Fears over future for Erasmus international student exchange scheme after Brexit
Commons bid to force ministers to negotiate continued access for UK students is defeated by Tories
AWPE
10 Jan 2020
Wera Hobhouse MP urges government to incentivise solar power
29 Feb 2024
Today's story - Think of Environment when choosing school
As the deadline for primary school applications looms, Wiltshire Lib Dems are urging parents to take the effects of the school run into consideration. The advantage of choosing a nearby school is that parents and children can walk to it, so both are healthier. The congestion and poisonous pollution caused outside primary schools by drivers also gets reduced. All primary schools in the county have a problem with that. Of course there are many other factors for parents to consider, and these are mentioned in the official press release. Environmental considerations would of course never cross the mind of Wiltshire Council itself - see below.
10 Jan 2020
Tories failing children's mental health - urgent action needed on staff shortages and funding
"The state of children's mental health services in England is deeply worrying. It is unacceptable that children who have experienced abuse or have diagnosable mental health conditions are being turned away from treatment," said Dr Nick Cott, a Liberal Democrats Newcastle City Councillor who leads on the issue for the Local Government Association.
10 Jan 2020
Redditch Liberal Democrats call on the Conservative run Council to abandon plans to cut grants to Voluntary and Community Sector organisations in the Borough.
Speaking at the Overview and Scrutiny meeting at the Council House last night, spokesperson Andy Thompson, who has over a...
RLD
10 Jan 2020
BROOK AT BROCKTON
Shropshire Councillor, Heather Kidd arranged and site visit with Land Drainage officers, Bridges and the Parish Council on 10th January. Officers will now be doing work to find whose responsibility the brook is as it is unregistered at the land Registry. They will be keen to work with the Parish Council and local residents to make sure that the brook remains clear and reduces the chances of flooding properties in the future.
10 Jan 2020
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!”
