UPDATE: The report is now up (it wasn’t yesterday), buried at the bottom of one of the seven pages.

“View the latest quarterly report, which gives a snapshot of progress against our targets Manchester Quarter 2 2014/15 Internal Carbon Emissions Report.”

That scene from Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, where Arthur Dent is protesting about the Council knocking down his house comes to mind –

“But Mr Dent, the plans have been available in the local planning office for the last nine months.”

“Oh yes, well as soon as I heard I went straight round to see them, yesterday afternoon. You hadn’t exactly gone out of your way to call attention to them, had you? I mean, like actually telling anybody or anything.”

“But the plans were on display …”

“On display? I eventually had to go down to the cellar to find them.”

“That’s the display department.”

“With a flashlight.”

“Ah, well the lights had probably gone.”

“So had the stairs.”

“But look, you found the notice didn’t you?”

“Yes,” said Arthur, “yes I did. It was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying ‘Beware of the Leopard’.”

Please write to your three ward councillors (you can find out who they are here) and to Councillor Jeff Smith about the latest City Council climate failure. His email is cllr.j.smith@manchester.gov.uk

Here’s a sample letter (but please modify as you see fit).

Dear Councillors,

in February 2014 Councillor Kate Chappell promised that quarterly progress reports on the Council’s climate plan would be produced.

For whatever reason (and we were never informed), these did not occur. In mid-November, Councillor Jeff Smith wrote to several people assuring them that quarterly progress reports WOULD start to be produced and that the first one would be up “by the end of the month”.

It is now December 2nd. I cannot find any progress report on the Council’s website.

Why make a promise and then not keep it?

Yours in bemusement

Name

Address