The campaign to see more solar energy in our town is taking several steps forward.
As you read this, I will be attending a Solar summit with stakeholders and businesses to try and see how we can work together to get more of this renewable energy installed.
First and foremost, Eastbourne is one of the sunniest spots in the UK. The Met Office has confirmed our town receives 183 hours of sunshine a month. That’s twice as much as Scotland.
Other good news is the cost of solar has fallen by 50% in the last few years and solar generates 4% of UK electricity.
It is estimated suitable rooftops in Eastbourne can generate significant solar energy on the industrial estates, places I think would be best for the technology. I have met with owners previously to discuss initial thoughts.
There is much work to do. An initiative like this will take time, thought, and finance. However, the summit is designed to bring stakeholders and businesses together to look at how it can be done.
Putin’s war has shown we must develop our energy security. Solar has a part to play, especially on the sunny south coast.
Very concerning research from the Centre for Social Justice this week found two million out of nine million pupils in England are failing to attend school regularly.
Between January 2020 and July 2021 British children were out of school for 44% of school days. Much of this is due to the pandemic with more children home schooled or simply lost to the school system. This is a tragedy and it must be tackled. The biggest driver for getting out of poverty is education. I have no issue with homeschooling but the numbers now need to be monitored to ensure children are best served in this way. Moving forward, my hope is the Education Select Committee I sit on will quickly investigate this pressing issue.
The Government must also continue with funding catch up initiatives for those pupils affected by pandemic disruption.
