Munira Wilson's call for more support to tackle young people's mental health
https://youtu.be/CYS5rB2-Y-c
6 Feb 2021
Wera Hobhouse MP urges government to incentivise solar power
29 Feb 2024
Be alert to vaccine fraud
Rugby Liberal Democrat Councillors have received information from Warwickshire Police that criminals are using the COVID-19 vaccine as a way to target the public by tricking people to hand over cash or financial details.
RLD
6 Feb 2021
Help us stop cuts to rail services from Padgate
Liberal Democrat campaigners Dave Crowther and Dan Warren have launched a petition against plans to reduce rail services from Padgate Station. A consultation on these proposals has been opened which could mean reductions from May next year.
WLD
6 Feb 2021
Southwell's town environment briefing notes February
Southwell's town environment briefing notes February
6 Feb 2021
Where is Spelthorne's Action Plan in response to the LGA Report?
26 recommendations but no action plan detailed yet Last November the Local Government Association (LGA) conducted a review into the Council's current financial strategy and the report has just been published. Despite having had the draft findings since December there is still no action plan to address the recommendations. The LGA team was forced to conduct the review remotely due to COVID restrictions and had to work with the information provided by the Council. This information set the tone from the outset by telling the LGA that "Spelthorne BC is a well-performing council" and that it was following a "strongly commercial approach". Despite the unrelentingly positive messages the LGA team came up with 26 recommendations - yes, twenty-six - on a wide range of topics including housing, finances, and decision-making. What is Spelthorne's Action Plan? Good question. It is now six weeks since the draft report was delivered but there is no sign of a plan from the council in response. Many of the recommendations
6 Feb 2021
Bedford River Festival and Kite and Motoring Festival postponed
Bedford Borough Council has announced that the Bedford River Festival and the Kite and Motoring Festival are being postponed until 2022.
6 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!”
