Environment Commission marches on...

On the 18 March, the AGMA-level Environment commission met up to discuss various issues such as the progress of their programme and the Low Carbon Economic Area (LCEA) delivery plan.

Led by Keith Davidson, the LCEA for the Built Environment 5-year delivery plan is due to be completed by the end of May. It aims are- in basic terms- to capture the economic benefits of retrofitting; whilst actively becoming a green economy and creating green jobs.

Concerns were raised about securing (private) investment over the five years although it was reported that the programme was already attracting interest and there was a GM bid for EU funding from the ERDF. Issues were also raised by the value of retrofitting buildings when there were various free scheme linked to the Decent Homes standard. The response was that they were aiming for a 'Decent Homes plus' standard which would take retrofitting much further- especially with the European funding- and save six million tonnes of C02.

Even so the biggest stumbling block remains that the commissioners currently have no power and no funding, and the New Economy Commission seems to be taking the lead. If there is no agreement from AGMA for setup costs, and if they don't get money, what happens next? The programme did not come with any money at all and it will be a challenge to convince the local authorities to give up some of their budget for the region-wide plans. Furthermore, whilst the plans were very much pitched as economic plans the need to bring 'people along' and change people's attitudes were raised.

Looking more widely at the Environment Commissions programmes, one commissioner raised the need to be very clear about numbers, aims as it would be very hard to make any difficult decisions without this. It was raised that the programme was still just a strategy and needed to be a lot clearer, especially at this stage. The commissioner noted that at the moment, there is a greater risk of failing than success as plans were still very loose and if need they are serious about getting investment then they need to be clearer about the benefits to do so. It was suggested that they form various programme sessions to give them more focus and to give the EC updates every other meeting.

With regards to measures and data for the EC, it was noted that Manchester commercial center emissions per GDP were quite efficient whilst domestic emissions per capita were higher than would be expected. Whilst low C02 emissions in commercial sector does show the strength of Manchester as a low carbon economy, it was noted that this didn't mean that they shouldn't continue to reduce commercial emissions whilst highlighting areas of commercial excellence.

Arwa Aburawa,
Freelance Journalist and MCFly co-editor

Environment Commission- The Joy of Six

MCFly was at the 6th meeting of the AGMA- level Environment Commission and can happily report that things finally seem to be heading in the right direction. It seems the recent selection of Greater Manchester as the Local Carbon Economic Area (LCEA) for the Built Environment has provided a bit of focus, if not (yet) any money. There were around 18 people at the meeting with apologies from Angie Robinson of the GM Chamber of Commerce and local authority councillors James Wibberly (Trafford), Catherine Piddington (Tameside) and David Molyneux (Wigan).

On the agenda was the LCEA and it was announced that the delivery plan for the Built Environment will be brought to the Environment Commission (EC) at the next meeting in March. The delivery plan is expected to be announced by April 2010 and £30,000 has been secured from the NWDA to help produce the joint delivery plan. It will consist of around 15 plans focusing on areas such as buildings, energy supply, innovation and supply chains.

Concerns were raised about the potential tension between cutting carbon and economic-driven programmes as the LCEA was run by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS)and not the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC). Another commissioner, however, saw this is as a real opportunity to 'sell the environmental message' and also help ease the burden of those who have committed to cutting their carbon.

The LCEA designation was also hoped to bring in more resources for the little-mentioned Climate Change Agency which is supposed to carry out the EC's workstreams. With regards to the workstreams, they are slowing gaining more focus and are now being narrowed down to “headline actions”.
Manchester Airport is leading on the Transport workstream with a focus on changing behaviours and was keen to hold back on setting targets just yet.
Lynda Shillaw of the Co-op added that flexible working hours and better use of technology was key to encouraging people to use public transport or limiting travel where possible. MCFly cannot confirm rumours that there will be a fund for innovation in transport.

