Letters November 6: Fracking firms in driving seat, not democracy

North Yorkshire councillors and the public they represent in local government might be interested to discover 
that industry and not the electorate is the driving 
force where planning applications are being considered.

According to your recent report, when asked whether shale gas should be extracted in Ryedale, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change said: “That’s going to be up to Third Energy.

“It’s up to them to pursue the opportunities that they have there. It’s up to them and the councils. We’ve set out the parameters.”

Let us hope that the planning Committee feel able, after due consideration of the available evidence, to assert their prerogative against this scandalous attempt by central government to circumvent local democracy.

From: Mr FE Sharpe, Plymouth.

Readers, do not stand by and let the British steel industry be destroyed with imported steel first from China now from Sweden, while jobs here go.