Households in fracking areas could receive up to £10,000 from the Government
Residents of fracking communities could be handed £10,000 under Government proposals.
Households in fracking areas could get a £10,000 ‘bribe’ from the Government.
A shale wealth fund was unveiled in 2014 to set aside up to 10% of the tax proceeds from fracking to benefit affected communities. However, Theresa May is considering paying households directly rather than paying councils and local trusts.
It's just one proposal as part of a consultation into how to deliver the shale wealth fund.
Ahead of the consultation launch, May said:
“When we take the big calls, we’ll think not of the powerful but of you.
This announcement is an example of putting those principles into action. It’s about making sure people personally benefit from economic decisions that are taken – not just councils – and putting them back in control over their lives.”
In each area affected by fracking, most of which are in northern England, between 500 and 2,000 households would receive a payment, a total of up to £10 million per area.
There could be as much as 1,300 trillion cubic feet of shale gas under the north of England, providing over 500 years of gas supply for the UK.
How will it go down with the public?
Fracking has been hugely unpopular with the public as well as environmentalists, fuelling protests around the country - but would the windfall encourage them to come around to the idea?
It doesn't look likely.
Friends of the Earth’s Tony Bosworth highlights a YouGov survey carried out for the Sunday Times last year, showing that even if communities were offered £1 million, they would still be opposed to fracking near them.
Greenpeace UK chief scientist Dr Doug Parr said: "The Government has tried to sweeten the fracking pill with cash payments before, and it didn't work. People's concerns about climate change and their local environment cannot be silenced with a wad of cash.
“If Theresa May wants to show the UK is open for business, she should reverse the policies that have harmed our vibrant clean energy sector and back the technologies that can supply cheap, home-grown energy for decades to come."
It's not just fracking either - the Government is proposing to give payments to homeowners in countryside villages and towns to offset disruptive developments in their communities. It's hoped that the compensation could ease residents' frustration when they feel planning permission has been granted for a building project that they're against.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments section below.
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