Upcoming event: “Plant an idea” in the Northern Quarter, #Manchester Fri 20th Sept

Posted on September 18, 2013 by manchesterclimatemonthly

Friends of the Earth – Friday 20th September is International PARK(ing) Day where creative cities look to the future. Manchester Friends of the Earth is inviting people to join with citizens in cities around the world who will be transforming metered parking spaces into public parks and other social spaces, as part of international “PARK(ing) Day”.

Park(ing) Day 20th Sept 2013

Once again, Manchester Friends of the Earth members will be redesigning car parking spaces in Manchester city centre into picnic parks complete with “grass”, plants, deckchairs, tea, cupcakes and sparkling conversation.

This year we’re going to be making connections with Manchester Friends of the Earth’s recent campaigning to highlight the importance of biodiversity in cities. We’ll be in the Northern Quarter again and hopefully near the famous bee hotel. We will be offering hot drinks and lovely cupcakes.

Over the last fifty years our cities have been developed to make more and more space for the car. Supermarkets and malls, with massive car parks, have often overpowered local businesses in city locations. At the same time our streets have become noisy, polluted and unpleasant.  These policies have high costs in terms of air pollution, congestion and health.  PARK(ing) Day highlights the need to make our streets more attractive for residents and visitors, and improve the environment for businesses

Imagine if our cities had fewer spaces for cars and more room for people. We are inviting people to help us make parking spaces more sociable, fun and colourful. Join us on the day for coffee, cake and a chat or send us a photo of how people can help make cities greener.

PARK(ing) Day is an annual open-source global worldwide event where citizens, artists and activists collaborate to temporarily transform metered parking spots into “PARK(ing) spaces: temporary public places.

The mission of PARK(ing) Day is to call attention to the need for more urban open space, to generate critical debate around how public space is created and allocated, and to improve the quality of urban human habitat … at least until the meter runs out!

If you would like to help out on the day please contact: pete@manchesterfoe.org.uk

When: Friday 20th September, 9am till 5pm

Where: Thomas Street, Northern Quarter, Manchester City Centre.

– See more at: http://www.manchesterfoe.org.uk/events/event/plant-an-idea-parking-day/#sthash.8bxTlzrj.dpuf

Posted in Fun, inspire, Upcoming Events, volunteer opportunity | Tagged | Leave a comment

“Go for Green” board game developed in #Manchester

Posted on September 18, 2013 by manchesterclimatemonthly

Manchester Climate Monthly readers – before learning about the “Go for Green” board game, please go read and I hope sign this petition (if you live, study or work in Manchester).  Tell all your family and friends and casual acquaintances. Now, let the games commence, via an interview with James Ridgway!

The Go For Green carbon Screen_Capturefootprint game started life in 2011, in response to the (then new) Manchester Carbon Literacy Project. I’d always wanted to create some kind of sustainability energy training suitable for adults and young people, but despite eight years working in Manchester’s environmental education sector the opportunity never arose. Then along came Manchester Carbon Literacy, which aims to give every employee, resident and student in Manchester – over a million people – access to a full day’s carbon literacy training. Better yet, the organisers (Cooler Projects) were seeking partner organisations to help Manchester achieve its ambitious goal.

 I worked with several teachers at St Peter’s High to create a six lesson scheme of work (SoW) that could meet the targets of both MCL and the national curriculum. To engage students of all abilities we built the lessons around game design and kinaesthetic skills (learning through doing). When the SoW is finished, students who complete the lessons to a suitable standard will be eligible for the MCL carbon literacy certificate, which is accepted by local employers. 

Ironically, the game itself has overshadowed the scheme of work that spawned it. While an online version and an oversize floor-based version of the game are already available to play, the original scheme of work is still in development.

