MR Coghlan points out that the problem with Lydney is that it has few shops  that he uses regularly. He apparently prefers Monmouth which has "a good range of shops in one place".

Exactly! Lydney has many small independent traders, and very few chain store type shops, which makes the council's decision to introduce parking charges questionable. They must have known what damage this would do to those small, independent traders, with many people preferring to shop elsewhere – places with a "good range of shops" once they have to pay for parking.  Who wouldn't choose – if you have to pay for parking – to go somewhere with a good range of shops? Which makes the council's decision to introduce parking charges even more questionable.

The council also deferred the decision to introduce parking charges from 2008 until now because the economic situation in 2008 was deemed "not an appropriate time to consider the decision". The economic situation in 2012 is now much worse than it was four years ago yet the parking charges were introduced despite this. Which makes the council's decision to introduce parking charges even more questionable.

– Sheila Taylor, Lydney.