Leader's Column in Southwark News - May 2021
The positive sounds of mid-spring and of course the joys of lockdown-release are upon us, writes Cllr Hamish McCallum, leader of Southwark Liberal Democrats in this weeks Southwark News …
20 May 2021
Wera Hobhouse MP urges government to incentivise solar power
29 Feb 2024
Mayor Dave Hodgson visit Carers in Bedfordshire
Last week Mayor Dave Hodgson met with Chris Stelling, the CEO of Carers in Bedfordshire, in a socially distanced way, to discuss the important role carers play in Bedford Borough Mayor Dave Hodgson said "It was good to be able to meet Carers in Bedfordshire, in a socially distanced way. I thanked them for all they have done to support Carers throughout the pandemic and before." You can find out about the support Carers in Bedforshire offer carers who care for a family member friend who couldn't cope without them at www.carersinbeds.org.uk
20 May 2021
Trowbridge funding confirmed
Trowbridge and Salisbury can look forward to £25 million of investment following successful bids through the government's Future High Streets Fund.
19 May 2021
Surge testing deployed to control spread of Coronavirus variant in Bedford Borough
With Government figures showing that Bedford Borough has the third highest Coronavirus rate in the country, with 128 cases per 100,000 people in the population, surge testing is being rolled out to selected areas of Bedford Borough.
19 May 2021
Spelthorne Liberal Democrats welcome Staines Waterfront Consultation
This is a result of our motion in council Commencing on 18 May and running through until 29 June, Spelthorne Residents will have a chance to have their say, on how they would like to see a future Staines look. Many agree that the Borough's major town needs both revitalising and modernising to take it forward for future years. Spelthorne Liberal Democrat's have long argued for detailed consultation with Borough Residents believing that their views are vital in helping to determining, what a Staines of the future should look like. The pressure to hold such a consultation has finally paid off and over the coming weeks, residents finally get the chance to have their say.
19 May 2021
Statement by the Leader of Mole Valley District Council, May 18th 2021
This is quite a historic and welcome occasion - the first meeting in person of Councillors for over a year. I have certainly missed the interaction of debate and discussion between members which cannot be replicated in a virtual environment. I would like to thank our officers for making this possible - the establishment of a safe and secure meeting place was no easy task, but as with the elections, and the challenging circumstances that we have experienced over the past year or so, they have found and implemented a way forward and we are very grateful for the work that they have done.
19 May 2021
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!”
