75th anniversary of the VE Day
On the 75th anniversary of the VE Day we are flying the Union Flag at both the old Town Hall and Borough Hall (although there is a lack of wind this morning).
8 May 2020
Wera Hobhouse MP urges government to incentivise solar power
29 Feb 2024
Liberal Democrat VE Day Tribute
Paying tribute to the sacrifices made during the Second World War as the UK marks Victory in Europe Day, Liberal Democrat Acting Leader Ed Davey said:
8 May 2020
Liberal Democrat VE Day Tribute
Paying tribute to the sacrifices made during the Second World War as the UK marks Victory in Europe Day, Liberal Democrat Acting Leader Ed Davey said:
RLD
7 May 2020
Lib Dems Launch Virtual "Lock Down Borough in Bloom"
As a result of the current Covid 19 health restrictions, Windsor & Maidenhead Borough Council have cancelled the annual "Borough in Bloom" competition, which is usually judged by each council ward's councillors visiting their areas to identify really stunning gardens in person.
WLD
7 May 2020
MP joins calls to end frozen pensions for veterans abroad ahead of 75th anniversary of VE Day
Ahead of the 75th anniversary of VE Day tomorrow, South Lakes MP Tim Farron has thrown his weight behind the campaign for the Government to restore full state pensions to World War Two veterans who have moved abroad after retirement.
7 May 2020
Thousands of households in Wiltshire are suffering from fuel poverty, according to new figures.
Data from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) shows that eight per cent of the 213,598 households in Wiltshire faced energy bills that pushed them into poverty in 2018 - the most recent year for which figures are available. It means 17,540 of households in the area were fuel poor, with the rate falling from nine per cent in 2017. Fuel poverty means living in an inadequately heated home. Cold homes can result in high fuel bills, poor health, and cause people to take longer to recover from illnesses, particularly those recently discharged from hospital. This is a reduction across Wiltshire from 2015 when 20,523 households are in fuel poverty (Department for the Environment and Climate Change, 2015), but there is still some way to go to eradicate fuel poverty and its likely that impact and uncertainty of Covid19 may cause the situation to deteriorate. In the South West, nine per cent of households could not afford to pay their bills in 2018. https://www.wil
AMML
7 May 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!”
