Electoral reform debated in the House of Commons Earlier last month, the Liberal Democrat Constitutional Spokesperson, Wendy Chamberlain MP called an adjpurnement debate where she demolished the arguments for First Past the Post. This was the first time since 2016 that the need for equal votes was debated in the House of Commons, and it was long overdue.
Bedford Borough's largest housing association bpha has been challenged to 'aim higher' on improving the energy efficiency of its homes after its own figures showed that its main target for raising standards affects fewer than 2% of properties.
Lib Dems now hold the balance of decision-making in Spelthorne Lib Dem Group Leader Cllr Sandra Dunn considers what we have learned so far from this crisis
The Liberal Democrats are fighting plans to build hundreds of new homes in Hempsted. Developers have submitted a planning application for the construction of 245 properties at Hill Farm, off Hempsted Lane. The development falls within a cordon sanitaire - which prohibits housing near to the sewage works. It is also not part of the City Plan or Joint Core Strategy which lists sites for potential housing development over the next decade. Dozens of local residents have already submitted objections to the planning application and are being backed by the Liberal Democrats. Dr Rebecca Trimnell, from Hempsted and Westgate Liberal Democrats, has also submitted an objection to Gloucester City Council's planning department. "We will fight any attempt to build hundreds of new houses at Hill Farm," she said. "It is in the cordon sanitaire and the visual impact upon the village of Hempsted would forever be tarnished. "I am also personally concerned about the impact upon local wildlife, including possible badger setts, the
Back in 2015, I joined the Liberal Democrats at a time when they had been trounced in the general election and were choosing...
The Liberal Democrats have hailed as "historic" the Domestic Abuse Bill, which is due to be passed by the House of Commons today [Monday 6th July], while also securing cross-party support for amendments to protect migrant survivors of abuse.
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!”
