After years of campaigning from the Liberal Democrats and residents, Putnoe Walk-In Centre will remain open as the contract has been extended to 31st March 2024. This is fantastic news for residents who depend on the medical centre.
Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats Daisy Cooper has written the Simon Case, calling on the Cabinet Office to publish a list of Ministers who have credible allegations of bullying made against them.
Details of the Tory government's voter ID scheme has been released and voters will have to show ID at a polling station starting with the local elections in 2023. There's a list of acceptable forms of ID but not every voter will have one. Members of the House of Lords passed an amendment which would have allowed a greater number of IDs to be used - but it was overturned by the Conservatives in the Commons. Student ID cards or Railcards have been deemed not acceptable whereas pensioner bus passes are.
From Council Tax To Council Stash Liberal Democrat opposition "astonished" at council underspend.
After years of campaigning from the Liberal Democrats and residents, Putnoe Walk-In Centre will remain open as the contract has been extended to 31st March 2024. This is fantastic news for residents who depend on the medical centre.
Orkney's MSP, Liam McArthur, has highlighted the need for safer driving as Road Safety Week 2022 begins. Organised by the charity Brake, Road Safety Week involves thousands of schools, organisations and communities in raising awareness of how to make our roads safer.
Wera Hobhouse, Liberal Democrat MP for Bath and spokesperson for Energy Security and Net Zero, called on the government to provide incentives for energy providers to develop solar power in the UK.
Mrs Hobhouse slammed the government for falling behind on meeting the UK’s renewable targets for solar energy capacity. The government plans to deploy 70 GW of solar power across the country by 2035. However, as of 2022, the UK had only installed 14.3 GW of solar pv.
Following a visit to a rooftop solar system installed by Bath & West Community Energy (BWCE) at Beechen Cliff School last year, Wera Hobhouse is keen to encourage the development of similar solar projects across Bath. The solar system is predicted to significantly cut the school’s fuel costs and reduce their carbon emissions by 52 tonnes a year.
In the House of Commons on the 27th February, the Bath MP noted that the UK is lagging behind the rest of the world in renewable energy investment, she urged the government to offer incentives to energy providers to improve solar capacity.
However, Andrew Bowie, Parliamentary Under Secretary for Energy Security and Net Zero, ignored Hobhouse’s proposals, failing to describe the ways in which the government could incentivise solar energy. Instead, Bowie said that the government’s Solar Taskforce would publish recommendations for solar power and reiterated the government’s target to deploy 70 GW by 2035.
Wera Hobhouse, Liberal Democrat MP for Bath and spokesperson for Energy Security and Net Zero, commented:
“The Conservatives are falling dangerously behind on meeting our targets for renewable energy production. It is no good the government setting an ambitious 70 GW solar target if they are nowhere near reaching it.
“It is clear that they have no plan to get us back on track to reach Net Zero. Evidently, they are more than happy to dismiss perfectly good proposals like incentivising solar power. That is why I am so proud that Bath is home to many community energy projects like the solar system at Beechen Cliff School, so that we can lead the way in renewables.”
“It is not just our climate targets harmed by the Conservatives’ delay. Families in Bath and across the country are struggling to pay soaring energy bills which investment in renewables could curb. That is why we Liberal Democrats would build significantly more renewable energy, aiming to generate 80% of our electricity from renewables by 2030.”
Peter Capener, Managing Director of Bath & West Community Energy said:
“Our work with schools is really demonstrating the value of community energy in both addressing the climate crisis and reducing fuel bills. Rooftop solar installed last year has already saved local schools a combined total of £134,209 and has reduced carbon emissions by 224.3 tonnes, which is equivalent to 12,173 journeys from Bath to Edinburgh by train!”
