Reporting of the politics at national and local level of the shale gas and fracking debate
West Sussex County Council says it is continuing to monitor operations at Celtique Energie’s drilling site near Billingshurst after a report that a planning condition had been broken. The company denies there was a breach.
Councillors in West Sussex decided this morning not to accept or reject a call to make the county a frack free zone. But they acknowledged the concerns of residents about fracking.
Labour county councillors pose with opponents of fracking before the discussion of a petition calling for West Sussex to be made a frack-free zone.
West Sussex councillors will be advised tomorrow to refuse to declare the county a frack free zone. A petition with more than 3,500 signatures urging the county to make itself frack free will be debated by the full council at its meeting in Horsham.
The MP for two West Sussex villages where Celtique Energie wants to drill for oil and gas said he hoped the company would lose its appeal against a refusal of planning permission. He also criticised Celtique for failing to reply to his letters.
Labour accused the government yesterday of taking a “lackadaisical” approach to regulating fracking by relying on voluntary agreements with the industry.
Anti-fracking campaigners say new government proposals could allow drilling companies to dump waste under private land without the owners’ permission.
East Sussex County Council has rejected calls for a ban on fracking in the county. This morning the lead cabinet member for transport and environment, Carl Maynard, turned down a request in a petition calling for the refusal of any attempt at fracking in East Sussex.
Events about fracking and onshore oil and gas during October 2014. Updated weekly. Sunday, 05 October 2014 Picnic at Horse Hill drilling site, 2pm, Horse Hill, near Horley, RH6 0RB Details
The government has appointed Professor John Loughhead, head of the UK Energy Research Centre, as the new Chief Scientific Advisor to the Department of Energy and Climate Change. He replaces Sir David MacKay.
DRILL OR DROP? 