Parish and town councils should receive at least £20,000 from fracking companies, according to the National Association of Local Councils (NALC).

NALC has called for the payment to be made as part of the government’s proposals for underground drilling for shale gas, saying local councils should also be consulted when applications are submitted in their area.

Cllr Ken Browse, chairman of NALC said: ‘Local councils should be more in the driving seat of deciding and influencing what happens in their area as they are democratically accountable, independent and close to the community.

‘As the voice of the community, parishes must have a say over planning applications in their area and must be the vehicle for any community payments from underground drilling companies.’

NALC was responding to a government consultation on Underground Drilling Access.