Glos economic strategy is business-as-usual

The provisional Gloucestershire Economic Strategy has been out for consultation, but unfortunately the County have not formally asked District councillors to contribute or those like ourselves who contributed to the initial consultation. I only learnt of the consultation late last week so have not been able to put together as comprehensive a document as I would have liked.

Photo: Glos Docks development: failures to address sustainability

Nevertheless you can see my comments here. Sadly the strategy is far too much business-as-usual and not the radical plan we need. My comments cover the inaccuracies of their forecasting, failures to recognise Peak Oil, canal employment not being researched, happiness and more including condemnation for their support for the Airport....talking of which a good letter below in the papers after one from a Parish Council supporting the airport after they had been given the tour there...

Madam - The chair and vice chair of Up Hatherley Parish Council should not be so hasty in backing the airport (Echo Letters, April 3), and they certainly do not speak for me, one of their constituents. They attended a briefing by the airport and believed it all - oh dear. The Up Hatherley councillors claim that the airport gives a substantial dividend to the two councils. This is nonsense - the airport's annual returns are pitiful, and in no way compensate for all its impacts. And the so called dividend is a piece of false accounting anyway - it takes no account of all the staff and councillor time devoted to the airport, and the additional fees paid to air-industry consultants. The airport has been desperately seeking support for its plans for two years now. Its proposals remain deeply divisive within Cheltenham borough, and now the plans have been rejected by Gloucester city the airport is trying to soften up parish councils. My parish councillors may wish to trot out the airport's propaganda, but they should not think the rest of us are falling for it. The airport should be judged by our daily experience not by a briefing from the spin-merchants. Alison Parfitt, Hatherley.