Lib Dems win 3 seats in Gerrards Cross
The Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives are neck and neck in South Bucks as we win 3 seats in the Gerrards Cross Town Council by-election.
8 Dec 2023
Wera Hobhouse MP urges government to incentivise solar power
29 Feb 2024
20 is plenty for safer streets
Oldham’s Liberal Democrat Opposition have tabled proposals for safer residential streets across Oldham in a Full Council meeting later this month. The Liberal Democrat motion calls for a roll-out of 20mph zones on the Borough’s residential roads.
8 Dec 2023
Suspension of Liberal Democrat Membership following a Standards Hearings Panel Decision, Wednesday 15 November 2023
On 15 November 2023 a Standards Hearings Panel convened by Elmbridge Borough Council concluded that two members of Claygate...
8 Dec 2023
General News and Press Releases
McArthur comments on lack of timeframe for return of island jury trials
Orkney’s MSP Liam McArthur has expressed disappointment that there is still no timeframe for a return of jury trials to island courts.
8 Dec 2023
Ministers letting Surrey “grind to a halt” with 248,196 on NHS waiting lists
There are 248,196 people waiting for NHS treatment in Surrey, according to research from the House of Commons Library, commissioned by the Liberal Democrats.
8 Dec 2023
HMO licensing on the agenda for round table
Council bosses have put greater oversight of HMO licensing on the agenda for a housing roundtable in February following pressure from Liberal Democrat councillor Sam Al-Hamdani.
8 Dec 2023
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!”
