Cameron hints at concessions over woodlands sell-off drive

His intervention came as the Forestry Commission announced that it was cutting 400 jobs after having its budget slashed, sparking anger from unions.

The Government wants to hand over key heritage sites like the New Forest and Forest of Dean to charities, while selling 150-year leases on other publicly owned woodland to communities and charities or – if they are unable to put together a suitable bid – timber companies, which it says could generate £250m.

Many MPs have been taken aback by the anger over the plans, even some of those with inner-city constituencies reporting hundreds of complaints, and during a Commons debate yesterday Shadow Environment Secretary Mary Creagh accused the Government of “environmental vandalism”.

Questions have also been raised over whether benefits of the move will outweigh the costs.

But Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman said Labour was peddling “misinformation” and said there was “synthetic outrage”, given the party sold off swathes of woodland during its time in office.

Concerns centre on where funding will come from to manage the woodland and whether sufficient protections can be written into leases to ensure rights of way for walkers and cyclists are preserved.

Earlier Mr Cameron was dragged into the row after Labour backbencher Barry Sheerman, the Huddersfield MP, accused the Government of stealing forests and woods from “ordinary people”.

Mr Cameron said: “Of course I am listening to all of the arguments that are being put in this case. But is it the case that there are organisations like the Woodland Trust, like the National Trust, that could do a better job than the Forestry Commission? I believe, yes, there are.”

He said the plan was “worth looking at” to try for a better system, and although Downing Street played down prospects of a U-turn Ms Spelman insisted the consultation would not be a sham.