Agenda and minutes

Agenda and minutes

Climate Change Ward Action Plans Task and Finish Group - Thursday, 23rd February, 2023 2.00 pm

Venue: Council Antechamber, Level 2, Town Hall Extension. View directions

Contact: Lee Walker 

Items
No. Item

1.

Ward Climate Change Action Plans - An Introduction pdf icon PDF 129 KB

Report of The Head of Neighbourhoods and The Strategic Lead Neighbourhoods South

 

This report describes the current rationale and purpose of Ward level Climate Change Action Plans that have been developing since the declaration of the Climate Emergency in Manchester in 2019. The report further details the framework on which these plans are produced and the role of Climate Change Officers within Neighbourhood Teams. This report includes two examples of ward level CCAPs from each neighbourhood team.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Task and Finish Group considered the report of the Head of Neighbourhoods and the Strategic Lead Neighbourhoods South that provided an introduction to Climate Change Action Ward Plans (CCAWPs).

 

Key points and themes in the report included:

 

·         Describing the current rationale and purpose of Climate Change Action Ward Plans (CCAWPs);

·         The framework on which these plans were produced;

·         The role of Climate Change Officers within Neighbourhood Teams; and

·         Providing examples of ward level CCAWPs from each neighbourhood team.

 

The Chair opened the meeting by welcoming all those present and reiterating the Terms of Reference of the Group, noting that these had been agreed by the Environment and Climate Change Scrutiny Committee.

 

Some of the key points that arose from the Task and Finish Group’s discussions were: -

 

·         Discussing the template used to produce the CCAWPs and questioning if this was too prescriptive to capture the ambitions of residents;

·         Noting that some of the actions described in the examples provided did not initially appear to relate to climate change and asking if these could be reviewed;

·         Recognising that the staff working in Neighbourhood Teams had a challenging and busy workload with multiple responsibilities;

·         Recognising the difference between wards especially in regard to the prevalence of green space and the types of businesses within ward boundaries;

·         Each ward had different opportunities and challenges to address climate change;

·         Noting that a consistent approach should be applied across all ward plans, and these should draw upon examples of good practice identified;

·         Discussing the need to have meaningful KPIs and measurable targets, noting that this was to be discussed in detail at the next meeting;

·         Stating that KPIs needed to be consistent across all ward plans and stating that some outcomes could take years to realise and it was important to recognise and articulate this;

·         Discussing the often perceived tension between CCAWPs and the Our Manchester approach to resident engagement, adding that many residents were already engaged in the subject of climate change, however recognising the need to ensure the plans were practical and deliverable yet still capture and articulating the voice of residents;

·         To ensure CCWAPs were realistic, consideration needed to be given to being explicit in the plans to identify what activities were measurable and reportable and what were ambitions;

·         CCWAPs should differentiate between what we committed to, what we sought to influence and what we would like to see. This approach recognised the powers and resources available so as not to devise a plan that was ultimately undeliverable;  

·         Welcoming the inclusion in one of the examples that clearly identified and differentiated those partner projects;

·         Noting that granular data was available in regard to recycling rates, however recognising that capturing and measuring repair and reuse data was challenging;

·         Questioning if the number of events held was a useful metric, adding that an imaginative approach was required and providing an example of a school fashion show to highlight upcycling;

·         Data on active travel needed to be collected at a ward level, including  ...  view the full minutes text for item 1.

2.

Terms of Reference and Work Programme pdf icon PDF 46 KB

Report of the Governance and Scrutiny Support Unit

 

Members are invited to review the Terms of Reference and agree the Work Programme of the Subgroup.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Task and Finish Group considered the terms of reference and future work programme and were invited to make any amendments.

 

Decision

 

To note and approve the work programme.