Thames Water’s apology is far too late after years of sewage scandal
Guildford Liberal Democrats have called for Thames Water to be overhauled following a long overdue apology for sewage dumping.
22 May 2023
Wera Hobhouse MP urges government to incentivise solar power
29 Feb 2024
Ward: Podsmead
City councillor calls for more speed limiting signage in Podsmead street used as ‘rat run’
Councillor Sebastian Field says residents of Tuffley Crescent have contacted him over their concerns about speeding along the road, between Tuffley Avenue and Podsmead Road.
22 May 2023
No police mobile CCTV resource left in Dundee – Liberal Democrats demand action
The Dundee Liberal Democrat council group has expressed grave concern at confirmation by Police Scotland that it appears there is no longer a mobile CCTV resource for crime prevention and detection in the Dundee city.
22 May 2023
Shetland
HPMAs, buses, carbon emmissions
This week, in a debate on Sustainable Food Supply, my amendment highlighting the importance of fishing and aquaculture in the food supply chain, received support from opposition parties but not the SNP/Green Scottish Government.
21 May 2023
Rennie: Communities rundown under SNP rule
Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP Willie Rennie has today accused the Scottish Government of allowing communities to be rundown as he revealed that 53% of Scots reported issues such as drug misuse, vandalism and litter were common in their neighbourhood.
21 May 2023
Car Thefts.
One of the issues that frequently came up on the doorstep and in surveys during the recent local elections was policing and anti-social behaviour. Whilst local authorities have a role to play in anti-social behaviour, most residents were disappointed in the response from the police. I have seen at first hand the systematic reluctance to investigate crime. This is not good news as the biggest deterrent to criminals is the chance of conviction rather than long sentences. At a meeting in 2021, many local councillors accepted the need to raise the tax for policing on the basis of all the additional officers and investigations that could be carried out. These pledges by the now departed Hampshire Chief Constable do not appear to have been met.
LGLDPSNWH
21 May 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!”
