Morningside
April 2023 news from Councillor Neil Ross
Highlights include local road and pavement resurfacing proposals, the 101/2 bus and local Planning decisions.
20 Apr 2023
Wera Hobhouse MP urges government to incentivise solar power
29 Feb 2024
Surrey Police Crime Commissioner costs reach £3 million as officer numbers slashed
Surrey loses 39 community police officers since 2019 despite costs of Conservative Commissioner Surrey Commissioner pays three people to manage social media whilst crimes go unsolved Liberal Democrat Leader calls for Police and Crime Commissioners to be scrapped and the money put into front line policing An investigation by the Liberal Democrats has revealed the true costs of Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs).
20 Apr 2023
Local News
The Coronation in Watford
A range of Coronation activities are taking place in Watford - Find out more here.
20 Apr 2023
Bedford Liberal Democrats champion nature and biodiversity
Bedford Borough Liberal Democrats are looking to build on their fantastic record of protecting nature and enriching the local environment. They have championed biodiversity by establishing the hugely successful Bugs and Bees project, continuing the fantastic flower displays on The Embankment and protecting the many parks and green spaces across the Borough.
20 Apr 2023
Orcadian Column
Orcadian Column, 20 April 2023
Motor homes have not enjoyed this much notoriety since convoys of them rolled into rural Scotland after lockdown restrictions were first eased in the summer of 2020. These are strange times.
20 Apr 2023
Federal Party Press Releases
4.3 million anti-social behaviour reports go unattended by police in past five years
A staggering 4.3 million reports of anti-social behaviour have gone unattended by the police across the country since 2019, data uncovered by the Liberal Democrats has revealed.
20 Apr 2023
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!”
