Upcoming Event: #Salford & floods, Sun 5th June, Greater#Manchester

Posted on May 31, 2016 by manchesterclimatemonthly

reposted from the excellent Salford Star

AFTER THE BOXING DAY FLOOD SALFORD COMMUNITY SEEKS OWN SOLUTIONS
Star date: 31st May 2016NEVER MIND THE FLOOD REPORT DELAY – HERE’S THE DIY SOLUTIONS

Floods, Climate Change, Solutions
Sunday 5th June 4pm-6:30pm
Albert Park

With the official report into Lower Broughton’s Boxing Day flood delayed in a mire of red tape, this Sunday the Climate Survivors organisation is putting on an event for the community to work together to find its own solutions.

Full details here…
The promised `full investigation’ into Lower Broughton’s Boxing Day flood is nowhere to be seen, with its publisher, Greater Manchester Combined Authority, refusing to answer questions on when it will appear (see previous Salford Star article – click here).While the official authorities dally, a grass roots organisation called Climate Survivors is holding an open event in Albert Park this Sunday 5th June called Floods, Climate Change, Solutions, during which the local community is invited to explore the issues in a fun and family friendly environment…“In this winter’s floods, fiercer and more extensive than ever before, homes, possessions and livelihoods were lost in a matter of hours” says Pauline Lozoya Hocking of Climate Survivors “Rather than endless talking and future promises, communities have a right to effective protection and action on climate change right now. This event is an opportunity to work together and find our own solutions.”

The event will begin at 4pm, in the Alberts of Salford hut, with an information market and refreshments where questions can be asked and discussions take place. There will be children’s activities too.

Then there will be a few very short contributions from specialists to open the event… “Our aim is that the participants themselves have maximum time to discuss, so speeches will be minimal” says Pauline “And for the workshops, we are not setting the topics in stone as we want those who turn out on the day to have the final say.”

The provisional list of topics is…

* How is flood risk and intensity increased because of climate change?
“For those living with an increasing threat, this is crucial information that they have a right to know” Pauline explains “The science is often presented in ways not easy to understand if you are not already familiar with it. The workshop aims to make the science accessible to all.”

* How can we ‘slow the flow’?
“Working with nature by planting water hungry trees and bushes, less concrete, permeable driveways are among the many ways that rain water can be absorbed before reaching the river” says Pauline “These will be explored as well as the ways such adaptation could/should be funded.”

* What actions can individuals take and how can we work together and organise in communities to protect ourselves and reduce future flood risk?
What role does the Environment Agency, the Fire Service, Council play?

* Don’t we need a corresponding emergency economic climate plan?
“All agreements, Paris included, look at saving carbon in the future and in the meantime it’s business as usual” Pauline adds “But right here and now, climate change is devastating lives. Don’t we need climate to be at the heart of our economy, or we won’t have one?!  This workshop will explore this topic and how we influence decision makers and those holding economic power.”

Hopefully something will come out of the day that will help ensure Lower Broughton and other Salford flood areas stay safe for the future.

Floods, Climate Change, Solutions
Sunday 5th June 4pm-6:30pm
Alberts of Salford, Albert Park
Off Great Clowes Street M7 1XU

The event is free and everyone is urged to attend.

For further details see the Climate Survivors Facebook page – click here

Phone 07891 266635 or email climatesurvivors@gmail.com
Posted in Adaptation, Campaign Update, capacity building, Upcoming Events | Leave a comment

Upcoming Event: TreeStation Open Day, 11th June #Manchester

Posted on May 28, 2016 by manchesterclimatemonthly

TreeStation open day on 11th June – 11am until 2pm

Come and find out what’s going on at the TreeStation – a social enterprise in arboriculture, wood fuels and timber.

 

At TreeStation, we’re working towards a greener Manchester – our aim is to reduce carbon emissions and ‘make wood work’ in the local community.

We do routine treework around Greater Manchester and bring the wood back to our yard to process it into firewood, timber and woodchip! Nothing goes to waste and we sell our low-carbon products to the Manchester people 🙂

We want to reach out and engage with everyone in Manchester! At our family friendly event, we’re opening the gates to our members, friends and the local community.

