Fears have been raised over the future of Elmbridge's largest community centre after a report suggested that significant work was required to meet current health and safety standards.
Elmbridge councillor Howard Hyman has been elected Sheriff and Deputy Mayor of Gloucester.
This week is the first National Democracy Week which was set up by the Cabinet Office, the week is based on the idea that we must "ensure that every member of society has an equal chance to participate in our democracy and to have their say".
The Mental Health Units (Use of Force) Bill is being debated again in Parliament. If it becomes law, it will make a big difference - but there is still work to do. Good mental health hospitals can save lives and help young people to recover and manage their conditions. But at the moment, far too many young people are being restrained or put in seclusion, in a way that can be traumatic and, in some cases, lead to serious injury or even death. This urgently needs to change.
Universities are being told to "dramatically improve" support for students with mental health issues. The government is announcing it will award a certificate of excellence to institutions which meet new standards of mental health care. It also wants universities to give students an opt-in service for vice chancellors to contact parents. This would mean if students find themselves in a mental health crisis their relatives can be alerted.
Plans to abolish Hinckley and Bosworth Borough have been condemned by a Hinckley County Councillor.
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!”
