Don’t get hopes up that government is in listening mode
WHETHER government will listen any more to a report by PWC than previous complaints from LCC remains to be seen, of course.
But if the government’s actions around fracking in Lancashire are anything to go by, we shouldn’t get our hopes up that the government is in listening mode.
Last year, LCC took the brave decision to oppose plans by a company to begin fracking – the process of extracting shale gas from the ground – in the Fylde. It was a wonderful example of democracy in action – a council listening to local people and then finding a way to deliver the will of the people, to use a phrase which is quite popular these days.
But the Tory government has rather stamped all over that will of the people, and has accepted an appeal from the fracking operator Cuadrilla.
“Shale gas has the potential to power economic growth, support 64,000 jobs, and provide a new domestic energy source, making us less reliant on imports,” said communities secretary Sajid Javid. “We will take the big decisions that matter to the future of our country as we build an economy that works for everyone, not just the privileged few.”
This is bad news for Rossendale, where there are believed to be fracking opportunities.
Cutting through Javid’s political waffle, it’s worth remembering there remain many health doubts and environmental concerns about fracking.
When Javid talks about an economy that works for everyone, not the few we now know he means he’s clearly prepared to sacrifice communities who might have the misfortune of being potential fracking sites.
That doesn’t feel very fair, does it?