Jo's Message for International Day of Persons with Disabilities
3rd December is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. A day set aside to promote the rights and well-being of...
3 Dec 2019
Wera Hobhouse MP urges government to incentivise solar power
29 Feb 2024
A “kick in the teeth” for rail passengers
Steve Gee and a local commuter outside Epsom station ...
3 Dec 2019
Green hero - Rebecca Hanson
Lib Dem Candidate for Bootle Councillor Rebecca Hanson is the Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Bootle constituency, a normally safe Labour seat, but there are both Conservative and Brexit candidates also standing, apart from the Green candidate.
KMLS
3 Dec 2019
Labour's old fashioned approach would destroy jobs. Liberal Democrats will protect workers' rights and encourage innovation
"If you're willing to work hard and play by the rules, you should have a secure job with proper rights and fair pay. But employment rights and protections haven't kept up with new technology and economic changes," says Nick Cott, Liberal Democrats candidate for Newcastle North..
3 Dec 2019
Bedford Soup Fest 2019
I was delighted to once again visit Bedford Soup Fest, now in it's third year.
3 Dec 2019
Figures reveal EU staff continue to leave key NHS roles at Royal Surrey Hospital
Brexit negatively impacts staff retention at Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust, the Liberal Democrats have warned. Figures published by the Liberal Democrats reveal that 78 EU staff working at Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust have already left the health service this year including 21 nurses and midwives. In the three years since the Brexit vote, 301 NHS staff from the EU have left the local trust. Staff departures from Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust are part of a worrying national trend: over 3,250 NHS staff from the EU have left the health service so far this year, including 1,116 nurses. The data, based on responses to Freedom of Information requests across 50 NHS hospital trusts, reveals that:
3 Dec 2019
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!”
