Sutton’s Council bosses visited 10 Downing Street to discuss the government’s pledge to break down bureaucratic barriers.

Leader of Sutton Council Coun Sean Brennan and its chief executive Ian Birnbaum held talks with Prime Minister David Cameron’s director of strategy Steve Hilton, decentralisation minister Greg Clark, policing minister Nick Herbert and communities minister Andrew Stunell.

The Sutton representatives encouraged ministers to cut local government red tape as part of its proposals for a Big Society.

Coun Brennan said: “This was a very positive meeting. We talked about the types of red tape that ties local government in knots and prevents councils from getting things done quickly and cheaply.

“Local Government is enduring the sharpest budget cuts in the public sector so stripping back this red tape will make a real difference to frontline services like highways, street cleaning, libraries and care homes.”

He said it would also help communities to get involved with running services.

Conservative opposition leader Coun Graham Whitham accused the council of wanting to get rid of red tape that does not suit it, but also refusing residents the right to question them when it suited them.