MS
7 Dec 2019
Wera Hobhouse MP urges government to incentivise solar power
29 Feb 2024
Davina Kirby to use £50 billion regional fund to invest in South Holland and The Deepings
The Liberal Democrats would use an ambitious £50 billion regional growth fund to invest in South Holland and The Deepings, according to local candidate Davina Kirby.
7 Dec 2019
Lib Dems to triple support for disadvantaged pre-school children
The Liberal Democrats have announced they would triple funding for disadvantaged children aged three and four attending nurseries and other childcare providers.
7 Dec 2019
Cut crime not police
Responding to Tory policies on knife crime, Brendan Devlin, the Liberal Democrat candidate for Stockton South, says 'We asked the Tories to cut crime, instead they cut police numbers'. He continued, 'The government pledge another 20,000 police officers, but forces lost over 21,000 officers in the last 8 years, this pledge isn't more it is just putting back what they took away. Only the Liberal Democrats will invest in the things that actually work to build safer communities: more community policing, more youth services and a proper public health approach to serious violence
7 Dec 2019
Small Business Saturday - Brexit uncertainty is hitting our high streets.
5 DAYS TO STOP BREXIT AND SECURE A BRIGHTER FUTURE Liberal Democrats have unveiled a series of measures to reverse a decline in high streets and boost small businesses Figures from the ONS show that 978,285 businesses closed their doors between 2016-2018. Analysis by the Liberal Democrats has revealed Brexit uncertainty under the Conservatives is hitting our high streets as almost one million businesses in the UK have closed in the past three years.This increase in business closures is almost a third (28%) compared to the 765,000 businesses that closed in the three previous years. The Federation of Small Businesses has warned that a no deal Brexit, which Boris Johnson has repeatedly refused to rule out, would mean more damage to firms. Firms are also being held back by the Conservative government's failure to reform business rates, and by new taxes on the self-employed that business groups have described as "disastrous".
7 Dec 2019
SUPPORT FOR STOCKTON SMALL BUSINESS
Today is Small Business Saturday, and Brendan Devlin has expressed deep concern on how Tory policies and a looming Brexit have been, and could be, affecting local small businesses.
7 Dec 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!”
