Inverleith
Public Toilets in Inverleith Park
A new lease agreed at Ferranti Bowling Club will provide access to public toilets.
2 Feb 2023
Wera Hobhouse MP urges government to incentivise solar power
29 Feb 2024
Bedford wins “Toilet Twinned Town” status
In a stranger than usual public event held in the Changing Places accessible public toilet in River Street Car Park, two further toilets in Bedford were twinned, bringing the total to more than 20 in supporting Bedford Park Rotary Club's Toilet Twinning campaign, highlighting sanitation needs and improving sanitation across the globe. The other Borough Council twinned toilet is in Borough Hall
2 Feb 2023
Breaking News: Lib Dems win on Sewage
After nearly 18 months of campaigning at every level across our party, we Liberal Democrats have finally worn down the Government on sewage. "I have just tabled an amendment to the UK Infrastructure Bank Bill, which has just been passed in the House of Commons, with the Government standing down their opposition to our campaign", Lib Dem MP Richard Foord wrote on 1 Feb 2023. The amendment ensures that the Government's new Infrastructure Bank will not invest in water companies unless they produce a costed and time-limited plan to end sewage discharges into local rivers. The prospect of taxpayers' funds going to water companies who are paying their executives millions of pounds in bonuses, while permitting prolific sewage discharges is scandalous. Together, we have stopped this from happening. This is a victory for millions of people across the country who have voiced their outrage at water companies being allowed to get away with polluting rivers, lakes and coastlines. As the only political party tack
2 Feb 2023
Sewage win!
Lib Dem amendment passed in House of Commons. A step forward, but more needs doing.
2 Feb 2023
Lib Dem petition for action on sewage pollution
Richard Foord, Lib Dem MP for Tiverton & Honiton, has tabled an amendment to the UK Infrastructure Bank Bill and the Government...
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2 Feb 2023
Budget must support workers and services by ripping up social care centralisation and P1 testing plans
Speaking ahead of the Scottish Government’s budget debate, Scottish Liberal Democrat economy spokesperson Willie Rennie has today called on the Scottish Government to ditch divisive and expensive plans for centralising care services, national testing of P1 pupils and further papers on breaking up the UK, and use the money to invest in new pay deals for striking workers, investment in insulation and energy efficiency and tackling long Covid.
2 Feb 2023
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!”
