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 022- Catalytic Action downdate

At least four of the Council' "catalytic actions" seem to be in real trouble. 'World Leading Regeneration' has stalled thanks to the credit crunch. The 'Retrofitting of Manchester;s Civic Heritage' is unlikely if - as Sir Howard Bernstein hinted in the business newspaper Crains (April 13) - the Council's move is put on hold. Meanwhile, Manchester Aiport hires new marketeers and plots its expansion, and the poorly- attended 'Local Development Framework' consultation events don't even mention climate change (see page 2). And 3 months into the Call to Action, how many "low carbon communities" have started?

Local and Global: Manchester Climate Meeting Update

Manchester Climate Forum organised a meeting last night at the Friends Meeting House and Dr. Victoria Johnson of the New Economics Foundation and Cllr Richard Cowell, the Executive member for the Environment were the invited speakers. On the agenda was the climate change issues facing us locally and globally. This is a brief summary of some of the questions that were asked, responses and issues that were brought up. Please feel free to add your comments, further questions or anything that has been missed out.

Global and Copenhagen

Dr. Johnson was at the Poznan meeting which is the run-up to the Copenhagen agreement and talked about the real possibility of international agreement amongst the major players such as the US, Europe, India and China.

“There is the possibility of international agreement but we will probably end up with a weaker agreement at Copenhagen. With the US's New Green Deal and other process there have been some good proposals for greening the economy. All that government's care about is jobs and the economy and if you can show that you can effectively green your way out of recession, then that will gather more support.”

Questions from the audience to Victoria also included why carbon emission trading schemes were still being used when they were clearly fail to reduce CO2. She replied that:

“Well , I don't think that carbon trading doesn't work rather the cap has been set too high and the prices too low. You have to get those right and I don't think they are and so they aren't actually having any effect.”

Local and Call to Action

Cllr Richard Cowell who attracted most of the questions, was eager to highlight the 'Call to Action'- Manchester council's latest climate strategy report.

“In terms of the Call to Action, I would say that it is very much a target driven report for a one million tonnes of CO2 reduction by 2020.

“In terms of the council's response I feel that the work that they do has to be absolutely embedded with the principles and the aims of what we want to do as a council, not as a sort of an add-on, not a bolt-on but something we could value across the different parts of the council.” [Emphasis added]

In response to questions of whether the Principles Document released in February 2008 is still binding -especially Principle 2 which states that the council will go above and beyond the government targets if the science dictates so and that it can be done without harming the poorest in Manchester- Cowell states:

“In terms of the government's increase to 80% reduction, I am hopeful that that will mean our targets will stand. But of course we will keep things under review.

“The concepts of the principle two were under the old target, so targets could essentially have increased and we will keep that under review.”

'Engagement' without Consultation

“Now, I can't continue to have consultation consultation of these bodies and issues, as I do think that really we have to start implementing. We have million's of reductions to make and we have to implement to reach them.

“I feel that the call to action is a way we can bring together and bring along a big variety of businesses, community groups, residents etc.”

“If there are ideas that can be achieved that we think are really good, that will work and bring about reductions and are in line with our strategy, then we will seek to implement those. It's not going to be a closed engagement but it's very much an open engagement.” [Emphasis added]

See previous blog posts on the analysis of the council's consultation and targets within the Call to Action.

Catalytic Action 8: Greening the City: i-Trees

The Executive of Manchester City Council- in effect the “Cabinet” of the 96 seat elected body, has recently accepted a report called the “Call to Action.”

A London-based consultancy called “Beyond Green” wrote the report, (for £32,000 plus expenses), which commits the Council to nine “catalytic actions.”

They are:

1. World-leading neighbourhood regeneration

2. Retrofitting Manchester's civic heritage

3. A business alliance for climate change

4. Low carbon energy infrastructure

5. Low Carbon Communities

6. A climate-ready Local Development Framework

7. The Manchester Prize

8. Greening the City: i-Trees

9. A green airport

We here at MCFly Towers think that these sorts of things go better with consultation. While we are waiting for the Council to announce just what it is going to do on this question, we will be posting one “catalytic action” per day on the MCFly blog, with a brief analysis. We invite the people of Manchester (and heck, why not beyond) to comment on these. We will pass on your comments to the Council.