Who has played it (how many groups, what kinds of people)
The scheme of work has been trialled with two year seven and one year nine class.
The floor version was showcased at the public launch of Manchester Carbon Literacy in the Arndale Centre in March 2013, where it was enjoyed by members of the public. It also featured at the Mancunian leg of the British Energy Challenge, where it was BE_Challenge_Manchester-7798played by the Professor David Mackay, chief scientific advisor to the Dept. of Energy and Climate Change, among others. Students from St Peter’s also took the floor game to another local school, and introduced it to visitors from the Business and Enterprise Specialist College network run by the Co-operative College.  
An online version of the game has been played by people around the world (including from the UK, USA, Japan, Australia, China, India and S.Korea). Apparently, some Japanese parents are playing it with their children as a way to teach them English.

How long does it take to play?
Depends on the number of players. A two player game can take as little as ten minutes.

What feedback do you get – does it start conversations, are people surprised?
The feedback is all positive. People like the idea, even if they only watch.

Student responses: In answer to the question ‘What did you like about the game?’ one yr7 student said, “I liked it all because it is helping you think about the world a lot more, and it is also a good team game.” Another said, “It tells you what to do to save the Earth and the environment.”
Despite the scheme of work not even being ready, several City Councillors are already eager to disseminate the lessons to every high school in Greater Manchester.

Is it going to change in response to the feedback/due to changing circumstances?
Following the suggestion from Japan that parents could use the game to teach their children English, St Peter’s is considering using the game for a student translation project with our link schools in China and elsewhere.
The aim of the scheme of work is for teams of students to create their own versions of the game, so the content will change every time.

If people are interested, how can they play it?
You can play the online version of Go For Green at www.JamesJRidgway.com/?p=88

Anything else you’d like to say?

Special mention should go to Geoff Spruce from St Peter’s IT support team, who sacrificed many hours of his own time to program the online version, and to the Technology teachers and two yearr 9 classes of students who made the floor based version.
The go for green scheme of work should be ready for classroom testing in January 2014.
St Peter’s is also developing a six lesson ‘Green Careers’ scheme of work for Key Stage 4 students.

James Ridgway is a science fiction writer and artist who pays the bills by providing global education consultancy to St Peter’s RC High School. He helps teachers to include environmental sustainability and a global dimension in their curricula. His aim is to minimise teachers’ workloads by meeting multiple targets with single pieces of work and then embedding them in the curriculum so they can be repeated in future years.

To find out more about the Go for Green game and other projects, visit www.JamesJRidgway.com

Posted in education, Energy, Fun, GM Climate Strategy | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Upcoming event; Refugee Torture Survivors to perform at Salford Quays Sat 21 Sept (not #climate)

Posted on September 16, 2013 by manchesterclimatemonthly

Freedom from Torture is an awesome organisation, offering all sorts of practical support for and with survivors of torture.  This Saturday a concert by the group Stone Flowers – made up of torture survivors from many countries – is happening at the Imperial War Museum, Salford Quays. At Manchester Climate Monthly we try to keep the non-climate posts to a minimum.  You will understand the exception in this case.  Hope to see some of you there.

stoneflowers_by_smatthes_20PRESS RELEASE: Imperial War Museum North in Salford Quays is set to host to a moving and inspirational concert on Saturday 21st September 2013 when a group of torture survivors who found sanctuary in the United Kingdom perform as the group Stone Flowers in celebration of International Peace Day.

Stone Flowers is a ground-breaking music group created by Musicians without Borders, an international charity based in Salford that use music to reduce the effects of war trauma, and Freedom from Torture NW, the only organisation working in the North West of England dedicated solely to the treatment of torture survivors.

The group consists of 20 torture survivors from countries including Iran, Sri Lanka and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Each member brings a different musical tradition to the group with songs performed in Kurdish, Farsi, Kikongo, Lingala, French and English.

The effects of torture on long-term mental well-being are devastating. One group member, Amy, was arrested and tortured in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2010 for participating in political demonstrations against the then President. Whilst pregnant in prison, Amy was beaten and raped by the prison commander, before being able to flee the country through the efforts of family members.

Amy began weekly therapy sessions at Freedom from Torture on 21st October 2011, where a medical report concluded she was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and severe depression, and that these psychological symptoms were the result of having been raped and the feelings of shame Amy felt.

