I fully intend to support the Motion put forward by fellow Lib Dem Councillors at New Forest District Council, that will call upon Forestry England to offer local people a substantial discount on their car parking charges.

We have all seen how empty the car parks are now that the charging scheme has been imposed. You have to ask yourself…. who is it benefiting ?

Forestry England will likely be more inclined to respond positively to the lack of revenue being generated, having spent some £3 million implementing the scheme.

I imagine it is most likely they will wait for a full year before changing anything but it is probably a good idea for them to be thinking right now about how they can generate more income to justify the scheme.

Local people are the ones who used to visit regularly. Although some still do so, (having purchased a membership of Forestry England for £94), many people have stopped and simply walk their dogs even closer to home.