Independents: a word of warning
Dear Sir,
DPH
2 May 2019
Wera Hobhouse MP urges government to incentivise solar power
29 Feb 2024
The Polls are Open!
The polls are now open for elections for the Mayor of Bedford Borough, Borough Councillors, Town and Parish Councillors. You can vote until 10pm.
2 May 2019
Today is Election Day!
Polls have now opened for elections for the Mayor of Bedford Borough, Borough Councillors, Town and Parish Councillors. You can vote until 10pm.
2 May 2019
It's polling day on Thursday - find out about your local Liberal Democrat candidates
Tomorrow (Thursday 2nd May) is your opportunity to make a positive difference in Farnborough and Aldershot by electing your local Liberal Democrats to represent you on Rushmoor Borough Council.
1 May 2019
Brentwood Liberal Democrats – Giving power back to local people
Reasons to vote Liberal Democrat on Thursday 2 May 2019: We will deliver openness, accountability and transparency in decision making for all. We will work closely with residents and the business community to improve the commercial viability of the Borough. We will strive to reach out and involve all sections of the community in taking Brentwood forward. We will call for each ward to have dedicated Police Community Support Officer We will fight any plans to close Shenfield and Ingatestone Libraries or cut the Brentwood Library hours We will try and keep as many council services as possible based here in Brentwood We will investigate the opportunities to install solar panels on council buildings to save energy and raise revenue We will work closely with retailers across the Borough to re-energise our High Streets We will keep challenging the Government's housing numbers for our borough and insist that the infrastructure is definitely put in place to support each development We will try and
1 May 2019
Lib Dems continue their library campaign
All Brentwood's Lib Dem candidates are fighting against the Conservatives' proposal to close libraries across Essex (including Ingatestone and Shenfield) and cut opening hours to others (including Brentwood).
1 May 2019
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!”