AT OUR OPEN DAY:
– a chance to see what goes on behind the big, black gates
– tours around the yard
– slideshow of TreeStation projects & products
– showcase of local businesses and community organisations we’re working with
– kids play area
– refreshments & nibbles

We hope to see you there!

TreeStation website

Posted in Uncategorized, Upcoming Events | 2 Comments

Job Alert: Greater #Manchester Living Wage Campaigner

Posted on May 26, 2016 by manchesterclimatemonthly

We’re looking for a new Campaign Coordinator!

As outgoing Coordinator, I can tell you it’s a fantastic job, a chance to lead one of the most positive, creative and effective campaigns in the region.

Details of the Job and Application Process

We are reliant on our campaign network for getting the word out, so please share this job advert widely. You can also share it on Facebook and Twitter.

And of course please apply, if it could be you! The deadline for applications is5pm on 15th June. It’s a short-term contract at the moment, but we’re working hard right now to try to secure the funding to extend it.

Please feel free to contact me if you’ve been part of the campaign and would like to talk it through – until 1st June when I leave on holiday for two weeks – after that please use the contact given in the job advert.
You’ll be able to meet the new coordinator at our next meeting, which is pencilled in for Weds 31 Aug, 2-4pm, at Unison.
Posted in Job Alert | Leave a comment

Open letter to Health Scrutiny Committee of #Manchester City Council about #climate

Posted on May 26, 2016 by manchesterclimatemonthly

UPDATE: Sheffield Council produced a report two years ago.

sheffield councilsheffield two

Dear Councillors

re: report on the health impacts of climate change in Manchester and carbon literacy

Some of you may know that in April, the chair of the committee, Councillor Bev Craig, replied to a suggestion that the committee look at the impacts of climate change on Manchester. She wrote (in part)

As Chair of Health, I am happy to suggest to the committee this be considered in our work programme either as a standalone, or joint committee piece of work to look at the specific challenge facing Manchester to ensure that we are doing our best to mitigate it.

I am writing to you to ask that you support her suggestion. Although terrible heat waves like the one currently affecting parts of India (temperatures of 51 degrees, suicides, mass graves dug in preparation of expected deaths) will never hit Manchester, climate change will bring threats.  The vulnerable among us (the old, the young, the sick, the poor) are in the firing line as they were in European heatwave of 2003.

A report to the Health Scrutiny Committee (or joint committees, as per the chair’s letter) could help Manchester’s citizens and organisations in their preparations. This would be  especially likely if the report contained detail on what preparations are being made and could be made at a ward level, and how concerned councillors such as yourselves can catalyse work with partners, especially ‘hard-to-reach’ communities (I am thinking language and cultural barriers). Are the current plans realistic, updated regularly, and tested ‘in practice’? What can be learned from the recent floods in Greater Manchester?  From further afield?

I am sorry that I can’t be with you tomorrow – I am getting to the business end of my PhD, and sadly a thesis doesn’t write itself. However, I, and other citizens of Manchester, will be watching the livestream or a recording of your deliberations.

Marc Hudson

PS It is also encouraging to see almost a third of the Health committee is already carbon literate. That is  much higher proportion than Neighbourhoods and Economy, though its new chair – Councillor Kevin Peel – is arranging for carbon literacy sessions to be held after that committee’s next two meetings…

Councillor

Carbon literacy status (based on information provided by the council in February 2016. If not up-to-date, please let me know.

Councillor Bev Craig (Chair)

At least face to face

Councillor Basil Curley

Neither

Councillor June Hitchen

Neither

Councillor Tommy Judge

Neither

Councillor Mary Monaghan

Neither

Councillor Eddy Newman

Carbon Literate

Councillor Brian O’Neil

Neither

Councillor Chris Paul

Carbon Literate

Councillor Bernard Stone

Carbon Literate

Councillor Mary Watson

Face to face only

Councillor Chris Webb

New on council

Councillor Chris Wills

Unclear

Councillor James Wilson

Carbon Literate
Posted in Manchester City Council, Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

Upcoming Event: Bat walk and survey #Manchester 1st June

Posted on May 25, 2016 by manchesterclimatemonthly

batwalkBat Walk & Survey at Birley

Wednesday, 1st June 2016

Time: 9-11pm

Join us & the South Lancashire Bat Group for a guided walk around Birley and nearby Hulme to find out more about bats and hopefully hear some of the amazing creatures!