The Energy workstream was 'asked' by the government to come up with a clear Manchester Energy Plan which would inform investment, infrastructure and demand management. Bid has been put in for money and certain commissioners mentioned that this was a real opportunity for city region benefits as well as further gov-supported projects.

The issue of measuring the performance, which is another workstream, was discussed with possibility of a small team setting up various metrics to help set targets and measure success.
ertain commissioners felt that it was best to focus on what measures needed to be reported, whilst another suggested it was best to focus on simple measure – such as energy, water, waste- which were easy to understand and also more suited to clear messages.

The Sustainable Consumption Institute (yes, the Tesco-funded one) at the University of Manchester
was also suggested as good place to start as they have carried out significant research around the topic.

Another important workstream is engaging the stakeholder and a new Policy and Programme Manager - Phil Budds - has been tasked with creating a cross-authorities dialogue and better web presence. Shillaw, who is leading on the Sustainable production and consumption workstream, also offered stakeholder strategies developed by the Co-op to help.

The Commission has the view- not unreasonably- that the LCEA designation is a real opportunity not just for Greater Manchester's low carbon economy to flourish but also for the EC to prove itself. So far, the EC seems to have recognized this and are attempting to make the most of this window of opportunity to secure resources so that they can finally start taking action.


Arwa Aburawa, Freelance Journalis
(with minor alterations by Marc Hudson- blame him for inaccuracies and sarcasm)

Environment Commission meeting #5

Public Health Warning: These are not anything approaching official minutes, and aren't pretending to be.

The latest Environment Commission meeting (see here and here and here and here for previous reports) took place today in at Manchester University, in a converted church. (No jokes about “not having a prayer”, please, that would be childish). It was preceeded by a "policy exchange", but we can't report that because MCFly's invite went missing - presumably lost in a pile of undelivered mail.

Attendance was fairly good, with a few notable absences (apologies given)- such as Angie Robinson of the Chamber of Commerce (interviewed by MCFly here) and Andy Cliffe of Manchester Airport Group (ooh, the story we want to tell you about THEM, but it's embargoed). The University is still tussling over who will sit on the Commission, but the Health Commission is keen to send someone.

The chair of the Commission, Cllr Dave Goddard was unavoidably detained elsewhere (not due to congestion, we hope) so Cllr Neil Swannick chaired. Last time MCFly this 6'4” gent in action, he was mildly discombobulated by a heckler. That was Thursday last at the Town Hall, and the heckler was a scurrying mouse, not a rat (that would have been too appropriate).

Mike Reardon gave some verbal reports-
the City Region process continues apace, with High Level meetings About to Take Place.
“Roadshows” about the Environment Commission have taken place in 4 of the 10 AGMA councils. They're not just about flying the EC flag, but teasing out local expertise and figuring out how to “cascade” it (MCFly's word, not theirs- we've been infected by our Bull's Hit Bingo game).
6 more Local Authorities, and the Passenger Transport Executive and the Waste Disposal Agency remain to be visited by the Roadshow Warriors.
The EC's communications bod, Janine Watson, gave a brief overview of what's going on. Principally, using Copenhagen as a “hook” (possibly dangerous- if it goes as badly as some are suggesting). The EC now has a page on the revamped AGMA website
It will have specific images and mugshots of Commissioners and further information shortly. Maybe even some “Big Messages” too.

Then Cllr Mark Alcock and David Hytch gave a quick summary of their fact-finding trip to Milan, which has implemented an “ecopass” system to improve air quality in the city centre. Classic carrot and stick, with 'clean vehicles' getting in for free and a sliding scale for the dirty to dirtiest vehicles.

This was followed by discussion of commissioner's roles, and who was going to take on what, in either a leading or supporting capacity. It was agreed (MCFly thinks) that different commissioners would operate differently, and there was no one size fits all. There was general agreement that taking on too much and then having to drop it was a Very Bad Idea. At the same time, there was concern about whether the Commission had a feel for the specifics of environmental problems in the conurbation (asthma hotspots, water quality, waste etc), and that a specific Business workstream might be in order.