Alongside receiving regular psychological therapy, Amy has been a member of Stone Flowers since 2012. This has seen significant improvements in her mental well-being, including the recovery of her self-confidence and self-respect.

Jude Boyles, Centre Manager at Freedom from Torture NW, said “The Stone Flowers group has had a profound impact on the mental health of our clients – all of whom are traumatised by torture. Freedom from Torture has seen first hand the changes that creating and performing music can have on survivors in the group and we are proud to work in partnership with Musicians without Borders”.

Lis Murphy, Artistic Director of Musicians without Borders, said: “Each member of Stone Flowers has something important to say and the music they have created to express this is incredibly powerful. We are thrilled to present the life affirming experience of a Stone Flowers performance as a part of International Peace Day”.

Stone Flowers will perform twice at Imperial War Museum North on 21st September 2013. The first performance begins at 12pm, immediately following a minute of silence to mark International Peace Day, with a second performance at 3pm. Both performances are free-to-attend.

Stone Flowers is possible through the support of Arts Council England and Lankelly Chase.

Posted in Off Topic, Upcoming Events | Leave a comment

5 reasons #Manchester City Council should embrace public consultation #askmcr

Posted on September 16, 2013 by manchesterclimatemonthly

[Please sign the petition if you live, work or study in Manchester. Then ask everyone you know who lives, works or studies in Manchester to sign-and-ask.]

It is democratic
Whose city is this? Who decides? Why should such an important decision be made by just 8 people (6 men and 2 women, if that matters to you)?

It is clever
If you want better decisions, ask more people. Yes, not every answer you get will be a Nobel-contender. That’s not the point; there is a “wisdom of the crowd.”
It opens up space for cooperation, (collective) engagement, trust. The ‘normal channels’ demonstrably don’t work for people and community groups. Decisions made behind closed doors risk being dumb decisions, while decisions made in public, after proper consultation, have a strong public backing and a better chance of succeeding.

It gets people’s “democracy muscles” working
Democracy involves (in theory) citizens using their democracy muscles. One tick in a box every four or five years (or even slightly more often) is not democracy. So why don’t people vote? Lots of reasons, but one of them is that  a lot of people are – understandably – very cynical.
The Labour MP Angela Eagle said in a recent speech

“A crisis of trust across all of our major institutions: parliament, police, the press – and, an ongoing decline in political engagement. People are hurting but no longer believe that politics is the answer to their problems. If we are not careful that will be the epitaph of our time – that people stopped believing that politics could change their lives for the better. We’ve not just got a flat-lining economy, but a flat-lining democracy too.”

Well, what does Manchester Labour intend to do about that?

In fact, it’s worth quoting Ms Eagle a bit more –

“In the Labour Party, we are taking important steps towards changing our own culture and the way we debate. I chair Labour’s National Policy Forum. We’ve recently transformed how we make policy so that we let go at the top and empower conversations at the grass roots. We’ve opened up our structures so that members of the public can tell us what they think too. We are determined that our next manifesto will be built on real conversations in real communities informed by real lived experience.”

Yes, well… talk is cheap, isn’t it?

It reconnects Manchester City Council with its citizens
There is real doubt about the quality of Manchester City Council’s ears. The consultation process is regarded as a sham by many, a rubber-stamping exercise for decisions already made (see the minutes of the June 2013 Finance Scrutiny Committee meeting for a small sample of this).
Manchester City Council has a chance to say “Hey, we’ve got 14.5million quid to spend! Rather than make the decision about what the priorities are behind closed doors among the 8 of us, and then have it rubber-stamped by a bunch of people most of you have never heard of and didn’t vote for, we thought we would THROW IT OPEN.  Now, this isn’t a bottomless pit of money. Not everyone can have everything. But through the course of the discussion you will get to understand some of the constraints that decision-makers face, and we will get to reconnect with you and start to rebuild some of the trust that has been lost over the years.”
A public consultation will show the Council’s faith and confidence in the people of Manchester, but also help the Council learn new ways of consulting, and get the old ones up-to-speed.

