A STORM is brewing over the so-called Forest FMD Recovery Plan with charges that the Forest Regeneration Partnership is 'paying thousands of pounds for outside consultants to regurgitate our own ideas'.

"I think you should inform Forest residents how government money is going to be wasted," Francesca Mungovin told the Review in a hard-hitting criticism of the partnership's multi-million pound wish list put to the South West Regional Development Agency.

Fran, a member of Forest Voice who until this year ran the catering franchise at Dean Forest Railway, said Forest businesses were quite able to undertake their own promotion and rescue cash should directly serve their needs – some of which were desperate.

Pointing out that the 18-page document she had come by was 'produced' by the Partnership but provided by Martin Sewell, of Marketing Initiatives, Burnham, Buckinghamshire, she questions the £85,000 set aside for a PR and promotions campaign.

The final list to be put before the SWRDA contains ideas contributed to the Forest of Dean Task Force chaired by Clearwell Caves proprietor Ray Wright as well as re-stating many ideas already mooted such as the regeneration of Lydney Dock (£2million long term).

"It is notable that the Action Plan merely reiterates the ideas which have already been put forward by the Task Force, made up of business owners," she says.

"The Task Force chairman has written a number of articles published in the media on these very ideas. Why, then, has a consultancy firm been paid to reproduce our own ideas?"

She also says that the suggestion that attempts be made to reverse the negative image cased by foot and mouth, for which the media is criticised, is ridiculous – foot and mouth is a fact and facts cannot be reversed.

"It occurred, was mismanaged and is still not eradicated. Instead of trying to pretend it didn't happen here and was over-exposed by the media, we should be working on a positive future."

She says it is also wrong to highlight projects to be implemented in a time frame of six months rather than taking immediate action.

"The report is dated May 30 and it is now mid-June. In six months it will be the second week in December when all but two or three tourist attractions will have closed for the winter." By this time, many may well have failed anyway, she adds.

"This document appears to totally ignore the real effects of foot and mouth. In concentrating on funding for consultants you are paying out thousands of pounds to have the affront to tell retailers and business owners what they already know.

"In reality you are asking to borrow a retailer's watch and then charging him to tell him the time."

•Task Force chairman Ray Wright said it was up to his members to say what they thought of the recovery plan. He personally thought it would be a waste of money to advertise the Forest's attractions at this stage. Once it was announced it was open once again people would pour in – they were just waiting for the word.

• FMD survey deadline extended – see page 7.