While our full Parish Council meetings will continue to be held at the Pavilion on the third Monday of the month, we will be moving our committee meetings (usually the first Thursday of the month) to be held at the School. Please look out for details on the website or on the noticeboards for detailed agendas and times.

Many thanks to everyone who has returned their survey forms either by post or at the collection points around the village. We will be collating the results and discussing them at our July meeting. Several of the issues link in with outstanding items from the Parish Plan Action Plan, which we are pleased to report has been very successful.

We have received a consultation from British Telecom who wish to remove two of the public phone boxes in the parish – at Hilgay on the Common, and at the Fence. The Parish Council has objected to the removal of these phone boxes, as we believe that although not well used, they provide an essential service in isolated rural areas where mobile phone reception can be very poor.

Our Parish Council meeting of 16th June started with a public session attended by a large number of residents at which our County Councillor Bill Evans reported on meetings and information he had gathered regarding the Two Rivers Service Charges. It appears that the Service Charge is legally required, however there are a large number of properties across the Forest of Dean area which are affected and a campaign against the charges is underway. Legal advice is being sought, and Councillor Evans will keep us updated.

This item will be discussed at the forthcoming Parish Council meeting on Monday 16th June. Residents who are affected are encouraged to come to the meeting to have their say, and to hear reports from our County Councillor who has met with Two Rivers Housing. The Parish Council are to discuss whether to approach Two Rivers Housing and offer to take on the grasscutting ourselves.