THE Review Opinion column (June 6) rightly welcomes extensions in parking time and more "free" spaces etc in the Forest towns' car parks. Unfortunately, I believe it misses an opportunity to clarify the financial position when it refers to "impact on the budget" and " how that deficit is made up".

The Review has previously printed financial revelations discovered by UKIP under a Freedom of Information Act request, about the cost (yes the COST – the parking operations lose money!) of operating the Forest towns' parking; and Labour, to their credit, have undertaken to stop this financial nonsense if elected.

Unless the figures reported in this esteemed publication are manifestly wrong, surely we can only conclude that this loss making operation is driven by the dogma of economically illiterate, and/or uncaring, control-obsessed, power-hungry Conservative councillors.

The proposed changes, welcome though they are (albeit that they will lead to even greater losses), are akin to rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.

Assuming that correct figures have been discovered and printed, then the simple solution to the budget issue is STOP the charges now and STOP wasting tax payers' money.

If however, UKIP and Labour are claimed to be wrong in their discoveries and deliberations, I would invite the Conservative-led council to kindly disclose the real numbers to the taxpayers of the Forest (preferably in the pages of this esteemed publication) showing exactly what direct financial benefit these unwelcome parking charges have for Forest of Dean taxpayers.

Am I being too cynical by proposing not to hold my breath awaiting a clear and straight forward public response from the council to this very simple financial issue?

– Tom Atkinson, Lydney.