Reacting the news that local MP Sajid Javid has taken up a role as a senior advisor at the bank JPMorgan, Bromsgrove Lib Dems have called for Mr Javid to prioritise the people of Bromsgrove or stand aside.
In reply to a question from Cllr Steve Oldrieve, Toby Sturgis, the cabinet member for planning at Wiltshire Council, has admitted that neither he nor his officers twigged that a planning failure had occurred at the council until a planning inspector brought it to their attention.
Commenting on the news that A-level and GCSE students will be given grades estimated by their teachers, rather than by an algorithm, South Lakes MP Tim Farron said: "This is a very welcome U-turn from the Government - but it really shouldn't have taken all this time for them to wake up to the reality of the mess they have created.
South Lakes MP Tim Farron has urged local NHS commissioners to intervene to make sure that patients in Windermere and Bowness have access to a reliable GP practice ahead of a crunch meeting to decide the future of Goodly Dale surgery.
Commenting on the news this morning from that GCSE results in Northern Ireland will be solely based on grades provided by teachers, South Lakes MP Tim Farron said: "Over the last few days my inbox has been inundated with heart-breaking stories of young people in the South Lakes failing to get into universities to help them get a career that they'd set their hearts on.
South Lakes MP Tim Farron has called the Government's approach to A-level grades 'shambolic' as disruption turns into distress for hundreds of sixth form students across the South Lakes.
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!”
