The Green Party has vowed to act on government plans to take decision making on fracking planning applications away from local councils.
At its 2016 Spring Conference in Harrogate the Greens became the only national political party to take a campaigning stance following criticisms of changes to planning guidance announced last August [1].
The plans were revealed in January in a leaked letter sent last July that discusses proposals for a "government shale gas strategy", aimed at achieving a "maturing shale gas production industry" within 10 years [2].
The party is considering campaign strategies and calls on local and parish councils to write to the government to register objections.
Rural parish councillors have already expressed their wishes to retain their duties to act as "custodians to protect their rural area for future generations" in response to fracking [3].
Philip Mitchell, of North Lancashire Green Party, who proposed the conference motion said:
"We are responding to this letter which shows the extent to which the government is willing to allow the unconventional oil and gas industry to take over our country.
"It's hard to see why any local council shouldn't be concerned about proposals designed to leave Britain fracked whatever objections there may have been.
"The motion was passed unanimously because these government proposals represent the exact opposite to the Green Party's ideas. We are passionate about creating a healthier, happier society, without the risky and unpopular range of extreme energy technologies which are being rolled-out, such as coal-bed methane and underground coal gasification, as well as shale gas and shale oil extraction.
"The fact that Lancashire County Council initially recommended that it's Planning Committee accept some of the shale gas applications [4] [5] currently subject to appeal, shows that that may not always be possible in the current political climate, but by allowing more time and by removing itself from decision-making, the government could help empower local people to maintain more healthy environments, and all local councils must act now to convince the government it is wrong to rush them towards nightmare scenarios."
ENDS
Notes:
[1] http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/aug/13/government-will-step-in-if-councils-dont-fast-track-fracking-applications
[2] https://www.foe.co.uk/news/leaked-letter-shows-government-plans-force-fracking-communities
[3] http://preston.moderngov.co.uk/documents/s32347/15-0382.pdf
[4] https://www.foe.co.uk/ "Calling Council Leader"
[5] http://www.theplanner.co.uk/news/lancashire-fracking-application-refused
Emergency Motion on Fracking
This conference condemns the government plans as revealed by Friends of the Earth at the end of January 2016, call in and fast track fracking planning applications decisions and for the final decision to be made by ministers rather than by local planning authorities.
Therefore, this conference:
1. Calls on the prime minister to stick to his promise to local people and carry on letting local councils decide what is best for their area.
2. Calls on all local and parish councils to write to the secretary of state for communities explaining the importance to them of local determination on planning decisions and to call on the secretary of state to ensure local determination of fracking planning determinations
3. Calls on GPEx to publicise this widely and to encourage and assist local and regional Green Parties to encourage local and parish councils to write to the Secretary of State For Communities in this way, and to provide them with campaign materials to do so.