Manchester City Council’s bureaucrats have consistently assured councillors that it was “on target” to hit its 41% by 2020 carbon emissions reduction.
So, without any consultation with the wider community a group of councillors has put forward a motion to full Council on Wednesday that… blithely accepts the abandonment of the 41% target.
The council, in its “leadership” role, is now aiming for 27%. Which it will get by flogging off more buildings and keeping fingers crossed for warmer winters. Whether it also expects the city (whose business emissions are going up) to let itself of the hook, who can say. This is how the Council leads, it seems. And this is how our elected representatives holds the Executive and the bureaucracy to account.
Can abandonment of the “low carbon culture” goal be far behind?
manchester climate monthly 
Sisyphus: in Greek mythology Sisyphus (/ˈsɪsɪfəs/;[1] Greek: Σίσυφος, Sísyphos) was a king of Ephyra. He was punished for chronic deceitfulness by being compelled to roll an immense boulder up a hill, only to watch it roll back down, and to repeat this action forever. We know that this is clearly what Councillors do but what is it they are being punished for? And is it much of a punishment to get invited to lots of jollies, get paid expenses, get subsidised dinners and a tidy regular sum in exchange for attending meetings (when they do).
The 16 grand they get is flat rate – no expenses in addition. They do have to declare gifts etc.
There are loads of problems with the current set up. One of them is – no political opposition, so they just get away with murder. They are unwilling/unable to take on the Executive and the permanent bureaucracy, which just laughs in everyone’s face…
Sigh.
The key thing now,is to try to prepare ourselves/each other. The state is just broken…