Lib Dem district council adopts Doubling Nature strategy
We are proud of the Lib Dem South Cambs District Council's newly adopted strategy to double nature in South Cambridgeshire, which will bolster rich wi...
MN
10 Feb 2021
Wera Hobhouse MP urges government to incentivise solar power
29 Feb 2024
Brentwood Town Centre Parking - a big change in policy
Brentwood's Lib Dems have expressed alarm at a sudden change in the Council's position on Brentwood Town Centre car parking, which took place during the Inspectors' Hearings for the Brentwood Local Plan on Thursday February the 4th.
CPM
9 Feb 2021
STATEMENT: The Emporium, Warley
Sad to say, The store's appeal was not upheld by the council and the closure enforcement remains in place however THE EMPORIUM WILL BE TRADING FROM 8.45am WEDNESDAY offering click/phone and collect. This is permitted. I know everyone will be pleased about this but how did we get here? Officers insist they have operated within the law and they most likely have, but this is flawed panic legislation from national government. What I will never get to the bottom of is why they even went to The Emporium in the first place. No complaints had been received. However, the council has, in the past few weeks, enhanced their enforcement and on Friday were cock-a-hoop at giving out 75 enforcement notices across Brentwood. Were they just showing off in the press release issued? As a friend of mine said, "picking the low hanging fruit" rather than tackle the major stores like Marks & Spencer that are openly taking advantage. I've been told the larger stores are to be tackled too. We will be watching. In a meeting wit
9 Feb 2021
Outrageous government manoeuvres deny Uyghurs their day in court - fight the genocide against them and others say Liberal Democrats
"Today the Government used outrageous procedural manoeuvres to avoid any straight vote on the Genocide Amendment and avoid defeat, in a flagrant attempt to deny MPs from having their democratic say," Liberal Democrats Foreign Affairs spokesperson Layla Moran MP has said." If they were confident in their arguments, why do that? They are running scared of the Commons. By allowing parliamentary committees to rule on genocide, the Government has contradicted its own policy that genocide is a matter for the courts. Both relevant committees have already rejected these proposals.
9 Feb 2021
MP calls for Government to stop Cumbria coal mine plans
Commenting on the breaking news that controversial plans for a new coal mine in Cumbria will be reconsidered by Cumbria County Council's planning committee, local MP Tim Farron said: "The very fact that this application is going back to the planning committee because it might not meet the requirements of the Climate Change Act shows exactly why this mine shouldn't be going ahead.
9 Feb 2021
MP demands DEFRA Secretary compensate Flookburgh fishermen
In the House of Commons last night, South Lakes MP Tim Farron called on the Government to compensate local fishermen in Flookburgh after it was announced that they have been banned from exporting live shellfish into the European Union.
9 Feb 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!”
