2020.07.22 NESC Briefing Paper 
On Wednesday 22nd July at 2pm the Neighbourhoods and Environment Scrutiny Committee (NESC) of Manchester City Council meets online – it will be webcast here . One of the items on the agenda is a purported update on the Council’s own climate plans and those for the city. As with past reports of this nature, there are many many questions left unanswered.
On Wednesday 22nd July at 2pm the Neighbourhoods and Environment Scrutiny Committee (NESC) of Manchester City Council meets online – it will be webcast here . One of the items on the agenda is a purported update on the Council’s own climate plans and those for the city. As with past reports of this nature, there are many many questions left unanswered.CEM has collated some of these in a briefing note which you can download as a pdf.
Key questions include
- Appendix 4. Ref 1.12 (p6) on the new Manchester Local Plan notes that MCC will ‘consider timetable for next steps in light of C19’.
- When will a decision be taken on this new timetable and will the citizens who participated in the first phase consultation be notified?
- Appendix 4, Ref 2.6 (p11) on a revised city centre transport strategy includes an ‘aim to launch a more detailed consultation in the summer’.
- Is there any update on the timetable for this, given that this document is under discussion in late July?
- What provision will be made to engage with residents for whom English is not their first language?
- Appendix 4, Ref 3.1 and 5.2 (p14).
- Please provide a list of the projects in which the additional 10% social weighting was piloted
- When will the additional 30% social weighting become mandatory, given that the trial has been deemed successful?
- Appendix 4, Ref 5.4 (pg24)
- What research is being carried out by MCCA to reach out to communities? The “Agency” has had 5 years to conduct research. Has it done so in the past? What were the results? “Further research” may be being used to defer action.
- How do the ward plans reference climate change? When will the ward plans be published and how many drew on meetings/consultation of ward residents?
- One Neighbourhood Investment Fund project will have a climate change theme. How many NIF projects are typically supported? I.e. what would one NIF project represent as a fraction or percentage?
Some of these may get asked by councillors. Some of these may receive actual answers (as distinct from waffly non-answer replies).
Ultimately there is an urgent need for a seventh scrutiny committee, dedicated to climate and environment policy. We at CEM have set up a petition on the City Council’s website calling for this – anyone who lives, works or studies within Manchester City Council’s boundaries can sign it. Please share it widely with anyone who is eligible.
Tonight (Monday 20th July) at 8pm CEM holds an online meeting of its own version of the NESC (standing for “Necessary Extra Scrutiny and Carping Capacity Building”) We are holding these on the Monday evening at the beginning of every week there are meetings of the Council’s six scrutiny committees. If you want to attend, please email us on contact@climateemergencymanchester.net We talk about what the Council is (and isn’t) doing, about what CEM is up to – we would love to have you attend, and get involved in the petition, or the Active Citizenship Toolkit.
