Environment
"It’s like 2007 again" – outrage as Lincoln’s inadequate flood defences fail to protect residents
Flood defence fail in Lincoln
21 Oct 2023
Wera Hobhouse MP urges government to incentivise solar power
29 Feb 2024
Schools left in "term of paralysis" - Southwark failures laid bare by parents and teachers at education committee
A lack of communication and some actively harmful policy decisions form the council have made life harder for struggling schools and nurseries in Southwark.
21 Oct 2023
Local Liberal Democrats concerned over lack of public toilets
“Public toilets have been one of the important things that have been been hit by the salami slicing cuts local communities have had from the SNP Scottish Government over the last decade."
21 Oct 2023
Conservatives plan to add £53 million to borrowing will cost Council £5 million every year
Councillors were left astonished by the cost of the Conservatives planned £53 million of borrowing at a meeting. The Finance Portfolio Holder indicated that it would cost the Council around £5 million every year to pay for interest payments.
20 Oct 2023
Otley & Yeadon
Otley Liberal Democrat Councillor's Condemn Sainsbury's Decision to Remove Recycling Points
The Otley & Yeadon Lib Dem councillors, have strongly condemned Sainsbury's recent decision to remove recycling points from its stores across the country including Otley and the detrimental impact it will have on local recycling efforts.
CSL
20 Oct 2023
Patients waiting lists up 51% for diagnostic tests in Cambridgeshire
NHS waiting lists in Cambridgeshire for basic diagnostic tests - including MRI and CT scans - grew by 51% between June 2019 and July 2023, up to 28,820
IS
20 Oct 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!”