Meet at Brooks Building reception at 9pm.

Brooks Building
Birley Campus
Bonsall Street
Manchester
M15 6GX

All welcome & all equipment will be provided.

Manchester Met Students will get 2 bronze MMU Futures points for attending.

This is a Free Event but you will need to register.

Sign up here.

*Please note that if the weather is not suitable for the event on 1st June we have an alternative date of 20thJune.  All those who register for the above event will be notified in case of a change.

 

Posted in Biodiversity, Fun, Green spaces, Upcoming Events | Leave a comment

#Manchester Environmental Scrutiny – 1 of 16 has done Carbon Literacy Training

Posted on May 24, 2016 by manchesterclimatemonthly

Only 1 of the 16 Council members tasked with keeping tabs on Manchester City Council’s environmental performance has actually completed “Carbon Literacy” training.

The recently re-named “Neighbourhoods and Environment” Scrutiny Committee is supposed to ask awkward questions of the Council and its partners.  However, according to the latest information the Council was willing to release*, only one councillor – Chris Paul, Withington, has completed both the face to face and online components of “Carbon Literacy” training.  Four councillors have completed the ‘face-to-face’ component, and one the online. 7 – including chair of the committee, Kevin Peel – had  not completed either component, years after the scheme was introduced.  Two other members of the committee – including Liberal Democrat John Leech – were not councillors until last week’s election. One is unaccounted for (see below)

labour nonsense-page001Meanwhile, Manchester Labour’s manifesto included the promise to “roll out carbon literacy training.”  They could start with their own environment committee, maybe?

Will its new chair, Kevin Peel, himself not carbon literate,  show leadership and do everything in his power to make sure that ALL members of the committee that is supposed to scrutinise the Council’s environmental performance complete the Carbon Literacy training that Labour boasted about in its manifesto by the end of July (2016)?

Watch this space.

 

* According to information supplied in February 2016 by the Council, after MCFly had had to go to the Information Commissioner to get the data; if any councillors have completed the training in the meantime, they are welcome to contact MCFly on mcmonthly@gmail.com and we will update accordingly).

Membership of the committee

 Councillor

Carbon Literacy Status

Councillor Azra Ali

Neither

Councillor Abid Chohan

Neither

Councillor John Hughes

Face to face

Councillor Lee-Ann Igbon

Neither

Councillor Sarah Judge

Was not on council

Councillor Veronica Kirkpatrick

Face to Face

Councillor John Leech

Was not on council

Councillor John Longsden

Neither

Councillor Donna Ludford

Neither

Councillor Beth Marshall

Online only

Councillor Dzidra Noor

Face to face only

Councillor Chris Paul

Completed

Councillor Kevin Peel (Chair)

Neither

Councillor Dave Rawson

Neither

Councillor Paula Sadler

Not listed

Councillor Basat Sheikh

Face to Face
Posted in Manchester City Council | Leave a comment

Scrutiny Week – May 2016. #Manchester Council and its #climate silence

Posted on May 19, 2016 by manchesterclimatemonthly

Why doesn’t Manchester City Council put all its scrutiny committee meeting agendas on one web-page?

Is it just their usual incompetence and indolence, or are they trying to make it that leeeetle bit harder for citizens to know what is going on, how and when to engage?

Manchester City Council has 6 “scrutiny” committees that are supposed to keep tabs on what the 9 member Executive and the officers are up to. Supposed to. One of the problems is, there is – out of 96 councillors – only a single non-Labour councillor (John Leech, Lib Dem, in Didsbury West Ward). So, while there are some councillors with axes to grind and bones to pick, there are very few who will get hold of an awkward issue on which the council has been faaaaaaiiiiiiling consistently (take, oh, I don’t know, climate change as a random example) and ask specific questions, and then refuse to be fobbed off by the officer or Exec member. Failure to back off and accept the nonsense they spout would be a career-limiting move, you see. The people at the top do not reward such awkward independence that lets cats out of bag, skeletons out of closet.

But asides from them all being from the same party, the problems go deeper.  Reports are opaque, delivered at short notice and there is simply too much for some committees to tackle.  And councillors are just normal human beings (well, most of them), with other commitments (jobs, family, volunteering, helping people who are getting screwed by the Tories).  So the amount of time and energy they can dedicate to piercing the propaganda is extremely limited.

