The natural gas is embedded in a layer of shale deep underground,
requiring intense water-pressure to cause fissures in the rock so that
it can be extracted.
Hydraulic fracturing or “fracking”
involves drilling deep down into the rock
layers beneath the earth, and blasting a
high-pressure water mixture at the rock
strata to release the gas trapped inside, and
siphoning it off at the well-head.
Local people fear their normal lives
will be turned into chaos by “fracking”
with hundreds of well-pads dotting the
area as well as compressor stations and
pipelines criss-crossing the land.
There are also concerns about reports
from America of apocalyptic sideeffects from industrial-scale fracking.
Documented cases have included
pollution of groundwater, earthquakes and
even contamination of the domestic water
supply. One report spoke of extracted
shale gas emitting from a household tap.
Buckinghamshire County Council’s
Environment Transport and Localities
Select Committee have been told no
commercially viable quantities of gas have
been confirmed in western and southern
areas of the county.
Cabinet member for Planning and
the Environment Lesley Clarke told the
committee they planned to review policy
covering onshore oil and gas extraction.
She said: “It’s likely to be costly
for companies to prospect here in
Buckinghamshire and they’ll probably
want to go for low-hanging fruit first.”
Lester Hannington, lead officer for
minerals and waste planning policy, told
the committee that over the past 50 years,
limited drilling in Buckinghamshire had
shown no commercially viable quantities
of gas, and more recently there had been
no more interest in prospecting.
Prospectors would need planning permission as well as a permit from the Environment Agency, and well safety consent from
the Health and Safety Executive.
Depending upon the location, they
may also need to consult Natural England,
the Hazardous Substances Authorities, and
the British Geological Survey.
the CPS which decides whether to call in a
police investigation. And they can apply to
the courts for extension, to allow further
time for police to complete their inquiries.
Which is what has happened in the
current situation. Most applications were
unchallenged, but in Thanet where UKIP
leader Nigel Farage failed to beat the Tory
candidate, Conservative Central Office
briefed a high-powered QC to block
an extension application by the Crown
Prosecution Service.
The attempt to block more police time
in Thanet failed, and the CPS-triggered
investigations are currently ongoing across
the country.
Among top Tories named kept in
C4’s investigation were Lord Feldman,
Chairman of the Conservative party,
and strategist Lynton Crosby who was
knighted for “political service”.
Channel 4 political correspondent
Crick believes the scale of the alleged
electoral overspend and the number of a
high-profile individual involved
in police investigations could
prove a toxic time bomb for the
Conservative Party.
No case in UK history has recorded
electoral fraud allegations of this
magnitude, says Professor Watt. “Certainly
not since Britain became a parliamentary
democracy.”
At least 26 sitting MPs, all
Conservatives are under investigation.
And if found guilty, they face being
unseated, banned or even jailed. The
constitutional implications of such an
eventuality are truly momentous. With
majority of only 17, the Government
could fall if only a third of their MPs
under investigation are found guilty.
The Representation of the People Act
1983 states that an MP elected to the
House of Commons or holding any such
office, if convicted,
“shall vacate the seat
or office subject to
and in accordance
with the law. It would bring down the
government,” said Professor Watt. But,
he emphasises, it is always a
political question. “Law
meets politics in this area.”
The Torries have accused
the Electoral Commission
of scapegoating them, and
claim that other political
parties have “interpreted
election laws” in a similar
fashion.
And indeed, other
investigations into the Labour
party are underway. For
Westminster party
politics, it appears,
truly momentous
times seem be a’
changing.
on Tory election spending
5