The question of staffing levels came up. At present Sarah Davies and Mike Reardon are full time, with various other bits of staffing too. There were many applications for the Policy and Programme Manager job, with interviews happening in the next few weeks. There are also various offers of funding- some firm, some not - on the table for various projects.
This was followed by a presentation about “A Greater Manchester Environment, Planning and Housing Research Resource” (headline- people being poached from various AGMA places for work on climate resilience, understanding opportunities for carbon reduction etc
Apparently (you read it here first) Greater Manchester is to be used as a 'test-bed' for work on climate adaptation/resilience and the roles and responsibilities and private sector 'buy-in' around this.

Then there was a waste discussion, but MCFly reporters are only human (at best), and frankly, our attention had wandered a bit... One very good point was made though, by a Commissioner, that there seemed to be insufficient focus on waste reduction before we got to re-use, recycling etc.

Finally: Following the release of the government's “low carbon transition plan” over the summer “Low Carbon Economic Areas” seem to be the flavour of the month, though Mike Reardon warned that there was no pot of gold over that particular rainbow. As reported in a previous MCFly (34? Lost count), the Northwest is angling at being the LCEA for the built environment.
High level meetings are taking place and More Information Will be Forthcoming Shortly.

On a related note, it seems that the Climate Change Agency might morph a bit to fit that particular funding framework- time will tell.

In any other business, the major point was the 10:10 campaign. Manchester City Council has signed up (go Team Manchester!!) with Stockport, Oldham and Bury making moves. It was agreed that the Environment Commission would recommend to AGMA exec that all the LAs sign up...

The EC next meets in January, and by then MCFly hopes to have pinned down a lot more about some of the outstanding issues, who is responsible for what, hopes and expectations for 2010 etc.

Environment Commission meeting #4: Resource wars

Four months after the Environment Commission (EC) first met, there is growing impatience amongst the commissioners to just get on with the job and start setting targets. While aware of the need to carefully select an agenda, many commissioners are concerned over the lack of progress made. One pointed out that 'not one house has been retrofitted, not one tonne or even one pound of C02 has been reduced due to the meeting s, in fact probably more has been produced due to all this paper printed.' Given the hefty agenda set for the latest two-hour meeting, and the numerous presentations, commissioners were also keen to streamline the meetings in future.

The main agenda item at the Sept 10 meeting was the work programme for the EC. Commissioners were being asked to take the lead on a certain number of projects around 10 themes, including capacity building, policy, management and resource procurement, housing retrofit, climate resilience, sustainable consumption and production and so on.

A major stumbling block with the proposed work plan was the obvious lack of resources available. In addition the delivery body- the Manchester Climate Change Agency- is not yet ready, and certain items such as the airport were also side-lined as basically too hard to resolve. Whilst certain commissioners were eager that they all put forward staff and resources, many of the appointed commissioners explained that they were working under tight budgets for this suggestion to be realistic. This resources issue needs resolving soon, otherwise a cyclical and boring debate of what comes first - the plan or the money - will ensue. Across the 7 AGMA commissions there is a huge imbalance in resources, with only the New Economy Commission having anything approaching a big enough staff team.

It is clearly early days for the EC, and the issues of a work programme and resources were bound to be difficult ones to resolve. Even so, there does seem to be a lack of urgency and some of the eager (and important) faces that were at the first meeting do need to reappear if this Commission is serious about fulfilling its aims.

Environment Commission update July 09

MCFly was at the latest Environment Commission meeting on July 16 and, after the commissioners away day last month, we have lots to tell you! Of course, what you are reading below is NOT the official minutes, but will do till they are distributed...

Recommendations for MCCA

Following the request of the commissioners, Mark Watts of the London Climate Change Agency made his recommendations to help Manchester's very own Climate Change Agency swim rather than sink. Watts pinpointed the lack of resources as a major issue and suggested a figure of around £250,000 to tackle the projects that the MCCA has already taken on. He also proposed that the MCCA define itself and its role/aims more clearly.

