Speaking after a debate in Parliament, Mr Brine said he was “utterly unconvinced” by the arguments being put forward by Ministers and urged his constituents to take part in the consultation currently taking place. The MP said he had received hundreds of representations on the proposals and shared their concerns about the future of local forestry commission land, including Micheldever and Itchen Wood.
He challenged the Environment Minister Jim Paice in the Commons (on Weds 2 February 2011) to guarantee rights of access if the changes go through. “Access is the key point in the hundreds of communications that I have received. The challenge for Ministers is to make the case on access to the hundreds and thousands of people who are e-mailing us.”
Steve said; “On one hand I can see the attraction of a local charity or voluntary group leasing one of our local forests for the benefit of local people and I look forward to hearing from any of them if this takes their fancy but I am not holding my breath. I am very unhappy about these proposals which I don’t think have convinced MPs let alone the wider public. Everyone I have heard from shares my concern about access, the future biodiversity of our forests and their wider benefit as a ‘carbon sink’.
“I have challenged the Secretary of State in the House of Commons and in private on these points and also on the extent of the problem we apparently have with this conflict of interest for the Forestry Commission as the regulator of the timber sector whilst being the largest operator in the English timber market. I have to say I remain utterly unconvinced by the answers I have received and it was for that reason I did not vote with the Government, for only the second time since I was elected, this week.”
Pictured; Big Ben on a beautifully clear January morning!
More information...
Steve is urging his constituents to respond to the consultation on ‘The future of the Public Forest Estate in England’ which can be accessed online via DEFRA website here and runs until 21st April 2011.
You can read the debate from 2 February 2011 here.
You can see Steve Brine on South Today from 2 February 2011 via the BBC watch again.