In his latest regular email, Mayor Dave Hodgson has once again thanked all those who supported him in the recent mayoral election, and given an update on the first week of the new term, including talks with representatives of all Council groups to "establish and consolidate good working relationships."
Nick Hollinghurst, Herts County Councillor for Tring West & Rural, says: "The transition from primary to secondary school is always difficult, not only for the young people concerned but also for their families. Parents may have to plan for daily travel, not only a new route for the child who goes to the new secondary school, but to work out how that can be managed for other school age children. Recently there were large numbers of Hertfordshire schoolchildren for whom the secondary transfer was extremely stressful with pupils and families having to be registered on the "continuing interest" list. They then had to wait anxiously to see if any places might turn up in a suitably located secondary school as other parents withdrew their applications there.
Nick Hollinghurst, Herts County Councillor for Tring West & Rural, says: "The transition from primary to secondary school is always difficult, not only for the young people concerned but also for their families. Parents may have to plan for daily travel, not only a new route for the child who goes to the new secondary school, but to work out how that can be managed for other school age children. Recently there were large numbers of Hertfordshire schoolchildren for whom the secondary transfer was extremely stressful with pupils and families having to be registered on the "continuing interest" list. They then had to wait anxiously to see if any places might turn up in a suitably located secondary school as other parents withdrew their applications there.
Lambeth Liberal Democrats
One of the reasons that Liberal Democrats are fighting to keep the UK in the EU is that we cherish freedom of movement. It gives...
Andrew Millsom has been elected as Parish Councillor for East Ward of Frindsbury Extra Parish Council, standing as a candidate for the Liberal Democrats in last week's local elections. Andrew knows the Parish well and brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the role, having previously served from 2011-2015 and is keen to build on previous achievements and push for further improvements for the residents of the Parish.
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!”
