THE FOREST of Dean District Council’s Budget for the coming year has been labelled ‘illegal’ as a bitter row over the way the authority’s most important vote of the year spills over.

The Conservative Group on the council have written to the Head of Paid Services Mr Peter Williams – the top officer there – to say the way the budget procedure was handled in the council chamber during last Thursday’s full meeting of the authority stopped them from debating it.

•FIND OUT MORE IN THIS WEEK’S FORESTER.