Over the past weeks one issue has dominated my inbox - the Government’s position on forestry. For this reason I wanted to write in and reassure the people of Rugby about my own views on this subject and the Government’s real feelings on it too.
There has been a sort of Chinese whisper affect in respect of this issue and rumours and mistruths have been allowed to permeate the debate. This is why I want to outline the real facts so that everyone can have an informed perspective on the issue.
Firstly I did not vote last week to sell off our country’s forests and nor did any of my colleagues. Far from it. The truth of the matter is that we voted in favour of a consultation on the issue which seeks views on how to offer better protection for our woodlands and forests. This consultation looks at ways of creating far greater safeguards for access rights, environmental protection and public benefit. The Government wants to guarantee the public’s rights to enjoy our national forests – to take the dog for a walk in them, or to go cycling or horse riding through them. This will not change and this was never intended to change.
The consultation will ask people to consider if they would like our most important woodlands to be given “heritage status” and run by charitable trusts, with funding provided by central government to run them.
It also asks if our commercial forests should be put on a more secure financial footing by bringing other organizations in to lease the land.
Rest assured that any leases would guarantee ongoing access rights and public benefits.
It is regrettable that this important discussion about how we get better protection for our woodlands has been distorted by the Government’s opponents for political reasons. Especially in light of the documentary evidence that Labour was considering taking a very similar approach just months before the General Election and that when in Government they sold off over 25,000 acres of land with virtually no protection for access rights for the public - for you.
I hope that now the real facts have been explained that this offers reassurances to our unflinching commitment to safeguarding access rights, environmental benefits and public benefits.
This is a genuine twelve week consultation and it can be accessed at http://www.forestry.gov.uk/england-pfeconsultation.
I would urge all those people here in Rugby who, like me, have a strong interest in this important issue to get involved with it.