Area Committee Meetings – you may be wondering, “what’s that then?”.
An Area Committee is a meeting of ward councillors who are able to make decisions on local issues. Of the 7 Area Committees in the London Borough of Redbridge, Wanstead and Snaresbrook fall into Area 1.
Each Area Committee has an annual budget to spend on local initiatives, and local groups and organisations can apply to their committee for funding to finance projects or schemes, or purchase goods to improve the quality of life for people who live or work in the area.
The Wanstead Society has attended Area 1 Committee meetings on various occasions over the years; to discuss conservation status for the Grove estate, learner drivers using the Counties estate roads and more recently, we were successful in securing £5,000 of funding to repair the swings on the Christchurch Green play area.
At a time when the council is being forced to tighten it’s belt, this is an opportunity for us to have our say and influence where funds are spent. The next Area 1 Committee meeting is at 7:15 on Monday 24 January, at Wanstead Church School, Church Path, Wanstead.
What are the issues on your mind? Put your case to the Area Committee and you might just be able to make a positive change for the benefit of all of us.