First Part of High Street Restoration Complete
The first of Bedford Borough's High Street Heritage Action Zone (HSHAZ) building works has been completed.
14 Jul 2022
Wera Hobhouse MP urges government to incentivise solar power
29 Feb 2024
Bedford Borough Council launch Fair Cost of Care Consultation
Bedford Borough Council is seeking the views of providers of residential care services for people over 65 years of age, and home care services for people aged 18 years and above to support the National Fair Cost of Care exercise.
14 Jul 2022
Over 17,000 households in Milton Keynes ‘seriously struggling’ with their finances as Conservatives ignore cost-of-living crisis
New data shows that an estimated 17,750 local families are in serious financial difficultly, all while the Conservatives are distracted trying to fix their crumbling government.
14 Jul 2022
Farmers need extra support to deal with double crisis
North Shropshire MP Helen Morgan has called for extra support for farmers as they attempt to cope with a ‘cost-of-doing-business crisis’ on top of the cost-of-living crisis. The Lib Dem MP also warned about impact on farmers’ mental health, emphasising “that there's a human cost as well as a financial one for those working hard to keep Britain fed”.
13 Jul 2022
The not the Wiltshire Council show.
Wiltshire Conservatives decided to scrap the scheduled July Council meeting, so opposition councillors are going ahead anyway with an unofficial event to discuss a number of items of importance to Wiltshire residents, including the cost of living crisis and what can be done about it, and the disastrous loss of control of the planning process in the county.
TC
13 Jul 2022
Local News
Ward grant investment saves hedgehogs
Haxby and Wigginton ward funding grant allocated by local Lib Dem councillors is saving hedgehogs in the village. ‘Helping Haxby Hedgehogs’ group recently purchased an incubator with the help of a £750 ward funding grant. Local councillors were able to meet two of its smallest residents currently benefiting from this life-saving piece of kit.
13 Jul 2022
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!”
