Weekly Coronavirus figures for Bedford Borough published
The latest weekly coronavirus snapshot for Bedford Borough has been published.
11 Jul 2021
Wera Hobhouse MP urges government to incentivise solar power
29 Feb 2024
Petition against voter ID
In 1928, The Equal Franchise Act granted equal voting rights to women and men over the age of 21. But in 2021 the Tory government could turn back the clock with its Elections Bill and plans for mandatory voter ID. This could undermine the right to vote across the UK and already the Welsh Government has spoken out in strong terms against these plans and will resist them in devolved elections.
BL
11 Jul 2021
Remembering Srebrenica
Today is the Srebrenica Memorial Day when we remember the genocide committed against over 8,000 Muslim men and boys in the space of just a few days in Srebrenica 26 years ago in July 1995.
11 Jul 2021
Lib Dems’ letter halts controversial boundary review in Derbyshire Dales
A letter from Derbyshire Lib Dems to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England has resulted in the announcement that it has withdrawn its proposals published on 29th June and will undertake a further period of consultation from 31st August until 26th October 2021.
PD
10 Jul 2021
Scotland
MPs under fire for failing to back pet theft law
Conservative MPs are under fire for voting against a new law to tackle pet theft. In a vote on Monday 5th July, 354 Conservatives...
10 Jul 2021
Potholes
With the easing of restrictions and the fine weather, we have all been emerging from our own little bubbles. One of the hard facts that stares us in the face when out and about is the general disrepair of the roads. Vegetation appears to have run out of control, and the roads have a pandemic all of their own. This pothole plague is a blight on our roads damaging vehicles, creating a fatal hazard for cyclists, and hospitalising pedestrians. This problem can be squarely laid at the feet of Conservative councils and Conservative government.
LG
10 Jul 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!”
