'Green Economy, Green Jobs' Event Friday March 15th

What If..? What if Manchester City Council’s economic policy is wrong? What if the jobs are not coming back as thought? What if it can’t adapt to a hostile government’s welfare reforms? What if you found out that Manchester has the highest levels of child poverty in the country? What then? We think differently about the Manchester economy. Let’s talk about the future of Manchester. We can build a model that is resilient and distributes wealth more equally in the city. A model that can build a strong city and stronger region. Manchester Green Party Presents: ‘Green Economy, Green Jobs’ Speakers: Natalie Bennett...

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Fighting for Fairness… but Who is doing the Fighting?

The Manchester City Council Leader’s Blog is an interesting piece. Called ‘Fighting for Fairness’, it is about the recent Council Executive meeting that spent most of that meeting addressing cuts to local swimming pools and libraries. From the title and text, you would think that it was the Council that was fighting to keep services open, NOT the 1000s of Manchester residents that signed, marched, occupied, lay down in roads and attended council meetings. Its unlikely that any pictures will emerge of the council leader addressing crowds, loudspeaker in hand, urging them...

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Comment: Libraries Consultation Session in Longsight. Well...

Its currently consultation season in Manchester. To deal with the £80 million cut to its finances from central government, Manchester City Council has decided that cuts to library and leisure services are amongst its preferred option choices. For libraries, that consultation runs until April 17th 2013 and consists of a questionnaire and a series of public meetings. I went to the first of two sessions which covered the ‘central’ area which includes Central Libraries, Longsight, Hulme and Moss Side. Though the fate of libraries and pools have been the subject passion and attention, it was disappointing that I was only one of 3...

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Manchester City Council Executive Meeting: Masters of Illusion at work

At least 50 members of the public  attended the Manchester City Council Executive meeting yesterday. They were mainly campaigners and supporters of local services from Withington, Levenshulme and Miles Platting hoping to have change council minds about the closure of swimming pools and libraries in those areas. 3 speakers from the public were allowed in defence of those facilities and they spoke well, the effectiveness of the Withington campaign and work of Councillor Chris Paul  were noted. The initial response from Council to keep the pools open were met with cheers. These quickly changed to shouts from the public area...

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Comment: Manchester City Council voting for Christmas

Wednesday is the meeting of Manchester City Council’s Executive where the Budget cuts 2013-15 will be discussed. More precisely its Wednesday 13 February 2013 Time: 10.00 am  Venue: Committee Room 11, Level 1, Town Hall. The Green Party is going along. We are interested to see what they have to say about the cuts in services particularly with regard to libraries and swimming pools.   The Council says that those swimming pools and libraries services under threat are going to come back in a few years. We don’t believe it.   Those facilities are not coming back in any recognizable form. Why are we so sceptical? ...

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Save Alexandra Park Campaign event Saturday 9th February

Several Green Party members were amongst the approximately 100 supporters that were at the Save Alexander Park Trees campaign event on Saturday 9th February. The speakers, covered by the press included MP Gerald Kaufman and Marc Hudson. Hudson, co-editor of the Manchester Climate Monthly website and paper urged the campaign to keep focus. Several supporters talked about their activities in the week. Carl, a local wood and stone sculptor talked about his conversation with Westfield, the contractors felling the trees. Apparently the timber and chipping were already sold before the...

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Comment: A Passing Thought for the Manchester Peace Gardens

When a friend of mine said that there was only one tree left in the Manchester Peace Gardens, I was wondering what he was talking about. But I thought I would go and see myself. He was wrong of course. There are no trees left at the Peace Gardens. I was taken aback and from the expressions of the passers-by, so was everyone else. I took some pictures. Manchester was quite rightly renown as the first city to declare itself ‘nuclear-free’. The Peace Gardens were created as part of the celebration of that action and had been an attraction to the city as part of the Peace and Social Justice Trail and part of the world-wide network of Peace Gardens. That...

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"A Graveyard of Trees"

Its been an important week for Alexandra Park. Manchester City Council stepped up the felling of trees and in response the ‘Save Alex Park Trees’ (SAPT) campaigners mobilised to having a physical presence. There is currently a small tented group resident. Though SAPT , supported by 100s of local residents have managed to halt most of the felling, most people who got to the park were shocked and angry about what they saw. This Green Party member had similar feelings. It was commented that the park had become ‘a...

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