AT the Forest of Dean District Council Cabinet meeting last week the so called five wise men chose to overrule the majority of the elected members of the district council and keep car parking charges in Mitcheldean until their review in July.

To help with their deliberations in July could I quote some of their own figures back at them:

1: The takings collected from the Mitcheldean car park as quoted by the council include VAT. One sixth of this figure has to be given to Central Government and the EU.

2: Takings for the five months to end November 2012 net of VAT for Mitcheldean are £2,406.75.

3: Budgeted costs for all 10 town centre car parks for the same period are: i. Enforcement Costs £15,470; ii. Cash collection costs £7,276; iii. Machine hire and maintenance £7,015; Total £29,761.

4: Budgeted costs per car park £2,976.10.

5: Loss incurred operating Mitcheldean car park for five months £569.35.

It seems that not only do the five cabinet members not believe in democracy but they have no business sense either.

Why do we give them our council tax to waste in this way?

– Colin Guyton, Secretary, UKIP Forest of Dean Branch, The Great Barn, Park Farm, High Street, Ruardean.