Publications
Response to the Planning White Paper
The West Berkshire Council Liberal Democrat Group have responded to the Government's White Paper on Planning.
4 Nov 2020
Wera Hobhouse MP urges government to incentivise solar power
29 Feb 2024
Lib Dem councillor's Local Grant helps charities
Used to erect a Local Noticeboard To assist with the rejuvenation of Staines Park following the successful campaign to stop the new Leisure Centre being built upon it, Lib Dem Cllr Chris Bateson (Staines South) earmarked part of his Local Neighbourhood Grant money along with fellow Ward Councillor Nichola Cornes to have a new Community Notice Board erected in the Park. This was finally installed at the end of July. The double-width board will provide sufficient space for the various local organisations such as the bowls club and other sporting concerns, model railway engineers, users of the Green Hut and Staines Park Residents Association, to advertise activities and events.
4 Nov 2020
Bridges Espresso Bar and Naughty Pizza Launch At Riverside Bedford
Mayor Dave Hodgson has cut the ribbon at a joint opening event for Bridges Espresso Bar and Naughty Pizza at Riverside Bedford.
4 Nov 2020
Closure of B4386 without notice
I have just found a really nice guy putting up road closure signs on the B4386 in Chirbury. They are closing the road now for potholing - all the way to the Marton turning. Two and a half miles or so.
4 Nov 2020
Local Councillors write to Chancellor to urge Basic Income Pilots to help support struggling people through the pandemic
With the country about to go into lockdown for another month two local councillors have signed a letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequor Rishi Sunak urging him to test run Universal Basic Income pilots as a way of supporting people through the pandemic.
4 Nov 2020
Jonathan Lord must use last chance to back farmers
The Lib Dems and I have called on Woking's MP to back British farming and vote to protect our high environmental and animal welfare standards in Parliament today.
4 Nov 2020
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!”
