North Westerly Wind Warning

Frank Kennedy
Friends of the Earth
Regional Campaigns Coordinator, North West England
August 2008

I've been feeling a wind of change swirling around the North West of late. I'm not referring to the hail and snow battering my Gordon Brown mask, or how I inched my way to the local government conference at Liverpool's waterfront in the teeth of that Force 8 gale.

I mean Liverpool City Council's Executive Member for Environment. Berni Turner is mainly famous (if only among us English RCCs) for describing Brighton as a "yuppie valley paradise" when it topped a Forum for the Future sustainability table. Which Liverpool...er, bottomed. Now she admits to having been provoked by such comparisons, and sounds genuinely committed to lowering the city's carbon footprint.

Meanwhile, Manchester looks to lead on transport innovation; it may yet get the first 'congestion charge' outside London; it's one of three English cities with Defra funding to fast-track its climate action plan. Following the 'carbon neutral' efforts of Ashton Hayes village, Chester aims to be our first carbon neutral city (and get rid of plastic bags). Aims have to lead to workable policies, of course...

The Government's current Sub-National Review consultation follows an announcement that Regional Development Agencies will take over spatial planning from Regional Assemblies... a worry, as RDAs are barely accountable 'economic growth' vehicles. Yet the NWDA has approached FOE and allied 'green' NGOs to suggest the principles for a low carbon economy.

Among these signs of public and private sector change, I've suggested some post-Climate Change Act work on voluntary and community organisations' role in delivering carbon reductions. Voluntary Sector North West and the Federation of Community Development Learning are interested.

All three sectors were involved, and the public turned out in force for, Kendal's recent 'Eco-Fair' and Transition Towns meeting. True, this was in largely prosperous South Lakeland - but another healthy sign. As is the increasing number of vantage points from which I can see wind turbines, and the positive statement on renewables I've just (about) agreed with CPRE and other members of NW Environment Link.

On the other hand...the wind blows in many directions. Liverpool's solution to the long-term blight of the Dingle area (where Ringo Starr grew up, don't you know) is an enormous Tesco. So locals can spend all day staring at the cars driven by people from leafier parts and waterside apartments. Tesco's designs on two south Manchester suburbs have been thwarted by community campaigns in the past couple of years. Little chance here.

The Stobart company has threatened Carlisle City Council that if it doesn't agree to a massive expansion of Carlisle Airport, it will pull all its operations out of Cumbria and re-locate to Widnes - a town with "a centuries old tradition of accepting almost anything", to quote a local business pundit. Handy for the proposed £390m road bridge: the 'Mersey Gateway'!

Peel Holdings, the huge landowner that controls the Manchester Ship Canal and has vast assets on either side, is also playing 'divide and rule' with two local authorities, Liverpool and Wirral, to get planning permission for more waterside development.

Then we've the all-pervasive nuclear industry - but let's not go there.

Given that local authorities have only about 5% of the spending powers for their area, let's hope the new climate laws will blow in real cultural change, and a belief in the third 'C' of Low Carbon Communities.