Ben Wallace

Ben Wallace has been the Conservative MP for Wyre and Preston North since 2010. From 2005 to 2010, he was MP for Lancaster and Wyre.

He is an aide to Ken Clarke, the Minister Without Portfolio.

Views on fracking

In an interview with The Telegraph newspaper in August 2013, Wallace 'hit out at the “risible” deals being offered to counties that allow fracking', the controversial method of gas extraction.

Mr Wallace suggested that opposition to fracking will grow and could “delay” shale gas exploitation unless councils are given a far greater proportion of revenue by drilling companies. Currently the Government has an agreement with industry that 1 per cent of any revenue generated will go to the local community where drilling took place. Of that one per cent, just one-third will go to county council coffers.

Although Mr Wallace supports the principle of fracking, he has written to the Prime Minister warning that the Government risks losing support for the process unless it “incentivises” local communities. “I was pleased… when the Government accepted the principle that localities affected would benefit and a percentage of revenue would go to counties,” Mr Wallace said in his letter.

He added: “The industry agreed figure of 1/3 of 1 per cent of revenue to counties is risible and risks delaying shale gas exploitation. It is also tiny compared to what the industry has to pay in the US and elsewhere.”

Resources

• Peter Dominiczak and Lucy Fenn, Senior ministerial aide hits out at consequences of fracking, The Telegraph, 26 Aug 2013, 10:00PM BST