Climate Action Plan for the next Mayor of Greater Manchester

What can the next Mayor do for people and planet?

We're facing a climate and ecological emergency – the biggest threat we’ve ever seen to humanity’s existence – at the same time as the people of Greater Manchester are struggling with the rising cost of living.

The good news is that many of the solutions to tackle climate change and nature’s decline will also bring benefits to people’s lives including warmer homes, more local green space, better bus services, more jobs, and lower energy bills.

Whoever is elected as the next Mayor of Greater Manchester can’t single-handedly solve the crisis, but they must use the powers they have to make as big a difference as possible – powers that have recently been increased by the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act. They will need to work with councils, businesses, local communities and the national government.

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has had a Five-Year Environment Plan in place since 2019, with an ambitious target to be carbon neutral by 2038.

GMCA has led the way in bringing buses back under public control, improving services and keeping fares affordable. There are already tens of thousands of jobs in the net zero sector across Greater Manchester.

But by GMCA’s own admission levels of car traffic and air pollution remain a problem and many more homes need retrofitting to a high energy efficiency standard to cut energy bills and make homes healthier.

Our Climate Action Plan will help the next Mayor do this using the devolved powers and funding granted to them.

How green is Greater Manchester?

Homes and energy

• Only 50% homes currently well insulated
• Only 3.9% homes have solar panels

Transport and pollution

• Only 16% commuter journeys use public transport
• 100% neighbourhoods breach WHO air pollution guidelines for particulate matter
• 1,188 schools are in areas where both particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide are above WHO guidelines

Climate inequalities

• 78,000 people live in areas at high risk of flooding
• 18% neighbourhoods most deprived of green space
• 50% of nursing and care homes at risk in heatwaves
• 27% households have no access to a car or van

10 priorities for the next Mayor

1. Ensure all GMCA’s plans, programmes and investment decisions are in line with what’s needed to address the climate and nature crises and tackle inequalities. 
2. Ensure that the voices of those most impacted by climate breakdown, rising bills and nature loss are heard and given centre-stage in decision making, and prioritise protecting the most vulnerable communities from extreme weather like flooding and heatwaves.
3. Support more green jobs to build on the opportunities already being generated by the boom in the low carbon economy. Protect workers and communities through a just transition to a low-carbon, nature-rich, circular economy, including linking skills training to low-carbon jobs.
4. Use their planning powers, partnerships and funding to ramp up delivery of new energy efficient affordable and social housing in locations accessible by public transport and active travel.
5. Take a leading role in accelerating the retrofit of existing homes in the area to bring them up to high energy efficiency standards to cut emissions, lower energy bills and make homes healthier. Ensure that existing homes are protected from extreme weather events.
6. Build on existing progress to make public transport services better connected, more reliable and more affordable including keeping bus fare caps and extending free travel to all children and young people (up to at least 21) on buses. Set out a plan to meet the Greater Manchester Breathe Life City Region pledge to cut health impacts from air pollution.
7. Increase the supply of clean, renewable energy, prioritising support for community energy initiatives, including rapidly installing solar panels on the roofs of homes and schools, and accelerating the installation of heat pumps.
8. Lead on the implementation of the Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) ensuring that the targets for 17% tree cover and increase in accessible green space are met, ensuring green spaces are rich in nature and prioritising areas of Greater Manchester with highest levels of green space deprivation.
9. Ensure that the development of urban data centres in Greater Manchester safeguards the environment and communities, whilst still delivering economic benefits to the area, by endorsing the C40 Cities Global Urban Data Centres Pact.
10. Use their public profile and influence to make Greater Manchester a place that recognises its success is built on its diversity and its ability to welcome refugees and asylum seekers, people of all faiths and of all ethnic backgrounds. Work towards GMCA being awarded City Region of Sanctuary status.