Proposals for new public forums will reduce direct consultation and debate between councillors and the public, according to the leader of Redbridge Conservatives.

The Labour cabinet is set to pass proposals tonight to establish new local forums to replace area committees scrapped in July to save around £800,000.

The plans were agreed by the council's Policy and Resource Committee last week.

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.

Cllr Paul Canal said: “We are not happy with the local forums plan and there is definitely room for improvement.

“But this is not a done deal yet and we will be fighting it at full council next week and beyond because it is taking the public out of the decision-making of the council.

“We are not against reform but there is no logic to these plans as I was seeing members of my ward about six or seven times a year instead of just once under these proposals."

Deputy leader of the council Wes Streeting denied forums will be less democratic than area committees.

He said: “These meetings will be more welcoming for residents and provide time for them to hold councillors to account and getting problems solved, rather than being bogged down in bureaucracy.

"Rather than taking public away from decision making the new system will mean the public can air views on any decisions and hold these decisions to account.

“I don’t agree that the scrapping of area committees will mean councillors have less time with members of their ward, in fact I think it should encourage them to speak to them more.

“Councillors should not be sat on their backsides, they should be knocking on doors and finding out what is going on, we don’t need area committees for that.”