76.57% of burglaries unsolved in Essex
Of the 3,620 burglaries reported in that time period, only 133 resulted in a charge or summons
6 Apr 2023
Wera Hobhouse MP urges government to incentivise solar power
29 Feb 2024
Government and police failing to protect children
Last week a damning report was released by the Children's Commissioner which detailed Government and police failings which led to 2,846 children being strip-searched under stop and search powers in England and Wales in the last 4 years.
6 Apr 2023
Taunton
Taunton Liberal Democrats stand a full slate of local candidates
Taunton Liberal Democrats received confirmation today (Thursday 5th April) that they are the only party to have a full slate of 20 candidates, all living locally to Taunton, for the upcoming Town Council elections on Thursday, May 4th.
6 Apr 2023
Mayor Dave drives down debt freeing up £1 million more for vital services
Bedford Borough Council's debt has been slashed by £30 million since Mayor Dave Hodgson was elected. The Conservative-run County Council left around £90 million of debt to be paid back by Bedford Borough residents for years to come. With the debt now at a more manageable level and falling each year, around £1 million more can be spent on services each year rather than debt payments.
6 Apr 2023
Lib Dems call for a return to “proper local health services” as figures show surge in patients per GP in South East London.
The Liberal Democrats have called for a return to proper local health services, after new figures revealed a fall in the number of GPs in South East London while patient numbers rise.
LD
6 Apr 2023
Local Government
Lib Dems stand 40 candidates for New Forest District Council
The Liberal Democrats are standing 40 candidates across the New Forest for seats on New Forest District Council.
6 Apr 2023
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!”
