Weekly Coronavirus figures for Bedford Borough published
The latest weekly coronavirus snapshot for Bedford Borough has been published.
19 Sep 2021
Wera Hobhouse MP urges government to incentivise solar power
29 Feb 2024
Bobby Dean
Over 18,000 children in Carshalton & Wallington would benefit under Lib Dem Catch-Up Voucher plan
Parents of 18,502 children in Carshalton & Wallington would receive vouchers worth £200 a year to spend on catch-up classes and educational activities, under plans announced by the Liberal Democrats.
19 Sep 2021
Empowering parents with catch-up vouchers for every school child - radical new policy announced by Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats Leader Ed Davey has announced a new flagship education policy on the third day of the party's conference - Catch-Up Vouchers for all school children.
19 Sep 2021
Lib Dem Conference: Day 2
Day Two of #LDConf down and members have voted to: Support children and care leavers: libdems.org.uk/a21-f10-children-in-care-and-care-leavers Tackle the climate crisis: libdems.org.uk/a21_climate_crisis Condemn the Chinese genocide of Uyghur people: libdems.org.uk/a21_uyghur_human_rights Members also: Reaffirmed support for the Assisted Dying Bill: libdems.org.uk/f15-end-of-life-care Voted to protect patients health data: libdems.org.uk/f16-protecting-patients-health-data and finally heard from @libdemdaisy: libdems.org.uk/a21-f13-daisy-cooper-speech
18 Sep 2021
Greening policy at the Lib Dem Conference
Pippa Heylings speaking on a Fairer, Greener More Caring Society
PH
18 Sep 2021
News in brief from across Longlevens
Councillor Linda Castle has joined local residents in litter picking at Plock Court. "I was pleased to help the community clear Plock Court of litter. We collected nearly a dozen bags of rubbish. My thanks to all those that took part." H markings are to be reinstated on Oxstalls Way, and road markings are to be installed for a roundabout on Thistlebank, Sarah Sawyer reports. There will also be additional traffic management in Plock Court when major events are being held at the tennis centre. A bus stop on Cheltenham Road is to be moved and the markings realigned. The Lib Dem team are working on getting better disabled access in The Triangle. A parking consultation has been launched in Kingsholm, which could affect residents living on Estcourt Road, Estcourt Close and Alderman Road. Please have you say. The Lib Dems are also working with the Gala Wilton and Longlevens FC sports teams to find extra football pitches which are desperately needed in Longlevens. An application for a fast-food van in Estcourt Road h
18 Sep 2021
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!”
