Category Archives: Democratic deficit

Lack of transparency, honesty, trust etc.

What #Manchester could learn from Cape Town on #climate action (but won’t)

Posted on February 17, 2015 by manchesterclimatemonthly

MCFly reader Jon Silver on what Manchester – its people and government – could learn from “the South.” But given the wilfully blindness and deafness of the Council’s elected members and bureaucrats, don’t hold your breath… Learning from Cape Town’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Adaptation, Democratic deficit | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Councillor Rosa Battle says hundreds consulted on Green Infrastructure. Actual number – fewer than 50.

Posted on February 10, 2015 by manchesterclimatemonthly

Councillor Rosa Battle, Executive Member for Culture and Leisure, told elected members of the Council that hundreds of people had been consulted on the outsourced-for-£30,000 “Green and Blue Infrastructure” strategy. The actual number, once you take out council employees? Less … Continue reading →

Posted in Democratic deficit, Green spaces | 5 Comments

Scrutiny Week Feb 2015 for #Manchester Council – why aren’t they releasing info in this format?

Posted on February 9, 2015 by manchesterclimatemonthly

There is no page on Manchester City Council’s “award-winning” website where you can see “in one go” the agendas of all the 6 scrutiny committees that are supposed to keep tabs on the all-powerful Executive and the shadowy and equally … Continue reading →

Posted in Democratic deficit, Manchester City Council | Leave a comment

#Manchester Council misses #climate plan deadline

Posted on February 9, 2015 by manchesterclimatemonthly

Manchester’s elected representatives will NOT get the chance to scrutinise the city council’s climate ‘achievements’ and future plans this week. An annual report on the council’s climate plan had been promised to the Neighbourhoods Scrutiny Committee since last February. Despite … Continue reading →

Posted in Democratic deficit, Manchester City Council | Leave a comment

#Manchester Evening News letter about “carbon literacy” failure #climate

Posted on February 4, 2015 by manchesterclimatemonthly

Last Friday Manchester Evening News published this letter. It’s great that the airport is booming  and that Councillor Kevin Peel is enthused about New York-style aerial walkways (Manchester Evening News, January 29th). Closer to earth, and with our feet on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Democratic deficit, Letters to the MEN, Manchester City Council | Tagged | Leave a comment

#Manchester Council spends £50k out-sourcing basic green work

Posted on January 27, 2015 by manchesterclimatemonthly

The mercifully abolished Environmental Strategy Team awarded over 50 thousand pounds worth of contracts in 2014, for work that many will wonder “why isn’t this being done in-house?” Manchester Climate Monthly used the Freedom of Information Act to extract the … Continue reading →

Posted in Democratic deficit, Manchester City Council | Leave a comment

#Manchester Council abolishes its Environmental Strategy Team

Posted on January 26, 2015 by manchesterclimatemonthly

Manchester City Council is disbanding its “Environmental Strategy Team. The spin – and I hope you are sitting down and not eating anything that you might choke on as you read this – is that environmental thinking is now embedded … Continue reading →

Posted in Democratic deficit, Manchester City Council | Tagged | 8 Comments

#Manchester council info-stalling on #climate. Met the “new” Exec, worse than the old Exec…

Posted on January 22, 2015 by manchesterclimatemonthly

Manchester Council’s Executive Member for the Environment, Councillor Kate Chappell, has back-pedalled on an offer of information made by her predecessor. Manchester’s councillors and citizens will be in the dark for another month about the Council’s climate performance in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Democratic deficit, Manchester City Council | Leave a comment

#Manchester Council ignores Freedom of Information Act, refuses to release information

Posted on January 16, 2015 by manchesterclimatemonthly

In early December 2014 Manchester City Council acknowledged receipt of a Freedom of Information request about its carbon literacy programme.  The 20 working days expired without any information being delivered.  A “where’s the info?” email  sent three days ago has … Continue reading →

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#Manchester Council and Carbon Literacy: Promised report awol, and breaches FoIA deadline

Posted on January 13, 2015 by manchesterclimatemonthly

Manchester City Council is in breach of not one but TWO commitments to provide information about its own environmental performance. Last September the Neighbourhoods Scrutiny Committee the committee agreed to a proposal (from me) that a report on the successes/failures … Continue reading →

Posted in Democratic deficit, Manchester City Council | 5 Comments