Councillor Alex Ganotis is the leader of Stockport Council. He is also the Mayor’s lead on all things ‘green’. (That ‘Mayor’s Green Summit’ farce in March was his baby). He’s the one who did the 40 minute slick powerpoint presentation recently that somehow didn’t have space for the words “airport” or “oh, yeah, I’m pushing a dual carriageway to the airport through greenbelt.” That Alex Ganotis.
And the result of a Freedom of Information Act request about the good councillor’s ‘carbon literacy’ status has just come through. ‘Carbon literacy’ is a day (sic) -long program of teaching and reflecting, led by highly Accredited Trainers, that fills the information deficit which is the ONLY thing standing between us and the eco-utopia. So effective is carbon literacy training that one Greater Manchester MP who took it, when faced with the dilemma of voting for Heathrow expansion or not, managed to vote… yes. But I digress.
Here’s some fun facts from the FoIA, followed by the whole reply (which is full, of course, of attempted spin and promises of imminent action (I mean, it’s only 5 years since carbon literacy was launched onto an undeserving world. And it’s not as if climate change is an emergency or anything, or that our lords and masters should be leading by example, is it?)
How many officers who make up the Senior/Strategic Management team have completed the ‘Carbon Literacy’ Training offered by Cooler Projects.
Senior Stockport Officers are scheduled to attend the current round of Carbon literacy Training `Leading A Carbon Neutral Greater Manchester’ for Leaders. These include Stockport’s Borough Treasurer and the Accountable Officer to NHS Stockport Clinical Commissioning Group.
How many elected members of the current Executive (including Cllr Ganotis) have completed the ‘Carbon Literacy’ Training offered by Cooler Projects.
There are no current Members of the Stockport MBC Executive which have fully completed Carbon Literacy Training courses through Cooler Projects. However, Cllr Ganotis has attended the most recent training course round in the capacity of `Leader listener’ in order to gather feedback created as a result of the first workshop.
Cllr Ganotis has been instrumental in organising, promoting and participating in this series of Carbon Literacy training sessions for senior GM leaders. This includes a central role setting up the current `Leading A Carbon Neutral Greater Manchester’ Carbon Literacy Training for GM Leaders, and encouraging political leads and senior officers from across Greater Manchester to attend.
In consequence, around 50 Council Leaders, Chief Executives, Chief Finance Officers and Executive Directors from across Greater Manchester’s public services have accepted invitations to attend one of three training sessions scheduled over the next few weeks.
How much money has Stockport Council spent in the last two years on providing the ‘Carbon Literacy’ training to its members and officers (at any level).
Stockport Council is not aware of any Council resources used over the last two years in the provision of Carbon Literacy Training to its Members and Officers, through its Member training budget or otherwise.
manchester climate monthly 
“Leader listener”. Now there’s a phrase to conjure with!