French energy giant EDF, which wants to build two new nuclear reactors at Hinkley Point, looks likely to pay Somerset councils a fee for their part in the planning process, saving taxpayers thousands of pounds.

The three Somerset councils, which will have to advise on the local impact if a planning application is put forward and deal with complex preparatory work before an application is made, are having to ask the company to pay because the Government is refusing to reimburse them for the extra expertise they will need.

The Government has advised councils to recover the costs through pre-proposal agreements with developers, measures which are already used in some other large and complex planning applications.

Somerset County Council, West Somerset District Council and Sedgemoor District Council have announced they have no option but to follow this route but say it will not affect the quality of their investigations or their final advice.

But Jim Duffy, co-ordinator for Stop Hinkley, which opposes all nuclear investment, said: "There is a clear conflict of interest in this deal with such a large, powerful developer.

"The councils should do all they can to keep clear ground between themselves and EDF.

"Currently the lines are very blurred.

"If the Tories get in then the councils would play a bigger part in a decision on Hinkley C and D but would find themselves compromised by having taken the cash."

The Government will consult on sites to be included in its national policy statement for nuclear energy this autumn and EDF is likely to consult on the details of its proposals at the same time.

The three Somerset councils will advise the Infrastructure Planning Commission, which will make the final decision on any planning application.

In joint statement the councils said: "The authorities have a duty to the community and environment to ensure that any proposals put forward are robustly examined and challenged, and that the communities affected are at the heart of any decision on the proposals.

"Since Hinkley C was nominated earlier this year, the three authorities consistently made a case to Government to ask for additional resources.

"They wanted to ensure that Somerset's council taxpayers are not burdened with dealing with the local consequences of a national project and there is effective scrutiny of the proposals at the Somerset level, should the proposals proceed."

Adrian Dyer, executive Director of West Somerset Council, said: "With no talk of nuclear power development on the agenda until recently, and the last local development completing nearly 40 years' ago, none of the councils have the expertise necessary to deal with large-scale complex major applications of this unique nature."