An assessment of where Manchester was upto in terms of tackling climate change was also proposed alongside the notion that the EC and MCCA should be clearly separated from each other. Smart metering and retrofitting municipal buildings were given the thumbs up as positive ways to build a reputation and presence in Manchester.

Charlie Parker and Commission chair Dave Goddard were keen to point out that devolution will bring more resources for these projects and that funding will be clearer by October. They did, however, agree that research was needed to make sure that AGMA was getting bang for buck from the 15 million been spent in the sector across Greater Manchester.

Reports and presentations overload

To help the commission narrow their aims a plethora of reports were presented which included: a report on the UK Low Carbon Transition Plan for background information, the structure of the NWDA and how the EC could work them, and a report to provide an overview of EU developments and membership of the 'Covenant of Mayors'. I'll spare you the details although if you are really keen we have linked up the reports where possible.

The main actions coming from these presentations, which were all rushed although the meeting overran by an hour, was that AGMA could sign up to the 'Covenant of Mayors' as the covenant's targets were not very different to those already set. Commissioners also debated whether adaption to climate change or the need to reduce the carbon per part in the air should take priority with regards to the EC's vision. This debate once again led to the issue of finding where Manchester is and directing funding more strategically.

Commission and Communication

Finally, a short presentation was given by Janine Watson to help the EC's 'brand positioning' reflect their vision and focus. As well as highlighting the possibilities of facebook and industrial-heritage-inspired-brick-wall websites, she also pointed to risk of talking to journalists without a clear agenda and the need to manage activists. Overall, she recommended a launch event once the EC has defined it aims and work plan.

In case you had somehow managed to miss it, the main theme running across the meeting seemed to be that a lot can be achieved ONCE a there is a clear focus on what it is they want to achieve and how. And whilst things are moving in the right direction, tough decisions need to be made soon to forge this ever-elusive 'vision'.

Business Alliance...

The Manchester Low Carbon Business Alliance was launched on Wednesday July 1st in the Grand Hall of Manchester Town Hall. This group is number three of the ‘catalytic actions’ that have enthused us so much here at MCFly Towers. About 150 attendees from the private sector were treated to a glass of plonk, although tranquilizers weren’t exactly needed. Sat behind the de rigeur barrier- [Ed: shurely "Speakers Table"?]- we found Council Leader Sir Richard Leese; Lead Member for the Environment, Cllr Richard Cowell; MD of Co-operative Estates Linda Shillaw; local Arup head honcho, Roger Milburn, and Bruntwood lead chap on sustainability Iain Grant. Mssr’s Shilaw and Milburn are also members of the G Mcr Environment Commission.

Ms Shillaw was the obvious hit with the audience simply because she gave them the Co-op low carbon story in numbers – e.g. two years to pay back on a low carbon shop re-furb – and policies that embedded good practice across the whole company. Compelling and surely making her a contender to chair that Commission. Milburn exuded some authority but isn’t going to win prizes for oratory and Grant said that Bruntwood are doing their bit to get smart meters in their office blocks. As for our elected members – Cowell is obviously sincere in his mission but sorely needs to develop more confidence on stage and Leese again surprises with the fact that he ‘gets it’ as far as what needs to be done and why. He has no need to say that the stated target of lopping a million tonnes off the city’s carbon footprint is ‘a minimum’ and that we may need to further, but he persists in doing so. This correspondent wonders if many listening to him ‘got it’ as to the change that will require of their businesses.

So, a start, but to what? The Council has set something in motion which could make a real difference but unless this fledgling group is properly supported and generates real action then it add to the growing pile of well meaning talking shops that litter this field. Little clue to this future was given at the event. Watch this space.

