Wanstead’s Local Forum, as it happened

Wansteadium live-tweeted the first Redbridge Local Forum to be held in Wanstead. It was certainly a different affair than the old area committees, which it replaces. Some will feel that it is more meaningful since it has the leader and deputy leader of the council, plus a senior officer and leader of the opposition present. On the other hand, it’s a borough-wide meeting, which means there is not the focus on hyperlocal (ie Wanstead, Snaresbrook and Aldersbrook) that there was previously.

There were certainly more residents present than at most area committees of the past – one of the key goals of the changes introduced by Redbridge’s new Labour administration – but judging by the number of council staff present, the running costs of the new arrangement will not be negligible.

Here is the meeting, as it happened.

https://twitter.com/RedbridgeTories/status/568074456423378944

https://twitter.com/carolinemilroy/status/568141799967105024

That concluded the coverage of the meeting. A strange way to spend a Wednesday afternoon perhaps, but all in the course of hyperlocal public service journalism. Wanstead, you’re welcome.

And since we’re here, let’s cast our mind back to that bench on Nutter Field. Much discussion at various committees, including petitions and reports, took place to determine the best way to spend some money which was available from the council. The conclusion was a bench on the field. For sake of completeness we should publicise this tweet from September which somehow we overlooked at the time.

 

One thought on “Wanstead’s Local Forum, as it happened”

  1. A few thoughts,

    I spied the nutter bench the other day; max £600; trees no more than £400. Where is the rest? I’d like to see the Council account for how this money was spent.

    Really handy time to hold this meeting, Wednesday afternoon???

    It is unfortunate that local democracy has been monetised by our latest Ilford ‘masters’; I can’t help thinking that 20 people attending and making local decisions, as was the case, is rather better(value) than 60 people coming to what is just a gassing shop.

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