Council re-affirms opposition to fracking and calls for cleaner energy investment
It was temporarily banned in the UK in 2019 after earth tremors near Blackpool, but the ban was later lifted.
Pendle councillors have re-affirmed their opposition to gas fracking, as the topic re-emerged in Lancashire and national politics.
Fracking – or hydraulic fracturing – is an underground process used to extract oil and gas from shale rock. It was temporarily banned in the UK in 2019 after earth tremors at the Cuadrilla Preston New Road site near Blackpool. But the ban was later lifted, and fracking is now back on the political agenda.
When then-prime minister Liz Truss’s government ended the ban in 2022, Pendle councillors said local residents would fight any plans for natural gas fracking. Brierfield was understood to be one area of interest for drilling.
A wider area called the Bowland Basin, covering large parts of the north-west, contains large quantities of natural gas, some scientists have said. But the debate raises a plethora of issues including the economy, energy costs, research and development, private business and government investment, jobs, emissions from burning gas and oil, and climate change.
At Pendle Council’s latest full meeting, Lib-Dem councillors Andy Bell and Dorothy Lord put forward a new motion on fracking and other fossil fuel extraction.
Coun Bell said: “We note recent statements from national political parties about fracking and extraction of fossil fuels from the North Sea. We believe both the immediate and long-term consequences of fracking are extremely
polluting, and that the commitment to extract ‘every drop’ of fossil fuel, such as gas and oil, would contribute to catastrophic consequences for our climate.
“A few years ago, there was drilling linked to fracking around the Blackpool area. There were numerous after-shocks felt in the area. We do not want that. Now, some political parties are saying let’s get on with this. But that would be heading for disaster.
“So this council reaffirms its previous resolutions on fracking and the climate emergency, and it calls upon government to accelerate investment in renewable energy generation.”
Lib-Dem Lola Whipp added: “I support this but I would add an amendment. To promote new licenses to extract fossil fuels would be so disregarding of people’s futures. We should call on the government to issue no new fossil fuel licenses and work should be done for the equitable transfer of workers involved to other activities.
“To do anything else would, in effect, amount to murder. We’ll have water shortages, excess deaths from heat-waves and other issues. There will be world-wide suffering and wars over resources.”
Conservative Ash Sutcliffe said: “I was quite amenable to supporting this motion until Lola spoke. I don’t think the current government needs any more encouragement about cleaner energy, based on the energy secretary Ed Milliband touring the country. To cease new licenses would affect progress and the economy. The two things need to go hand-in-hand. To throw all the focus on renewables at a time of economic struggle would not make sense.”
Lola Whipp then clarified some suggestions, regarding no new licenses being granted and industrial policies for workers to be developed ahead of when licenses are due to end.
Independent Coun Asjad Mahmood, the deputy leader of Pendle Council, said: “We have discussed fracking recently and issues like after-shocks.”
In a vote, the Pendle motion was agreed. Separately this week, Lancashire County Council, now led by Reform UK, discussed fracking.