MOST of us local residents understand that a groundswell of opinion is clearly represented by the 6000-plus signature Forest-wide petition opposing parking charges, and the letters of objection that are still coming in to your office.

It wouldn't be right for me to speak on behalf of all those objections, so I will refer to just one, ie my letter of September 22 regarding car parking charge proposals.

In that letter I asked for evidence that consideration had been given to the long term costs of lost rating revenue, lost jobs, neglected empty buildings and the social consequences of our town centres' decline, because I cannot believe that these costs can be out-performed or even recovered by the revenue raised from the proposed charging structure.

No evidence has been forthcoming from either the cabinet members or chief executive officers, nor any response at all.

I also asked for a response to the question "By what rationale is the Forest of Dean council's cabinet acting to drive trade away?"

Again, there has been silence.

Indeed, none of the aforementioned cabinet members or executives has given that letter the courtesy of an acknowledgement, though some of our local representatives have done so.

I know of more than 20 other individual Newent traders and business customers who have also sent in letters of objection to the proposed charges.

None of them that I have asked has received any acknowledgement of their objections from those responsible for taking the decision.

Apart from the lack of courtesy shown, the silence from the cabinet members begs the question: "Are the district council's leaders actually listening to the voice of their electorate?"

Please tell me. An email would be OK, I don't want to increase the council's postage costs.

I'd really like to know, and I'm sure I'm not alone...

Lynn Ashton

Proprietor,

Memento Gifts,

Newent