That's not to say the other parts of the report aren't worthy of comment too- it's just that we have to start somewhere, and here is as good a place as any...

Catalytic Action 8: Greening the City i-Trees

"Climate change adaptation – ensuring that Manchester enjoys a high quality of life with the advent of already inevitable climate change – is a critical aspect of the City’s plan. Key elements of this include making sure that buildings and public transport can be comfortable at higher temperatures, that the way streets and public spaces are laid out and furnished provide shade and shelter from extremes of weather, and that Manchester can cope with increased frequency of storm events. These will become especially important as the need to mitigate further climate change encourages more people to walk and cycle and supports a culture of being out-and-about in the city.

"The Manchester City South Partnership with Red Rose Forest has developed the “i-Trees” proposal for long-term investment in greening in the City South area which centres on Oxford Road, the busiest road corridor in the North West and a major gateway to the City Centre."

-snip-

"A detailed feasibility study has been completed and implementation of the early stages of the project are commencing. In incorporating the project into this Call to
Action, the City Council’s aim is to:
Help accelerate delivery of the programme, corralling a wider body of capacity, expertise and resources to ensure that visible change in the environment is realised as early as possible..."

So, who can argue with planting trees? It's like motherhood and apple pie. Who could be AGAINST it? And Red Rose Forest has done some very useful work, which should be championed.

But why "i-Tree".? Was this dreamt up by Beyond Green? Or by RRF? And what IS an 'i-Tree'? And why on earth should anyone restrain themselves from bursting out laughing as such tosh? Imagine you're a climate skeptic and you hear someone wittering on about i-Trees? Is that going to confirm all your prejudices or what?

Catalytic Action 7: The Manchester Prize

The Executive of Manchester City Council- in effect the “Cabinet” of the 96 seat elected body, has recently accepted a report called the “Call to Action.”

A London-based consultancy called “Beyond Green” wrote the report, (for £32,000 plus expenses), which commits the Council to nine “catalytic actions.”

They are:

1. World-leading neighbourhood regeneration

2. Retrofitting Manchester's civic heritage

3. A business alliance for climate change

4. Low carbon energy infrastructure

5. Low Carbon Communities

6. A climate-ready Local Development Framework

7. The Manchester Prize

8. Greening the City: i-Trees

9. A green airport

We here at MCFly Towers think that these sorts of things go better with consultation. While we are waiting for the Council to announce just what it is going to do on this question, we will be posting one “catalytic action” per day on the MCFly blog, with a brief analysis. We invite the people of Manchester (and heck, why not beyond) to comment on these. We will pass on your comments to the Council.

That's not to say the other parts of the report aren't worthy of comment too- it's just that we have to start somewhere, and here is as good a place as any...

Catalytic Action 7: The Manchester Prize

"The City Council proposes the introduction of a Manchester Prize with the aim of establishing the City as a centre of design for sustainability and a place in which good ideas from around the world, connected with the creation of low carbon, environmentally beneficial ways of living, are demonstrated.

"Through the Manchester Prize, Manchester will become a living laboratory for applied climate change solutions and networks among those involved in making it happen.

"The Prize, which has been under consideration for some time, offers several strategic advantages, including a reinforced reputation as an ambitious City, evidence to governments and investors that the City is serious about climate change and the opportunity to bring the best thinking and design from around the world to bear in Manchester and create transferable reference points for future common practice.

"Private sponsorship will be sought for the Prize, pump-primed by a proposed allocation from the Innovation Fund, and the City Council will seek the support of AGMA in organising the first Prize for 2011."

Hang on. First Prize won't be awarded until... 2011? And then how long till implemented?
And then how long until it starts to reduce carbon levels? By how much? What resilience impacts?

When MCFly editor Arwa Aburawa went to the recent Overview and Scrutiny Committee, she asked why there was no consultation. Twice she was told, in effect 'because we're so determined to act NOW, and we don't want to be distracted from ACTING NOW'.

2011.

This is terrible. This is just a frigging gimmick.

OK, deep breath.

