Barnet Council says it was forced to cancel a meeting arranged by the borough’s GLA member tonight “to avoid confusion”.

Labour politician Andrew Dismore was left fuming after the authority cancelled his room booking at Hendon Town Hall.

Mr Dismore’s meeting was due to follow the Deputy Mayor for Police and Crime’s public consultation into the draft Police and Crime Plan.

Deputy mayor Stephen Greenhalgh will be talking residents through the plan, which sets out the policing strategy in the capital over the next four years.

Included in the draft are plans to close two Barnet police stations and Mr Dismore has openly criticised the plans and the public consultation.

The former Hendon MP claims his meeting was simply arranged to give residents more time to comment on the proposals after the official one-hour consultation.

But Barnet Council said the meeting was politically motivated and broke the authority’s policy on town hall meetings.

A council spokesman said: "The booking was taken on the understanding it was an internal Labour group meeting and cancelled when it became clear it was to be a public political meeting.

“Public political meetings have never been held in the town hall for fear they could lead to confusion between meetings and presentations held about council policy and those of individual political parties."

Mr Dismore says the meeting may be held in the nearby Labour group offices if he is not permitted to continue the debate at the town hall tonight.

The depuy mayor's consulation begins at 6pm at the town hall in The Burroughs.