Commenting on plans for increases in Tyne and Wear Metro fares of up to 13%, which will be voted on by councillors on the North East Joint Transport Committee next week, Lib Dem councillor for Grindon and Thorney Close in Sunderland Stephen O'Brien said:
Is there a pothole like this in your road? The recent weather has caused damage to roads across the borough. Road maintainence is the responsibility of Hampshire County council. You can report issues online at https://www.hants.gov.uk/ or contact us through https://rushmoorlibdems.org.uk/en/views and we will report for you.
Road Closure - Roveries Bridge, which carries the A489 road over the River Camlad between Churchstoke and Lydham will be closed to traffic from the 23rd to 27th January 2023 between the restricted hrs of 9.30am - 4.00pm Monday - Friday. The works will involve the rebuilding of a damaged parapet. Unfortunately in order to carry out the proposed work safely it will be necessary to close the bridge to vehicular traffic. When the bridge is closed, traffic will be diverted via the A489, B4385 and A488 by a signed diversion route. For more information please visit https://one.network/?tm=GB132077822 Access over the bridge for pedestrians and dismounted cyclists will remain available throughout the proposed work. The closure will be in effect for the duration of the works. The work will be carried out by the Council's term maintenance contractor Kier, with supervision being provided by WSP on behalf of Shropshire Council. In order to inform the public of the proposals, advance notice signs will be erected at the bri
Patients in some NHS trusts are still being left waiting more than 1,000 days for routine surgeries such as knee and hip replacements, new figures uncovered by the Liberal Democrats have revealed.
Responding to Rishi Sunak announcing he will speak to union leaders on Monday, Liberal Democrat Cabinet Office spokesperson Christine Jardine said:
Leader of the Liberal Democrats on West Berkshire Council Lee Dillon has written to the CEO of Thames Water to demand action to reduce the scale of sewage discharges seen in West Berkshire’s rivers, canals and streams in recent days.
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!”
