Cllr Mark Cooper - Hampshire roads in a disgraceful state
Many roads in Romsey, and the rest of Hampshire for that matter, are in a disgraceful state. From my email traffic I know this is an issue which really upsets local residents.
11 Feb 2020
Wera Hobhouse MP urges government to incentivise solar power
29 Feb 2024
Suffolk County Council Elections 2021 - Could you be a candidate?
WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY? WANT TO IMPROVE OUR SOCIAL SERVICES, EDUCATION AND PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES? FED UP WITH THE STATE OF OUR ROADS AND HIGHWAYS IN SUFFOLK? FEEL THAT THE RULING PARTY'S PRIORITIES ARE WRONG? Suffolk Liberal Democrats are now looking ahead to next year's county council elections and are keen to get candidates in place so we can start to campaign. Suffolk County Council are responsible for delivering a large range of vital local services, such as roads and transport, education and social services, making being a county councillor a really important role; making a real difference to the local and wider community. The Liberal Democrats have a strong and proud tradition in local government.
11 Feb 2020
Immigration restrictions will be a hammer blow to building affordable homes – MP tells Chancellor
On the floor of the House of Commons this morning, local MP Tim Farron warned the Government that their new immigration proposals would leave a gaping hole in the construction workforce needed to build affordable homes in the South Lakes.
11 Feb 2020
South Lakes MP accuses Government of twiddling their thumbs while excessive second home ownership turns local communities into ghost towns
Local MP Tim Farron says the Government have abandoned communities in the South Lakes after they failed to act on a tax loophole which sees some second homeowners get away with paying no council tax whatsoever by pretending to be a small business.
11 Feb 2020
MP tables Parliamentary motion calling for HS2 to stop in Cumbria after Government gives high-speed trains the green light
Following today's announcement that the Government have given the go-ahead for HS2, local MP Tim Farron will table an Early Day Motion in Parliament this week calling for the high-speed trains to stop in Cumbria.
11 Feb 2020
Tory attacks are designed to allow govt to act with impunity
Responding to reports that Dominic Cummings has attacked judicial review as a "farce", Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said:
11 Feb 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!”