We already KNOW lots of the things that need doing. This search for new "transferable reference points for future common practice" is just like a smoker waiting for a new less addictive fag to come on the market to make it easier to quit, and puffing away merrily in the meantime.

They cannot be serious. Can they?

Catalytic Action 6: A climate ready LDF

The Executive of Manchester City Council- in effect the “Cabinet” of the 96 seat elected body, has recently accepted a report called the “Call to Action.”

A London-based consultancy called “Beyond Green” wrote the report, (for £32,000 plus expenses), which commits the Council to nine “catalytic actions.”

They are:

1. World-leading neighbourhood regeneration

2. Retrofitting Manchester's civic heritage

3. A business alliance for climate change

4. Low carbon energy infrastructure

5. Low Carbon Communities

6. A climate-ready Local Development Framework

7. The Manchester Prize

8. Greening the City: i-Trees

9. A green airport

We here at MCFly Towers think that these sorts of things go better with consultation. While we are waiting for the Council to announce just what it is going to do on this question, we will be posting one “catalytic action” per day on the MCFly blog, with a brief analysis. We invite the people of Manchester (and heck, why not beyond) to comment on these. We will pass on your comments to the Council.

That's not to say the other parts of the report aren't worthy of comment too- it's just that we have to start somewhere, and here is as good a place as any...

Catalytic Action 6: A climate-ready LDF

"In the City of Manchester the key vehicle for achieving these aims is the Local Development Framework (LDF). The LDF is the spatial expression of the Community Strategy and as such climate change activity needs to be embedded within LDF, as in the Community Strategy and the Local Area Agreement. There will be several different parts to the LDF and as such several opportunities to embed low carbon planning and design requirements into the City’s future architecture.

"In April 2009 the City Council will publish the ‘Refining Options’ stage of its LDF Core Strategy, the principal statement of Manchester’s spatial planning objectives and principles.

"During consultation on Issues and Options earlier this year, some respondents argued that climate change imperatives mean Manchester should not seek to grow its population further and should place greater constraints on development than hitherto.

"The City Council recognises that development adds to Manchester’s carbon footprint, both in the ‘embodied energy’ that is used simply in the process of constructing buildings and infrastructure and in the additional emissions generated by extra residents. However, it rejects the suggestion that this argues for reducing the pace or quantum of development in Manchester. That would run counter to the City’s regeneration goals, but on a broader perspective is also the least sustainable course of action: continued population growth in and around Manchester is a welcome and unavoidable consequence of the City’s rising prosperity and demographic change; and development in and around urban cores offers the most economically, socially and environmentally beneficial way of absorbing this growth."

Well, again, isn't this something the council was going to have to be doing anyway?? So isn't this "money for old rope?" There is no, in the terrible jargon of carbon offsetting " additionality."

So, during the previous consultation, various greens went "er, how are you going to square the circle of continued growth and reducing carbon emissions?" (this is- another jargon word- known as 'decoupling'. Like two train carriages are 'de-coupled' from each other, the idea is that if you make your production processes much much more efficient, you can still have growth. Critics would say it's like someone on a diet thinking they can lose weight while eating twice as much of the "low-fat" option...)

And how does the council respond? Does it respond with the sort of 'radical new thinking' that the Call to Action is supposed to represent.

Er. "However, it rejects the suggestion that this argues for reducing the pace or quantum of development in Manchester. That would run counter to the City’s regeneration goals..."

So, in effect, the Council is sticking its fingers in its ears, shutting its eyes so hard their retinas are detaching and shouting "La la la" very loudly.

We live in la-la land...

What is to be done? Be ready, really ready for the LDF Refining Options consultation. If they're not going to consult on the Climate Strategy (they promised they would, but it is now a safe bet they won't), then Manchester's "green" activists need to be ready to rock and roll in April.

Catalytic Action 5: Low Carbon Communities

The Executive of Manchester City Council- in effect the “Cabinet” of the 96 seat elected body, has recently accepted a report called the “Call to Action.”

A London-based consultancy called “Beyond Green” wrote the report, (for £32,000 plus expenses), which commits the Council to nine “catalytic actions.”

