Campaigning for fair votes has been part of the Liberal Democrat mission ever since we were founded. Last night, Ed Davey made a speech at the IPPR think tank about why it’s time has come - and how to make it happen.
Shocking figures have unveiled the local areas in England with the longest ambulance delays, revealing a stark “postcode lottery” for response times to life-threatening calls.
Orkney's MSP, Liam McArthur, has joined fellow Highlands & Islands MSPs in voicing support for the Orkney Rape and Sexual Assault Service (ORSAS) as part of the 16 days of activism to end violence against women and girls.
Orkney's MSP, Liam McArthur, has today urged the Scottish Government to rethink a planned withdrawal of funding to the men's shed movement in Scotland. He has also backed Age Scotland’s call for a national fund to support older people's services through the cost-of-living crisis.
Plymouth Liberal Democrats have come out in support of the STRAW campaign to save Armada Way's trees. At an Executive Meeting on Monday the newly elected Chair, Katie McManus, said, "As a party that has always been a leader on environmental issues the preservation of trees is vital. Apart from the pleasure a mature tree provides, they are essential to fighting the climate increase, reducing toxic pollution and providing a home for hundreds of birds and insects. We believe this green lung at the heart of Plymouth is a great contributor to the well-being of the people of this city and a highly valuable area of urban forest."
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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!”
