Reading "The Retreat of Western Liberalism" by Edward Luce
It's nearly time for the third get-together of Suffolk Coastal Liberal Democrats' new Book Group. We'll be meeting on Saturday...
25 Nov 2017
Wera Hobhouse MP urges government to incentivise solar power
29 Feb 2024
No public consultation, insufficient powers - first reaction to devolution deal from Liberal Democrats
The Government has announced a North of Tyne Authority will be set up (as long as Labour councils south of Tyne agee) with £30 million a year funding and the aim of increasing productivity and jobs. On an interim basis it is likely to be based in Newcastle Liberal Democrats in Newcastle say that there are some steps forward here which we can welcome, such as funding for brownfield housing developments, schools improvement challenge, and greater control of skills and training budgets. However, we have some concern at the prospect of a mayoral authority which will divide Newcastle and Gateshead and is significantly underpowered compared to competitor city-regions. We regret that it is being imposed on the electorate without a mandate and without public consultation. The region's political establishment has failed to make a notable success of the North East Combined Authority. We are sceptical that this new structure will enable Newcastle, North Tyneside, and Northumberland to keep pace with the likes of Manch
24 Nov 2017
"Mind the Gap": Newcastle Liberal Democrats reaction to Metro Budget shortfall
The Liberal Democrats are awarning that the £337 million grant funding for Metro upgrades is likely to only cover the existing network, rather than any future extensions, and thst it raises further challenges given that transport is unlikely to be included in the North of Tyne devolution deal. Although the Government announcement is good news, there is still a long way to go to meet Tyneside's transport needs. NECA and Nexus will clearly need to "mind the gap". Reacting to the Chancellor's Budget for the Tyne and Wear Metro, Newcastle's Opposition transport spokesman Cllr Greg Stone said: "There has been cross-party work in Parliament in support of the campaign for the Metro upgrade and clearly it is very welcome that the Chancellor has agreed to provide a significant amount of investment towards the replacement of the ageing Metro cars. This was absolutely vital in order to avoid a scenario where services would have to be withdrawn as rolling stock becomes unserviceable. "However, we hope it is not churlis
24 Nov 2017
Spring Conference at Southport
Registration is now open for our Spring Conference in Southport!
24 Nov 2017
We have a Winner
Designed by Dave, this t-shirt represents the hopes and dreams of the tens of thousands of members who've joined our party since...
24 Nov 2017
Tory Liam Fox accuses British firms of making his job harder by not wanting to trade internationally
Number 10 issued a mild slapdown after the latest in a string of extraordinary attacks from the International Trade Secretary previously said Britain has become "too lazy and fat" and that bosses prefer playing golf to working.
MSPNBPC
24 Nov 2017
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!”