They are:

1. World-leading neighbourhood regeneration

2. Retrofitting Manchester's civic heritage

3. A business alliance for climate change

4. Low carbon energy infrastructure

5. Low Carbon Communities

6. A climate-ready Local Development Framework

7. The Manchester Prize

8. Greening the City: i-Trees

9. A green airport

We here at MCFly Towers think that these sorts of things go better with consultation. While we are waiting for the Council to announce just what it is going to do on this question, we will be posting one “catalytic action” per day on the MCFly blog, with a brief analysis. We invite the people of Manchester (and heck, why not beyond) to comment on these. We will pass on your comments to the Council.

That's not to say the other parts of the report aren't worthy of comment too- it's just that we have to start somewhere, and here is as good a place as any...

Low Carbon Communities

"The City Council will encourage neighbourhood or community groups to identify opportunities across the city in which to pilot transformational Low Carbon Communities.

"This will demonstrate how existing neighbourhoods can combat climate change, improve their local environment, increase social cohesion and cut energy costs and fuel poverty through a comprehensive but affordable package of action to reduce their carbon footprint. The project could include:

• "Creating,on a self-financing basis, a community renewable energy supply in which residents own a stake and benefit from the sale of surplus energy via the grid;
• "Helping homeowners to release equity in their homes based on savings on future energy bills to fund retrofitting improvements in energy efficiency, and procuring improvements on a co-ordinated basis to realise purchasing power;
• "Preparing a green travel plan for the community and facilitating car-share schemes, public realm improvements and other measures to encourage more sustainable travel patterns;

-snip-

"Engaging local people in wider sustainable regeneration of their choosing – for example using underused open space for food production, setting up social enterprises for land management and community composting, or establishing organic box schemes; and larger-scale interventions for example through the redevelopment or reuse of under-utilised buildings to enhance the physical and social character of the area and release additional value for community uses.

"In order to further define and scope the concept of Low Carbon Communities and establish a framework of support within the city, the City Council will organise as part of the consultation programme a symposium on neighbourhood climate change action involving if possible partners such as the Carbon Trust, Co-operative and United Utilities."

Well, everyone and their mother is calling for Low Carbon Communities. It's the new Apple Pie. There's a Low Carbon Communities Network, the next Friends of the Earth campaign- much delayed frankly- is about cuddling up to councils and is called "Low Carbon Communities". So Beyond Green have got the branding right...

"the City Council will organise as part of the consultation programme"

And what consultation programme would that be then? It says "the", meaning applying to the whole Call to Action. If it were specifically about this catalytic action, it would be "a" consultation programme. The Council is basically breaking its promise to have a consultation process, and then expects people to continue to trust it. Extraordinary. Extraordinary that the various groups in Manchester are unable to rouse themselves to any sort of activity about this. ("Extraordinary" is a charitable description, actually)

And does the council here think of consulting with the great unwashed, the people who pay their council taxes? No, it consults with government quangos and private business. Genius.

Catalytic Action 4: Low carbon energy infrastructure

The Executive of Manchester City Council- in effect the “Cabinet” of the 96 seat elected body, has recently accepted a report called the “Call to Action.”

A London-based consultancy called “Beyond Green” wrote the report, (for £32,000 plus expenses), which commits the Council to nine “catalytic actions.”

They are:

1. World-leading neighbourhood regeneration

2. Retrofitting Manchester's civic heritage

3. A business alliance for climate change

4. Low carbon energy infrastructure

5. Low carbon communities

6. A climate-ready Local Development Framework

7. The Manchester Prize

8. Greening the City: i-Trees

9. A green airport

We here at MCFly Towers think that these sorts of things go better with consultation. While we are waiting for the Council to announce just what it is going to do on this question, we will be posting one “catalytic action” per day on the MCFly blog, with a brief analysis. We invite the people of Manchester (and heck, why not beyond) to comment on these. We will pass on your comments to the Council.

That's not to say the other parts of the report aren't worthy of comment too- it's just that we have to start somewhere, and here is as good a place as any...

Low carbon energy infrastructure

"The establishment of the right critical energy infrastructure is a vital step on the road to a low carbon economy. Manchester needs to bring together a demand-side analysis of current and future need for energy infrastructure with a supply-side analysis of the opportunities for low carbon energy generation. As described out in box 3.1, this is an evolving process involving many different partners; there will be a key role for the Greater Manchester Climate Change Agency in bringing coherence to that process in our City.

