Forest of Dean District Council's cabinet is planning to introduce charges for car parking. This is a retrograde step.

Although the charges proposed appear to be relatively small compared with Gloucester and Cheltenham, this is the start of a slippery slope. It should be seen purely as a revenue generation exercise as finding parking spaces or congestion have not been issues in the Forest of Dean.

In common with other council projects, robust financial information and benefits are lacking, cost of additional warden service and enforcement will rise.

Based on studies conducted in rural councils across the country, whilst charged parking improves space availability for short term visitors, it displaces those who require long-stay parking.

Where introduced, car parking charges have significantly increased the problem of on-street parking for local residents. Reduction of free on-street parking spaces and resident permits are just steps away. This is a progressive situation with ever widening displacement to other roads and areas.

Most people using shops and amenities in the Forest towns are local residents. It will penalise those working in the towns on low wages or visiting doctors and dentist surgeries, charity shops and others.

I doubt if local residents will welcome imposition of permanent restrictions on them and their visitors, and whilst increasing fuel costs will prompt some people to shop locally, this will be seen as the council exploiting the opportunity created. Shopkeepers will not thank the council for this back-door sales tax.

"Virtually all other local authorities already charge for parking" is not a valid reason for charging in the Forest of Dean. I hope councillors have more sense than to penalise residents of Forest towns for small gains in revenue whilst there is scope for significant savings to be made in large ticket budget items such as waste collection.

– Venk Shenoi, Blaisdon.