Meet the leader sessions, which give residents a chance to quiz council leader Keith Prince, came under scrutiny at the council’s last full meeting.

Speaking at the meeting on Thursday at Redbridge Town Hall, High Road, Ilford, Cllr Balvinder Saund said: “I would like to know how much it costs to employ four staff to attend these meetings with him.

“If we are all in this together, you can go out with two staff as apposed to four.

Cllr Prince said: “I save a lot, I don’t have a chauffer driven car, I use public transport and having these people with me helps me speak to all residents who want to air concerns.” Meet the leader sessions have no set frequency, the last one was held on March 16.

“We won’t save a penny by having fewer people there,” he added.

Labour group leader Cllr Bob Littlewood opened a heated debate when he asked Cllr Prince to confirm whether funding to hold Labour party’s surgeries would continue.

Cllr Prince replied: “I personally don’t feel the need to sit for hours on end in a room hoping that people come and speak to me. “People come to me when they need help. That’s proactive politics.”