Manchester City Council publishes a list of “big decisions they are making soon.”  They update that list pretty frequently.  Here’s a grab from the latest version;

Personally, I am betting very heavily AGAINST the appearance of the Green and Blue Infrastructure Strategy. Although it was promised as happening the following week by Council Leader Richard Leese at July full Council (while he was sneering at a Lib Dem for having the temerity to raise the question of Withington Green), the plan is one of those many waiting-for-godot style documents that’s been almost with us for, well, years. And when it does finally see the light of day, I think it’s safe to say that it will be somewhat underwhelming. And anyway,  hopefully it will be going to the relevant (in this case Neighbourhoods) Scrutiny Committee first, where members of the public have a better shot at asking questions of it than at Executive.

The discussion of the second item, the Carbon “Reduction” Plan should be HIGHLY entertaining (if it does indeed ever get to Executive. It should have in July, but didn’t. It should have in September, but didn’t.)

This is a document that tried (and failed) to spin a 1.8% increase in emissions from council activities as a 7 percent decrease. This is a document that uses 2009/10 as a baseline instead of 2005, as per the Climate Change Action Plan. This is a debacle.  If it weren’t tragic, it would be a comedy (a Feydeau farce that has us all keeling over in the aisles, p’haps?)

The  Executive meets, in public, on Weds 23rd October at 10am in the Town Hall. The agenda for that meeting, which may or may not include the above items, will go up the council’s website on Weds 16th or so. Watch this space…

Marc Hudson
mcmonthly@gmail.com