Meanwhile, both the media and civil society are largely asleep at the wheel. [For more on all this, see here] .

So, scrutiny is an empty soothing ritual, where naïve activists go to get their belief in the representatives of representative democracy crushed.

If you DO want to go to a scrutiny committee meeting then please, for the love of gaia

a) do not go alone

b) do not go unprepared.

Some of the most miserable, horrible, soul-destroying hours of my life have been spent watching the farce that calls itself ‘scrutiny’.

It IS worth going (once or twice maybe), but not alone, and not unprepared. Srsly. Here’s a five minute video about what happens and some further advice.

Please feel free to contact MCFly – mcmonthly@gmail.com if you want more info.

Here below I have click click clicked through to all the specific pages of the website where the six scrutiny committee agendas are.  The Council COULD, if it wanted, easily have one page where all the agendas were available. The fact that it doesn’t tells you exactly how much they care about keeping citizens informed.

Tuesday 24th May 

Young People and Children’s

10am The Scrutiny Committee Room, Level 2, Town Hall Extension

 

Neighbourhoods

2pm The Scrutiny Committee Room, Level 2, Town Hall Extension

Agenda

Reports

 

Wednesday 25th May

Economy

10am The Scrutiny Committee Room, Level 2, Town Hall Extension

Agenda

Reports

 

Communities

2pm The Scrutiny Committee Room, Level 2, Town Hall Extension

Agenda

Reports

 

Thursday 26th May

Finance

10am The Scrutiny Committee Room, Level 2, Town Hall Extension

Agenda

Reports

 

Health

2pm The Scrutiny Committee Room, Level 2, Town Hall Extension

Agenda

Reports

Posted in Democratic deficit, Economy Scrutiny Committee, Health Scrutiny Committee, Manchester City Council, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Prof Kevin Anderson at Carbon Coop AGM #Manchester #climate

Posted on May 19, 2016 by manchesterclimatemonthly

Professor Kevin Anderson (see January interview part 1, part 2 and part 3) speaking at the Carbon Coop AGM a couple of months ago.

Carbon Co-op AGM 2015 – Kevin Anderson from Carbon Co-op on Vimeo.

And here is the Q and A.

Carbon Co-op AGM Q+A session from Carbon Co-op on Vimeo.

Posted in video review | Tagged , | Leave a comment

#Manchester Council refuses to disclose full cost of support for useless #climate group

Posted on May 18, 2016 by manchesterclimatemonthly

Manchester City Council has refused to put a specific number on its financial support for the “Steering Group”. While it has given the group over £ 100k, the Council  has performed precisely zero cost-benefit analysis of what it is getting for that money.

While the Council has conceded that it gave the group a total of £30,999  in financial year 2015-6 (In 2014-5 it was £24,663.20, in 2016-17 it is – £27,000) it has so far refused to release an exact wages bill for the 1.8 Full Time Equivalent staff who have been seconded from the Council to work for the Steering Group, now a Community Interest Company.

The Council admits it has the information but isn’t going to release it (without a fight). The grounds?  It claims it is “unable” to comply because the number is “exempt” on grounds of personal information (see below).

Instead of this information, which would say nothing about individual pay, the council has provided… the pay bands of the two staff, which is actually more personal information than would have been released if the Council had replied to the question with a straightforward number!  MCFly is writing to the Council to request the basic information it asked for (see the bottom of this blog post for that email).  If no joy, well, off to the Information Commissioner we go…

Back in April MCFly asked “The total value of the wages paid to Council staff from the beginning of their secondment, up until 13th April 2016.”

The reply said: “I confirm that the Council does hold the information that you have requested. However, having carefully considered the matter, the Council has determined that it is unable to comply with your request. This is because the requested information is exempt from disclosure under the following absolute exemption:
Section 40 Personal Information. This exemption applies because you have made a request for information which comprises or contains personal information about a third party. The Council has determined that the information relating to the third party should not be disclosed because disclosure would contravene one or more of the data protection principles under the Data Protection Act 1998, including the first principle that requires that information should be processed lawfully and fairly. This information is therefore exempt under sub-section 40(3)(a)(i). The Council is able to provide you with the grades and salary bandings of the officers that your enquiry relates to. These are outlined below.

