The Chelmsford City Photo Competition, co-ordinated by Chelmsford City Events, kept aspiring photographers occupied throughout summer 2020, and the winners have now been chosen. A video sharing a behind-the-scenes look at the competition can be watched at https://youtu.be/wTNzMKvwEJ8.
Commenting on the news that the Government are set to strengthen the Trade and Agriculture Commission to scrutinise future trade deals, South Lakes MP Tim Farron said: "This is welcome news and I want to pay tribute to the tireless campaigning of the NFU in forcing the Government's hand on this.
When the Liberal Democrats took over the leadership of the Council in 2006, the domestic recycling rate was 14%. When we left control in 2011 it had increased to 43% and we had climbed nearly 200 places in the local authority league table. Much of this was due to the blue bins we are proud to have introduced. At the last Council meeting I asked why the rate had only increased to 44% in 2018/19.
Council-run tennis courts in Haringey do not currently have charges for access, making the courts truly free and accessible for...
South Lakes MP Tim Farron is calling on the Government to give self-employed people the same 80% wage support as given to those on the furlough scheme to help them cope during a second national lockdown.
Local MP Tim Farron has written to the Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick, urging him to immediately reconsider plans to give South Lakeland and Eden £400,000 less in COVID-19 support than the other four local authority areas in Cumbria.
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!”
