SO the Forest Council is at a loss to know what to do regarding their squandering of tax payers money on the loss making car parking charging scheme in Cinderford, Coleford and Lydney.

It really is quite simple – scrap the scheme completely to avoid any further losses!

The cabinet of the district council decided in 2012 to introduce the scheme despite  a 7,000 name petition and fierce  opposition to  the proposal although, to be fair, in a true democratic fashion they did give  their ear to the “173 responses” on the question of the parking charge level. 

It would be of interest to know if the losses of more than £250,000 over the five year period includes the £42,000 setting up costs and the first year running costs of £54,000.

I recall one bright spark from the council declaring that parking charges were necessary because visitors to the towns could  find  no parking spaces. What utter drivel.

The introduction of parking charges was purely to compensate for the loss of revenue to the Tory-led dist­rict council from their masters Cameron and Osborne at Westminster.

The council was  warned at the time that there was no guaranteed income from the scheme and this has proved to be correct.

The council spokesperson states that the scheme was never intended to make a profit.

If we can believe that then we can believe anything.

In 2012,  when the  town retailers were under the  developing threat from internet sales, the  last thing that was required from the district council was to introduce a scheme that would deter visitors to the retail units.

But our beloved district council has, over the years, shown a complete lack of common sense so why change the habits of a lifetime?

The main losers were the retail units and their staff who were now required to pay for all day parking from their meagre wages.

Congratulations Forest of Dean District Council, you have done your utmost to destroy our town centres.

Now accept that you were wrong and scrap the scheme to avoid any further embarrassment and squandering of taxpayers’ money.

– W J Eatock, Yorkley.