‘Soviet Spy’

MCFly 26- Environment Commission update

At the latest meeting of the Environment Commission (EC) on June 8, energy infrastructure and resilience have emerged as major issues that need to be tackled in Greater Manchester. Commissioners [minus MP Piddington & Molyneux; Angie Robinson (Manchester Chamber of Commerce); Andy Cliffe (MAG) and Ian McAuley of United Utilities sent a substitute] spent an away day pin-pointing issues to lead the commission, and ways in which they could be tackled effectively. One suggestion was that each commissioner could champion a certain issue. Other concerns that emerged included the need to raise the climate change agenda and to deal with waste by altering consumer habits.

As planned, the EC invited Mark Watts (ex-senior advisor to Ken Livingston) to discuss the lessons to be learnt from London's failed Climate Change Agency, and how to avoid these pitfalls when forming Manchester's very own Climate Change Agency. One conclusion seemed to suggest that there needs to be a closer link with local authorities when carrying out any projects.

The commissioners have also asked for a review by independent assessment of the region's environment performance. This is vital to help assess how well/badly Manchester is doing and what really needs to be improved - the initial findings will be announced some time at the end of next week and MCFly will report on them in the next issue.

For more information, see www.manchesterclimatefortnightly.info/environmentcommssion.html. For a graphic representation of who these guys are and how "it all fits together", see www.manchesterclimatefortnightly.info/organisationalchart.html

MCFly 024- Environment Commission gets cracking at last

The Greater Manchester “Environment Commission” (see previous MCFlys and www.manchesterclimatefortnightly.info/ bluffersguide.html) finally met as a complete body on Thursday May 14 . All the elected and appointed members were there (as was a MCFly reporter). On the agenda was the 'Energy Plan', the future of the Manchester Climate Change Agency and investment into Manchester's environmental organisations. After a presentation by Mike Reardon, (of the Commission's transition team) about the commission's outline and aims, the AGMA-based 'Energy Plan' was proposed.

As part of the European Union “Partnership Energy Planning as a tool for realising European Sustainable Energy Communities” (PEPESEC) scheme, the Plan basically suggested that Manchester follow the Swedish model for energy planning. This model rejects the 'wires, kits and cables' approach and instead calls for an understanding of energy supply as a 'system' which needs wider co-ordination and planning. The Commissioners seemed rather sceptical of this idea, stating that this would need a wide base of consensual stakeholder support- something which is clearly lacking as it currently stands. Lynda Shillaw, Managing Director of the Cooperative Group Property, also remarked that they needed a clearer and more cohesive message to get the suppliers to change their strategic direction. Finally, commissioners voiced concerns that they didn't want their projects to be limited by PEPESEC and so they should be setting their objectives independently of this project.

Next on the agenda was the Climate Change Agency. Many commissioners seemed to value the importance of this delivery structure but were keen to learn from the mistakes of London's Climate Change Agency. They were informed that Eversheds consultancy which put together the report on Manchester's CCA had in fact worked closely with London CCA to identify and avoid potential pitfalls. Commissioners suggested that a representative come along to the next meeting- Monday June 8- and give a presentation on the important issues to make sure that they are learning from London's CCA mistakes.

Finally Walter Menzies, chief executive of the Mersey Basin Campaign, gave a quick overview of Manchester's Environmental Organisations and concluded that although many were skilled campaigners there was a lack of organisation or coordination amongst them. He cautioned that whilst they could do without a new layer of bureaucracy, they would benefit from real leadership and direction. In response to the disorganised nature of public investment in environmental organisations, commissioners highlighted the need for more intelligent deployment of public money in the future and suggested that investment should follow strategic aims.

Overall the first meeting of the Environment Commission was promising, with Commissioners really taking the task at hand seriously and suggesting practical ways to fulfil their ambitious role.

MCFly 023- Teaching an elephant to tapdance

Three new-ish official bodies have been set up to meet the challenge of Climate Change in Manchester. MCFly gives a quick overview of each, and asks "who will tell the people?"

