The newly-elected Reform Party mayor of Greater Lincolnshire, Dame Andrea Jenkyns, said today she will meet a fracking company planning to explore for shale gas.

Dame Andrea, interviewed on BBC Politics North, said:

“I will be meeting with a fracking company after the gas find and put a business argument of– we should be doing that. That will really save money for the Lincolnshire taxpayer.”

American owned Egdon Resources confirmed in February that it wanted to explore for shale gas in the area around Gainsborough.

Speaking at a conference organised by Lincolnshire County Council, George Yates, chair of Egdon’s parent Heyco Energy Group, said the Gainsborough Trough shale basin could produce gas for 36 years with production totalling 15.8 trillion cubic feet. Mr Yates said this was “enough total energy to power the entire United Kingdom for 6.7 years at current consumption rates”.

These figures have since been questioned by a commentator on the UK fracking industry as “logically incompatible”. There is a moratorium in England on associated hydraulic fracturing, which uses at least 10,000m3 of fluid to release gas from shale rocks.

Dame Andrea, who won 42% of the mayoral vote, was also asked today whether Reform plans for a tax on energy sources would deter investment in renewables.

She said:

“I want to shine a light of scrutiny on net zero.”

And she dismissed as “rubbish” a Conservative suggestion that the tax would sacrifice investment, cost jobs and raise energy costs.

Dame Andrea said she wanted to scrap what she described as “non-essential” jobs in local authorities.

She cited a job advertised for a climate ambassador with Lincolnshire County Council. “Let’s do away with these roles”, she said.

She also groaned when a fellow panellist, the York Central MP, Rachel Maskell, called for a “wake-up to climate change”.

Reform won control of Lincolnshire County Council from the Conservatives in the local elections last Thursday (1 May 2025). The party took 44 seats while the Conservatives won 14 and lost 40. Among the Conservative casualties was Colin Davie, the former executive member for economic development, environment and planning.

Other results from Lincolnshire County Council election: The Lib Dems took 5, up two on the last election in 2021, Labour won 3, down 1, and independents took 4, down five.