If you ride a bike or go outdoors and if your reading this you probably do 🙂

Follow this simple link to email your MP with your concerns about the big forest sell off and pass it on

If this has already been posted i make no apoldies for posting it again.

http://www.38degrees.org.uk/tell-your-mp-to-save-our-forests

Dunnit. But I changed the words slightly:

I think that either:

1. Our forests should be kept in public hands

2. Commercial owners must sign up to strict regulation to protect and enhance nature and public access, over and above the profit motive.

I’d like you to consider voting against making it legal to sell off our woodlands, or to vote for suitable amendments to secure our forests for future generations.

Mmmm… our local MP is Mark Harper, Minister for Political & Constitutional Reform who is involved in the Public Bodies Bill. Whatever happens, he’s unlikely to be re-elected locally!!

“In October 2010, the Government introduced the Public Bodies Bill to The House of Lords. It included a clause (Clause 17(2)) enabling the Secretary of State to sell off forests currently managed by the Forestry Commission; which include large areas of the Forest of Dean.

“Mark Harper defended the proposals, describing them as an ‘exciting opportunity for community ownership’. However, they were widely criticised by many residents within his constituency, by the local press and by politicians with connections to the Forest of Dean, most notably Baroness Jan Royall, Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords. She described Mark Harper as ‘fundamentally wrong’ and his views on the subject as ‘utter nonsense’. Concern within the local community also resulted in a number of Forest of Dean organisations coming together to create an alliance called Hands off our Forest (HOOF). Noted green issues campaigner Jonathon Porritt commented that Harper was “engineering his own political extinction at the next General Election” through his postion on the issue.“

He’s very aware of local public opinion on the matter.

Its so frustrating, I wrote a seperate email to my MP Neil Parish (Conservative) and suprise suprise I just got a reply telling me how fantastic it will be for all the forest to be owned privatly.

I just don’t trust them any more and feel that as soon as the forests are in private ownership small changes will be made in planning law etc to allow them to develop and limit access.