County Councils are about more than just potholes!
County Councils are about more than just potholes! As Northamptonshire has show, county councils are also about good governance and financial prudence.
2 Aug 2018
Wera Hobhouse MP urges government to incentivise solar power
29 Feb 2024
No vision from Labour on culture, just empty soundbites
I was intrigued to read (Journal, 30 July) of the call by Newcastle Council Cabinet Member Kim McGuinness for the Government to "get behind the region's cultural assets" and to ensure that devolution helps the North East to become a "capital of culture", writes former Liberal Democrats Leader of Newcastle City Council, David Faulkner This from a councillor whose party scrapped the independent regional arts boards when in government, the greatest blow to the arts in the North East that I can recall. Northern Arts was arguably the most successful and innovative of any of them. Labour also presided over the huge and wholly disproportionate accumulation of funding to cultural events and agencies in London, something that desperately needs to be reversed. Five years ago Councillor McGuinness' predecessor launched a consultation on a "new vision for arts and culture in Newcastle". It petered out into nothing as he and his Labour council lost interest. Now there is no vision, no cultural strategy,
1 Aug 2018
Next steps in sorry saga of Wiltshire's outdoor education centres
Here's an update* from your WC:
YWC
1 Aug 2018
Chinatown erupts over ‘hostile environment’ immigration raids
Chinatown was shut down for five hours [on 24 July] during a strike triggered by "hostile environment" immigration raids that led to one blind mute protester almost being run over by a Home Office van.
TF
1 Aug 2018
Metro works this weekend - disruption likely
Major modernisation work is taking place on the Tyne and Wear Metro over the weekend of August 4-5.
1 Aug 2018
MP calls for emergency support package for farmers to help deal with summer drought
South Lakes MP Tim Farron has urged the Government to deliver a support package to farmers that provides additional feed and access to emergency water supplies during the current drought.
1 Aug 2018
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!”
