As district councillor for Cinderford West I attended the Forest of Dean District Council meeting at last Coleford Thursday, I must say I was appalled by the behaviour of councillors from the Conservative group, a couple of whom were born in the Forest of Dean.

Never have I witnessed such an outright betrayal of our beloved Forest of Dean. All they could do was toe the line behind their leader. They squirmed and wriggled their way out of saying anything meaningful to prevent their Government from the sale of the Forest of Dean.

Treason would aptly describe the actions of these councillors. What a disgrace, they should each hang their heads in shame. The thing they must now ask themselves is how they will explain their treacherous act against 'The Land Between Two Rivers' on the doorsteps in May.

These very same councillors could not even support an exemption for the Forest of Dean, the like of which was achieved in 1981. The reason for this is now very clear. One by one these Conservative councillors know the path their Government is taking.

They all know this Government is embarking with no mandate, on a final act of privatisation, and this will see the destruction and diminishment of the Forestry Commission, which will become nothing more than a regulatory body, like those over gas or water, one that will issue licences for timber planting or cutting.

Any exemption for the Forest of Dean will provide an awkward situation. There will be no Forestry Commission as we all know it to look after any exempted Forest of Dean. This is where: "It can be controlled locally" comes from. A total stunt. These people know only full well that when no local organisation comes forward to take up such an impossible task this will give them the excuse they need to sell to whoever comes along.

This my friends is what localism really means. The bit they do not really want you all to know, not just yet anyway, is by the time our MP Mark Harper comes with his consultation it will be too late! This consultation will only ever be about the method of implementation and not be about if you want a sale.

Mark Harper would not come to any public meeting in Cinderford on the 10th! – prior engagement or not – for it was not a meeting our MP could manipulate, and the timing of his Government's plans are not right for such a meeting. We all know the timing of such a careful political trick is crucial for its success.

So in the meantime out will come Mark Harper's own leaflet and his own public meeting. One could only guess the agenda, will it be ticket only or a carefully selected panel. It does not really matter because Forest people are not going to go away. Like they say: "You can run Mark, but you can't hide."

Forest people want to know just one thing. How will you keep this Forest as it is today without the Forestry Commission?

– Graham Morgan, Cinderford. Born in the Hundred bred on the Monkey Tump.