Lib Dem Women
Brighton Conference 2018
The 2018 autumn conference directory is now out and looking busier than ever.
14 Aug 2018
Wera Hobhouse MP urges government to incentivise solar power
29 Feb 2024
People's Vote in Tunbridge Wells
Wealden LibDems joined with Tunbridge Wells LibDems to campaign for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal in Tunbridge Wells centre on Saturday.
14 Aug 2018
EU support growing.
A robust poll conducted by the Guardian Newspaper shows that Manchester voters would reject Brexit in even greater numbers today than when the referendum took place in 2016. The poll shows that the remain vote:
14 Aug 2018
Government must set better tax rules for multinationals.
The news that Amazon has doubled its profits made in the UK while reducing its tax bill has been greeted with outrage by some.
13 Aug 2018
Gloucester MP asked to apologise over immigrant bins slur
There are calls for Gloucester MP Richard Graham to apologise after he suggested immigrants could not use dustbins. In one of his regular emails to constituents the Conservative Member of Parliament called for an "education programme for immigrants not used to urban recycling". He has been condemned by Dr Rebecca Trimnell, his Liberal Democrat opponent at the next General Election, who called on him to apologise. Mr Graham's comments were made in the week in which former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson was accused of Islamophobia after saying Muslim women wearing burkas "look like letter boxes". The Gloucester MP sent the email last week to welcome a further step forward towards the closure of Hempsted tip. He said the opening next year of the new Javelin Park incinerator would mean that all of Stroud and Gloucester's waste would no longer go to landfill. "Of course that isn't the end of the story, although a hugely significant change," he wrote. "There is still more work in our city (and all of our county to
13 Aug 2018
Pride in the Gay Village!
Shock news that 2018 may be the last year that Manchester's Gay Village will host the main stage of Manchester's world-famous Pride festival has been greeted with anger by the City's LGBT+ communities. Unfortunately, such a devastating move has been inevitable since Manchester Labour Councillors voted through the Portland Street Planning Framework and gave permission to build hotels and towers on the space used by Pride and other Village events.
13 Aug 2018
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!”
