Mike Redfern 2023
Wirral resident Mike is 53 years old and works for IBM UK. He is married to Jan and has a grown up son, Stephen.
MR
13 Apr 2023
Wera Hobhouse MP urges government to incentivise solar power
29 Feb 2024
Milton Keynes
Thousands of children and young people enjoy free activities during Easter break
Thousands of local children and young people enjoyed free activity sessions during the Easter break thanks to a programme developed and funded by Milton Keynes City Council.
13 Apr 2023
Last chance to register to vote and reminder about photo ID
On Thursday 4 May this year, local elections are taking place in Bedford Borough.
13 Apr 2023
Arnie on Potholes
Brentwood Liberal Democrats have demanded that Conservative Essex County Council match film star Arnold Schwarzenegger in patching up road holes in his Brentwood neighbourhood.
13 Apr 2023
Health crisis: Mayor Dave continues fight for better GP services
Mayor Dave Hodgson is leading Bedford Borough Liberal Democrats' calls for better health facilities for residents. Mayor Dave is calling for a fair deal for Bedford Borough after figures reveal patients per GP have increased by 18% since 2016 in the Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes area. Meanwhile the number of GP surgeries in the East of England and the Midlands has decreased by 115 since 2019.
13 Apr 2023
Are your Local Conservatives to blame for National Conservative Policies? They don't want you to think so.
Jamie Christie, Lib Dem candidate for Leomansley in the Lichfield District and City Council elections on 4 May writes "Across the country, including in Lichfield and Burntwood, Conservative Party candidates in the 4 May local elections are describing themselves on ballot papers as 'Local Conservatives'. While local election candidates in Liz Truss's constituency can perhaps be forgiven for wanting to spare themselves the embarrassment of being associated with the former Prime Minister's party, Conservative party associations in Hampshire, Nottinghamshire, and elsewhere seem similarly keen to put some distance between themselves and the national party. The practice has become so widespread that - ironically enough - it's presumably been sanctioned at the national level. Nor is this a brand-new phenomenon; in a 2022 local election in Hartlepool, a 'Local Conservative' begged voters 'please don't punish local Conservatives for the mistakes made in Westminster'. The attempt to pretend that your local Conservati
13 Apr 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!”
