A CRADLEY councillor is backing proposals to scrap area committee meetings branding them a “waste of time and money.”

Dudley Council ’s ruling Labour group wants to replace the meetings with smaller more local forums and cllr Tim Crumpton is backing the move.

Held three times a year, area committee meetings cost £2,000 including room hire, publicity, councillors' food and the authority’s officers lieu time for their attendance.

There are five area committee meetings in the Dudley borough - Halesowen , Brierley Hill, Central Dudley, North Dudley and Stourbridge - which have suffered a decline in the number of residents attending.

Cllr Crumpton said: “Area committees are a waste of time and money. They are not what people want.

“We want something along the lines of Cradley forum to replace them.

“It should be about us listening to the people we represent - not telling people off for shouting - if people want to shout at us they can do.

“I’m into devolving power - we want meetings that have power to make decisions about local things.”

Councillor Ray Burston , who is chairman of Halesowen Area Committee said: “Halesowen Area committee is an executive meeting and has an agenda to work through - that is why sometimes the public part of it isn’t as comprehensive as we would like it to be.

“I don’t have a problem with forums - but there still has to be some mechanism so local decisions such as grant allocations can be made - they have to work to a set agenda to do that.”

Kingswinford councillor Dave Tyler is attending area committees and is expected to come up with a proposal for smaller more local meetings. Plans will then go out to consultation.

The next Cradley forum is on Tuesday August 14 at Providence Methodist Church, Windmill Hill , at 7pm. Anyone is welcome. It is paid for out of Cradley councillors Tim Crumpton, Gaye Partridge and Richard Body ’s own pockets and is held twice yearly.