Liberal Democrats MP Daisy Cooper has criticised the Government for turning its back on "blameless leaseholders and tenants" after amendments intended to stop building owners passing on the costs of fixing defects were defeated in the House of Commons last night.
Graham Colley said "Priti Patel's proposals to outlaw aspects of peaceful demonstration that she and her government found inconvenient, embarrassing or unhelpful are authoritarian and antidemocratic. It was reasonable to organise a peaceful demonstration against them.
While North Somerset Council voted in favour of a Liberal Democrat motion to support people caught up in the #CladdingScandal, Weston's Tory MP has once again let down local residents by voting against proposals that would have saved leaseholders in our area from huge fire safety bills. More and more tenants and leaseholders across the country are facing huge bills for remedial fire safety work. This is usually due to the owner cutting corners on safety rather than being any fault of their own. This has left thousands of people anxious about the safety of their houses in the event of a fire, at serious financial risk and unable to sell their leasehold and move on. The Liberal Democrats first introduced an amendment in the House of Commons to protect tenants and leaseholders from these costs which was voted down by the Conservatives. Liberal Democrat members of the Lords reintroduced this amendment to the Fire Safety Bill - but once again the Tories, including Weston's MP, voted against these measures.
March 23rd is the National Day of Reflection, a day in which people will come together to remember all those we have lost and those who have been affected by Covid-19.
Air pollution levels are dangerous in Wiltshire, according to the Liberal Democrats.
March 23rd is the National Day of Reflection, a day in which people will come together to remember all those we have lost and those who have been affected by Covid-19. There will be a minute's silence at 12noon and at 8pm everyone is invited to come together to light up the night. The initiative, from Marie Curie, encourages people to stand outside with a light at 8pm - whether it be a candle, a torch or even a phone. The purpose is to remember someone who's died and show support to people going through a bereavement. You can find more details of the initiative on the Marie Curie website at https://mariecurie.org.uk
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!”
