A STRIDENT call for unity from all shades of the political spectrum to keep our Forest public was made by the Shadow Leader of the House of Lords to 500 people at a meeting.

Baroness Jan Royall of Blaisdon received a standing ovation after giving a rousing speech at the packed Miners' Welfare Hall in Cinderford on Friday.

The public meeting was organised by Cinderford Town Council and chaired by Councillor Frank Beard.

Baroness Royall read Clause 17 of the Public Bodies Bill, explaining that it spelled the sell-off of Forestry land, including the removal of protection for the Dean.

She said: "I am not here to denigrate Mark Harper. He is a good constituency MP in a very difficult position."

Referring to reasons cited by Mr Harper for refusing to address his constituents, she said: "This concern, clearly, is not speculation or conjecture, it's a Bill I am opposing in the House of Lords."

She said that while it was unlikely she would succeed in winning the battle against all forests being sold off, she is pushing to retain an exemption for the Forest of Dean made in the Forestry Act 1981 – and believes she can succeed.

"Ownership is an issue for us here in the Forest of Dean. Our Forest is unique – it's a special case," she said.

"The Forestry Commission provides real value for money – it costs us less than 30p per person per year. The Government wants the Forest to be owned by the people. But we are the people and we already own the Forest!

"They want us to believe that the Forest is managed by 'Big Government', when our Forest is managed from Bank House in Coleford."

She disputed Mr Harper's claim about the same freedom of access being maintained whoever owned the Forest. She said cyclists, horse-riders and dog-walkers could be restricted; the law allowed landowners to close woods to the public for 28 days or longer, and paths and public facilities may not be preserved.

She said: "Consultation should mean going out to talk to the people before the decision has been made, but the Public Bodies Bill is already in the House of Lords. I hope I can convince the cross-benchers and maybe a few LibDems and Tories. If I fail, we will have to redouble our action and effort."

She urged people to write to Conservative councillors and Dean verderers, who have not taken a position against a sell-off, and for people to "work together from across the political spectrum".

Citing the 1981 battle against privatisation, which was fronted by a Conservative MP (Paul Marland) and Liberal peer (Lord McNair), she said the HOOF campaign against the Government's forestry sell-off should not be a party-political one.

But she said "the Government is on an ideological drive".

One man later called for a vote on how many intended to vote Conservative now – only two hands went up.

Protester Dave Morris said: "I'd like to pass a message on to the powers: we will tear the fences down and mass trespass. We will just not let this sell-off happen."