A Labour politician has been blocked from holding a ‘politically motivated’ meeting at Hendon Town Hall this evening.

Barnet GLA member Andrew Dismore had planned to hold his own discussions after a public consultation on the Mayor of London’s policing plan tonight.

But the former Hendon MP was left fuming when council officers rang the Barnet Labour Group to inform them the booking had been cancelled late on Friday.

He said: “It’s outrageous. They haven’t even given me a proper explanation. They say the meeting is politically motivated but I can’t see the council has the policy or the jurisdiction to cancel it.

“It isn’t politically motivated – it is a public consultation. They just don’t want us to hold our own even though theirs is completely inadequate.”

Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime Stephen Greenhalgh is holding a one-hour public consultation tonight on the draft Police and Crime Plan, which sets out the policing strategy in the capital over the next four years.

Included in the draft are plans to close Barnet and Whetstone police stations and reduce the opening hours at Golders Green as part of wider cost-cutting measures.

The deputy mayor is holding the one-hour sessions in all 32 London boroughs over the next three weeks.

Mr Dismore previously labelled the brief consultation sessions “a farce” and says his own meeting, organised afterwards, would give residents more time to put their views across.

He said: “The meeting had already been approved as non-political by City Hall - I just hope common sense will prevail here. One way or another we will hold this meeting tonight – I won’t have the public short changed, especially when it comes to police station closures.”

The Times Series has requested a comment from Barnet Council.