APPARENTLY not knowing the difference between Great Britain and the UK in a planned declaration to be sent to the Queen by the Forest Council, was “embarrassing”, said a district councillor.

The council agreed to send a scroll to Her Majesty with an image of the Speech House, as being representative of the Forest, and a message.

The message, presented to the council at its meeting last Thursday, read: “On behalf of Forest of Dean District Council we congratulate Her Majesty on 70 years of distinguished service and for keeping her oath and governing the people of the United Kingdom of Great Britain according to our respective laws and customs.”

But the phrase “United Kingdom of Great Britain” confuses Great Britain which is made up of England, Wales and Scotland, and the United Kingdom which is Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Cllr Vilnis Vesma (Lib Dem, Newent and Taynton) asked: “Is it not slightly embarrassing that the wording of the declaration omits Northern Ireland?”

The council agreed to change the wording on the scroll which is being produced, free-of-charge to taxpayers, by a Forest-based printing firm.

There were also questions about the type of trees that will be planted to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee and whether lighting beacons can be “sustainable”.

As well as the scroll, it is planned to plant wild cherry trees at the Cyril Hart Arboretum at Speech House as part of the nationwide Queen’s Green Canopy project.

Chair of the council, Cllr Julia Gooch (Progressive Independents, Newent and Taynton) said: “Wild Cherry is a British species and is included on historic documents as a tree to plant in the arboretum, based on Dr Hart’s British Trees in Colour.”

Cllr Phillip Burford (Independent, Hartpury and Redmarley) said he was fully in support of planting trees but would prefer to see oaks instead.

He said: “In the Forest of Dean we are fortunate to live in one of the nation’s most spectacular oak woodlands and I find it a little disappointing that we are not going to be planting some oak trees to secure the future of the woodland for perhaps the next three centuries.

“This would have been an ideal opportunity to do it.

“It’s a disappointment to me that as beautiful as flowering cherries are, they are not going to be planting any oaks.”

Cllr Gooch said parish councils had been asked to light beacons on June 2, ensuring it is done “in a sustainable manner in line with the council’s commitment to climate emergency.”

But Cllr Andy Green (Green, Pillowell) said that was not possible.

He said: “If fire is involved, there is no sustainable manner.”

The only two proposals which did not raise comments were a proclamation to be read by Cllr Gooch at 1pm on June 2 and having Jubilee signs at the entrance to the council offices in Coleford for the rest of the Jubilee year.

Cllr Claire Vaughan (Porgressive Independents, Lydney East) welcomed the proposals saying: “It is going to make a lot of people in the Forest of Dean happy and will be remembered, especially by children, for a long time to come.”

The debate ended on a controversial note when Cllr Richard Leppington (Progressive Independents) referred back to Northern Ireland.

He said: “Although the Prime Minister would like to hive off Northern Ireland into the European Union, I don’t think we should do that.”

To which Cllr Gooch replied: “Cllr Richard Leppington. That is not appropriate.”

The proposals were passed with 26 votes for and two abstentions.