15.08.14
NALC wants £20,000 fracking payments for parish councils
The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has called for parish and town councils to receive a minimum payment of £20,000 from fracking companies as part of government proposals for underground drilling for shale gas.
NALC has set out its views in response to the government’s consultation on Underground Drilling Access being carried out by the Department for Energy and Climate Change, which closes today.
The consultation sets out a three-pronged solution, focusing on Access rights, Payments for access, and Notification of access, in relation to underground access rights for shale and geothermal operations.
In the response NALC argues that local councils are the best placed democratic bodies and “should be conduit to receive payments from Shale Gas and Geothermal companies”.
In addition the body – which represents around 9,000 grassroots councils in England – has made representations to the government for local councils to be consulted when underground drilling applications are submitted in their area.
Cllr Ken Browse, chairman of NALC, said: “Local councils should be more in the driving seat of deciding and influencing what happens in their area as they are democratically accountable, independent and close to the community.
“As the voice of the community, parishes must have a say over planning applications in their area and must be the vehicle for any community payments from underground drilling companies.”
A DECC spokesman said: “Our proposals would allow shale development, while offering a fair deal for communities in return for underground access at depths so deep they will have no negative impact on landowners.”
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