This month, Bobby Dean, running to be MP for Carshalton & Wallington, joined local residents in Queen’s Jubilee celebrations and attended a number of local events.
As you will all know at the very last hour on 14 June the flight to Rwanda was cancelled due to the intervention of the European Court of Human of Rights. By this stage the original flight list of 130 asylum seekers had been reduced to only 3. Those who were forced onto the plane shared their truly harrowing experiences about being threatened, kicked and pushed. The National Independent Commission on Enforced Removals (2012) set up by Citizens UK set up after the Jimmy Mbenga tragedy made recommendations to avoid this happening again and on how to treat people being deported with dignity and humanity. This is also Lib Dem policy since 2018. Sadly the current government is not interested in how asylum seekers are treated.
This ArmedForcesDay we show our support for the men and women who make up the Armed Forces community. From our currently serving troops, to Service families, Veterans, Reservists and Cadets.
Tenants in Chelmsford can feel assured that the council will challenge unfair or unsafe treatment by landlords, after it won a conviction in the courts.
The stunning Lib Dem parliamentary by-election win in Tiverton and Honiton was not the only win of the night. The Lib Dems also gained the Highley seat on Shropshire Council in a tough three-way fight, gaining more votes than the Conservatives and Labour combined.
£150 Council Tax Rebate - Shropshire Council have confirmed that the time frame set by Government for the payment of £150 Council Tax rebates is for payments to be made from April to September. For resients paying by Direct Debit Approx 77,000 residents qualify for payment as they pay by direct debit and over 74,000 have been paid so far. For those residents that do not pay by Direct Debit a letter will be sent requesting that an application is made.
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!”
