AREA committees in Oxford have been scrapped despite public opposition.

The controversial plans to downgrade the meetings – which deal with neighbourhood issues, planning applications and grants to community groups – were approved by Oxford City Council on Monday.

The six monthly meetings will replaced by quarterly area forums, with planning powers handed to two newly created east and west planning committees. Individual councillors will also have £1,500 to spend on neighbourhood meetings or community projects in their wards.

A consultation showed public opposition to each of the changes ranged between 55 and 86 per cent for different questions.

The Labour administration voted the measures through despite pleas from campaigners and arguments from opposition councillors.

Labour councillor John Tanner told Monday’s full council meeting: “It is time this council was honest and accepted area committees were a Lib Dem and Green party idea.

“They have been a costly failure.”

Green Party councillor Elise Benjamin called for the meetings, launched about a decade ago, to be saved.

She said: “When the committees were introduced they were treated as a major change to this council’s democratic structure. Since then we have had several attempts to reduce the budget for committees.”