The oft-delayed announcement of the remaining “Environment Commissioners” has been made. The Environment Commission is a Greater Manchester body that will aim to “co-ordinate with a range of organisations to tackle climate change, energy, water, green infrastructure, transport, waste and other issues.” As reported in previous MCFlys, the first six commissioners were appointed some time ago. They are all councillors from local authorities, including Richard Cowell, Manchester City Council Executive Member for the Environment. The remaining Commissioners, who were selected after a nomination process managed by recruitment company Robinson Keane are as follows: Andy Cliffe, Strategy Director, Manchester Airport Group; Keith Davidson, Environment Partner at the law firm Pannone; Roger Milburn, Director of the construction company Arup; Anne Selby, CEO of the Wildlife Trust and Lynda Shillaw, Managing Director (Property) Co-operative Group. In addition to these, there are several "ex-officio" Commissioners, including Tony Dean North West Regional Director, Environment Agency ; David Higham, Regional Director of Government Office North West; Angie Robinson, Chief Executive of Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, Ian McAulay, Managing Director of Capital Programmes, United Utilities plc; Cllr Neil Swannick, Chair of Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority and David Hytch, Information Director of Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive. Two senior representatives from Greater Manchester's Universities are also being selected to fill the final two Commission roles. The Commission may choose to appoint one further ex officio.

The first full meeting of the Environment Commission will be on May 14, with discussion of topics such as the development of an Energy Plan and the establishment of a Climate Change Agency. An “away day” is planned for June.

The obvious questions, for which MCFly does not yet have answers, are: what sort of conflict resolution mechanisms are in place (will the chair have a casting vote), will the meetings be open to the public and will the public be able to suggest agenda items/make representations to the Commission?

See: www.manchesterclimatefortnightly.info/bluffersguide.html

The Environmental Strategy Programme Board is a internal Manchester City Council group (with a few add-ons) which aims to get various bits of the Council bureaucracy actually talking to each other and co-ordinating delivery of the Environmental Strategy of the Council. They held their fourth meeting recently, and the minutes of that will be posted at http://tinyurl.com/djat42

The third group is the 'Environmental Advisory Panel.' Also meeting monthly (in between ESPB meetings), this is an informal group, a mix of Council figures, business figures, academics and “community and voluntary sector” representatives, including Emerge, Oxfam, Friends of the Earth, and, yes, Manchester Climate Fortnightly. The terms of reference are still being finalised, but in essence, the Panel is to be a critical friend/advisor of the Council, give it access to other perspectives and ideas (but without the Council being obliged to act on that advice!)

About that elephant... The key question for all the above groups- and others that are springing up (like the sub-Executive group, the sustainable schools group) is how will they build and maintain enthusiasm, momentum and legitimacy when confronted with bureaucratic inertia and turf-wars, wheel-re-invention and long-grass kicking, apathy and denial, and the loud urgency of today's crises? As one MCFly contributor is fond of saying "when you are up to your neck in snapping alligators, it's easy to forget you originally wanted to drain the swamp."

Environment Commission- announcement imminent

Sometime (very) soon, there will be an announcment about the Environment Commission, the Manchester-wide body that will sit alongside 6 other commissions on health, transport, public protection etc.
The Environment Commission will (sort of) hold the AGMA Executive's feet to the fire on Environmental questions,

"To support the AGMA Executive Board in holding to account bodies which impact on the environmental well-being of the city region, to deliver strategies, plans and infrastructure that support their core environmental sustainability objectives, and to ensure that the wider work of the Executive Board reflects its environmental priorities"

as well as being home for the Manchester Climate Change Agency.

See an unfinished bluffer's guide on it here-

Manchester Climate Fortnightly will keep you posted

Lecture series on Conservation and Sustainability

Last night the second of a series of lectures on "Conservation and Sustainability" took place at Manchester University.

Zoe Garland and Leanne Rimmer of the Lancashire Wildlife Trust outlined their work, which is mostly with school children at present, under the title of "Inspiring change now: Making sustainable living second nature."

The next lecture is entitled "Buidling a low carbon-economy" and will be delivered by Mike Reardon, of Manchester City Council/AGMA. He is the lead on creating the "Environment Commission" (see MCFly's 17, 19 and 20).

