Self isolation support payment
A payment scheme to help support those out of pocket because they are having to self-isolate is available from Wiltshire Council.
8 Dec 2020
Wera Hobhouse MP urges government to incentivise solar power
29 Feb 2024
Action on Parking at Thorndon & South Weald Country Parks
County Councillor David Kendall has raised the problems of parking at Thorndon and South Weald Country Parks over the last couple of months and has repeatedly asked Essex County Council (ECC) to take action. At today's ECC Full Council meeting he asked the Cabinet Member with responsibility for Country Parks for an update on what action has been taken to date and was told the following: The County Council now has car parking stewards managing the car parks at the weekend to ensure that people are parking safely and maximising the space available. The County Council is in discussion with the South Essex Parking Partnership regarding the parking issues arising from people parking in nearby roads and lanes close to the Country parks. The installation of 'clearways' and 'red lines; will be considered in these roads and lanes. The County Council is looking at the car parking capacity at both country parks to see if it can be increased. Cllr Kendall said:
8 Dec 2020
Council supports Lib Dem proposal for extra allowance for unpaid carers
Warrington Council has given unanimous support to our call for an increase of £20 a week in the allowance for unpaid carers.
WLD
8 Dec 2020
Cllr Mark Lewis: My first 18 months as a councillor
Cllr Mark Lewis ...
8 Dec 2020
Surrey Tories vote down Lib Dem motion to end child hunger
Earlier today, the Conservative majority on Surrey County Council used their own amendment to vote down a Lib Dem motion that would have tackled child food poverty.
8 Dec 2020
Chelmsford City Council commits to fairer and greener purchasing
Chelmsford City Council has committed to taking social and environmental issues into account when making its purchases. The Lib Dem-led Council's Cabinet has adopted a new Social Procurement Strategy for at least the next five years.
8 Dec 2020
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!”
