Obviously there is a lot of debate and anxiety at the moment about the prospect of fracking for shale gas in the Fylde area. Both Singleton Parish Council and Fylde Borough Council will be consulted should a planning application be made, but Lancashire County Council is the planning authority who will make the decision. The Parish Council has no responsibility for matters relating to shale gas, other than by acting as a consultee to any planning application. Singleton Parish Council will only be asked to comment on a visual or noise impact or if any highways difficulties have been overcome. Any other views that might be expressed will be ignored and discounted.
Members of Singleton Parish Council have attended training sessions and information events to make sure they are cognisant of what is involved in the extraction of shale gas. This has included visits to sites owned by Cuadrilla as well as events organised by Fylde Borough Council, which have included presentations from organisations who would be responsible for `policing’ any shale gas extraction, such as the Environment Agency and others. The Parish Councillors have done their very best to gain knowledge and information about the fracking process so that, should planning permission be approved, they can ensure that all regulations and protocols are adhered to and that residents and the environment are safeguarded.
Unfortunately, there have been several incidents when councillors have suffered verbal abuse from members of the public. Any sort of verbal abuse by members of the public will not be tolerated. We would like to made it clear that all Parish Councillors have to adhere to a Code of Conduct and cannot become involved in pressure groups of any kind. That being said, the Parish Council remains committed to gather as much information as possible about the fracking process and will be watching all developments very closely.