Floella Benjamin challenges the Conservatives over Windrush scandal - video
We've hidden Floella Benjamin challenges the Conservatives over Windrush scandal to prevent cookies being set that you haven't...
21 Jan 2023
Wera Hobhouse MP urges government to incentivise solar power
29 Feb 2024
More good progress for planning service after reforms
Following recommendations - which included securing an independent review and a resetting of departmental priorities and input from the Environment Committee's Task and Finish Group - from the Planning Advisory Service and a Task and Finish Group, Bedford Borough Council's Planning Service has made excellent progress against national targets. Minor applications are now being determined within eight weeks 87% of the time (November 2022) - a huge improvement since actions were taken and well above the government's 70% target. The proportion of major applications determined within 13 weeks has also remained comfortably above the national target.
21 Jan 2023
Scot Lib Dems reveal soaring waits for dentistry treatment
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has today revealed that the patients have waited more than three years for dental treatments as he called on the Health Secretary to deliver a new recovery plan to help the sector recover.
21 Jan 2023
NHS crisis in East of England.
A&E wait times through the roof with 4,198 waiting over 12 hours in the East of England, 1,075 in Norfolk.
20 Jan 2023
Lib Dems call on Bromsgrove Council to save the Ryland Centre
An emergency motion has been submitted to next week's Bromsgrove Council meeting on 25
20 Jan 2023
Heat Pumps - Call for Action on Dacorum
At Dacorum Council on 18th January 2023, the Lib Dems called for a real incentive for getting the UK Heat Pump market warmed-up. This received cross party support. Councillors recognised an idea that is especially right for Dacorum, with its large stock of Council housing, as a way of cutting heating bills for council tenants.
20 Jan 2023
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!”
