This year there should be jubilant celebrations of the Windrush 75th Anniversary. But instead we hear reports regarding Conservative plans to go back on Wendy Williams' recommendations.
Newly audited accounts for a Woking Council-owned company, on which Conservative councillors sat as Directors, unveil shocking losses and overstatement of the financial position.
There was broad agreement by the planning committee that regeneration of this derelict site was welcome and that the proposal included a number of good quality and highly welcome aspects, such as being highly sustainable and providing a new medical centre and well-designed public spaces. However, it was also clear that the committee members had strong reservations around the lack of affordable housing, the reduced size of the bus station, and the impact the height of the scheme would have on the character of the town.
Ambulance delays for life-threatening calls reached a new record high in December, shocking new NHS figures have revealed.
In response to the Government publishing a statement on the Golden Visa review rather than the review itself, Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs Spokesperson, Layla Moran MP said:
It is in the interest of everyone in the region that the North East secures funding to allow it to build the prosperity, the skills, the infrastructure and the resilience of the region. We may still want to ask for more funding, but this represents an opportunity for incremental future Deals to accelerate that process and add more responsibilities, powers, and resources, said Cllr Greg Stone, who proposed an emergency motion at Newcastle City Council on behalf of the Liberal Democrats Opposition as part of the regional approval process.
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!”
