Residents pleased with Bow junction repairs
Residents have written to Councillor Frank Letch thanking him for efforts to repair Bow junction.
9 Oct 2023
Wera Hobhouse MP urges government to incentivise solar power
29 Feb 2024
Council Anger Over Southern Water’s Performance
Folkestone & Hythe's wastewater company is the most complained about in the country.
9 Oct 2023
The Knife Crime Epidemic- Protecting our young people
We were all shocked by the horrific stabbing of a 15-year-old schoolgirl in Croydon, just after a teenager was stabbed to death in Petts Wood. It really feels like we’re in the middle of a knife crime epidemic, and young people are at the centre of it.
9 Oct 2023
Witney constituency
Update, Sunday 8th October
Here's an update of some of what I've been up to over the past week. Please do get in touch either if you have questions or if you would like to help us hoof out the Conservatives.
8 Oct 2023
Liberal Democrats condemn the terrorism of Hamas
Responding to the terrorist violence by Hamas in Israel, Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Layla Moran MP said:
8 Oct 2023
IFS Report: Schools are paying for “Government’s economic incompetence”
Commenting on the IFS report being published tomorrow showing that schools costs are growing faster than economy-wide inflation, particularly support staff pay, energy and food costs, Liberal Democrat Education Spokesperson Munira Wilson MP said:
8 Oct 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!”
