There was standing room only at the first MidCoast Council meeting in Gloucester last Wednesday. During the public address, former Gloucester Shire councillor Aled Hoggett stated concerns about the new council being regional instead of local government.  Penny Charles from LOCAL at Gloucester, expressed concerns about the large workload for the interim GM and how the order of importance of each region’s concerns would be determined. Knitting Nanna Carol Bennett voiced concern about the fairness of the frequency of meetings being held in Gloucester, being one to every two meetings held in Taree and Forster. Susan Thomas said she was concerned for the Gloucester library, stressing how important its programs and facilities were to the community.