The Council and democracy Climate Change Action Plan- Progress Q3 October- December 2021

Introduction and progress report headlines

This report sets out the latest progress against delivery of Manchester City Council’s Climate Change Action Plan (CCAP) 2020-25.

  • All activity described in this report relates to the period in which the report is issued, in this instance October to December 2021.
  • Emissions data relates to the previous quarter due to the delay in billing and data monitoring, i.e., July to September 2021.

Key achievements

  • Eleven (of twelve) buildings in the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) 1 are under contract with designs complete, planning approvals in place and grid connections secured. 
  • A bid for £5.9m (including £1.43m Manchester City Council match) was submitted for PSDS3. The bid includes eight buildings and is forecast to save ~683 tonnes of CO2 per year. The outcome is expected December 2021.
  • The Civic Quarter Heat Network (CQHN) gas connection was completed in the first week of October 2021 and the Energy Centre is now in the live commissioning phase. The thermal connections to the off-take buildings (with the exception of the Town Hall) will be completed by mid-December this year. 
  • Bee Network Cycle Hire launched along Oxford Road from Piccadilly Station to Fallowfield. The scheme was operational from 18 November 2021, with docking stations being deployed during December 2021/January 2022. 
  • As part of the Autumn Budget, the UK Government announced an allocation of £1.07bn for Greater Manchester (GM) as part of the GM City-Region Sustainable Transport Settlement. This funding will support key sustainable transport schemes in Manchester including Metrolink, bus priority corridors, walking and cycling infrastructure.
  • 10% environmental social value weighting is now standard in all tenders.  
  • A reusable cups guide has been launched and adds to the suite of sustainable events guides, which are being rolled out across Manchester events. It outlines the benefits of reusable cups and provides advice on managing a reusable cup system. 
  • £150K of funding has been secured from the DEFRA Urban Tree Challenge fund to support the planting and development of 314 trees.
  • West Gorton Park has won the Excellence in Flood and Water Management award at the Landscape Institute Awards.
  • The Executive Member for Environment attended and formally signed the Food and Climate Declaration on behalf of the Council at COP26. 


New risks and issues

  • The PSDS1 work at the East Manchester Leisure Centre is delayed due to utilities obstructing the initial bore hole site and a requirement for planning permission for a new location. The Tennis & Football Centre has been removed from scope due to access issues. Additional projects identified to utilise the funding. All risks are being monitored.
  • As a result of the increase in wholesale gas and electricity prices, the CQHN is operating to only meet the Private Wire electrical demand and heat requirements. This avoids importing and exporting power within highly volatile markets and minimises the associated costs and risks. The position is being monitored daily to ensure the most efficient method of operation.
  • For the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Demonstrator (SHDFD) Scheme the direct costs to One Manchester have increased because of HM Treasury's approach to VAT. One Manchester had assumed 5% for the carbon reduction works but, because the refurbishment includes wider work not classed as carbon reduction, all costs will incur VAT at 20%. HM Treasury have been lobbied on this but to no avail.
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