
Ron re-elected Lib Dem Leader in Gateshead
Liberal Democrat Councillor for Low Fell, Ron Beadle, has been re-elected as Leader of the party and Opposition on Gateshead Council.
Liberal Democrat Councillor for Low Fell, Ron Beadle, has been re-elected as Leader of the party and Opposition on Gateshead Council.
The Indian government has said that the agreed trade deal with the UK has secured an “unprecedented achievement” through negotiating an exemption for Indian workers and their employers from paying national insurance contributions.
Orkney and Shetland MP, Alistair Carmichael, has today welcomed news that a challenge to UK bans on commercial fishing for sandeels in the North Sea has been dismissed in court.
Cllr Rachel Bentley has demanded the Chancellor ‘immediately scrap her jobs tax’ as new research revealed that employees in Southwark face an estimated hit of more than £4000.
Many of you will be aware that the council is currently consulting on a new round of 'school streets', where roads are closed outside of schools at drop off and pickup times, outside a number of schools.
Today, Wednesday 7th May, a group of esteemed legal experts have shared their views on Liam McArthur MSP’s Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill with MSPs.
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!”