Young people do not feel safe using open spaces and parks, according to an overview committee report.

The working group, set up a year ago, explored the scale of inactivity in the borough and its impact on health and well being.

The report’s findings were outlined at a cabinet meeting at Redbridge Town Hall, High Road, Ilford, on Tuesday evening.

Cllr Hugh Cleaver (Liberal Democrat, Church End), the group’s chair, said: “I think one of the things that came through in the report is the reluctance to use parks from young people because they feel that they are unsafe.”

In 2013, a survey found that of 164 respondents, 47 per cent said they felt unsafe in the evening when in parks. The report was published in July 2013 before the working group was formed.

In the same survey, residents said they wanted a more visible police presence.

The working group, called the Physical Activity and Health Scrutiny Working Group, recommended better links should be established between young people and the police.