Candidate Profile: Jill Caudle
Jill Caudle standing for Nadder Valley
1 May 2021
Wera Hobhouse MP urges government to incentivise solar power
29 Feb 2024
The Mayor of Chesterfield for 2021 to 2022, Councillor Glenys Falconer
Councillor Glenys Falconer has been officially sworn into her extended term in office as Chesterfield's 380th Mayor, at...
1 May 2021
Wiltshire College is national finalist
Wiltshire College & University Centre is a national finalist in the fourth FE Week and AELP AAC Apprenticeship Awards 2021.
30 Apr 2021
Straight to the top: Newcastle Liberal Democrats take practical plan to Prime Minster after shock announcement of closure of Nestle's Fawdon factory while Labour mulls "talks about talks" next week
Dear Prime Minister I hope that your staff have briefed you about the further body blow to the Newcastle and North East manufacturing base which came today with the sudden announcement of the closure of the Nestle confectionery factory in Fawdon. This letter is sent on behalf of myself and my Fawdon and West Gosforth Ward colleagues who represent the area in which the plant is located and many of the 600 workers, and the Opposition Group of Liberal Democrats on Newcastle City Council, of which I am the Leader. The economic strategy you have set your hand to is one of leveling up. Before the pandemic, the North East still had a surplus on its regional balance of payments in manufactures - the only UK region which had this. So I make specific proposals for your Government to implement as a matter of urgency to offset this hugely damaging plant closure should it go ahead. A few years ago, Sanofi closed down on an adjacent site and Crown Packaging nearby moved away, with the loss of large numbers of good qual
30 Apr 2021
Pot hole issues
Our roads are once again filled with pot holes after winter. Empress Liberal Democrat campaigner Leola Card says ' I had reported a number of pot holes in roads in recent weeks and was dismayed to find a reply on one of them that the pot holes in this particular road were 'not a safety defect and did not meet the new criteria. Whilst they said they would montior the situation no action would be taken currently. I am surprised that there appears to be a new standard and that only some pot holes will be fixed.' Your local Liberal Democrats will be montioring this also and if we have more Liberal Democrats on Hampshire County Council we can raise this and many other issues and try to get answers.
LC
30 Apr 2021
Plans for the Bank Holiday? Stay Safe, Stay Outside!
Residents are being asked to take care and continue to follow Hands, Face, Space and Fresh Air advice this bank holiday weekend, following a rise in cases of Coronavirus in Bedford Borough.
30 Apr 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!”
