University Metro station subway due to re-open after 6 month closure
A key access route to University Metro station from Thornhill and Ashbrooke is due to re-open after a 6 month closure.
NH
23 Jun 2020
Wera Hobhouse MP urges government to incentivise solar power
29 Feb 2024
Folkestone and Hythe: Company Declaration of State Aid Form
All businesses that have had grant aid support via Folkestone and Hythe District Council in the form of the Small Business Grant (£10,000) or Retail, Leisure and Hospitality Grant (£10,000 - £25,000) have now received a form to complete to confirm they were eligible for the grant and that they can keepi it.
23 Jun 2020
New mayor welcomes ‘big step back to normality’
As shops deemed 'non-essential' start to open for the first time since the lockdown, the new Mayor of Northam, David Chalmers, visited local businesses which have opened their doors again after twelve weeks of lockdown. He reported that about half the shops in Appledore, and a slightly greater proportion in Westward Ho!, were open and ready for business, selling a wide range of daily goods.
23 Jun 2020
Rugby Town Centre - bus changes
Following the easing of the lockdown by the UK government, more shops and businesses have re-opened. To help people maintain social distancing there will be several changes implemented in Rugby Town Centre from Monday 22 June 2020. These changes will mean that you may have to catch your bus from a different place to normal.
RLD
23 Jun 2020
Councillors to praise the community
Councillors are to acknowledge the contribution of the city in helping the most vulnerable in Gloucester during the coronavirus pandemic. A cross-party motion by the Liberal Democrats and Labour Party will be debated by councillors at a meeting of the city council on July 9. The motion praises everyone in the community, as well as council staff, care sector workers and volunteers who helped those in need in Gloucester over the last three months. Council staff have continued to provide critical services, including redeploying staff to ensure vital services were not affected by staff shortages or increased demand due to Covid-19, while others have had to adjust working from home and the challenges that brings. Liberal Democrat group leader Cllr. Jeremy Hilton, who will propose the motion, said: "As councillors we wish to recognise all of Gloucester's all unsung local heroes who have gone above and beyond and done extraordinary things in recent months. "We want to pay tribute to all of the council's staff who ha
23 Jun 2020
Coronavirus help and advice
You can find all the most up to date, offical Government and NHS advice at www.gov.ukl/coronavirus
22 Jun 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!”
