The Liberal Democrats have called on the government to publish the legal advice reportedly ignored by Suella Braverman that the government has been illegally detaining thousands of asylum seekers in appalling conditions.
The Liberal Democrats have called for an urgent investigation, following a report that Liz Truss's phone was hacked by Russian agents during the summer's Conservative leadership campaign but that the details were suppressed by then Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bedford Borough residents who held a statutory English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) pass were able to travel on bus journeys outside the hours of operation of the scheme for a discounted fare of £1.
Further work is well underway as part of Bedford Borough's High Street Heritage Action Zone (HSHAZ) building works.
Hertsmere council have issued a new appeal for sites for future development. Residents will rightly want to know what this signifies. Looking at the detail, we see some positives, some negatives, but most importantly, no change on the crucial issues.
Earlier this year Liberal Democrats and others called for windfall taxes on the major oils and gas companies who were making astonishing profits as a result, not of any efforts on their part, but because of the rise in wholesale prices. After initially rejecting the idea, Mr Sunak imposed his version of the tax. Look what a success it has been! Shell admitted this week it had paid no windfall tax despite having made a record $30bn in profits for the year so far.
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!”
