FROM reading the recent letters sent into The Review, it seems I'm not the only one who is despondent with our local council. Their planning policies seem to be a waste of time; their help towards local businesses seems to have U-turned with the introduction of car parking charges and now we've got to pay for a bin licence so that we can recycle to help the environment ... does anyone else agree that priorities here have become mixed up?!

We're like a lot of families. We have a mortgage, my partner works full time and we have two young children. My partner's wage has not increased in the last three years due to the recession yet the cost of living is rising dramatically. The cost of everything keeps going up but somehow we're having to find the money.

Having to now pay to recycle our green waste is ridiculous. We are keen recyclers as we want to help the environment so we currently collect cardboard and plastic bottles as well and are paying for the trips to take them to recycle points.

There is no doubt that a lot of people are either going to opt out due to principle or finances, which, in turn, will bring back home bonfires and fly tipping ... how can so many other places manage to recycle far more than our council offer and not charge people for it?

There has been a big hype made about how the council tax has been frozen to try and help people like ourselves but in turn it is costing us more! Bin licences, car parking fees, police stations being closed down – if it meant putting an extra £10 a year on my council tax instead then I wish they'd do it – let's face it, it would be cheaper than a wheelie bin licence!

The car parking charges are another way to kill off local businesses. The petition presented to the council shows that it is not what residents want but what residents want doesn't seem to be important any more.

You don't have to look any further than the Sainsburys/Asda debate that went on. It seems that it didn't matter how many people wanted Sainsburys or even what Sainsburys could have offered, the site is in the plan for housing in the future and that's all it would ever be.

I don't know why people are offered the chance to voice their support/concerns with regards to planning, it might as well be a closed book because regardless of what you think, if it ticks a box, it'll get through.

I know all too well of that when I opposed a development that will have a seriously negative impact on me and my family and whilst I had the understanding of some councillors, I was told that at the end of the day the application ticked the boxes and they had to put it through.

I'm one of those people who will support and oppose what I think is right or wrong and probably always will do, but I have to say that given the council's track record I have seen, there doesn't seem to be any point in wasting my time any more. It is a shame to have been left feeling disappointed with them.

– Name and Address supplied, Cinderford.