David Foulstone, Green Party candidate for the up coming by election in Dinnington, invited Natalie Bennett, former leader of the Green Party, to meet with members of Letwell anti fracking group.
Natalie and David were able to hear about the concerns of residents in this beautiful, conservation village where landowners have been approached by agents working for INEOS company, seeking permission to put seismic testing equipment on private land, a precursor to fracking. At this stage, Letwell Parish Council were unaware that these approaches were being made. Some landowners felt threatened and intimidated by these visits, while one resident described their experience as ‘bullying’.
A concerned resident spoke passionately saying. “The message we want to get across to the Government is that ordinary people are being threatened in their own homes for access to their land and having pressure put on them. And it feels like to us, the government is giving permission to these companies to treat people in this way.”
David Foulstone responded “You are talking about a government who in twelve months made 5 specific laws in support of fracking… …it’s nothing to do with the gas its all about money.”
Letwell Village has hosted a series of meetings in response to the threat of fracking-two with INEOS present. As one resident stated “If fracking is an industry that’s so clean, safe and risk free as it tells us it is, and the government tells us it is, why is everything happening by stealth?” Another resident felt “he (Gary Haywood CEO of INEOS) more or less ignored all the academic research.” There are an increasing number of peer reports highlighting the possible risks of fracking.
David and Natalie both emphatically stated that the Green Party are the only parliamentary party who oppose fracking. They are concerned about the impact on climate change by the further removal of fossil fuels from the ground . They advocate investment in the use of alternative renewable energies such as off shore wind farms, tidal power, solar panels and renewable gas. Natalie Bennett reiterated “As the Green Party nationally and locally we are doing everything we can, something we’ve been doing for a long while, and its just such a no brainer.”
You can contact joint coordinators Paul or Bex for more comment via greenpartyrotherham@gmail.com
Rotherham Greens are already on Social Media
https://twitter.com/rotherhamgreens
https://www.facebook.com/RotherhamGreenParty
Natalie Bennett on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/GreenNatalieBennett/posts/1081298998666393.
Rotherham Politics 
“campaigning in Dinnington”. Letwell is not in Dinnington, no wonder she had to stand down as leader. As for Fracking, all that is happening at present is that INEOS are asking local landowners if they can enter their land to drill test holes, for seismic tests. All the “threatened” landowners have to do is say NO, simple.
Green meanies over egging the issue again.
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Stuart, The headline was down to me, not the greens. I accept your criticism of my headline and my apologies are due for that, sorry.
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Letwell is in the centre of Dinnington ward – see attached map of ward from RMBC website: http://www.rotherham.gov.uk/directory_record/475/dinnington_ward
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It is strange that this guy suddenly appears, as if by magic, against fracking etc, we have never seen him before. When has he brought his anti fracking campaign to the Town Council, why haven’t we who have been fighting to defend our green belt never heard of him. The Green Party is a joke, foulstone has not been involved in anything in our area, it says it all when he is campaigning in the smallest village in the ward. By the way it is something of an exaggeration to say it is in the centre, nevertheless it is an important part.
Dave Smith
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Would Green party candidates stand for election in Dinnington if the coal mine was still open?
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