His lecture will take place on Weds 22nd April, from 6 to 7pm, at the Michael Smith building at the University of Manchester (very close to the back of Jabez Clegg.)

More details will appear in next paper MCFly, out Sunday 5th April.

Further titles for lectures include "biodiversity loss and ecosystem change: consequences for people and the enviornment", "the return of the beaver" and 'forming an emissions inventory, energy scenarios and plans with stakeholders"

Scoop! Environment Commissioners not being appointed yet

The Environment Commission for Greater Manchester will have to wait a little longer for its first meeting as a full body. Six members of the 11 commissioner group have been appointed, and have already met once, but five others are still being sought.

The initial plan was that a recruitment consultancy would deliver five preferred candidates to the AGMA Executive for their meeting on March 27th. MCFly has been told this will now not happen. It is not clear whether the Environment Commission will press ahead with its planned Tuesday April 7th meeting, or what this delay (not the first to hit the body) will mean for Greater Manchester climate action by local government, or the pace of development of the Manchester Climate Change Agency.

The idea, as reported in MCFly 17, is that 11 "Environment Commissioners"- 6 elected politicians from various local authorities and 5 people from business/ construction/media/ voluntary sector/academia- will meet regularly and help co-ordinate activities.

The Environment Commission is one of 7 Greater Manchester-wide bodies being set up - the others are Economic Development, Employment and Skills, Health, Improvement and Efficiency, Planning and Housing, Transport and Public Protection.

The selection of non-local authority members for the Planning and Housing Commission is agenda item 6 on the AGMA executive meeting for March 27th. There will be "a report from the Head of AGMA Policy & Research Unit" presented. It is not clear if this to offer names for approval or whether it is merely 'how the search for them should be conducted'.

You can see more information here
MCFly 19 blog post
Bluffer's Guide to the Environment Commission

MCFly 019- Environment Commission update

The Environment Commission is one of 7 Greater Manchester-wide bodies being set up - others include Health, Transport, Economic Development etc. (www.manchesterclimatefortnightly.info/bluffersguide.html). The idea, as reported in MCFly 17, is that 11 "Environment Commissioners"- 6 elected politicians from various local authorities and 5 people from business/ construction/media/ voluntary sector/academia- will meet regularly and help co-ordinate activities.

They will not be paid, and indeed there is only a minimal budget for operating costs. MCFly has been told that the EC is supposed to be task-orientated and help deliver objectives. If it wants to achieve discrete projects then it will apply for funding separately .

The timetable for the Environment Commission has been pushed back slightly. On March 20 the recruitment consultants (we don't know who they are) will give a list of recommended candidates for the 5 non-elected commissioners to the AGMA Executive.

All being well, the Environment Commission will meet on Tuesday April 6 for its first full meeting. At this, they will discuss the action they want to take, how they will achieve it and how to set-up support infrastructures to do it.

According to Steve Turner of the Manchester Climate Change Agency, one of the delivery bodies underneath the Environment Commission, the delay is not having an impact on the MCCA's progress, and it still plans to open its doors later this summer.

MCFly will keep you informed...

Brussels Sprouts and the End of the World

News reaches MCFly Towers of a film premiere the climat-istas will be dying to pack their low-energy popcorn for.

No, not the Sunday 15th March eagerly-awaited launch of the "Age of Stupid", which is coming soon to a cinema near you, no matter where you live it seems.

No, this is about the "Manchester Mini-Stern," a report released last year which spelt out the (21 billion quid) costs of not acting quickly enough of smart enough to climate change. It used the methodology of the Stern Review and applied it to Greater Manchester. This was a first, for a sub-national approach, and the report has picked up a few awards (recently a Sustainable Communities gong, according to the MEN.)
Read more about it all in the updated 3rd Manchester Climate Change Agency bulletin.

