Councillor Andrew Gardiner, Cabinet Forest Champion to present report SD.86 relating to the response from the Council to the progress report of the Independent Panel on Forestry.

Cllr Quaile, Cabinet Member for the Environment, presented report SD.86, highlighting paragraph 2.2 on agenda page 350, which detailed Cllr Gardiner's work as the Cabinet's Forest Champion in involving all interested parties in the community. He invited Cllr Gardiner to give some more detail.

Cllr Gardiner began by emphasising that the overarching aims of the work of the previous 18 months had been the retention of the statutory forest, the designation of heritage woodland and the retention of the Forest Estate in public ownership. He hoped that the Forest of Dean would become a model of excellence in managing its forest, with a need for the Independent Panel on Forestry (the Panel) to visit the district again to see how it was proposed to involve young unemployed people in that management.

He had arranged a number of meetings with bodies such as Transition, which was concerned with sustainable lifestyles not reliant on oil.

He urged all members to support this very important report, remaining loyal to the principles behind the council's delegation to Westminster in 2011.

He commented that the Panel's interim report advocated increasing the woodland cover across the country to mitigate climate change effects. He urged the use of disease resistant timber. The report also proposed no land sell-off to make up for funding shortfalls.

He said that the council needed to find ways to bring about sustainability, working together and sitting down with the Panel. It was crucial to adjust the recommendation to reflect the fact that the council would not be responding by the intended date of 29 February 2012.

The Solicitor to the Council confirmed that there was no deadline for responses, but advised that the council's response be sent as soon as possible. She explained that the matter had not been considered at the previous week's Full Council meeting, because statutory issues had taken precedence.

Cllr Molyneux, Leader of the Council, thanked Cllr Gardiner, Cllr Quaile and officers for meeting with the Woodlands Advisory Group and the Panel. He said that Cllr Gardiner had done excellent work in presenting the forest to the Panel and asked for a unanimous endorsement for the report recommendations.

Cllr Gardiner proposed and Cllr Thomas seconded the recommendations as at the agenda, adjusted to remove the words by 29 February 2012.

Councillors agreed to vote on a show of hands.

RESOLVED -

a)     To note the response at Annex A to report SD.86.

b)     To delegate to the Strategic Director, in conjunction with the Portfolio Holder and Cabinet Champion, authority to make minor editorial and presentational changes to the response prior to submission.

Councillor Andrew Gardiner, Cabinet Forest Champion to present report SD.86 relating to the response from the Council to the progress report of the Independent Panel on Forestry.

To be considered at the meeting to be held on 1 March 2012.