It sets an amazing example to the rest of the country, the rest of the world
Manchester’s politicians always bang on about how innovative and forward-looking the city is, why not try something truly innovative and democratic? A public consultation on how to spend £14.5 million would make Manchester stand out 100 times more than any city centre face-lift.

Marc Hudson
askthepeopleofmanchester@gmail.com

Disclaimer; Jo Campbell and Marc Hudson, who founded the “Ask the People of Manchester” campaign are not members of any political party.

Manchester Climate Monthly WILL continue to cover other news, but the next week will possibly be a bit sparse because we are #desperate to get 4000 signatures…

If you’re looking for something to do on Friday, why not do PARKing (not parkour) in the City Centre with Friends of the Earth?

Oh, and before you comment
It won’t cost a lot of money.
It won’t take a lot of time.
It may open old wounds (libraries, day care centres, parks) just ahead of local and European elections in May 22nd, but surely no-one is going to come out and cite that as a reason not to have a public consultation?

Posted in Democratic deficit | 2 Comments

Upcoming Event: “Food Sovereignty” Mon 30th September #UnicornGrocery #Chorlton

Posted on September 15, 2013 by manchesterclimatemonthly

foodsovereignty

Posted in Food, Upcoming Events | Tagged | Leave a comment

Why environmentalists should oppose the “Clean and ‘Green’ Spaces” initiative (MCFly editorial) #Manchester

Posted on September 14, 2013 by manchesterclimatemonthly

£14.5 million to make Manchester greener? Surely every ‘green’ should be jumping for joy? No, says Marc Hudson, editor of Manchester Climate Monthly. He lists four reasons.

There’s a principle at stake.
This is not a decision that should be taken by 8 people,* even if they have been elected. It is not a decision that should be taken by 96 people, even if they are elected. How to spend this “one-off” pot of £14.5 million pounds that Manchester City Council has thanks to its part-ownership of Manchester Airports Group should be taken by widest possible set of people. That means a public consultation. Despite what you will be told, a consultation needn’t cost a lot of money or time.

There will be HUGE interest in such a  consultation. It’s a chance for the Council to re-engage, and start to repair relationships battered by the decisions to close libraries and day care centres and the like (1). This is a big opportunity for Manchester City Council. We shouldn’t let them blow it.

It’s not ‘green’!
When I interviewed the Executive Member for the Environment Nigel Murphy after the 8-member Executive had endorsed the initiative, the conversation went, in part like this –

MH: And definition of green? Because there’s nothing in the report… that mentions carbon dioxide emissions or biodiversity. There’s certainly stuff in there about “clean” . But what does the Council mean by “green” in that context?
NM : “I don’t think we want to be too prescriptive… the green could cover anything; we don’t want to be prescriptive on what it’s actually going to be used for.”

Fourteen and a half million quid would need… no, let me say that again – FOURTEEN AND A HALF MILLION QUID … will need clever decisions, transparency and willingness to learn from mistakes. Given that the Council still hasn’t sent its “Annual Carbon Reduction Plan 2013-4” to Executive for approval, they don’t have a track record that inspires confidence.

Never heard of that plan? No, quite.! Just a tip – the Council tried to spin a 1.8% increase in its own emissions as a 7% reduction, because traffic lights were no longer its responsibility (2).

“Pragmatic”
Environmentalists, unless they have been asleep for thirty years, know that their reputation is not a good one; they are perceived and portrayed as hippies and drop-outs or else out-of-touch, middle-class do-gooders and snobs.

So try imagine the resentment if this money goes primarily to things they like, and NOT to helping people in dire financial and social need!

And imagine the backlash when it emerges the even a small amount of this £14.5 million is wasted. Some of it WILL be, especially if the whole process lacks criteria (see again the Nigel Murphy interview) and is rushed through. The Council has a monumentally appalling record on the efficacy and openness of its “green” spending. Does anybody remember the million pound “Carbon Reduction Fund” of 2008/9? No, precisely.

