ESTHER McVey is right that politicians should disregard party allegiances to work together to protect our local area from "Unconventional Gas Extraction", i.e. fracking for shale gas, coal bed methane and underground coal gasification.

However, she is wrong to assert that it will not happen unless Wirral Council grants permission.

As seen so often, local council resistance can be overruled by central government and, given political enthusiasm for these dangerous technologies, this does seem quite likely.

Furthermore, if an application is made to drill at the old Point of Ayr coal mine, permission could be granted by Flintshire or the Welsh Assembly.

Wirral Council would then be powerless to intervene, leaving the Wirral seriously at risk from coal combustion under the Dee Estuary.

Much has been made of the environmental protections in place for the Dee, but these could all fail if – as seems to be happening – health or environmental risk evidence can simply be redacted by government.

Wirral Against Fracking.