Members of the Clayhall and Newbury Park synagogues have voted overwhelmingly in favour of the first United Synagogue merger in more than a decade.

Subject to US Council ratification, the merged congregation will launch in January as Redbridge United Synagogue, with services at Clayhall's Sinclair House base. The current ministers will be retained and the combined community will exceed 1,400 people.

"We're all really excited about it," said Clayhall chair Michael Callaghan. "It's good for both shuls and very good for the area.

"Most of the Jewish population from here has gone to north London, and we need some strength at the centre of the community.

"Because of the dwindling local population, all the shuls are struggling in one way or another. We were going to have to keep increasing fees to make ends meet and eventually people wouldn't have been able to pay."

His Newbury Park counterpart, Marc Levy, agreed that "by working together, we can create a much stronger community for the future. The infrastructure in Redbridge is set up for a much larger community. Rather than feeling like a declining community, we should recognise that there are still 10,000 Jews in the area.

"We've got a huge opportunity here to leave a lasting legacy for the next generations."