Greenest Conference (?) The Lib Dem autumn 2018 Brighton conference is shaping up to be VERY Green. We have more environmental stuff going on than you can shake a stick at. Will it qualify as the greenest ever? We are not sure, but it is worth taking a look at what is happening. the chart below tells you most of the key fringe meetings that catch the eye.
![Martello Tower 6 [Sandgate Escarpment]](/fileadmin/_processed_/3/f/csm_martello-tower-6-sandgate-escarpment_0705ed2186.png "Copyright Steve Popple and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence.")
Sandgate Parish Council was advised yesterday (4th September) that the vendor of this site had sold the property to another buyer at a significantly higher price and was therefore withdrawing from the sale to the Parish Council. This is despite written commitments to cease marketing the site after the sale to the Parish Council had been confirmed.
Liberal Democrats in Gloucester will be taking their campaign to remain in the European Union to Gloucester Pride on Saturday...
A new regime for animal licensing is taking effect from 1 October 2018, with significant implications for new and existing licence holders
Statement from the Leader of the Liberal Democrats on Development in Woking
We are helping colleagues in the European Movement set up a Staffs for Europe group for mid and southern Staffordshire. An initial meeting will be held on Tuesday 18th September from 16:00-17:00 at The Sun, 7 Lichfield Road, ST17 4JX, Stafford.
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!”
