Lib Dem victory on Mental Capacity Bill
On 2 April 2019, the House of Commons debated the Mental Capacity Bill which now includes huge concessions the Liberal Democrats secured from the Government.
RLD
3 Apr 2019
Wera Hobhouse MP urges government to incentivise solar power
29 Feb 2024
The Lib Dems Launch their Campaign for the East Suffolk District Council
Campaign for the East Suffolk District Council East Suffolk Liberal Democrats Launch their Election Campaign On Thursday May 2nd voters have the chance to help form a new District Council following the merger between the Suffolk Coastal and Waveney Councils.
3 Apr 2019
MP calls for rural roaming to tackle mobile blackspots
Local MP Tim Farron has joined a cross-party group of 75 MPs in writing to the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to ask the Government to make it a requirement that network operators enable roaming between providers to improve mobile coverage in rural areas.
3 Apr 2019
MP joins forces with the British Dental Association to attract more NHS dentists to the South Lakes
Local MP Tim Farron has met with the chair of the British Dental Association (BDA) Henrik Overgaard-Nielsen as part of his campaign to fix the ongoing dental crisis in the South Lakes.
3 Apr 2019
End short sentences now to fix prisons crisis
"Our prisons are in crisis. They are so overcrowded that they are failing at their central purpose: to prevent crime and keep communities safe by rehabilitating offenders, " said Wera Hobhouse MP, Liberal Democrats Justice spokesperson, responding to the House of Commons Justice Select Committee's 'Prison Population 2022' report, published today 3rd April. "Even Tory Ministers now accept what the Liberal Democrats and the evidence have been saying for years: short prison sentences actually make people more likely to reoffend. Yet they are still locking up thousands of people for just a few weeks. "The Liberal Democrats demand better. Instead of just talking about ending short sentences, the Government must urgently bring forward legislation to do it. "Our goal must be to transform prisons into places of rehabilitation and recovery, with properly-funded education, training and treatment for prisoners to build a life free from crime."
3 Apr 2019
Woking Conservative Councillor defects to Lib Dems
Woking Conservative Councillor defects to the Lib Dems Graham Chrystie, a Conservative Councillor for Pyrford for 8 years, has left the Conservative Party and joined the Lib Dems on the eve of May's local elections.
AMB
3 Apr 2019
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!”
