I WOULD like to make comment to a letter last week from Councillor Maria Edey entitled, "End of council would mean fewer jobs" and that being a Trade Union person I should be ashamed of myself for mentioning UnitaryAuthority.

So, in answer to this rather deluded councillor, my record in local government since 1983 speaks for itself. I have been at the forefront of bringing jobs to the Forest as chair of Cinderford Regeneration Board.

When she states that I only have interest in Cinderford, does it not occur to cllr Edey that people from all over the Forest of Dean work in the developments that we have and are still creating in Cinderford, just take a look at Forest Vale.

With regard to this councillor, I for one am still trying to work out just what she has ever achieved, joining the Forest of Dean District Council as a Conservative Councillor the then stated aims were very clear, they would make severe cuts which, in turn would result in jobs lost at the Coleford Offices.

She since denounced her Conservative politics, yet still sits on the council as an Independent. Nothing wrong with this, I for one have a great many friends who are true Independents. Now in this time Cllr Edey would have taken part in debates and obviously have heard of Go Gloucestershire.

Go Gloucestershire once described by a Lydney Councillor as Unitary through the back door, has already happened. Today staff at the Coleford Offices could be condensed into just one floor, and losses would have been far greater if this had not happened.

What is even more tragic is cllr Edey has sat there all this time and still not figured this out. I know that most of the time cllr Edey seems to operate in a complete parallel world. Does she not realise if we continue as we are the Forest Council will face a deficit of some £1.2 million by 2015.

Put quite simply, by the time Eric Pickles has finished cutting everything there will be nobody left at Coleford. We are sat Cllr Edey in a sea of Unitary Authorities. All around Gloucestershire councils have gone this route, they have done so not only to save people from paying high council tax, but more important to be able to still provide the vital services they require.

Quite why cllr Marie Edey thinks that there would be no one employed in Coleford Council Offices because of a move to Unitary or two tier local government, is totally beyond me. Does she not think that work like environmental health, planning, licensing would not still have to be carried out at local level?

Unitary Authority has been Labour Party policy for 10 years, and the reason this is because we still want to be able to deliver those services people so desperately need.

Graham Morgan

Labour

Cinderford