Prof Kevin Anderson's 'real talk' on climate change

The whole Council sat in silence on Wednesday morning listening to the grim reality of how Climate Change will impact on our city and the rest of the world if political leaders continue on their current path. As Councillor Fletcher-Hackwood would say it was 'real talk'. Real talk of the starkest and most depressing kind.

The figure that really shocked me was that 1% of the world’s population are responsible for 50% of the worlds CO2 emissions. That 1% is probably you or me. If you have taken a flight on holiday in the last year it’s definitely you. If you earn over £30k it’s definitely you. But that figure is also where the hope in Prof Anderson’s real talk is. Figures show that making changes to the supply side of energy production won’t have an impact on reducing CO2 emissions fast enough to keep climate change temperature rises below 2°C (the point at which beyond it is now widely accepted the consequences would be devastating to the world). But on the demand side small changes can make a huge impact in terms of emissions. Basically it’s down to us. Deciding to put a jumper on rather than turn the heating on an hour early. Buying the A++ rated fridge rather than the A rated one. Small changes to our lifestyles can make a big difference. If we as individuals can make such a difference how Manchester City Council acts can make a phenomenal difference.

That is why we have the Manchester: A Certain Future Action Plan. In June 2012 we held a mini-Conference in the Economy Scrutiny Committee on Manchester’s economy in the context of sustainability. We came up with a number of recommendations but I think a number of us as Councillors would have liked to have gone further and been more ambitious in our recommendations. In light of Prof Anderson’s talk this week I wouldn’t be surprised if we re-visit our discussion on steady state economics very soon! Watch this space.

Manchester City Council Leader on twitter!

The leader of Manchester City Council has very recently joined the twitter community and is already on his second twitter Q&A session. You can follow him here @SirRichardLeese His 2nd Q&A is taking place on Thursday 31st January between 5.30-6.30 You can follow the conversation via #asktheleader 

Manchester & Salford Uprising

I spent my Sunday afternoon this week talking to an amazing group of young people from Manchester and Salford who have been brought together by an organisation called Uprising . Basically its a leadership programme designed to inspire and support our next generation of community and political leaders. All I can say is WOW! Some of these young people are already beating hands down the current set of rag tag politicians leading this country. I came away from the afternoon inspired and reinvigorated and with a feeling of hope I havent felt since the coalition came to power in 2010. If you get an invite to work with and meet this group of young people take it you wont regret it. I hope that Manchester Labour will continue to strength our links with them and that it wont be too long before we see some of them elected as Manchester Councillors!

Be a friend of your local park

Crowcroft Park Friends Group have just set their meeting dates for the coming year. We are lucky in Longsight to have such an excellent and well used park on our doorstep. Its an important community facility which we all need to support. The Friends of the Park is a voluntary group of local residents, workers or visitors who dedicate some of their time, energy and effort to caring for and improving their local Park. Anyone can join a Friends group and give as much or as little time as they want to nurture their park.

Crowcroft Park friends group will be meeting in the wardens office on the following dates:
Friday 22nd March 12.30pm
Wednesday 22nd May 4pm
Wednesday 24th July 4pm
Friday 20th September 12.30pm
Friday 22nd November 12.30pm

 But crowcroft isn't my local park? - see here - for a list of contacts for other parks in the area.

Northmoor Together

Do you live in the Northmoor area of Longsight? There is a really active residents group based at Northmoor Community centre who are working together to make Longsight a cleaner, greener and generally nicer place to live! The next meeting is at 6pm on Monday 4th February at Northmoor Community Centre, Northmoor Road. Come along and get involved!

Longsight has a facebook group!

It’s not quite reached Levy Massive proportions yet but a local resident, Louise Bolotin has set up a Love Longsight group on Facebook. We now need to get the message out to as many residents as possible and get the group functioning as an online community hub for Longsight like the Levy Massive does. So please join the group and add all your friends on facebook too! Love Longsight

Wish your gas and electric bills were lower?

The Citizens Advice Bureau and Great Places are organising a special event for Longsight residents. There are lots of ways to cut the cost of gas and electric bills and you can find out how on Wednesday 13th February from 11am to 1pm at Northmoor Community Centre, Northmoor Rd. Please confirm attendance with the reception at Northmoor Community Centre.

