Area committees in Oxford will be made more efficient, according to the leader of the Labour group now running the city.

Cllr Alex Hollingsworth said he wanted to ensure committees where major planning applications are discussed were not simply "talk shops".

He criticised some area committees for being "deeply inefficient" and said some people were frustrated that too few decisions were taken at them.

A meeting of the East Area Parliament was cancelled last month when only one of ten voting councillors turned up on time.

Cllr Hollingsworth said: "I'm committed to making the area committees work in an efficient way that isn't wasteful of councillors' time and isn't wasteful of the public's time.

"I want to see more decisions made at area committees, not less."

Cllr Hollingsworth pledged to slash red tape by asking officers to respond more quickly to public questions.

The leader of the Labour group was responding to claims by Green councillor Craig Simmons that Labour planned to strip area committees of decision-making powers.

The Green group polled 18.9 per cent of the vote, compared with 16 per cent last year, but lost four of seven seats because of the way the vote was split across 24 new wards.

That was the highest citywide vote the Greens had polled.

Just 75 more Green votes in three marginal wards would have let the party secure three extra seats.

Green councillor and former executive member Mike Woodin said: "The Lib Dems and Greens inherited a council that was dysfunctional and in two years turned it around.

"Of course, Labour will now try to take the credit for this but we know we did the right thing for Oxford."