Clash over Wimbledon tennis show court plans
Lib Dems fight to save Wimbledon Park from AELTC development.
10 Mar 2022
Wera Hobhouse MP urges government to incentivise solar power
29 Feb 2024
MP urges Government to waive visa rules for Ukrainian refugees
On the floor of the House of Commons this week South Lakes MP Tim Farron pressed ministers to remove requirements for Ukrainians fleeing war to have to apply for a visa in order to seek refuge in the UK.
10 Mar 2022
Guildford Stands with the people of Ukraine
Last week I wrote the open letter below to the Cllr Joss Bigmore (Leader) and Cllr Julia McShane (Deputy Leader) of Guildford Borough Council. In it, I asked a series of questions about how the action the Council is taking to stand with and support the people of Ukraine. I am grateful to Cllr Bigmore for responding to me within a matter of hours with responses to my queries.
ZF
10 Mar 2022
Mayor Dave approves £900,000 for accommodation support for rough sleepers
Bedford Borough Council has been awarded £900,000 to fund the provision of 10 long-term accommodation options for people sleeping rough. This follows another successful bid that funded a project to provide 20 units of emergency accommodation at Roger's Court, which was completed last year. Since 2017 there has been significant progress made by the Council to reduce the number of rough sleepers in the Borough. The latest statistics show that Bedford Borough was recorded as having two rough sleepers.
10 Mar 2022
'Medway City Estate roadworks - delayed, more traffic misery, and over budget' say the Lib Dems
*image - by alan wells
AWMLD
10 Mar 2022
Power to the People: The £150 Council Tax Rebate Energy Subsidy
I hugely support giving more support to families for their soaring energy bills at this time. Notices are arriving of eyewatering price increases from 1st April from almost all suppliers, and there is no sign that is going to change in the near future. Households need help, and they are going to need help over months and years, not just one-off payments.
10 Mar 2022
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!”
