Uttlesford Liberal Democrats fear that the decision on the appeal against further expansion at Stansted Airport could result in an environmental and financial disaster for the Uttlesford district and its residents.
Today, Liberal Democrat MPs will be voting against the Conservative Government's Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill as it is an attack on our right to protest (not just during lockdown) as well likely allowing for more racial profiling by the police; this is this a fundamental attack on our basic rights The Bill also proposes an incredibly excessive sentencing change for up to 10 years in prison for defacing statues or memorials. Weston's LibDem Spokesperson Patrick Keating has written to the local Tory MP asking him to stand up for our rights and freedoms and vote against this draconian bill tonight. Patrick said: "The Conservatives' plans to crackdown on protests are dangerous and draconian. The appalling scenes on Clapham Common at the weekend only confirm this. The Liberal Democrats will fiercely resist anti-democratic attempts to silence protest. This is why I wrote yesterday to Weston's MP asking him to vote against the Government on this crucial piece of legislation." The picture
Derbyshire Liberal Democrats have released their manifesto in the run-up to the County Council elections on 6th May 2021.
A Tale of Two Countries
This collective outpouring of grief has to be a watershed moment.
Three Shropshire Councillors in South West Shropshire have volunteered to join the lateral flow testing programme for pupils at the Community College in Bishop's Castle.
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!”
