UNESCO Biosphere: Constituency Poll

I am aware of concerns raised by the Forest of Dean Green Party regarding the legitimacy and accuracy of my constituency poll, which asks residents whether they agree or disagree with the proposal for a UNESCO Biosphere in the Forest of Dean.

I want to be clear that this poll is not a referendum, nor has it ever been presented as one. It is a constituency poll, organised by my office, to give residents an opportunity to express their views on a proposal that could affect the future of the Forest of Dean.

Following the decision by Forest of Dean District Council not to hold a referendum, I felt it was important that residents were still given an opportunity to have their say.

I want to reassure residents that every entry has been checked against constituency data to ensure that those included in the final count are residents of the Forest of Dean constituency and that only one response per person has been counted.

While this is not a formal referendum, I am determined that the poll is conducted fairly, transparently and with appropriate checks in place. Residents should have confidence that their views are being accurately recorded and represented.

To provide further reassurance, I am happy to discuss and confirm the counting and verification process with any member of the council, while ensuring that residents' personal information remains protected.

I have always been clear that the purpose of this poll is to listen to residents, not to replace any formal democratic process or claim the status of an official referendum.

Whatever people's views on the Biosphere proposal, I believe we should all agree on one thing: the people of the Forest of Dean deserve to have their voices heard.