A VOTE could be taken on the future of the Forest of Dean in the House of Lords on Tuesday, January 18.

Baroness Jan Royall of Blaisdon, the Shadow Leader of the Lords, will introduce an amendment to the Public Bodies Bill soon after Parliament reopens for business after the Christmas recess on Monday.

Her amendment, calling for the Forest of Dean to be excluded from sale in Clause 17 of the proposed law, will be co-tabled by the Bishop of Gloucester the Rt Rev Michael Perham and Baroness Rennie Fritchie of Gloucester, who chairs the county's 2gether NHS Mental Health Foundation Trust.

Baroness Royall previously said she wanted the debate this Tuesday but she was advised that Lords would not get round to discussing the Forestry sections of the Bill until late evening.

"I want to have the debate and vote in prime time, so I want to delay it until then," she said.

Accordingly, a deputation organised by Forest of Dean District Council will delay their lobbying of Lords by a week, so their visit to urge Lords to vote to help the Dean will be the day before, on January 17.

Legal expert Alan Robertson, HOOF chairman Rich Daniels and Forester and Review journalists are due to accompany representatives from the five political groupings on the council.

HOOF supporter Dr Daphne Pearson has criticised council leader Peter Amos (Con, Awre) for sending his party's Coun Terry Hale (Con, Newland & St Briavels) to Westminster and not representing his council as leader. Coun Hale was the only one of 20 Conservative councillors to support the motion by Coun Andrew Gardiner (Ind, Lydbrook & Ruardean), to lobby Parliament, and swing the vote.

The deputation aims to lobby MPs in the House of Commons at a later date.

Even if the House of Lords votes for the amendment to exclude the Forest of Dean from future sale, it could be overturned in the Commons by MPs.

Baroness Royall told Monday's Speech House rally: "I hope our MP will be able to persuade the Government to accept our amendment."

She refuted Mr Harper's claims that Foresters will be reassured when a White Paper on forestry is published – which could be next week – saying: "The White Paper might be a very splendid document that contains many safeguards for the Forest of Dean – but it will be too late.

"In this case we have a Bill going through Parliament and then a White Paper. What this topsy-turvy situation means is that no matter what the White Paper may say, the Public Bodies Bill (if unamended) means the Forest of Dean may be sold – it's there in black and white."