I f the neighbours are going six-bells at each other, you’ll notice. If they are living harmoniously you’ll be unlikely to hear a thing.

It’s the same in politics.

It’s rows which get publicity.

Cross-party agreement for the good of an area gets much less.

Take fracking — the process by which water and chemicals are pumped into shale rock at high pressure to extract shale gas.

Potentially, in the vast Bowland Shale under much of our county, there’s enough gas to bring great benefits to Lancashire and its people.

Local MPs and councillors have differing views about the desirability of fracking. Some have serious environmental concerns.

I take account of those concerns, but am enthusiastic about fracking’s benefits.

But blue, red, orange, or green — across the spectrum — we’re agreed that if fracking is going to come to Lancashire, then its people have to benefit.

We set that out in a joint letter to the Prime Minister earlier this week.

Mr Cameron’s response has been to pledge that local authorities will be able to keep 100 per cent of the business rates from shale gas sites, an increase from the usual 50 per cent. This comes after last summer’s commitment that local areas would receive £100,000 when a test well is fracked, and a further one per cent of revenues if shale gas was found.

Two cheers for the Prime Minister that he recognises, in principle, the crucial importance of tying the benefits from an expansion in shale gas firmly to local communities. But I’m afraid this latest pledge simply isn’t good enough.

Communities where fracking licences are granted will be subject to some disruption. Less, I think than the scaremongers suggest, but still significant in some cases. So it’s vital that communities get a fair share of the huge proceeds.

The all-party Local Government Association (LGA) called last autumn for 10 per cent of the revenues from shale gas to be retained by local communities.

This, our joint letter makes clear, is a fairer starting point for discussions. Not the frankly derisory offers made by the government to date.