Here's the poster for this launch. One last thing, this poster can be seen at the following address:

http://users.skynet.be/phelge/manchesterweek/Thursday_invite.html

Skynet??

Update on AGMA's Environment Commission

MCFly has been reliably informed by AGMA bods that the Environment Commission's first meeting will now be on the 7th of April, NOT in 'February or early March' as they previously announced (see MCFly 17 for background info). By then, AGMA is hoping to have recruited the remaining 5 commissioners from areas such as business, academia, third sector, property and development, and communications. These 5 commissioners are being independently recruited and will be approved by the AGMA Chief Executive. Also overseeing the Environment Commission are six elected politicians, which brings the Environment Commission to a total of 11 commissioners.

The Environment Commission is part of a the Greater-Manchester attempt to streamline the response to climate change and to reduce any duplication of effort across council. The 'Environment Commission' is one of a total of seven commissions on areas such as 'Health', 'Economic Development, Employment and Skills', 'Housing and Infrastructure' and 'Public Protection'. All of the commission's will work across the region and report to the AGMA (Association of Greater Manchester Authorities).

MCFly 017- Environment Commission: a work in progress

A new Greater Manchester-wide body will be a key part of the political ecosystem that climate campaigners work in. The “Environment Commission” is one of seven such outfits that will work across the city region, and report to the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA).

The idea is that the commissions will reduce duplication of effort and enable better co-ordination between local efforts. The seven areas are “Environment”, “Health,” “Transport,” “Economic Development, Employment and Skills” [the outfit previously known as 'Manchester Enterprises'], “Housing and Infrastructure,” “Improvement and Efficiency” and “Public Protection.”

The mission of the Environment Commission is [and we quote]

• 1) To support the AGMA Executive Board in holding to account bodies which impact on the environmental well-being of the city region,
• 2) to deliver strategies, plans and infrastructure that support their core environmental sustainability objectives,
• 3) and to ensure that the wider work of the Executive Board reflects its environmental priorities.

Overseeing the Environment Commission's work will be 11 commissioners. Six are elected politicians from various local authorities. They are, in alphabetical order; Mark Alcock (Oldham), Richard Cowell (Exec. Member for the Environment of Manchester City Council), Dave Goddard, (leader of Stockport Council), David Molyneux, (Wigan Council's Cabinet Champion for the Environment), Catherine Piddington (Tameside) and James Wibberley (Trafford).

The hunt is on for five others, from business, academia, the third sector, property and development, and communications. The Environment Commission next meets late February or early March. There are many questions yet to be answered about the Environment Commission. MCFly has asked some of those questions, and should have the answers very soon. We'll blog them first, and print them in the next issue, space permitting. The Commission will have its own “web presence” in March. In the meantime, you'll have to make do with www.manchesterclimatefortnightly.info/envcommission.html

Manchester Climate Change Agency news

Manchester Climate Fortnightly has reported in the past on the upcoming “Manchester Climate Change Agency.” It will cover Greater Manchester (all ten local authorities). It had initially been due to open in March, but this has been pushed back to “late summer.”
Its third bulletin has just come out, and is well worth a read. (it's only 3 and a bit pages). Ah, doesn't seem to be online just yet...

They've agreed a mission statement:

The Greater Manchester Climate Change Agency (working title) is the city region's business, public and third sector partnership, contributing towards economic advantage and prosperity by:
(i) delivering carbon reductions, and
(ii)responding to the impacts of climate change

The MCCA will be overseen by the “Environment Commission”. [no website yet]
This will next meet in February/March. The six elected members of the Environment Commission have been announced (all councillors from various local authorities). Five more will be chosen, from “business; the third sector; academia; property and development; and communications. They will be recognised figureheads within their respective sectors and have significant decision making powers and influence over environmental performance across the city region. Wherever possible, they will have strong links into other Commissions and work streams to promote inter-Commission working.”

The other commissions mentioned here are AGMA bodies, including the Economic Development, Employment and Skills Commission.

MCFly will keep you posted...