Want to be able to get any money for a green project in three years time? I think you should be signing the petition (see below.)

Political/pragmatic/precedence/protection
In the coming decades, as the climate becomes more and more unpredictable, we will experience “1-in-a-100” year floods and heatwaves every four or 5 years. There will be (unpleasant) surprises. We are going to need to have bureaucracies and political systems that are far more nimble and responsive than what we have now. It’s known as “adaptive governance.”  It doesn’t come instantly, it doesn’t come by accident. It comes by creating spaces for genuine discussion and decision.

If this “Clean and ‘Green’ Spaces Initiative goes through unmodified – if the backbench Labour councillors choose to let that  happen – then the work of making Manchester fit for the future becomes that much more difficult. And it’s already looking quite tough enough, thank you.

Manchester has a choice – it can show the way in changing the relation between the governed and the governors. Or it can respond to every plea for respect, innovation and participation with the standard “It’s all the Tories fault.” I think I know which one helps us to a better future.

Marc Hudson
mcmonthly@gmail.com
Marc Hudson is also co-founder, with Jo Campbell, of Ask the People of Manchester, a campaign set up to request a proper public consultation on how this money will be spent.

What you can do
1) Sign the petition. Got that? Sign. The. Petition. Only once, (paper or e-petition), and only if you live, work or study in Manchester City Council’s boundaries. But Please. Sign. The. Petition.
2) Ask/plead with/badger your friends, family, neighbours, work colleagues, fellow worshippers, casual acquaintances to Sign The Petition.
3) Keep yourself informed. Read “both sides” of the argument. (MCFly will publish links to anything that isn’t simply re-hashed press releases. You know where you can go for churnalism of that sort.)

Footnotes
UPDATE: * The decision was agreed by Labour Group (86 councillors) the night before.

(1) And I am NOT disputing that Manchester has been unfairly and relentlessly targeted by the Coalition and its austerity agenda.
(2) So blatant was the attempt that Friends of the Earth felt compelled to submit a statement that read – “Achieving the operational and cultural changes to radically reduce greenhouse gas emissions is clearly not a simple task and will require dedicated and continuous action. it will also require a commitment to transparent and meaningful progress reporting.”
It continued “We therefore call on the Neighbourhoods Scrutiny Committee to request that the Annual Carbon Reduction Plan be amended to clearly state that there was a 1.8% increase in like-for-like emissions between 2011/2 and 2012/13, and that there has only been a 5.2% reduction in like-for-like emissions against the 2009/10 baseline.”

Getting ahead of the game: Some of the bad reasons THAT will be put forward by the “initiative’s” defenders.

“It’s too costly to do a public consultation” – well, on that argument, just abolish elections and let Labour run Manches… no, wait…
“It’s too bureaucratic.” You say “bureaucratic,” we say “considered, accountable and systematic.”. And anyway do you use the term “bureaucrat” as an insult when you are talking with your officers? That must make for some fun collaborations.
“It will slow things down.” Yes, because we MUST SPEND ALL OF THIS MONEY RIGHT NOW. I don’t understand this objection. Unless? No, that’s crazy talk – you’d have to be a swivel-eyed conspiracy loon to believe that...
“The petition is inspired by a hatred of the Labour Party.” Sigh. Do you really think I’d be sitting quietly if the Liberal Democrats or Tories had the preponderance of power in my local authority. Really?
Everything is the Tories fault. And their gross little enablers the Lib Dems Sigh. You really haven’t taken in a word of this blog post, have you?

Disclaimer: My thoughts are evolving on this matter. In a week, after I’ve listened to people who broadly agree, and who broadly disagree, then maybe I will have come to different assessments. We will see.