"Manchester City Council, with a range of partners including United Utilities, is supporting work by the AGMA Environment Commission to examine the commercial and technical feasibility of establishing a Manchester-wide Energy Services Company (ESCo). The model will supply low carbon and renewable energy on a strategic scale across Greater Manchester, making best use of the resources and environments that characterise different parts of the conurbation. This builds on a feasibility study undertaken for Manchester Knowledge Capital in 2007."

-snip-

"This work will be complemented by two other studies to be overseen by the Climate Change Agency into community heating and combined heat and power capacity, and renewable energy generation capacity.

"Subject to the outcomes of these studies, the City Council will support early efforts to establish an infrastructure strategy for renewable energy generation, distribution and use across the City and City-region. If necessary, the City Council will use its landholdings to accelerate the development of generation capacity and ensure that both the energy and the income such development – which is likely to be controversial generates is invested in local communities. However, in principle the establishment of a citywide ESCo or similar offers potentially the greatest single source of reduction in Manchester’s emissions – potentially up to a 30 per cent cut in the City’s total carbon footprint depending on uptake and the extent to which existing energy supplies are replaced

OK, in principle this seems sensible enough. I am not an energy expert, so I'd love to hear from other people on this.

A few obvious questions:

Manchester Knowledge Capital has been in possession of a feasibility study since 2007. What has that feasibility study been used for in 2008- a draught excluder?

What have other comparable cities in the UK and beyond done to encourage microgeneration? Did Beyond Green speak to WADE or Greenpeace or any other folks who've been banging on about this stuff for years? If so, what advice were they given? If not, why not?

“Subject to the outcome of these studies”: there's an interesting bit of wiggle room there. What outcomes of these studies might stop the council from proceeding?.

What exactly does the council think is going to be controversial? Are they planning to announce a Fusion Reactor in Fallowfield? An atomic pile in Ancoats? Something else? (I jest of course; one of the climate principles agreed last year explicitly ruled out nuclear. And we all know the climate principles are binding, oh yes...)

Again, by the council's own admission, these actions are going to have a low carbon reduction impact. The box on page 47 really does bear close attention- very few of these actions have immediate starts, and the ones that do were already going. And there are no quantified reductions.

Catalytic Action 3: Business Alliance for Climate Change

The Executive of Manchester City Council- in effect the “Cabinet” of the 96 seat elected body- has recently accepted a report called the “Call to Action.”

A London-based consultancy called “Beyond Green” wrote this report, which commits the Council to nine “catalytic actions.”

They are:

1. World-leading neighbourhood regeneration

2. Retrofitting Manchester's civic heritage

3. A business alliance for climate change

4. Low carbon energy infrastructure

5. Low carbon communities

6. A climate-ready Local Development Framework

7. The Manchester Prize

8. Greening the City: i-Trees

9. A green airport

We here at MCFly Towers think that these sorts of things go better with consultation. While we are waiting for the Council to announce just what it is going to do on this question, we will be posting one “catalytic action” per day on the MCFly blog, with a brief analysis. We invite the people of Manchester (and heck, why not beyond) to comment on these. We will pass on your comments to the Council.

That's not to say the other parts of the report aren't worthy of comment too- it's just that we have to start somewhere, and here is as good a place as any...

"If we in Manchester are to shape the city so that it is fit to grow a low carbon economy and reap a competitive and first-mover advantage from doing so, business will need to be in the vanguard. Indeed, through forums such as the 100 Months Club and activities like the Environmental Business Pledge, business is already playing an important role.

"Often, business action on climate change and sustainability focuses on efforts to reduce factory and office waste and energy use, source supplies more sustainably, and change employee behaviour (for example by providing incentives and facilities for walking and cycling to work). This kind of in-house action is critical, with many small steps adding up to major carbon savings if widely adopted and will be an important part of business action on climate change in the City.

