[UPDATE – if you’re coming here because of a LinkedIn post, please email mcmonthly@gmail.com with the details of it! I am #curious.]
The board of the Greater Manchester “Low Carbon Hub” (LCH), which aims to guide the city to a low carbon future… has not done its “carbon literacy training.”
The LCH has been existence for 5 years (it was known as the “Environment Commission”, before a meaningless rebranding of the type Manchester excels at). It is allegedly there to drive the low carbon economy, (inward investment mostly, it seems), drive retrofitting of houses (awkward now that the Green Deal has collapsed) and push for a ‘low carbon culture’, including carbon literacy training.
“Carbon Literacy Training” was spruiked in 2009 as one way that Manchester would develop a ‘low carbon culture’. The “Manchester Climate Change Action Plan” of 2009 set a goal that everyone who lived, worked or studied in Manchester (roughly 1 million people) would have received a day’s “Carbon Literacy Training” by the end of 2013. In mid-2015 it was revealed that so far the number was… 5 thousand. Oops.
Now, an investigation by Manchester Climate Monthly has revealed that, with the exception of the person who co-created “Carbon Literacy”, no-one on the crushingly white Low Carbon Hub board has as yet done the training
We contacted all of the members of the board, via email, twitter of phone call.
The new chair of the Board, Sue Derbyshire, who also leads Stockport Council stated “I hope I remain open to learning new things and in fact enjoy that, however as an individual I am not motivated by completing courses and receiving certification for knowledge, although I acknowledge that has a role for many people and organisations.”
Robin Lawler, chair of Northwards Housing, told us via twitter that he would be completing the training on February 18.
Helen Smith, of TfGM (Transport for Greater Manchester) told us “I am new to the Board and to date have not had the opportunity to undertake the training. I am on the list for the next opportunity, which I hope will be soon.”
Mark Atherton, who has performed secretariat functions for both the LCH and its predecessor stated that “I can confirm that I have not been blessed with the opportunity for carbon literacy training.”
The following people did not reply to emails sent on 24 January
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Steve Rumbelow |
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Julian Packer |
j.packer@manchester.gov.uk |
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Anne Selby |
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Prof Nigel Mellors University of Salford |
n.j.mellors@salford.ac.uk |
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Cllr Eunice Smethurst |
e.smethurst@wigan.gov.uk |
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Cllr Elaine Sherrington |
elaine.sherrington@bolton.gov.uk |
The following people did not reply to twitter messages sent on 29 January
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Louise Blythe BBC Media City |
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Alison Gordon New Economy Director of Project Development |
@AlisonMGordon |
The following people’s gatekeepers were contacted and told us (29 January) that responses would be forthcoming. At time of publication they have not arrived.
Steve Johnson – CEO of Electricity North West
Roger Milburn – Arup
Paul Maher – Siemens
Ian McAulay – Viridor
MCFly says:
While it’s a good step that the Low Carbon Hub is now having its meetings in public (the previous Chair, someone called ‘Richard Leese’, unilaterally decided the meetings would exclude members of the public) this latest debacle is troubling.
If the Low Carbon Hub is not going to lead by example, why should anyone take it seriously? If the people behind the Carbon Literacy Training can’t even get Manchester City Council and the Low Carbon Hub to do their training, why should we take their claims for a bright future seriously? Srsly?
manchester climate monthly 