SIGN OUR PETITION - AND SAY NO TO FRACKING AND DRILLING IN THE WEALD BASIN

Reform’s Cabinet Lead for the Environment at East Sussex County Council has spoken positively about the idea of fracking in East Sussex.

Reform’s Steve Chapman, Cabinet Lead for the Environment, suggested fracking “beneath our very feet” should be considered as an alternative to net zero during a recent cabinet meeting. Speaking in Parliament earlier in September, Reform MP Richard Tice explicitly advocated for testing different techniques for extracting shale gas, arguing that Britain has substantial onshore reserves. He suggested devolving decisions on granting permission for exploration and oil wells to local authorities such as county councils. Richard Tice also called for an end to the moratorium on fracking. 

A 2022 report to East Sussex County Council stated that East Sussex contains potential shale-oil/gas resources. The risk of future fossil fuel extraction is increased by the fact that the Reform-led County Council is the Mineral Planning Authority outside of the South Downs National Park. 

Liberal Democrats are firmly opposed to fracking or drilling for oil in the Weald Basin, an area which covers large parts of East and West Sussex, including towns such as Crowborough, Heathfield, Uckfield and East Grinstead. Our precious environment is already under significant pressure from unsustainable overdevelopment, and adding in oil exploration would devalue our countryside even further.