THE county council elections are due in early May and voters may like to ponder this question: Which is preferable? To use the Wilderness Centre productively, to teach and enthuse children, youth and family groups about the glories of our natural world at no cost to tax-paying voters? Or to continue to fork out £3,000 a week of our own money to deny people that opportunity?

The figure of £3,000 a week to pay for security at the Wilderness Centre came up in a recent Radio Gloucestershire broadcast.

Gloucestershire County Council closed the Wilderness and Plump Hill Centre in September 2011. Until then the centres enjoyed a long and successful history of providing first class, wide-ranging, practical, hands-on environmental education for children from Gloucestershire and beyond.

The Prime Minister stated in 2010: "The time has come to disperse power more widely in Britain today."

The Localism Bill was introduced to accomplish this aspiration under the banner of the Big Society. It gave councils the power to enable communities to take over local assets making it easier for local people to take over the amenities they love and keep them part of local life.

It has to be borne in mind that this totally irreplaceable asset with such enormous potential does not belong to the council at Shire Hall; it is owned by the Gloucestershire community. Therefore all that is required is for the council to simply transfer the assets to the Wilderness Project.

Standing by is a committed and highly-qualified team of experienced men and women ready to take over the centre to deliver, arguably, the most important – and neglected – facet of education to schoolchildren, youth and community groups. Many supporters are also waiting in the wings to lend their support.

It would be to the great credit of the council to facilitate the transfer of the centre without delay.

By doing so it would be honouring the policy of decentralisation, localism and community power as embodied under the banner of the Big Society.

More importantly it would be doing something of real value for future generations, the Gloucestershire community and the environment – and reducing its expenditure by £3,000 a week.

I trust the council will work with the community to ensure the Wilderness Project is a success.

– Mr B Kear, Lydney.