Today, 9th February 2016, Leader of the Labour Group Cllr Alex Ganotis wrote to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change in opposition to the proposed changes.
The full text of the letter is below:
Dear Secretary of State
I am writing to you on behalf of Stockport Labour Group to object to the Government’s attempt to remove local decision making from local Councils. I understand that the Government is considering taking decisions on planning applications for future fracking sites out of the remit of the local planning authority.
This letter is to express our deep concern and strong objection to any such move as it flies in the face of local democratic decision making.
Applications to frack are controversial but the Government, in order to get the decision it wants, should not dismiss the democratic rights of local people to have their say and ultimately, through their locally elected representatives, make a decision.
The implications for the local community and the local environment can only be thoroughly assessed by those who live in the area and, whatever people’s individual opinions are about fracking as an industry, their right to be part of the decision making process for any future applications should not be hijacked by the Government.
Cllr Alex Ganotis
Leader of Stockport Labour Group