Longsight Community Primary

The Department for Education has approved a bid by The Big Life Group, which currently manages the Longsight Sure Start Centre on Farrer Rd, for a free school in Longsight. A free school is a school in England funded by the taxpayer, academically non-selective and free to attend, but not controlled by a local authority.

Local parents worked with The Big Life group to submit the bid for the free school which will be called ‘Longsight Community Primary’ and be an extension to Longsight Surestart Children’s Centre. It will eventually offer 189 school places to children aged 4 – 11 years old. You can visit the school website here.

We have supported the bid as local Councillors due to the high and growing demand for school places in the ward. The Big Life Group has involved us all along the way as local Councillors. They have now asked for me to become a member of the schools Governing body and I have agreed.

The schools vision is ‘together we can achieve the best future for our children’. Alongside education, delivered in line with the national curriculum, but with a focus on language, the school will provide volunteering opportunities to parents and training opportunities, in partnership with local organisations, for people looking to secure teaching and childcare qualifications.

The school is currently in the Pre-Opening phase and as part of this phase they are undertaking a Statutory Public Consultation. You can read the Consultation document here. If you have children and live locally they would appreciate if you would get involved in this process and complete the questionnaire online. The public consultation will end on 8th February 2013.

Could you be a digital champion?

The Go On Manchester campaign aims to bring the benefits of the internet to every individual and organisation in the city - a goal that is supported by a digital champions initiative. Digital champions can do anything from helping people who have never been online before, to helping colleagues develop their internet skills, to working with other local organisations or businesses to enhance their web presence. A Digital Champion can be anyone from any area of work or experience who can make a commitment, large or small, to help individuals or organisations to get online. All you need is: • To have basic computer skills that you are able to share • To be confident about using the internet • To be enthusiastic about the things that it can do • To have the patience to support people, businesses and local organisations that are learning something new. To find out how you can join in, visit www.go-on-manchester.com.

Longsight Enterprise Network

If you are a business or aspiring entrepreneur in or around Longsight, why not attend the first meeting of the Enterprise Network at Longsight Library? Meet other enterprising people and businesses in your area, share knowledge, and receive expert advice and information from speakers on a range of topics.

Remember to bring along your business cards as there will be plenty of opportunity to network with other local entrepreneurs! Also learn about free business support and information available in Longsight Library to help your business grow.

First meeting: “The Secret of Successful Social Media” with Dean Bartlett Smith Are you making the most out of social media for your business? Dean gives you practical ways of doing just that!

Tuesday 29th January 2013 

5.30pm – 7.30pm 

Longsight Library 519 Stockport Rd, M12 4NE 

To book your FREE place on this event please go to: http://longsightenterprisenetwork.eventbrite.co.uk/ Or call 0161 341 0245

Be the difference. Be a Foster Carer!

An element of my role as a local Councillor involves 'corporate parenting'. Corporate parenting refers to the formal and local partnerships needed between all local authority departments and services, and associated agencies, which are responsible for working together to meet the needs of looked after children and young people. Corporate Parenting is an important responsibility which offers the opportunity to improve the futures of our Looked After children. As part of this role I take part in regular visits to a Manchester children’s home and provide a written report on my visit to the home each month. It’s one of the most challenging but also rewarding things I do. However, not all our Looked After Children are in childrens homes, the majority are placed with Foster Carers in the City. Manchester is currently in need of more Foster Carers to help provide a loving home to some of our Looked After Children. If you think you might be interested then you can find out more here

Be a postcard poet!

Manchester Libraries are running a competition to write a postcard poem. All you need to do is write a short poem about your favourite book, author or anything else you love about libraries and reading! This competition is open to 6-16 year olds and three lucky winners (one from each age group) will see their poems printed on limited-edition postcards. For more information click here.

Get fit and healthy for free!

Get fit & healthy in 2013! Between 21-27 Jan, you can try any Active Lifestyles session for FREE. For information on what sessions are on near you click here

Want to help Manchester City Council with their new website?

Manchester City Council are updating their website in the next few months and need people to help with user-testing. Sign up here to take part.

Any old (or new) wool?

I am collecting wool for Longsight's Bangladeshi Women's Organisation. They have an active group going that are knitting like mad and making lots of lovely things. They hope to make enough things to sell on Longsight Market so that they can raise funds for their centre and keep it going in these difficult times. The Centre provides a lifeline for many Bangladeshi women in the Longsight, Rusholme and Gorton area. The problem is and anyone who knits will know this, wool can be pretty expensive. However, most people who knit regularly have bags and bags of odds and ends and spare wool. So clean out your closet and donate the wool to a worthy cause. You can either drop any donations off directly at the centre on Dickenson Road in Longsight or email me and I can arrange to collect. Thanks in advance!

