HMOs in Bedford and Kempston- What Do You Think?
Bedford Borough Council has commissioned experts to look at the impact of converting residential properties to shared houses, also known as 'Houses in Multiple Occupation' or 'HMOs'.
17 Jun 2019
Wera Hobhouse MP urges government to incentivise solar power
29 Feb 2024
Liberal Democrats raise rainbow flag over Guildford Borough Council Offices
Following the local elections which saw the Liberal Democrats take the leadership of Guildford Borough Council, they have made the decision to fly the rainbow flag over the council offices to coincide with Pride Month for the first time. Liberal Democrat Council Leader Caroline Reeves said, "I am delighted we are flying the rainbow flag for the remainder of June to coincide with Pride Month. This is the first time the rainbow flag has been flown above the council but it will certainly not be the last. We want to send a message to all of the LGBT+ community that they are valued and loved members of our Borough. We also want them to know that going forward the role they have played and continue to play in Guildford will be celebrated more." Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesperson Zöe Franklin commented on the news saying, "This is fantastic news. The Liberal Democrats are deeply committed to equality and LGBT+ rights at a national level and now my council colleagues are leading Guildford Borough Council I k
17 Jun 2019
Victoria Charleston selected to be Salisbury's next Lib Dem MP
Selections news from Salisbury: We've selected our next Parliamentary Candidate! We are delighted to share with you the news...
17 Jun 2019
The Clock is Ticking
Compulsive viewing! For the past 18 months Belgian filmmaker Alain de Halleux has been following Michel Barnier, EU chief negotiator, behind the scenes of events with a film tracing in real time the various stages of the discussions that led to the agreement, still awaiting ratification, on the withdrawal of the UK from the European Union.
17 Jun 2019
Leicester Liberal Democrats. Follow us on Twitter
The Leicester Liberal Democrats now have their own Twitter Account.
ND
16 Jun 2019
Lib Dems welcome £95 million Government investment in Woking
Liberal Democrats welcome Government investment in Woking Local Lib Dems have welcomed the Government's decision to spent £95 million on Woking's infrastructure. On Tuesday 11th June, the Government announced that £95 million from the Housing Infrastructure Fund would be invested in Woking to revamp Victoria Arch and the A320 highway network south of railway bridge. Liberal Democrat County Councillor for Woking South, Will Forster said: "Since being elected as County Councillor for Woking South in 2009, I have been pushing for better access to the town centre and railway station from the south side of Woking. Victoria Arch and the roads leading up to it are inadequate for motorists, dangerous for cyclists and unpleasant for pedestrians. That is why the Liberal Democrats and I fully welcome the decision to spend £95 million on Woking's transport system."
CAMB
16 Jun 2019
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!”
