I have been contacted recently by residents who were encouraged by 38 Degrees to contact their councillors and ask them to object to the leaked plans of the government to strip councils of their ability to prevent fracking in their areas. I am very keen on the work that 38 Degrees do, and very happy to be contacted about this issue, which I feel strongly about. I thought I'd publish the email that I sent today, in case it is useful to any readers.
https://speakout.38degrees.org.uk/campaigns/596
"Hello Liz, Amber, and Greg. I am writing as a city councillor who is very concerned about the leaked government plans to prevent councils from being able to make decisions about whether fracking does or does not take place in their area.
Fracking is extremely unpopular around the country, and in Cambridge, and with good reason. With clear evidence that the technique leads to earthquakes, contamination of drinking water, and the death of local wildlife, many countries are banning it entirely. Others are suspending fracking until independent scientists have been able to demonstrate conclusively that it can be done without environmental harm.
I'm sure we disagree about those facts. But the principle of local democracy is extremely important. People should be able to have a say about the areas in which they live. For residents of a place where they are at of losing their homes, or seeing their homes become impossible to buy insurance for, the stakes are extremely high. For wealthy people who live hundreds of miles away and can easily afford to relocate, the stakes are really quite low.
Decisions should be made close to the people who they affect most, not in isolated halls of privilege, in totally different circumstances. Please leave councils with the power to decide how they generate energy for themselves.
Kind regards,
Oscar Gillespie
Councillor for Market Ward, Cambridge"
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