22Apr 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Government must set a roadmap to net zero with new Minister

Government must set a roadmap to net zero with new Minister

Parliamentary news
Liberal Democrats are calling for a new local and national government strategy to achieve net zero carbon emissions in the UK. In a debate in the House of Lords, Liberal Democrat Peer Lord Teverson called on the Government to set a proper roadmap for local authorities as well as the government in Westminster to meet targets, and demand the creation of a new Minister for the Climate Emergency to oversee targets being met. There has been no government department explicitly dedicated to tackling the climate emergency since Theresa May scrapped the Department for Energy and Climate Change in 2016. Lord Teverson, who is leading a debate in the House of Lords Grand Committee, has argued that the Government needs more bravery when it comes to climate change, particularly in light…
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22Apr 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Green Homes Grants: Government failed to take cutting emissions seriously

Green Homes Grants: Government failed to take cutting emissions seriously

Parliamentary news
Responding to the Green Homes Grant statistics, which show there were just 113,700 applications for the grant, only 10,300 measures were installed and just 6,700 homes actually received the money from the scheme, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for the Climate Emergency Wera Hobhouse MP said: “The Green Homes Grant has been a complete failure, as predicted right from the beginning. The Conservatives have simply failed to take the issue of upgrading our poor quality homes seriously. “From the very beginning the Green Homes Grant was short-termist, poorly thought out and suffered chronic mismanagement. Rather than taking the issue of cutting emissions seriously, the Tories engaged in the worst kind of tokenistic politics. “Liberal Democrats are calling for a ten year plan to upgrade our homes, backed up with significant government funds.…
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21Apr 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
New climate change targets are Tory lip service

New climate change targets are Tory lip service

Parliamentary news
In reaction to the Government's announcement this afternoon on new climate change targets, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for the Climate Emergency, Wera Hobhouse MP, said: "The Conservative Government are already miles off track to achieve their pitiful net zero by 2050 targets and we are yet to see anything but bombast and bluster from Boris when it comes to actually taking the action necessary. "These new targets are just another in a long line of announcements where the Tories are simply paying lip service to tackling the climate crisis. "In the last few months they’ve scrapped the Green Homes Grant, that helped people cut emissions from their homes, and have cut incentives for buying new electric vehicles. "Liberal Democrats believe the time for climate action is now. The Tories should be…
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19Apr 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Sykes seeks commitment to make Greater Manchester pension fund ‘Green’

Sykes seeks commitment to make Greater Manchester pension fund ‘Green’

Borough news
Local Liberal Democrat Councillors have begun the fight to make the Greater Manchester Pension Fund, one of the largest municipal pension funds in the UK, ‘green’. The Oldham Liberal Democrats first proposed that Oldham Council declare a Climate Emergency and were delighted to support the Administration’s ambition to achieve carbon-neutrality for Oldham Council by 2025 and for the Borough by 2030. In March Group Leader, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE wrote to the Council’s representative on the Greater Manchester Pension Fund management advisory board calling for it ‘to rapidly divest from fossil fuels’. He has yet to receive a reply nearly a month later. In March 2019, the Greater Manchester Pension Fund held investments of £1.71 billion in fossil fuel companies and funds. The biggest holdings are in BP and Shell.…
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08Apr 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
‘Don’t be a Fool in April, reuse your shopping bags’, says Sykes

‘Don’t be a Fool in April, reuse your shopping bags’, says Sykes

Borough news
Oldham’s Liberal Democrats welcome the increased charge for single use plastic carrier bags introduced on 1 April. All retailers, regardless of how big they are, will now have to charge customers 10p for a bag. Liberal Democrat Group Leader, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, said: “Environmental issues are incredibly important to Liberal Democrats, as they are for the general public. Who doesn’t feel angry and upset when they see the plastic detritus that is choking our oceans and killing our marine life? “The Liberal Democrats were glad when the 5p plastic bag charge was introduced at our bigger stores. It has already had a massive effect on the number of single-use plastic bags in circulation. Extending the charge to all stores and doubling it will make even more shoppers think twice…
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31Mar 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
COP26 delay: Fight against climate crisis cannot wait

COP26 delay: Fight against climate crisis cannot wait

Parliamentary news
Responding to the latest reports of a delay to COP26 until Spring 2022, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for the Climate Emergency, Wera Hobhouse MP commented: “Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government for immediate clarification over the potential delay to COP26. It is deeply unfair to leave developing nations in the lurch with so many conflicting reports about the future of the COP. "The strongest efforts must be made to keep the COP on track for this year to ensure more time is not lost in the fight against the climate crisis. If another delay to the Spring is unavoidable, then the Conservative Government must guarantee that developing nations and NGOs have the same access to the negotiations as usual.”
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30Mar 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Lib Dems fight to stop Government gutting fuel poverty scheme

Lib Dems fight to stop Government gutting fuel poverty scheme

Parliamentary news
Seventy-one Liberal Democrats MPs, Peers and Council Group Leaders have written to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to oppose the Government's plans to gut a critical scheme allowing energy inefficient homes to access grants. The Government is poised to remove social housing and rented accommodation from eligibility for the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme and impose prescriptive measures on how improvements must be carried out. This means that even fewer homes are likely to be upgraded, particularly given the failure of the Green Homes Grant. The Liberal Democrats are calling for the cancellation of these changes to ensure that those most in need of help do not lose the opportunity to access these grants. Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Sarah Olney…
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27Mar 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Time to retire fossil fuels: Liberal Democrats want pension fund to go green

Time to retire fossil fuels: Liberal Democrats want pension fund to go green

Borough news
Oldham’s Liberal Democrats are backing the Fossil Fuel Greater Manchester campaign in asking the Greater Manchester Pension Fund, the largest of its kind in the country, to go green and ditch investments in coal, gas and coal. Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on Oldham Council, wrote recently to the Council’s representative on the board of the pension fund, Labour Deputy Leader Councillor Abdul Jabbar MBE, asking for his help in making this request a reality. Councillor Sykes explained: “In light of the long-term threat posed to our natural environment and humanity by climate change, Oldham Council has like many others declared a climate emergency and has set ambitious goals to become a carbon neutral local authority by 2025 and a carbon neutral borough by 2030.…
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12Mar 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Cumbria coal mine inquiry welcomed by Lib Dems

Cumbria coal mine inquiry welcomed by Lib Dems

Parliamentary news
Tim Farron MP, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has welcomed reports that the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government has decided to call in plans for the controversial West Cumbria coal mine. The Liberal Democrats have led calls for the plans for the deep coal mine to be axed because of environmental concerns. A local public inquiry will now be launched. Tim Farron MP said: "It's fantastic news that the Government have at long last finally woken up to the fact that this mine would be an almighty backwards step in our fight against climate change. "In the year that Britain hosts COP26, it is blindingly obvious that we won't be taken seriously on the world stage with this coal mine hanging…
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10Mar 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Air passenger duty: Odd one out at COP26

Air passenger duty: Odd one out at COP26

Parliamentary news
Responding to reports the Government plans to cut air passenger duty on UK domestic flights, Sarah Olney MP, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Business, Trade, and Transport, said: “Britain will be laughed at on the world stage if we decide to hike rail fares then cut the cost of UK air travel in the same month. At a time when other countries are encouraging more people to take trains, Britain’s strategy will be the complete opposite. We will be the odd one out at our very own COP26 summit. “It speaks volumes about this Government’s green credentials, that it’s determined to find creative solutions to cut the costs of taking internal flights yet shows no desire to help rail passengers who get hit with annual price hikes. “Any help for aviation…
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