"The City Council wants to understand business views on this Call to Action. We want to understand what specific interventions Manchester business would like to see to support the realisation of a low carbon economy, including supportive policy changes, for example. We would like to examine with business the potential for coordinated procurement initiatives by large organisations across the public and private sectors to create a demand-pull on environmental technologies in Manchester. We would like business input on the potential of climate change as a signature aspect of Manchester’s brand – as the Chicago Climate Exchange has increasingly become associated with Chicago’s international brand. The City Council would like to engage and support business leaders to take the lead on climate change action. These businesses will provide the lead for others to follow and will agree a number of stretching and specific common commitments and actions."

Which is all well and good. There will be an entirely predictable spectrum of responses to this. Friends of the Earth will cautiously welcome it, the Green Party will say that there should be more focus on regulation, rather than expecting niceness from companies. Beyond that, the more hardline socialists etc will call for nationalisation etc. etc

I hope the council is well informed on the potential limits to these sorts of voluntary schemes. There is a recent excellent book edited by Dr. Rory Sullivan that it would be worth their while to read. It's called “Corporate Responses to Climate Change.” You can read a review and an interview with Dr. Sullivan here.

Three other concerns are as follows-

1) won't this simply duplicate work of groups like “Business in the Community” and various quangos like Envirolink Northwest etc etc?

2) There is surely a real danger that the proposed conference with an internationally recognised speaker (Al Gore more likely than James Hansen, I'd guess) for later will simply add to emissions and public cynicism that the Council is doing more talking than doing.

3) There are no direct impacts on C02 reductions from this catalytic action, by the Council's own admission! (see box on page 47 of the report)

Catalytic Action 2: Retrofitting Manchester's Civic Heritage

The Executive of Manchester City Council- in effect the “Cabinet” of the 96 seat elected body, has recently accepted a report called the “Call to Action.”

A London-based consultancy called “Beyond Green” wrote the report, which commits the Council to nine “catalytic actions.”

These are:

1. World-leading neighbourhood regeneration

2. Retrofitting Manchester's civic heritage

3. A business alliance for climate change

4. Low carbon energy infrastructure

5. Low carbon communities

6. A climate-ready Local Development Framework

7. The Manchester Prize

8. Greening the City: i-Trees

9. A green airport

We here at MCFly Towers think that these sorts of things go better with consultation. While we are waiting for the Council to announce just what it is going to do on this question, we will be posting one “catalytic action” per day on the MCFly blog, with a brief analysis. We invite the people of Manchester (and heck, why not beyond) to comment on these. We will pass on your comments to the Council.

That's not to say the other parts of the report aren't worthy of comment too- it's just that we have to start somewhere, and here is as good a place as any...

So, here's part of what the report says on retrofitting the townhall...

“One clear route to reducing operational carbon emissions is through our combined purchasing power and the potential to use this both to ‘green’ our own operations efficiently and to create a base of demand for the development of new technologies and services.

“The buildings that make up the Town Hall complex are of significant historical and cultural importance to the City. However, their design and heritage present us with particular challenges in terms of energy efficiency and carbon emissions. Under the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, large buildings that are occupied either by public authorities or by institutions providing public services are required to publicly display energy performance certificates.

"On the scale of A (best) to G (worst), both the Town Hall (Grade 1 listed) and Extension Building (Grade 2* listed) are rated as E.

"We are currently undertaking a study to look at the feasibility of financially viable, low carbon retrofit options for the Town Hall complex."

“From the table labelled Box 6.1 (page 47) re: action 2, under the heading “Direct Impact” “High locally – major carbon reductions (to be quantified) and cost savings; low in citywide context ”

Presumably this is what was reported in the Manchester Evening News last Saturday (24th Jan), about the council seeking commercial property from March 2010 because of a major refurbishment...

Comments

Well, the Council DOES need to put its own house/hall in order, this is true. People always want to know if those who are preaching are also practicing, and the accusation of hypocrisy is the shortest way to end an argument...

But, again, given the Council has been banging on about climate change for a couple of years, wouldn't you have thought they'd have got to this a bit earlier? I know it sounds churlish, but surely they knew they were going to have to do this, and it would have been better to grab the nettle a little earlier? Still, we are when we are...

Interesting to know how exactly the Council plans to share the best practice they develop on this.