BIG PICTURE
Tony Shane THE quality of life for Macclesfield residents is significantly enhanced by Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (ANOBs), Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and the Peak District National Park.
In an astonishing betrayal of Conservative supporters, as well as the 63 per cent of people who voted for other parties, the Government has scrapped regulations regarding no-go areas for fracking.
Not only will fracking now be permitted in SSSIs, imperilling our natural environment and many endangered species, but if the ‘base pad’ itself is located outside an ANOB or a National Park, then drilling horizontally beneath these areas would be permitted. This means that drill-heads could potentially proliferate close to residential areas and in attractive rural locations adjacent to sites still protected. Pity about England’s Green and Pleasant Land.
No doubt local Tories will say it’ll probably be somebody else’s environment that will be trashed. If so, not only is that callous, but, should the frackers come knocking round here, any attempted planning refusal can be vetoed.
We may need secure gas supplies for some time yet, but if the Government hadn’t intentionally demolished our emerging high-tech green energy sector we would need a good deal less of it.
Being a Lib-Dem in the aftermath of our election defeat is a strange experience. We hear continually about former councillors and former MPs being inundated with apologetic “wish you were here” messages from people who didn’t vote for them, but regret it.
Membership continues to grow and Macclesfield members among the record numbers attending our recent regional conference heard speeches from party leader Tim Farron MP, John Pugh MP and three Lib Dem peers.
I had the privilege of proposing an overwhelmingly-carried motion on regional devolution. In a nutshell this demanded; i) more of it, ii) the same deal for all, not just city regions, iii) no imposition of elected mayors as a precondition for devolution (unless local people vote in favour one).
We praised Lib-Dem led Stockport for their part in ensuring that the Greater Manchester mayor does not have independent executive powers, but is fully accountable to the councils making up the city region; a model we support for anywhere else that may end up with an elected mayor.