THE furore over the Government’s plans to dispose of public forests took everyone by surprise, the Bishop of Liverpool said yesterday.

The Rt Rev James Jones is chairman of the independent panel set up to advise the Government after its U-turn over the plan.

He was speaking after a meeting at which campaigners urged the panel to put public access to woodlands at the heart of its work.

The panel was established when a public outcry forced the Government into a U-turn on plans to privatise England’s public forest estate by selling some woodlands to businesses and communities and giving others to charities.

It is made up of representatives of conservation and countryside groups and the forestry industry.

Yesterday, nine groups representing millions of outdoor enthusiasts, such as walkers, horse riders and cyclists, met and urged the panel to find ways to protect and increase access to England’s woodlands.

Justin Cooke, senior policy officer for Ramblers, one of the nine organisations which make up the Forest Access User Group, said: “We call on the panel to find ways to protect, maintain and increase access to all our nation’s woodlands and ensure that access is at the heart of its work.