The National Assembly’s Petitions Committee has received a petition calling fora fair deal for rallying in public owned forests in Wales.
The petition states:
“We call on the National Assembly for Wales to urge the Welsh Government to ensure that future cost increases for the use of forest roads for car rallying in Wales are fair and in line with costs in England and Scotland.
“Natural Resources Wales’ proposed pricing structure from June 2016 onwards would double the current cost, and is completely at odds with new contracts in place for the same purposes with Forestry Commissions in England and Scotland.
“Whilst NRW are seeking to double the current cost – England and Scotland are raising the cost (from the previous contract) by just 0.7%.
“Rallying in Wales is a £15 million industry with huge tourism benefits to rural Wales. NRW's proposed costs would make future events unsustainable in Wales due to high costs. We request that this is investigated fully to find out why the proposed costs are so hugely inflated by comparison to other regions.”
The petition, which has gathered more than 5,200 signatures, was presented to members of the Petitions Committee on Tuesday 12 July.