Posted in Democratic deficit, Manchester City Council | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Interview with #Manchester Lib Dem leader about “Clean and ‘Green’ Spaces” Initiative”

Posted on September 13, 2013 by manchesterclimatemonthly

Interview with Councillor Simon Wheale, leader of the Opposition (9 Lib Dems out of a Council of 96 members)

Transcript
Can you explain your objections to the “Clean and Green” [Spaces] Initiative” please?
I think there’s a really glaring hole in the way in which the report was presented, because we’ve got this great windfall of £14.5 million. But there was no reference whatsoever in the report as to how the decisions will be taken, or where the ideas will come from to actually spend that money. And we believe that we do have existing structures within the Council – cash grants, ward co-ordination that are ways of engaging with local groups in local communities. We would like to see the whole process blown open, blown wide open in a way that would allow communities to be leaders in driving the ideas in each community about how this money can be spent.

And Councillor Nigel Murphy, the Exec for the Environment said that the Lib Dems say one thing in the press and another in Executive in relation to this matter. What do you think he meant, and what’s your response?
[Laughs] I’ve absolutely no idea what he meant, because everybody’s been saying exactly the same thing, which is that the community should drive this process. That’s what we would like to see. We have the structures there. This is a bigger sum than normally goes through the cash grants and the ward co-ordination, but this is a real opportunity to engage people. We think that projects of lasting value will come forward if they’re driven by the local community deciding its own priorities. Those will be different from community to community.

A hypothetical question – if an e-petition were suddenly to appear on Manchester City Council’s website, calling on the council to hold a public consultation on how the money should be spent, do you think that’s something that the Liberal Democrats would support, and could you speculate on how many Labour councillors might support it?
[Laughs] I can answer for the Lib Dems and say we would support that; it would be a good mechanism for opening the process up. How many Labour members might support it I cannot comment on.

Okay, final controversial question; assuming that at least some of the Liberal Democrats don’t hold onto their seats next year

  • I’m not making any assumptions –

hypothetically, what sorts of structures do you think should happen in a local authority that has an overwhelming preponderance of one party – whether it is Labour, Lib Dem or Conservative – to make sure that those people living in that local authority are not living in a one-party state.
Right, well, I don’t think that Manchester will have a one party state. We already have a strong representation from one party, in the Labour Party, which can vote anything through already. And what we very strongly need in any council like this at the moment is to have strong counterweights which come from the bottom up. So we must make sure that our ward co-ordination and our cash-grant structure, which we’ve argued for many many many times in our budget presentations, is that we should start to the ward level for determination by local ward residents and groups so that they have an input into that. So we think that there’s huge scope for the cleansing budget, for the roads and pavements – things like that – to be moved to the ward level for local determination. And that ‘s something the Liberal Democrats have always been, philosophically, committed to, and will always be committed to, however the relative balance of the two parties is.

Anything else you’d like to say?
Well, we just welcome the huge interest of Manchester Climate Monthly in the democratic process and engaging in it, and coming and hearing what the councillors are actually saying and making clear your views too on the items coming up. I know a huge amount of work goes into that. It’s hard work, ploughing through the papers and the council terminology to get at what’s actually going on, but it’s a very welcome contribution that’s made.

Thank you.

DISCLAIMER: MCFly’s editor Marc Hudson has worked with, and will work, with Jo Campbell of the “Ask the People of Manchester” campaign. Make of this what you will. This disclaimer will appear on all stories about the Clean and ‘Green’ Initiative published on MCFly.

Posted in Manchester City Council | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Bernard Priest interview; “If it were me …suffering, I think I would probably say “address this issue first”* #Manchester

Posted on September 13, 2013 by manchesterclimatemonthly

The Executive of Manchester City Council is planning to use all £14.5 million of its recent windfall on what it chooses to call a “Clean and Green Spaces” initiative. As per the interview published yesterday on this site, there isn’t any very clear definition of what “green” means.

Today we publish an interview with the Executive Member for Neighbourhood Services, Cllr Bernard Priest. You can listen to it and/or read the transcript. A clearer exposition of the theory of the “sustainability fix” you could not wish to hear.

* By the way, the title of this post is a severe truncation of what Cllr Priest actually said.

