Climate Subgroup meeting postponed because of coronavirus #Manchester

The Weds 18th March meeting of Manchester City Council’s Climate Subgroup has been cancelled because of the coronavirus.

The meeting – the third of the group set up last year in the aftermath of the Climate Emergency Declaration – was due to discuss two papers: one about the City Council’s operational estate and one about the planning system.

A new date for the meeting has not yet been set. As soon as we know more (and offices have been proactive in communicating about the cancellation, and will be about the rescheduling), we will let you know.

CEM says:  This is not a surprise. Councillors have already been postponing meetings and surgeries. Given the uncertainty swirling around, and the absence of direction from central government, it is seems difficult decisions being left to individual committee/subgroup chairs to make.

The rescheduled meeting will be extensively publicised, and it may be that in the interim we all need to think about how we ‘do’ governance and scrutiny in times of extreme fear and uncertainty.

It’s up to climate-concerned activists to contribute to preparations around this.  Three obvious things come to mind as things to do during a crisis-

1) Doing some serious thinking and strategising (avoiding the Glasgow trap, which may be moot anyway)

2) Building our online network (and, yes, getting them to Sign The Petition)

3) Doing stuff for/with the most vulnerable to show what practical solidarity is (see @AcornManchester on Twitter for how to get involved locally).

so you have skills, knowledge and relationships for ‘after’.

 

If anyone wants to help CEM with these, please get in touch via contact@climateemergenecymanchester.net

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