Speaking on Holocaust Memorial Day, Scottish Liberal Democrat Beatrice Wishart MSP said: “This year’s theme for Holocaust Memorial Day is ‘ordinary people,’ recognising how ordinary people were involved in all elements of the Holocaust. We should look back, remember, learn and change.
Scottish Liberal Democrat economy spokesperson Willie Rennie has today used a speech to the Scottish Council for Development and Industry to set out his vision for the Scottish economy.
The collapse of attempts to build on the old golf course is a big win for local residents and Bramcote Liberal Democrats
This week, 292 Conservative MPs voted to allow sewage dumping by water companies in our coasts and rivers for at least 15 more years. In the last two years alone, water companies in England dumped raw sewage 775,568 times over 5,768,679 hours. The new regulations would permit dumping to continue for 15 more years.
Yesterday afternoon, Conservative MPs including the MP for Woking voted through a new target which allows water companies to dump harmful substances in rivers until 2038.
Woking Borough Council is expected to set a working budget for the coming financial year, starting in April 2023. However, the former Conservative administration's failure to properly budget for cash to cover losses in Council companies means it will be hugely challenging to set a budget for future years.
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!”