Grade 9 £36,571 – £40,217

Grade 11 £44,143 – £47,240″

And here is the email that was sent to them last night.

Dear Sir /Madam,

thank you for your reply on May 12th

Re  Information Request GAN/A82JS8.

I am writing to request an internal review with regards to the second question.

“The total value of the wages paid to Council staff from the beginning of their secondment, up until 13th April 2016.”

I do not believe that the exemption (40, personal information) that you cite applies in this case. Why?  I am actually simply asking for a total aggregate number, NOT one that is broken down into the bill for the two staff.

Further, by informing me of their pay grades (which I did not previously know) and the pay bands for those pay grades (which I also did not know), you have breached their personal information MORE than you would have done so by simply providing a simple number.  This simple number might of course have been perceived to be politically embarrassing, but that is NOT an exemption in the FOIA, as far  as I am aware.  If it is, please provide the number of that exemption.

Please also inform me of  the time frame for the internal review.  Thank you for the contact details of the Information Commissioner in the case that the internal review does not actually release this very simple information, which you have already stated that you have. (I had these contact details already – if you remember, I had to complain to them because Manchester City Council took a year to respond to a previous FoIA from me.)  There is another FoIA that you are overdue on, but I’ll save that for another letter.

Many thanks!!

Marc Hudson

Posted in Manchester City Council, Steering Group | 2 Comments

Job Alert: Platform campaigning job, deadline 6th June

Posted on May 17, 2016 by manchesterclimatemonthly

From here.
London-based, but MCFly asked about that and was told –

“We’d me be more than happy to discuss arrangements with people about where they live, in proximity to London, and we’d urge people to apply and then they’d be in a position to discuss this at interview.
“Not all of us live in London, currently, but staff are expected to be in the office during (most) work days – frequency depending on what they are working on
“But, yes, definitely pass on to people, and they can call and chat it over before they apply, if they like. “

Platform is recruiting a new campaigner.

2.5 days per week – 20 hours (flexible) approx £31,000pa pro rata (based on a 40 hour week)

Deadline: noon on Monday 6th June.

12299197_1196471430367615_1498657630778540529_n

Platform is looking for a new campaigner to work across a number of Platform projects. The successful candidate should be motivated to work towards climate justice, to democratise our energy system, and overcome oppression. They will work as part of a team on several Platform projects. These may include Fossil Free Culture, Voices that Shake!, Switched On London, building energy democracy, and mobilising to stop Europe’s new fossil fuel pipelines.

This is a flexible role. We expect the post-holder to particularly focus on one or more of the following:

  • Outreach and movement-building
  • Generating mass-media coverage to influence and reframe debates
  • Producing social media content and email campaigns, and engaging audiences online
  • Targeting and influencing decision-makers.

Depending on the candidate’s strengths and motivation, the role can develop to emphasise one or more of these aspects.

In any case, the campaigner will be responsible for:

  • Producing and researching campaign materials
  • Organising events
  • Fundraising and reporting to funders
  • Representing Platform at public events

deadline-festival-1

How to apply:

Please download the job description and person specification with details of how to apply.

If you would like to discuss the role or the application process informally, email us on info@platformlondon.org (you can ask us to ring you!).  If you’re unsure about something in the person specs, please give us a call!

Application Deadline:

Please submit your application by noon on Monday 6th June.

We are aiming to conduct a 1st round of interviews on 13th and 14th June, and a second round on 20th or 21st June.

Platform strives to apply equal opportunities principles both in its recruitment and in its work. We oppose all forms of discrimination on the grounds of colour, race, nationality, ethnic or national origin, gender, sexuality, marital status, religion, age or disability.

The successful candidate will be selected on the basis of how well they fit the person specification, as judged by their application materials and their interview performance.

We would particularly like to encourage applications from people of colour / black or brown people, who are currently under-represented in Platform. Where two or more candidates are judged to be of equal merit, priority may be given to a BME candidate as these groups are less well represented.

Due to the ridiculous and racist border restrictions in the UK, Platform is unfortunately unable to arrange work permits for applicants without UK residency.

– See more at: http://platformlondon.org/campaigner-vacancy-2016/#sthash.GvyDXiNv.dpuf

Posted in Job Alert | Leave a comment