A BLUEPRINT for the next four years of the Forest of Dean has been passed by the district council – but only just.

It has taken six months for the Draft Corporate Plan 2019-2023 to be drawn up and published.

The Plan lays the foundations for the council’s long-term goals over the next four years and is a form of business plan.

After months of going through the council’s processes, such as scrutiny, it went to last week’s meeting of the full authority for a final sign-off.

But Indepedent councillor Thom Forester said he wanted to include an amendment to part of the document about stopping industry from buying up land in the Forest and trading with it on the financial markets.

That threw the whole Plan into turmoil – and included mentions of the Prince and Princess of Sussex and their flights around the world.

FULL STORY IN THIS WEEK’S FORESTER