Richmond Council’s executive is set to scrap “out of date” area consultation meetings (ACMs) in the wake of the launch of its new all-encompassing house-to-house survey.

On Monday, Richmond Council’s Conservative cabinet is set to approve the end of ACMs, first introduced in 1984, as it gives the go-ahead for a new All in One consultation, where every household will get to have its say on council priorities.

The executive will also scrap a £50,000 pilot to run ward committees - an initiative from the former Liberal Democrat administration to run new decision-making committees in three wards.

Councillor Pamela Fleming, cabinet member for community development, said: “When they were launched, area consultation meetings might have worked.

“Now they don’t fit with people’s lifestyles and are out of date.

“Genuinely listening to people is a priority for this administration but numbers at the area meetings have declined steeply to a point where we are simply not reaching enough people to be truly representative.

“The money they cost can be better spent on more effective ways of finding out what our residents want.

“In our All in One Survey we will be asking people how they would like to communicate and meet with us.

“In the same way, launching an expensive £50,000 pilot before we have found out how residents would like to talk to us could be a massive waste of money.”

In a report to cabinet, it was revealed 199 people turned up at the 13 ACMs held last autumn, an average of about 15 people per meeting.