Cllr Gardiner proposed and Cllr Quaile seconded the motion tabled at the meeting

RESOLVED –

DEFRA has categorised the Forest of Dean and adjacent woodland in Herefordshire into a cluster comprising 32 ‘heritage’ sub-woodlands and 4 ‘small commercial’ woodlands, with ‘heritage’ having the highest protection against privatisation and ‘small commercial’ having least protection. In view of this hierarchical categorisation of woodland, and the establishment of an Independent Forestry Panel to advise on the future of forestry,  this Council requests Caroline Spelman MP, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs,  to consider  the following:-

a)     To amend the categorisation of the 3 ‘small commercial’ woodlands located within the Forest of Dean District Council’s boundary, to ‘heritage’ woodlands. The 3 ‘small commercial’ woodlands to which we refer are (1) Tidenham Chase and Poor Allotment, (2) Clanna, and (3) Bearse Common & Slade Bottom.

b)     In order that the important work undertaken by the Independent Forestry Panel is not prejudiced in any way, that  this Council requests the Minister’s assurance  that no action will be taken to reduce the numbers  of Forestry Commission employees while the Panel carries out its function. 

A copy of the letter to the Minister to be sent to Mark Harper MP and the Bishop of Liverpool as Chair of the Independent Panel on Forestry.

The voting was as follows.

For (42) – Norman Stephens, Roger Yeates, Jim Connell, Gethyn Davies, Brian Jones, Brian Edwards, James Bevan, Judy Davis, Frankie Evans, Carole Allaway Martin, Marrilyn Smart, Len Lawton, Peter Ede, Arthur Thomas, Julia Gooch, Ian Whitburn, Dave East, Maria Edey, Philip Burford, Clive Elsmore, Andrew Gardiner, Graham Morgan, Max Coborn, Frank Baynham, Paul McMahon, David Thomson, Bill Evans, Bernie O’Neill, Don Pugh, Bruce Hogan, Val Hobman, Lynn Sterry, Di Martin, Jackie Fraser, Helen Stewart, Terry Glastonbury, Terry Hale, Diana Edwards, Martin Quaile, Patrick Molyneux, Brian Robinson, Jane Horne

Against (0)

Abstained (0)