Good news for the North There are few better examples of how to discuss an important subject in the wrong way than Lord Howell's intervention over fracking. Yesterday, the Conservative peer - an adviser to the Government on energy and father-in-law to George Osborne - said that fracking should be concentrated in the North East because it contains "large, desolate and uninhabited areas." The remark smacks of Nimbyism, as if the Home Counties are simply too lovely to be despoiled by hydraulic fracturing, while the North East is fair game. Never mind that this region is home to two World Heritage Sites and many other areas of surpassing beauty. Yet for all the awkwardness of Lord Howell's phrasing, fracking can indeed help those parts of Britain that have been hit hardest by the downturn, and by the death of old industries. In any discussion about exploiting a new resource, communities are understandably keen to conserve their environment - but the economic case for fracking is compelling. It has the potential both to keep a lid on our energy bills and to generate significant jobs and wealth. The UK Onshore Operators Group has said that communities will be given a one-off payment of £100,000 whenever an exploratory well is drilled. If the drill is successful, then the locals will get around 1 per cent of the resulting revenue - worth up to £10 million over 10 to 25 years. That is a good start, but the Government and the industry also have to demonstrate that those living on top of mineral deposits will get a generous cut of the proceeds. If the appropriate incentives can be devised, it could mean a bonanza for the North of England, which has an estimated 1,300 trillion cubic feet of shale gas waiting to be tapped. After all, the best answer to regional snobbery is the prosperity that fracking can bring.