		<div class="wpcnt">
			<div class="wpa">
				<span class="wpa-about">Advertisements</span>
				<div class="u top_amp">
							<amp-ad width="300" height="265"
		 type="pubmine"
		 data-siteid="111265417"
		 data-section="2">
		</amp-ad>
				</div>
			</div>
		</div><p><a href="http://londonglossy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/forest-selloff-plan-abandoned.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full" title="The Government has abandoned controversial plans to sell off England's public forests" src="http://londonglossy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/min-forest-selloff-plan-abandoned.jpg" alt="The Government has abandoned controversial plans to sell off England's public forests"/></a></p>
<p>The Government has abandoned its controversial plans to privatise England&#8217;s public forests in the face of widespread criticism.</p>
<p>Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman announced to MPs in the Commons that &#8220;we got this one wrong&#8221;, as she said she was halting the public consultation into the proposals.</p>
<p>She also said she was removing the powers to push forward with the move from the Public Bodies Bill currently going through Parliament.</p>
<p>The proposals to offload the public forest estate to companies, communities and charities had met with protests and criticism from conservation groups and campaigners, who hailed the U-turn a victory for &#8220;people power&#8221;.</p>
<p>Ms Spelman told MPs she took full responsibility for the situation, which has seen protests in well-loved woods around the country and more than half a million people sign an online petition to &#8220;save our forests&#8221;, organised by campaign group 38 Degrees.</p>
<p>She said halting the public consultation into the measures and removing the forestry clauses from the Public Bodies Bill would allow for a &#8220;more measured and rational debate&#8221; about the future of England&#8217;s forests.</p>
<p>Ms Spelman also announced that an independent panel of experts would examine forestry policy in England and report back to her in the autumn.</p>
<p>Asked about the U-turn on public forests after a speech on the Welfare Bill in east London, Prime Minister David Cameron said: &#8220;The key aim of the Government&#8217;s forestry policy is to open up the forests to access, to make sure we have good sustainable forestry, to make sure we increase available habitat.</p>
<p>&#8220;But yes, there is a role and quite rightly there is a role to try and make sure this area of policy is cost effective. I do think we have to look at the conflict of interest there is with the Forestry Commission as both the regulator and owner.</p>
<p>&#8220;There are quite a few costs in the system even though it is an enormous landowner. If you launch a policy consultation and you get a very strong and clear response, it is the right thing to do to be a listening government and respond to that.&#8221;</p>
			<div style="padding-bottom:15px;" class="wordads-tag" data-slot-type="belowpost">
				<div id="atatags-dynamic-belowpost-691a165caef8c">
					<script type="text/javascript">
						window.getAdSnippetCallback = function () {
							if ( false === ( window.isWatlV1 ?? false ) ) {
								// Use Aditude scripts.
								window.tudeMappings = window.tudeMappings || [];
								window.tudeMappings.push( {
									divId: 'atatags-dynamic-belowpost-691a165caef8c',
									format: 'belowpost',
								} );
							}
						}

						if ( document.readyState === 'loading' ) {
							document.addEventListener( 'DOMContentLoaded', window.getAdSnippetCallback );
						} else {
							window.getAdSnippetCallback();
						}
					</script>
				</div>
			</div>
Discover more from London Glossy Post
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
