Schools energy bills help blocked
For the third time this year, Labour Council bosses have rejected taking action to help local schools with energy bills.
24 Sep 2022
Wera Hobhouse MP urges government to incentivise solar power
29 Feb 2024
Barriers raised caring responsibilities
Merton Council bosses have made it more difficult for councillors with caring responsibilities to fully represent residents.
24 Sep 2022
Key workers are losers in budget for the rich
"It is staggeringly unfair that this Conservative government is hiking taxes on our nurses and teachers, while giving big businesses and banks a massive tax giveaway," said Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader.
BL
24 Sep 2022
Dental crisis: 'Number of people seen by an NHS dentist in Medway has plummeted in the past two years' - say local Lib Dems
The number of people who've seen an NHS dentist in Medway has plummeted in recent years, shocking new figures uncovered by the Liberal Democrats have revealed. Only 37.2%, adults in Medway, were able to secure an appointment with an NHS dentist in the past two years. This is down from 55.6% adults who saw an NHS dentist in the two years up to 2018.
AWSBMLD
24 Sep 2022
'New data reveals 83% of dental practices in Medway are taking on no new NHS patients' - say the Lib Dems
In a shocking investigation of dentistry services across the UK, new analysis by the BBC has found that 83% of dentistry practices in Medway are not accepting any new NHS patients.
AWSBMLD
24 Sep 2022
Bobby Dean
Bobby Blasts Banker’s Budget
The Conservative Government’s budget delivered massive tax breaks for the country’s richest people - while hard-working local families have been left to struggle.
24 Sep 2022
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!”
