Helen shows support for Back British Farming Day
North Shropshire MP Helen Morgan has shown her support for the National Farmers’ Union Back British Farming Day, wearing the wool and wheatsheaf pin badge in the House of Commons.
13 Sep 2023
Wera Hobhouse MP urges government to incentivise solar power
29 Feb 2024
Nutrient Neutrality: Lib Dems to vote against removing water pollution rules
Today in the House of Lords, the Liberal Democrats are voting against the Secretary of Housing Michael Gove’s plan to remove EU anti-water pollution laws- so called ‘nutrient neutrality’ rules in order to build more houses.
13 Sep 2023
GDP stats: Sunak has failed to get a grip on the economy
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13 Sep 2023
Govt may have broken law over sewage: "Environmental vandalism on an industrial scale"
Responding to the news that the UK’s environment watchdog, the Office for Environmental Protection, has said that the government may have broken the law over how it regulated sewage releases, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:
13 Sep 2023
Open discussion - Election monitoring - 4th October 1:30 to 3pm
Hear about how elections are run, or not run, in other countries. Experiences during other elections.
13 Sep 2023
Alistair Carmichael - Westminster
Carmichael calls for 1 gigawatt goal for tidal stream capacity
Orkney and Shetland MP, Alistair Carmichael, has challenged the Minister for Energy Security and Net Zero to support an increased rollout of tidal schemes and to set a new goal of 1 gigawatt of deployed tidal stream capacity.
13 Sep 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!”