Hate Crime Awareness Week

The hate crime week will be held from Monday 21 January until Sunday 27 January 2013, and will be used to launch the City Council’s new hate crime strategy – outlining how they will work with Greater Manchester Police, the Crown Prosecution Service and other agencies to crack down on the problem. This follows a consultation event held at Manchester Town Hall in June, in which a wide range of organisations, including religious institutions, disability groups and those representing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people were invited to talk about their experiences. The strategy includes measures such as increasing reporting of hate crime incidents, taking effective action against perpetrators, making sure the agencies involved work more closely together, providing proper support to victims and preventing hate crime by educating people and working to change attitudes. Groups across the city will be holidng throughout hate crime awareness week to help their neighbours understand the issue. In Longsight our event will be a drop in styple event at Longsight Library from 11am to 3pm on Wednesday 23rd January. Please come along.

Slash your fuels bills - go collective!

Residents are being urged to start the New Year by slashing their fuel bills by up to £250 and join a ground breaking collective energy switching scheme that could mean massive reductions to the cost of heating their homes. Residents are being urged to register their interest in the collective bulk buy scheme, launched on Wednesday 2 January, by visiting www.gmfairenergy.com or calling 0800 009 3363. Under the scheme, the group then enters a ‘reverse auction’ and gets a cheaper deal together on gas and electricity from energy companies. Residents just need to produce a copy of their current energy bill to register an interest before the scheme closes on January 28, and anyone who enters will receive an offer for a new rate which they do not have to accept. The scheme is also open to residents who use pre-payment meters.

Important Council Budget Consultation

Following a grossly unfair settlement from Government the Council has been preparing plans to find a further £80m of savings from its budget over the next two years. Despite Manchester being the fourth most deprived local authority area in the country, we received one of the five worst settlements in England in 2010. A consultation with residents and businesses on the budget proposals and priorities set out by the Council was launched on Wednesday 16 January and consultations on a number of specific proposals were launched on Wednesday 23 January. Click here for details for details. Firmed up budget proposals will be put forward at the Executive meeting on Wednesday 13 February with a definitive budget to be approved at the Council meeting on Friday 8 March. In addition to the £170m cuts which have been imposed on us since 2010 this is a further blow to the residents of Manchester. It is anticipated that the Council will have to further reduce its workforce by between 700 and 900 full-time posts to ensure it can produce a balanced budget. There is no doubt that this further £80 million in cuts, on top of the £170million we have already received, is going to impact on services. Manchester Labour remain committed to doing all we can to ensure that the most vulnerable in Manchester continue to be protected, that we deliver our essential services effectively and that we encourage economic growth and investment in the city. We will also be leading on campaigns at a national level to challenge this Government’s policies and the impact they are having on the residents of Manchester.

International Womens Day Awards

Manchester City Council has extended the deadline for nominations for their prestigious Women's Awards until the end of January. The Awards ceremony will coincide with International Women's Day this year and will be held on Friday March 8 2013 in ManchesterTown Hall. Award categories include women and science and technology engineering and mathematics (stem), art, sport, business innovators, culture, community work, protecting the environment as well as valuing older women and outstanding young woman and a special women's champion award. Individual women or an organisation that is working to improve women's lives can be nominated for an award which recognises the valuable contribution that women make to the city. Councillor Suzanne Richards, Chair of the International Women's Day steering group said: "This is a joint celebration where we can truly celebrate women and their contribution to our city and society in general. I would urge people to think about the women they know and if you think anyone would make a worthy nominee make an effort to nominate them today. We really want to make sure that on a day when women's achievements are acknowledged worldwide that we do our bit in Manchester and acknowledge women's positive contribution to our city." Manchester's theme for IWD in 2013 is Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (stem) an area where women are woefully under represented and this fits under the umbrella theme of IWD 2013 the under representation of women in a range of industries. The deadline for nominations is Friday 25 January. Nomination forms can be downloaded from the website: click here where there is more detail on each of the award categories or contact Alex Keelan for an application, tel: 0161 234 4263 or email a.keelan@manchester.gov.uk