| “As a constituent of yours, I urge you to support Max Wilkinson’s upcoming Private Members Bill on ‘New Homes (Solar Generation)’, on the 17th January. The Bill would ensure all new homes are fitted with solar panels – at last. The countryside is under unprecedented threat. There are new proposals in the pipeline to cover 17,000 acres of South-West Norfolk with solar panels – taking the equivalent of more than 50 farms out of production in the nation’s ‘breadbasket’. Already some 30 Devon farms have been lost in this way, in the region that, along with the East of England, provides the lion’s share of the UK’s food. Yet research from CPRE (The Campaign to Protect Rural England) shows that 60% of the UK’s solar targets could be delivered on rooftops by 2035 and 160% by 2050. This bill is pivotal for unlocking the power of rooftop solar, setting the UK on the road to achieving its clean power target without the lazy, cheap option of covering our farmland with glass. I am sure you will commit to supporting the Sunshine Bill on the 17th January.” | 