29th November 2005

Those who have welcomed the future presence of a large Tesco shop in Cinderford will have to delay their celebrations for at least three years, and it will be much longer before anyone can be sure what effects it is going to have on the town. Those who are responsible for allowing this development are quite likely to have left the scene. The town will have gained a Tesco but probably lost a Co-op, the only supermarket with an ethical policy governing the social and environmental impact of its activities.

Those who associate the presence of a Tesco store with progress and modernity have been taken in by the marketing and PR.

Behind the scenes is a ruthless company in pursuit of maximum profits whatever the consequences for anyone else or for the environment.

The point is that when prices are ridiculously low, someone must be paying the true cost either somewhere else in the world or at some future date. We, the customers, can only live with this because most of the time we are not aware of the link between our actions and the resulting social and environmental degradation.

The activities of the supermarket chains, in particular Tesco, will not continue to be sustainable in their present form for very much longer. Hence the determination to establish themselves now in places like Cinderford to ensure that there is no effective competition when the transport infrastructure on which they currently depend collapses. One way or another they intend to stay on top.

These points have been put to the town and district councillors and they could already see what was happening in Lydney.

Despite this, they agreed to the development and Cinderford will also lose its rugby club, which is currently a focal point for the town. In future, spectators who now arrive on foot will probably travel by car, seats will be more expensive and local interest in rugby will decline.

Our responsibility is to get rid of the people who supported this decision and replace them with elected representatives prepared to plan for a sustainable future. Meanwhile we must minimise our dependence on Tesco and the other supermarkets and maximise our support for local producers and businesses.

Stephen Tweedie, Forest of Dean Green party,
Newent