The editor of MCFly thinks there is MASSIVE danger to the already “dodgy” name of environmentalism in this. If (when?) the money is spent as disastrously as the one million pounds of the Carbon Reduction Fund (2008-2009)- there will be a backlash against everything green, making the Alicia Keys debacle (£425,000 for a pop concert? Really?) look like a PR triumph. If you share my concerns, please sign the petition calling for a proper public consultation on the uses to which this money is put. And, after you’ve signed it, ransack your address book for other people to alert to the petition’s existence.

Transcript
So the Clean and Green Places (sic!) Initiative – you were quoted in the Manchester Evening News yesterday as saying it’s important for both for residents’ pride and international visitors. How do you think a resident whose daycare centre has been closed, or their library has been closed – because of the ConDem cuts – would feel about street-cleaning and one-off investments in prettifying the city versus meeting their short-term needs. How would you sell it to them?
Well it’s mercifully not my job to sell it to them. But I would imagine someone who is suffering from the very sharp end of the government cuts is going to find it difficult to understand the city-wide agenda, for very clear and understandable reasons.
If it were me who was feeling that my elderly relatives were suffering, I think I would probably say “address this issue first”. But we have to take a longer-term and bigger vision of the city. Clearly we want to make sure that all of our citizens have the care and support, the facilities and access to sports facilities, libraries, parks and all the rest of it. Three hundred million pounds worth of cuts every year make it very difficult to do that. We have a little windfall here – it is a little windfall. And we’ve agonised about how best to invest it to the benefit of all Mancunians. We think that making the city notable for being an attractive and clean and green city will bring benefits to all of us and outweigh some of the devastating cuts from the government.
So it is about trying to do something that makes the city more successful . And I do appreciate that if you are someone who is in need of very specific care, you will be daunted by the future. But by making the city more successful, we believe that that will benefit everybody, including those who are more vulnerable.

Isn’t that “trickle down”?
I don’t know, because I’m not entirely sure I’ve ever been persuaded by what trickle down is. All I know is that if a company is saying “are we going to invest in putting our new headquarters in Manchester or in Berlin”, and they go to those two places, I want them to look at Manchester and say “this looks like a better place to be.” I want people who want to live in Manchester to feel that it’s a good place to live. We are not competing with London, we are competing with Berlin, with Barcelona, with Madrid. We have to be a city that attracts attention for tourism, investment, and people wanting to live here. That’s absolutely critical. If we don’t get that right, I think the ordinary Mancunian’s future is pretty bleak.

Final question: Councillor Wheale, Leader of the Opposition, was advocating a much broader public participation, consultation in the decisions on how this money should be spent. What’s your response to that?
That he’s misunderstood what we said. This is about all of Manchester getting together to look at how we spend this money. But that doesn’t mean it’s a free-for-all and it’s a grab. This is not a jumble sale we’re running. What we’re asking the people of Manchester to do is to engage with us through the normal processes – through community groups, through ward co-ordination systems or emailing me. I mean, however they want to do it, to get involved. But ultimately the decisions have got to benefit Manchester in the long-term. We cannot see this as just a quick boost to clean the city up. We’ve got to change the way things happen in Manchester, for the long-term.

And my understanding is that decision has to go to full Council on Weds 9th October to be signed off. Can you comment on that?
It will be signed off.
At Full Council?
(Nods)
Thank you very much.

DISCLAIMER: MCFly’s editor Marc Hudson has worked with, and will work, with Jo Campbell of the “Ask the People of Manchester” campaign. Make of this what you will. This disclaimer will appear on all stories about the Clean and ‘Green’ Initiative published on MCFly.

