Report of the Deputy Chief Executive and City Treasurer

This report presents a refreshed action plan for delivery between September 2022 – March 2025 and the latest Annual Report for the year 2021-22 of the CCAP 2020-25.

The Committee considered the report of the Deputy Chief Executive and City Treasurer that presented the refreshed action plan for delivery between September 2022 – March 2025 and the latest Annual Report for the year 2021-22 of the Climate Change Action Plan 2020-25.

The Committee had been invited to comment on the report prior to it being considered by the Executive.

Key points and themes in the report included:

·         The refreshed Climate Change Action Plan (CCAP) set out new actions, building on existing ambitions;

·         Key messages of the Action Plan; and

·         The Annual Report bringing together the CCAP updates provided over the last 12 months (2021-22) into a single annual report and highlighting the progress which had been made during this time in terms of individual actions within the CCAP.

Some of the key points that arose from the Committee’s discussions were: -

·         Welcoming the introduction and reporting of SMART objectives and milestones;

·         More information was sought on the Sustainable Events Guide and calling for Environmental Impact Assessments to be undertaken before and after large events;

·         Can carbon data be provided at a ward level data;

·         Plant based alternative food options needed to be provided at all Council events where catering was provided;

·         How could the Manchester Airport Group’s ambitions to reduce aviation emissions reconcile with their ambition to increase passenger numbers;

·         An update was sought on the delivery of Carbon Literacy Training, and more granular detail was requested on this activity in future updates;

·         The need to promote and enable active travel including walking and public transport;

·         The need to consider more nature based solutions;

·         The need for relevant departments, such as highways, neighbourhood teams and Arbor to collectively consider tree planting to mitigate the Urban Heat Island effect; and

·         The continued call to stop using Glyphosate weed killer.

The Zero Carbon Manager advised that the post of Sustainable Events Lead had recently been recruited and more information on this post and wider activity would be reported to the Committee in future updates. She further directed Members to the online tools that they could use to obtain local data.

The Executive Member for Environment and Transport advised that she would follow up the issue raised regarding plant based alternatives outside of the meeting. She further advised that the issue of local data and how this could be accessed would be included in the report ‘Neighbourhood Teams and Community Engagement’ scheduled for the December meeting, however prior to this the links to the tools would be circulated following this meeting. She further commented that she would raise the issue of Glyphosate weed killer with Councillor Igbon.

The Head of City Policy advised the Committee that Manchester Airport Group had provided a response to the government’s Jet Zero Strategy and this would be circulated to Members following the meeting. He added that a substantive item on Manchester Airport and Aviation Emissions was scheduled to be considered by the Committee at their January 2023 meeting.

In response to a question from a Member regarding Green Skills the Chair advised that the Economy Scrutiny Committee would be considering a report on this item later the same day. She stated that Members of this Committee would be attending and contributing to the meeting. The Chair noted the comments from the Members regarding specific asks to be included in future report and that she would discuss this with the Executive Member for Environment and Transport to agree the scope of the reports scheduled on the Committee’s work programme.

Decision

The Committee note the report and endorse the recommendation that the Executive approve the report and accompanying appendices.