Government must "get to grips" with South Western Railway failure
Reacting to the news that South Western Railway could lose its franchise after declaring a £137 million loss, Liberal Democrat...
8 Jan 2020
Wera Hobhouse MP urges government to incentivise solar power
29 Feb 2024
MEPs to express 'grave concern' about UK stance on EU citizens in Britain
Exclusive: leaked resolution by main political groups follows threats of deportation made by British minister
DB
8 Jan 2020
Brock Is Dead
I've just received an M20 "Operation Brock" contraflow update: "Work to remove the contraflow barriers will begin on 13 January. "The work will take place overnight and J9-7 will be fully closed each night (including weekends) from 8pm - 6am. "The works will start at the London end and move backwards. "It is expected that the work to remove the barriers will be finished by 31 January." So over a fortnight of full night motorway closures, in order to remove a barrier for a system never actually used, just before the UK leaves the EU on 31 January. OK...
8 Jan 2020
Mole Valley’s Draft Local Plan: Time to have your say
Three years in the making, Mole Valley District Council now has a draft Local Plan ready for consultation. The new Lib Dem administration has had several months to review all the work done to date and has made some substantial improvements. Potentially this plan will be our roadmap and guidance for all building development in our area for the next fifteen years.
8 Jan 2020
Get Active This Year!
Booking is now open for Bedford Borough's Active Adults courses, opening the door for everyone to try a new sport or get back into a sport they used to love.
8 Jan 2020
South Lakes MP challenges Chancellor to invest in local cancer services
On the floor of the House of Commons this afternoon, local MP Tim Farron urged the Government to significantly increase spending on radiotherapy to provide treatment closer to home for patients in the South Lakes.
8 Jan 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!”