Posted in Democratic deficit, Manchester City Council | 3 Comments

#Manchester Environment Councillor interviewed on “Clean and Green Spaces” initiative

Posted on September 12, 2013 by manchesterclimatemonthly

After the passage of the “Clean and Green Spaces” Initiative through Executive on its way to Full Council, Cllr Nigel Murphy speaks to MCFly editor Marc Hudson.The youtube is just the audio with a picture. #veryunimaginative

Transcript
On the Clean and Green Spaces Initiative – the recommendations have just been accepted by the Executive. My understanding is that it now goes to Full Council to be ratified on Wednesday 9th October . When does the money start flowing? When can community groups and people start bidding for use of some of this money to start making Manchester cleaner and greener?
Well, I think any project can go forward from now. We’re looking at how we get that process streamlined. We’re looking at interactions via the web to try and appeal to everyone, people phoning up the helpline, “we’d like to have x, y or z” We could do with having some formulated bids. But I’d suggest that communities start working together, because the best type of bids are going to come from a group of people rather than just individuals. So, start working on them now, and the system will be on the website live as soon as possible.

Formulated bids can go forward, we can assess how they are going to impact long-term so they’ve got … the whole idea of the bid is to “invest to save” so we can have long-term initiatives. Because this is one-off funding, it’s not continual funding. So, what can we do to change attitudes and change behaviour which is going to make the city cleaner and greener.

And definition of green? Because there’s nothing in the report – that I read – that mentions carbon dioxide emissions or biodiversity. There’s certainly stuff in there about “clean” . But what does the Council mean by “green” in that context?
I don’t think we want to be too prescriptive. I think that’s why we want the communities to come up. So it could be self-grow type initiatives, it could be ways of how we can actually reduce carbon emissions within the community. So are they looking at shared transport schemes or .[sorry, inaudible] Remember, fourteen and a half million is a lot of money – it can make a huge difference in the communities, but it’s got to be spread and be effective in a very short time. So the green could cover anything; we don’t want to be prescriptive on what it’s actually going to be used for.

And is the Council going to put up a list of criteria about how the projects will be selected and who will do the selecting and right of appeal if a bid is rejected.
What is very clear about this is we don’t want to get bogged down by bureaucracy. We want it to be a streamlined process moving forward, so that people can actually apply and have the effect. The whole formula of how it’s going on has only just been approved in the last hour has got to be sorted out . It’s moved quite quickly since the dividend was announced from the airport. We don’t want it to be a cumbersome process. We want it to be as easy as possible for communities to bid for that money to make the differences on the streets of Manchester.

Presumably though money can’t be dished out and bids can’t be accepted until the legal process is complete and this has been ratified by Full Council because it is after all a key decision.
Well it can’t be spent. It’s public money that’s got to be spent … it’s got to be accountable and transparent on how it’s being spent, so correct.

DISCLAIMER: MCFly’s editor Marc Hudson has worked with, and will work, with Jo Campbell of the “Ask the People of Manchester” campaign. Make of this what you will. This disclaimer will appear on all stories about the Clean and ‘Green’ Initiative published on MCFly.

Posted in Manchester City Council | Tagged | 3 Comments

Video – #MossSide resident says “Ask the People of #Manchester”

Posted on September 12, 2013 by manchesterclimatemonthly

On Monday we reported on the “Clean and ‘Green’ Spaces” initiative of Manchester City Council’s Executive. (Scooping the Manchester Evening News by a day. Just sayin’). A Moss Side resident, Jo Campbell, has set up a petition on the “e-petitions” website. In this video below (made by MCFly editor Marc Hudson) she explains why she set up the petition, whether she is opposed to a cleaner and greener city (no), and what she wants you to do.

And today and tomorrow MCFly is running interviews conducted with Councillors Nigel Murphy (Exec Member for the Environment), Bernard Priest (Neighbourhood Services) and Simon Wheale (Lib Dem, Leader of the Opposition). These interviews were conducted before the e-petition went up, so support/rejection of this was only put as a hypothetical question to Councillor Wheale. Perhaps MCFly readers would like to put it as a “real” question to Councillor Priest and/or Murphy. And – more importantly – their own councillors…

DISCLAIMER: MCFly’s editor Marc Hudson has worked with, and will work, with Jo Campbell of the “Ask the People of Manchester” campaign. Make of this what you will. This disclaimer will appear on all stories about the Clean and ‘Green’ Initiative published on MCFly.

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