Town hall’s £69m bill to go green
MANCHESTER council will spend at least £69m in the coming years in a bid to reduce its carbon footprint and tackle climate change.
Earlier this summer, the authority responded to growing public demand for action by unanimously passing a motion to declare a ‘climate emergency.’ The council has promised to take the climate crisis into account in all of its decision-making and aims to become ‘carbon neutral’ by 2038 – 12 years ahead of the national target.
That means the volume of greenhouse gases emitted by the authority would be either removed completely, or offset through techniques such as tree planting so that they are safely removed from the atmosphere.
The vast majority of carbon emissions come from human activities such as using electricity to heat homes and offices and burning petrol and diesel to travel. The council’s carbon neutral pledge has come under scrutiny in recent months after a series of controversial decisions around transport in the city centre.
Tens of millions of pounds are being spent to widen and improve the inner ring road at Great Ancoats Street, Regent Road and the Princess Road roundabout.
All three are major projects expected to take months and are causing significant congestion in the meantime.
Council bosses argue the pain will be worthwhile in the long run because it will improve traffic flow and reduce bus journey times, encouraging more use of public transport.
But critics say there is not enough evidence to prove that road-widening schemes reduce congestion and that residents most affected by the roadworks have had little consultation.
With climate change protests becoming a frequent feature in the city centre, political leaders are keen to prove that their green credentials translate into deeds, not just words.
The council’s newly-formed Climate Change Sub Group Scrutiny Committee has now met for the first time.
A five-year action plan to halve the council’s own emissions between 20202025 is being drawn up, as well as plans for how the city as a whole can achieve the same target.
Actions that are already underway include £10.2m towards green refurbishment of the authority’s corporate estate. More than 56,000 street lights are being changed for low energy LED replacements at a cost of £32.8m over the next three years.
A £26m shared heating system is to be installed in the Civic Quarter between the town hall, Central Library and Manchester Central which bosses say will cut emissions. This has attracted some government grant money but, again, has been predominantly funded through borrowing.
Perhaps the biggest part of the climate challenge will be encouraging and assisting Manchester residents to makes changes to their daily lives.
The committee is therefore also promising to look into fuel poverty, in particular homes that don’t have a central heating system.
Annette Wright, Labour councillor for the Hulme ward, who proposed the ‘climate emergency’ motion and sits on the new committee said: “We are in an emergency situation and we have to respond accordingly.”