Road Closure: Top of Priest Weston Bank Powys County Boundary to Rorrington Junction Upper Farm
Road Closure:
2 Feb 2019
Wera Hobhouse MP urges government to incentivise solar power
29 Feb 2024
Labour's Leicester City Mayor should apologise for failed grant distribution says Cllr Nigel Porter.
As the row continues over support of a grant of £200,000 in a building in the City Centre then occupied by a business which failed in the location, Liberal Democrat Cllr Nigel Porter (Aylestone Ward has said the Labour City Mayor should apologise to the taxpayer.
CNPAW
2 Feb 2019
Lib Dems call for Surrey County Council to protect Europeans from Brexit
Lib Dems call for Surrey County Council to protect Europeans from Brexit Lib Dem County Councillor Will Forster has today called on Surrey County Council to support European Union (EU) nationals living locally from the damaging effects of Brexit. Before Christmas, the Government announced that EU citizens would have to apply and pay for 'settled status' post-Brexit, causing fears that some European workers will leave the UK post Brexit. Surrey County Council, like other local authorities, relies on EU nationals to fill key jobs especially in the social care sector. Therefore, Will Forster and the Lib Dems have called on the County Council to protect EU nationals by paying the settled status fees of all of its EU staff. Lib Dem County Councillor for Woking South, Will Forster, said: "Although Theresa May's Brexit deal was recently rejected in Parliament by a record 230 votes, Brexit is still a huge threat, especially to Surrey County Council's social care system which relies on staff from Europe. Bre
WFRH
2 Feb 2019
Annual Count Shows Fewer People Sleeping Rough in Bedford Borough
Latest figures have shown that there are a third fewer people sleeping rough in Bedford Borough than there were one year ago, with work continuing to support rough sleepers and reduce the figure further.
1 Feb 2019
We all need to help improve children's mental health
It is Children's Mental Health week next week, says Cllr Dr Wendy Taylor, who speaks for Newcastle Liberal Democrats on health issues. So it is timely that a recent report from a committee of MPs has found that only a third of children and young people with mental health conditions receive the treatment they need from the NHS. The report stated that many are turned away because they are not ill enough. Others face long waits - and it could be years before that changes. Prime Minster Theresa May and NHS England bosses have set out a vision for the health service that focuses on preventing ill health, which is welcome, but it's sadly lacking in detail about funding. With one in eight five to 19 year olds said to have a mental disorder and an increasing number of 5 to 15 year olds suffering from an emotional disorder - currently 5.8 per cent - mental health issues are affecting the life chances of young people. If not tackled, this will become a massive legacy which will bite us in the rear big time. In addition
1 Feb 2019
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!”
