Open letter in #Manchester Evening News calling for “strongest possible action” by Council

Sixteen different groups have signed an open letter calling on Manchester City Council to put forward the “strongest possible set of proposals” when the revamped scrutiny committees are agreed at the next meeting of Full Council on Wednesday 31st March. They range from grassroots campaigning groups like Whalley Range Climate Action, through campaigns for tenants rights (Acorn), social enterprises (Kindling) to Manchester Museum.

We are dead proud of them all.

When the Council releases the text of their proposed rejig (which may not be until Weds 24th March, or even later), we will look at it closely. Unless the remit for the Climate Scrutiny Committee explicitly includes the whole city’s emissions, we will be asking you to contact your councillors with a “this isn’t good enough, please amend” message. This video explains more –

6 thoughts on “Open letter in #Manchester Evening News calling for “strongest possible action” by Council”

  1. I’m desperately trying to catch up.
    What are the source(s) of your carbon emission data for Manchester City Council, All Manchester, All Greater Manchester? Is the answer the Tyndal website?
    What are the source(s) of planned/projected/ promised carbon emission reduction data for All Manchester, All GM, each GM authority? I find nothing on manchester.gov website.
    Is any GM authority doing better than Manchester?
    What role has Mariana Mazzucato played in carbon emission reduction plans in Manchester?

    1. Hi John – answers (or replies!) inline

      I’m desperately trying to catch up.
      What are the source(s) of your carbon emission data for Manchester City Council, All Manchester, All Greater Manchester? Is the answer the Tyndal website?We

      Manchester City Council is always keen to boast about the reduction in emissions since 2010, (53 per cent), but very very unwilling to talk about the reasons for the reduction https://twitter.com/mcr_climate/status/1369768913098178562 In any case, the Council’s own emissions are not the main game – they are only 2 per cent of the City’s actual emissions.
      The all Manchester numbers, the quarter of the budget blown is from the Manchester Climate Change “Agency” (not actually an Agency) annual report. You can see our report on it, with appropriate screengrab – here https://climateemergencymanchester.net/2020/07/21/official-figures-against-13-reduction-target-manchester-achieves-4-uses-1-4-of-21st-century-budget-in-2-years/
      Greater Manchester – all ten LAs – is not something we as CEM do much about. We are a small, entirely voluntary group, and all but one of us live within Manchester City COuncil’s boundaries. But there is an enormous “gap” between what they promise and admit needs to happen and what is actually happening – https://manchesterclimatemonthly.net/2019/04/03/the-mayors-green-summit-another-point-of-view/

      Tyndall won’t probably have the detail you’re looking for, I suspect…

      What are the source(s) of planned/projected/ promised carbon emission reduction data for All Manchester, All GM, each GM authority? I find nothing on manchester.gov website.

      The manchester.gov.uk is an abomination, a feeble joke. We don’t have capacity to keep up to speed on all the various promises and plans. We did a report last year, and if we get around to it, we will do another https://climateemergencymanchester.net/2020/03/12/cem-publishes-first-greater-manchester-report/

      Is any GM authority doing better than Manchester?
      Don’t know. Salford would say yes they are. Depends what you mean by “better.” And if you mean councils or LAs. IN the production of glossy promises, Manchester rules supreme.

      What role has Mariana Mazzucato played in carbon emission reduction plans in Manchester?
      None that I am aware of. Why do you ask?

      Marc Hudson

      1. Hi Marc
        Thank you for your reply. I was pleased to hear that you had some difficulty in keeping up with MCC climate plans, it made me feel better. Meanwhile I searched MEN for archived articles and conclude that an early 2020 CEM report re MCC’s performance might also be useful for me. So I have plenty to do.
        I believe you sought respite in Oz for a time while I retreated to my allotment in a Candide mood. However in early Feb this year I was electrified on reading the following paragraph in Mariana Mazzucato’s latest book ‘Mission Economy: a moonshot guide to changing capitalism’: “We have worked with policymakers worldwide on transformative projects…such as setting up a public bank in Scotland, rethinking innovation policy tools for the European Commission, and developing a carbon-neutral policy for the city of Manchester” (page xiv in the acknowledgements). I then decided I needed to do some catching up.
        After some MCC and MEN searches (GMCA’s website has no search facility) I was eventually linked to this 88-page report on the GMCA website: “5-year Environment Plan for Greater Manchester 2019-2024”. This is an interesting report, professional, rather thorough, well-structured, and said to be a synthesis of the many recent Manchester environment documents. It contains Tyndall data, and it cites UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose which is Mazzucato’s academic home. Though Mariana’s name is absent, her fingerprints are there. I’m still mulling over aspects of this document.
        I bought The Times today (Thursday 18 March) as well as The Guardian. The climate change articles (plural) in The Times are worth reading, have a Bill Gates flavour, and the focus group surveys are bleak. Looking out for letters.
        John Watson

        1. Thanks John. The Mazzucato thing is interesting – but in our experience, councils and authorities are keen to get a high profile academic or centre “on board” and then use it as a figleaf, or try to acquire its gravitas via a sort of halo effect.

          Sorry to be so cynical, but a decade of watching how they operate has left me cold…

          Marc

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