Argyll and Bute Council has clearly been affected as much as many by the politically generated alarmism circulating on the Scottish Government’s forest leasing proposal. The Council of course needs to show anxious constituents that it is getting the answers to their queries – although all of these have repeatedly been placed in the public domain by the Environment Minister and reported by For Argyll.

The Council has now called for a meeting with Michael Russell, the Environment Minister, to clarify a number of issues relating to the Government’s consultation on forestry provision in the forthcoming Scottish Climate Change Bill.

The consultation is seeking views on a range of proposals, including the potential to lease the management of 25% of the National Forest Estate to private companies for up to 75 years.

Due to the lack of information in the consultation paper, the Council is also requesting that the deadline for responding is extended.

Council Leader Dick Walsh rightly says: ‘Argyll and Bute and Dumfries and Galloway are likely to be the two areas subject to the 75 years leases as they contain the highest proportion of fast growing commercial forest plantations.

‘Although we fully support further action to combat climate change, given that over 30 per cent of Argyll and Bute has forest cover it is vital that the needs of our communities are taken fully into account before decisions with long term implications are taken’.

For Argyll has been reporting pretty exhaustively on this issue and on the irresponsible political chicanery manipulating public perceptions of the proposal and reponses to it. The facts are out there and have been put out there again and again by the Minister concerned but people are easily swayed by fact-free scaremongering – as this saga has shown.

Let’s say it again. The Environment Minister and the Scottish Government have been unequivocal in their assurances that:

• there will be no compulsory job losses
• there will will be no loss of forest amenities and access to the public and to the various leisure businesses that use them
• there will be no loss of role to Forestry Commission Scotland

The political reality is that if they are being economical with the truth in any aspect of this they are finished. And of course they know that each time they issue yet another plain and robust assurance on these matters.

Scotland’s forest estates currently require a subsidy of £28million per annum.

The income generated by the 25% forest leasing scheme will cover this annual deficit which is a continuing burden on the taxpayer; and it will pay for the measures to combat climate change – which would otherwise require to be paid for by the taxpayer. With the unambiguous assurances given – what’s to lose?

There is a debate on the issue on Holyrood on Thursday which the Enviroment Minister will lead for the Government and which For Argyll will be covering.