Report of the Deputy Chief Executive and City Treasurer

This report provides the Committee and Executive with the final version of the Manchester Climate Change Framework 2020-25 which has been developed by the Manchester Climate Change Agency on behalf of the Manchester Climate Change Partnership.

Appendix 1 - Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research Review of Manchester's Climate Change Objectives and Targets:

http://www.manchesterclimate.com/targets-2020  

The Committee considered the report of the Deputy Chief Executive and City Treasurer that described that in November 2018, the Council’s Executive had agreed to establish a science-based carbon reduction target for Manchester, which required the city as a whole to adopt a carbon budget of 15 million tonnes of CO₂ between 2018 and 2100. This would require a year-on-year reduction of at least 13%, emissions to be halved within five years, and lead to the city becoming zero carbon by 2038 at the latest.

In March 2019 the Council’s Executive endorsed the Manchester Zero Carbon Framework 2020-38, as the city’s outline approach to meeting its targets, as proposed by the Manchester Climate Change Partnership.

The Programme Director, Manchester Climate Change Agency referred to the main points and themes within the report which included: -

·         Introducing the Manchester Climate Change Framework 2020-25, Our strategy towards making Manchester a thriving, zero carbon, climate resilient city;

·         Describing the key principles and approach to developing the framework;

·         Noting that the Framework included ambitions regarding aviation CO2 emissions and indirect emissions;

·         Describing the four objectives that need to be met by 2025;

·         Describing the Our Vision for 2025;

·         Noting the consequence if the objectives were not met in 2020-25;

·         Detailing the urgent actions to be taken to meet our commitments;

·         An overview of the governance and partnership arrangements;

·         Describing how progress was to be measured and reported;

·         Information on how the framework would be reviewed to ensure it was current and up to date;

·         Information on how Manchester would work with other cities; and

·         A summary of the action plans to be taken by the Manchester Climate Change Partnership during 2020-25.

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

·         Welcoming the Framework and noting that it was every citizens’ responsibility, both locally, nationally and internationally to take actions to address climate change;

·         Welcoming the inclusion of aviation CO₂ emissions and requesting an update on the Agency’s discussions with Manchester Airport in due course;

·         Welcoming recent announcements regarding the introduction of green buses in Manchester;

·         Calling upon the Government to recognise the importance of the climate emergency and fund local authorities appropriately to respond to the issue;

·         Noting that the Government had failed to respond to the Clean Air Plan submission;

·         In regard to new builds, consideration needed to be given to sourcing local materials; and

·         Welcoming the partnership approach and what was being done to engage with other sectors to build upon this model.

The Executive Member for Environment, Planning and Transport stated that Manchester would continue to work with Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) to deliver cleaner, carbon free public transport. She stated that the Clean Air Plan had been submitted to the Government over ten months ago, however no response had been received to date. She described that despite this, Manchester would continue to work with partners to understand and deliver this important work and reiterated the call for appropriate funding from Government to scale up this activity.

The Programme Director, Manchester Climate Change Agency addressed the comments regarding sourcing local materials by commenting that this needed to be considered in the context of understanding and mitigating indirect emissions. He described that developers were beginning to recognise and respond to the climate emergency, noting that Bruntwood who own, let and manage buildings, workspace and science facilities were members of the Manchester Climate Change Partnership. He further made reference to the UK Green Building Council that was established to radically improve the sustainability of the built environment, by transforming the way it was planned, designed, constructed, maintained and operated.

The Executive Member for Environment, Planning and Transport commented that the Council would seek to influence building developments by using Planning Policy to raise the environmental standards of new builds and commented that a report was to be considered by the Executive at their meeting of 11 March 2020 that provided a context to how planning would support the Councils ambitions on climate change.

The Deputy Chief Executive and City Treasurer informed the Members that climate change would be considered in all decisions taken by the Council and would be central to the Local Plan refresh.

The Programme Director, Manchester Climate Change Agency stated that the Partnership would continue to engage with the Airport regarding aviation CO₂ emissions and an update on this would be provided to the Committee at an appropriate time. He further stated that the Partnership would continue to engage with other sectors and key organisations across this city to promote and escalate this work.

Decisions

The Committee;

1. Note of the Manchester Climate Change Framework 2020-25

2. Endorse the recommendations that Executive:

1.    Formally adopt the Manchester Climate Change Framework’s aim, vision, objectives and targets as the definition of what Manchester needs to achieve in order to ‘play its full part in limiting the impacts of climate change’;

2.    On behalf of the city, endorse the Manchester Climate Change Framework as Manchester’s high-level strategy for achieving the aim, vision, objectives and targets; and

3.    Deliver the Manchester City Council Climate Change Action Plan for the period 2020-25 in order to contribute towards the successful implementation of the citywide Framework.