The Liberal Democrats introduced a Bill on Tuesday 1 September calling on the Government to offer indefinite leave to remain to foreign nationals currently working in the health and social care sectors.
Another packed Trowbridge Town Council Meeting. Trowbridge Town Council Toilets proposal for Trowbridge Park was passed this evening and their New Behaviour Policy adopted, in line with councils across the U.K. to ensure both council and residents are protected from abusive and vexatious behaviours. Why is such a policy needed? Organisations want to deal with complainants in ways that are open, fair and proportionate. A considered, policy-led approach helps staff to understand clearly what is expected of them, what options for action are available, and who can authorise these actions. A policy that can be shared with complainants if they start to behave unreasonably can help in managing their expectations and their behaviour, as far as possible, while the substance of their complaint is addressed. A policy we hope will be rarely used and councillors will be able to request a report quarterly to monitor its usage. The policy passed with with 7-2-0 though It's unfortunate that not all councillors appr
Over 70 health organisations and alliances send a joint statement to the Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Health Sec Matt Hancock and the interim leadership of Public Health England (PHE), raising serious concerns about the reorganisation of public health now underway. This follows recent announcements that PHE will cease to exist by April next year and be replaced by the National Institute of Health Protection. The statement is endorsed by organisations including the Association of Directors of Public Health, the Royal Society for Public Health, the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, the BMA, the Smokefree Action Coalition, and the Richmond Group of health and care charities. It warns: 'Organisational change is difficult and can be damaging at the best of times and these are not the best of times. A seamless transition from the current to the new system is essential.'
Derbyshire Dales District Council meet via Zoom on Wednesday 2nd September. They are tasked with making choices on both a future permanent traveller site and a temporary 'tolerated' site so the traveller family in question have somewhere to stay whilst the permanent site is prepared.
Liberal Democrats are fighting to give NHS and care staff from other countries the right to stay in the UK. Like the rest of our wonderful NHS and care staff, hundreds of thousands of people from other countries are on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic, putting themselves in harm's way to make sure we get the care we need.
Recent spells of heavy rain have revealed failings in the way in which the County Council maintains the road side drains and gullies, with flooding of roadside properties in Ashwell, Radwell and Weston amongst others.
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!”
