GOVERNMENT ministers "couldn't care less" about local feeling on fracking and will impose controversial practice on communities, a York councillor has complained.

Elected members of the city council this week waved through a minerals and waste plan which will set out how York and North Yorkshire deal with a shale gas industry.

The plan - which is being drawn up between City of York Council, North Yorkshire County Council, and North York Moors National Park - sets out the future of mineral extraction including shale gas and building materials like sand and stone, as well as waste disposal.

On Monday night York councillors complained that when it comes to shale gas extraction, known as fracking, their hands were effectively tied by stringent Government policy.

Cllr David Levene - Labour's economic development and community engagement spokesman on the council - said: "The Government has made it clear they could not care less about what the local community wants in relation to fracking."

Council officials had warned members of the Local Plan Working Group they could not set a simple "no fracking" policy.

As oil and gas reserves are considered to be nationally important, Government policy makes it clear that development plans must have policies for shale gas extraction, and areas which try make a blanket ban risk losing costly legal appeals from gas companies.

Even though a majority of York councillors voted in October to oppose fracking in the city, the draft minerals plan includes policies on where and when fracking should be allowed.

Cllr Dafydd Williams backed up his Labour colleague saying even though he personally supports fracking, he resents Government interference in local planning matters.

However Liberal Democrat councillor Keith Orrell said governments had been imposing rules on local planning decisions for decades, and Conservative council leader Cllr Chris Steward said while fracking was being pursued in North Yorkshire it was highly unlikely to ever be possible within City of York's boundaries.

He added: "It is not likely to ever happen. When the council passes a motion about fracking we would be as well passing a motion against whaling in the River Ouse."

The plan was approved by the Local Plan Working Group on Monday with amendments about decommissioning of fracking sites and protection for some sites of scientific interest.

It will now be considered by City of York's executive committee before a public consultation planned for next month.