The Manchester Climate Change Agency Bulletin

August 2008 - Issue 2

A great deal has happened since the launch of our first bulletin in May. First and foremost was the hugely successful launch of our Mini-Stern report in July attended by Phil Woolas MP, Minister for the Environment along with senior figures from the business and public sector. We shall be consulting widely on the findings of this report over the summer. Manchester’s Multi Area Agreement has met the approval of Government and we shall shortly be discussing the climate change implications of it with Defra. One of the key priorities for the new Environment Commission is to establish the Climate Change Agency (CCA). This work continues to be led by the Commission’s Transition Team with support from other groups in helping develop issues around funding, work programmes and governance.

Mike Reardon, Programme Lead (Strategic Director of Neighbourhood Services, Manchester City Council)

What is the Agency going to be doing?

A considerable amount of work has been undertaken in the last 12 months covering low carbon activity. Much of this gives a strong starting point for developing a work programme for the agency. This work includes; technical reports, (e.g. Low Carbon Cities Programmes ( LCCP) and Mini-Stern), Consultation (e.g. Mini-Stern, face-to-face meetings with local authority officers and knowledge exchange meetings with the London Development Agency and London Climate Change Agency), and Good Practice Research, (e.g. London Energy Partnership and successful EU funded projects over the last five years through the Energie-Cities network).

We will be pulling this work into a consultation document that we aim to consult on following a meeting of the CCA project board on 20 August. Following consultation on the work programme the board will be prioritising these projects on 25 September in readiness for ratification by AGMA on 31 October.

How will it be funded?

We are looking at various funding sources for covering core and project costs. These include European funding, local authorities, central Government, the Carbon Trust, the Energy Saving Trust, NWDA and from within the private sector.

Other activities

Mini-Stern

Earlier this year the Environment Commission Transition Team led on the development of a proposal to assess the impact of climate change legislation upon the economic growth of the city region. The ECTT asked Manchester Enterprises to commission this work. The final report was launched by the Minister of State for the Environment, Mr Phil Woolas MP, (pictured left) on 18 July at Manchester town hall and was attended by over 130 delegates. "Climate Change is an important issue for us all and businesses have a significant contribution to play in the climate change agenda," said Mr Woolas MP. He went on to add that "if businesses make changes in response to the Government’s drive for more renewable energies and take advantage of the opportunities to improve their energy infrastructures they could become more competitive, which would benefit the region’s economy. He Concluded "the city region aspires to be world class, this report adds to that aspiration in that it is a world first".

We are consulting on the findings over the coming months; if you wish to know more please e-mail us at : megmini@manchester-enterprises.co.uk The findings from this consultation will be drawn into an AGMA response document which we aim to launch in late Autumn. A copy of the executive summary and full report is available at www.manchester-enterprises.com.

Energy Planning

Work is on-going in identifying the right energy mix to meet the city region’s growing economy. AGMA will shortly be commissioning a piece of work to satisfy new planning requirements around renewable energy provision. This will be the first of a series of commissioned studies that will help us to understand future supply and demand requirements giving us the basis for investing in the right energy mix to supply the city region’s economic growth needs.

Low Carbon Cities Programme (LCCP)

The LCCP is coming to an end of its development phase. It sets out a framework whereby core cities can share best practice and tools for developing strategic approaches to low carbon economies at the city level. A final conference took place in Birmingham on 22 May 22 where the city region presented its initial findings and future work. A dedicated website has been set up for the programme www.lowcarboncities.co.uk

If you have any enquiries relating to the CAA please contact:-
Steve Turner 0161 237 4417 or email steve.turner@manchester-enterprises.co.uk