Our District Councils handed £35,000 to spend over two years to prepare for a No Deal! The Government's generosity has no bounds as local councils, struggling to even run just the most basic services are handed derisory payments and told to prepare for the shambles that is the Tory Brexit.
The budget put forward by Mayor Dave Hodgson and his cabinet won unanimous approval at Bedford Borough Council's budget Full Council meeting this week, with every councillor from all parties and independents voting in favour.
Telford and Wrekin Liberal Democrats and Independent council colleague, Peter Scott (Newport North and West), are calling for all parties and both our local MPs to show unity in their condemnation of the recent Future Fit decision. This sees Telford lose it's A & E and the Women & Children's unit to Shrewsbury.
A proposal that would generate extra users of Essex libraries is being tabled on Tuesday. At the Essex County Council budget meeting, the Liberal Democrat Group will propose that the council recruit four new officers to promote reading and literature, particularly among young people.
Some sound obvious but, with the sheer number of cars that can easily be stolen, these tips could make all the difference when it comes to deterring thieves.
This afternoon, local MP Tim Farron was presented with a petition signed by over 200 Kendal Town supporters calling for the club to be saved.
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!”
