Councillors, researchers and campaigners are united in their criticism of new government plans that will see planning powers taken away from local authorities. The government’s plans to overhaul the planning system in England has been met with fierce criticism from politicians, researchers, and campaigners in Manchester. While Boris Johnson says the changes will make it […]
‘Manchester City Council create more bike lanes’ say billboards on the A6 & A56
The national #bikeisbest campaign has put up billboards on the A6 and A56 calling on Manchester City Council to create more bike lanes. Adam Tranter, Coventry’s bicycle mayor and the campaign organiser, says “If we’re to become a cycling nation, Manchester has to get this right.” For the next week digital billboards on the A6 […]
Pedal power: protests for pop-up cycle lanes take off
Three weeks ago, Manchester City Council promised to “work with” neighbouring councils on pop-up cycle lanes. The lack of follow-through has prompted Extinction Rebellion and A6 Cycle Action to stage protests this week for pop-up lanes to deliver a green and socially just post-lockdown recovery. Protests to highlight Manchester City Council’s inaction on creating pop-up […]
Cross-party calls for Manchester planning committee to be reinstated
In response to the coronavirus crisis and lockdown, Manchester City Council suspended the planning committee and delegated planning powers to the Chief Executive. Thanks to new legislation, planning committees can now legally make decisions virtually. With other councils moving to online decision-making – and controversial schemes being decided this week – councillors, the Opposition, and […]
Council pledges extra millions to tackle climate emergency and condemns national government inaction
Manchester City Council promises £17m extra funding to tackle the climate emergency and broaden their scope to include aviation and indirect emissions. Councillor calls on national government to set up Climate Emergency Budget. Climate Emergency Manchester campaigners argue council plans still lack a clear “pathway” and “actions” on how to achieve their stated goals. Yesterday’s […]
Sustainable development or mini America – which will Manchester choose?
Andrea Sandor argues why we should use the Netherlands as a sustainable development model for integrated housing and transport, and not the USA. Attending a talk by Transport for New Homes (TfNH) recently I was delighted to discover their strapline is “Sustainable development or mini America”. As someone who grew up in America, I fully […]
Manchester Momentum have built a ‘durable institutional left’ in the North West
In the run up to the 2019 General Election Manchester Momentum have proved to be the largest political mobiliser in the North West. The secret to their success is their cultural strategy, says Andrea Sandor. In August, three months before the election was announced, Manchester Momentum took a gamble. They printed pledge cards that read […]
Sir Richard Leese says ‘we are open to working with anybody’ – we asked campaign groups what they thought (pt.4)
In response to a recent blog post by Sir Richard Leese, we’ve been asking local groups to share their experiences of working with Manchester City Council. Sir Richard Leese says the council are open to working with any parties interested in environmental and development issues. This is the fourth article in a Meteor series called […]
Sir Richard Leese says ‘we are open to working with anybody’ – we asked campaign groups what they thought (pt.2)
A recent blog post by Sir Richard Leese suggested the city council was doing well in its work to address the climate emergency and its handling of development issues in the city. He also said that they were willing to work with any parties interested in these issues. Five people, representing different interest groups in […]
Sir Richard Leese says ‘we are open to working with anybody’ – we asked campaign groups what they thought (pt.1)
A recent blog post by Sir Richard Leese suggested the city council was doing well in its work to address the climate emergency and its handling of development issues in the city. He also said that they were willing to work with any parties interested in these issues. Seven people, representing different interest groups in […]