Thousands of families across Bedford Borough, who are entitled to income related free school meals, will be given vouchers for the October half term and Christmas holidays.
When she was PM Teresa May announced a series of events which was initially dubbed with the embarrassing 'Festival of Brexit' name but some three years later was renamed 'Unboxed'. It was supposed to be a UK-wide festival of creativity. Apparently it has ended but few people even knew it had started.
Welsh Labour Minister, Julie James' pact with developers to fix buildings affected by Building Fire Safety concerns has been branded “not worth the paper it is written on” by local campaigners.
The Liberal Democrats are delighted to announce that Cllr Geoff Cooper will stand as their parliamentary candidate for Romsey and Southampton North at the next general election. Geoff, who is a Councillor for North Baddesley, is a local man. He was born and raised in Romsey and lives locally with his wife and daughter. Geoff works for a global spirits brand as a European Commercial manager and will be able to bring a wealth of real-world knowledge experience from this role to being a Member of Parliament. Geoff is also a mentor, supporting others with improving their career chances. On why he wants to be our next MP, Geoff said "I want to listen, campaign and solve the issues that matter to local people. We have had far too many promises and not enough action to meet the needs of constituents. In this time of struggling economy, I will champion our local businesses who are dealing with ever rising costs. As a councillor I have already been doing this. I am the son of a doctor; therefore I know the pro
Orkney and Shetland MP, Alistair Carmichael, has today backed calls for a general election following further turmoil in the Conservative government with the sacking of the Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng.
Orkney and Shetland MP, Alistair Carmichael, yesterday led a parliamentary debate on post-Brexit fisheries, highlighting a range of issues facing the fishing industry in recent years. During the debate Mr Carmichael noted the ongoing challenge of deckhand visas for vessels, along with inaction on gillnetting in the waters around Shetland by Scottish authorities, and the need for reforms to scientific advice on both spatial squeeze of fishing grounds and overall quota.
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!”
