure would be “very destructive” for people in the borough.

He said: “It comes down to believing in our local NHS.

“We need to argue that there is a case for an A&E to remain in Redbridge and that we will support that A&E by encouraging the recruitment of staff.

“People won’t apply for jobs somewhere if they think the hospital won’t exist in a year’s time.”

Cllr Canal said with “highest-ever” admissions over the festive period, there is “absolutely no case” for closing the department.

A resident who recently moved to the west of the borough asked what Redbridge Council is doing to improve facilities at Whipps Cross Hospital in Leytonstone, because many people in the area use that site over Goodmayes.

Cllr Cleaver said: “The Redbridge health scrutiny committee monitors both BHRUT and Barts Health, which manages Whipps Cross.

“But as both trusts are currently in special measures, Whipps may have escaped the attention it deserves.

“We need to put more pressure on Barts to rebuild and redevelop Whipps to make it the modern, state-of-the-art hospital it is currently not.”

Brian Mazdon of the Maybank Community Association in South Woodford asked what Redbridge is doing to improve its 29 per cent recycling rate, when the national average is 44.

Cllr Canal replied: “Astoundingly under our current contract, it actually costs us more to recycle.”

Moving on to fly-tipping, Rosamund McCarthy, of Buckingham Road, said she had photographed 12 separate fly-tips in South Woodford in one day.

A council officer replied that since powers to give on-the-spot fines to fly-tippers were introduced in October, Redbridge has issued nearly one a day.

He said the council checks cameras and goes through rubbish for intelligence that could lead to a prosecution.

But when Ms McCarthy argued the rubbish “is not being cleared” he went on to say that 15 relocatable CCTV cameras are currently being built.

He added that when they are finished in March, one could be used in Grove Road, South Woodford

A resident also grilled councillors on what they are doing to remove “sordid beggars” from George Lane.

Cllr Cleaver said police are aware of the offenders, but find it difficult to deal with the issue as they are often told to leave them alone and “go and fight proper crime”.

He advised residents to never give beggars money as they “might be doing more to kill them than help them.”

Cllr Duddridge said he believes the problem is linked to the increasing number of bookmakers in the area and said measures are listed in the Redbridge Local Plan to reduce the numbers allowed.

After other questions on blue badge fraud and building houses on Oakfield Playing Fields in Barkingside, the meeting ended with questions on traffic management.

A resident asked when double yellow lines will be painted on the Derby Road/Stanley Road junction in South Woodford.

Officers replied that subject to consultation they should be in place by June this year.

They also said they would consider further consultation to reduce car crashes and parking disputes in The Roses and Broadmead Road in Woodford Green.