Having never asked a question of the Town Council before, I was horrified to find that the words 'yes' and 'no' are not in their vocabulary.

I asked plainly if there will be anywhere in the Forest of Dean that tourists can go to get information from a person in a tourist office or tourist department.

I had to laugh when I was told about the upgrading of the tourist website, as one of my main points had been that we do not get even a half decent Wifi signal in this area for people to look at the tourist website.

I was told that tourist providers will have lots of information which is a lot of help if you do not even know about the Forest attractions in the first place.

I was told by the council that there will be a computer point by the cinema. Great if you know where it is to start with and how to use it.

This clashes totally with what Terry Hale personally told me, which is that there would be a point in the newly built community centre.

The council did not mention this at all. It sounds like the right arm has no idea whatsoever what the left arm is doing. What exactly are we supposed to believe?

Why not just answer my question with a simple 'no'. There will not, in the whole of the Forest of Dean, be a person to talk to who can give advice, help plan routes, book trips, recommend good value accommodation or camp sites. There will be no shop selling postcards and guide books. There will be the unanswered tourists' question of where exactly do we go to find this information and "well they are not really bothered about their tourist industry are they?"

This just shows the council's lack of respect for the people of the Forest who could benefit so much from the local tourism.

It is an insult, as while closing down the TICs because of lack of money, they are spending thousands on a council offices refit.

Please justify this to the children of those local TIC workers made redundant with little hope of finding other employment in the current climate of no jobs and house repossessions.

Remember us, councillors, when you are sitting at your new desks, on your new chairs, in your new offices, won't you? – Charlotte Davies, Broad­­well.