DOZENS of our local shops, pubs and small business have closed in the last few years alone, and many more are currently at a tipping point. What we desperately need is a district council with vision and a commitment to help local small businesses – not a council whose only strategy for dealing with the current economic climate seems to be a desire to build its way out of trouble.

It's a well established fact, for example, that building out-of-town supermarkets suck trade away from town centre businesses, yet our council seem almost desperate to pursue this course of action in both Lydney and Cinderford.

Our council's approach to tourism is another example of their lack of vision. Many of our local bed and breakfasts, inns and small hotels are struggling for trade, but instead of working to develop existing markets and find new ones, the council has closed the Forest's only tourist information centre, slashed the tourism budget and merged the tourism officer's job with another. Now the council has plans for a huge new hotel on the banks of Steam Mills lake, which will inevitably damage smaller establishments by sucking trade away from them.

DTV is a voluntary organisation looking after the mountain bike trails at Cannop Cycle Centre. The group works hard to attract cyclists and keep them at the centre rather than riding in the wider forest, but it was reported this week that DTV is struggling because of a lack of funds.

Mountain biking represents a huge tourism sector and many of those who already use the centre stay locally in bed and breakfasts and use local shops. It's a market which the council should be working hard to exploit through groups like DTV, but they receive no financial assistance from the council.

We don't need new super-hotels, out-of-town superstores and great swathes of new housing. What we need a council with the vision to explore new ways to help local businesses grow and prosper.

– Shauna Gwynne, Whitecroft.