New Podcast!
20th July 2020The Manchester Green New Deal podcast talks to Maggie Walker & Ali Abbas about why the GM Pension Fund must stop investing in fossil fuels. Have a listen here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/919177/4539785
Read moreResuming our campaign
7th July 2020Given the huge agenda facing councils at the height of the lockdown and pandemic crisis we suspended our campaigning until the beginning of June. As a matter of courtesy we then wrote to the Chair of the GM Pension Fund, Councillor Brenda Warrington to inform her of that fact and to give her a chance…
Read moreTameside to debate the climate emergency but no sign of any fossil fuel divestment
24th February 2020Tameside council will belatedly debate declaring a climate emergency at its meeting on Tuesday 25 Feb. It will be the last of the Greater Manchester councils to do so. https://tameside.moderngov.co.uk/mgAi.aspx?ID=44691 The proposer, council leader Brenda Warrington, refers to GMPF, pointing out its large investment in renewables. This fails to acknowledge the scale of the far…
Read moreGM Pension Fund, ditch the coal!
12th February 2020In 2019, the Greater Manchester Pension Fund (GMPF) announced that “fighting the climate crisis is one of our highest priorities”. The Fund also announced that it will transfer some of its funds from a tracker fund to a low-carbon fund. [1] Excellent news. Except that, so far, no transfer. The Fund is a bit slow…
Read moreNew briefing for GM councillors on GMPF’s response to call for divestment
1st February 2020Briefing for GM councillors on GMPF response to calls to divest from fossil fuels. Jan 2020 Download as a leaflet in .pdf format Introduction Fossil Free Greater Manchester is a grassroots coalition of organisations and individuals who are working to persuade the Greater Manchester Pension Fund (GMPF) to commit to a speedy and full divestment…
Read moreSalford Unison’s strong call for the GM Pension Fund to divest fossil fuels
15th December 2019We are delighted to report that this motion from Salford City UNISON branch was passed on Friday 7th December. It was moved by Steve North. It sets out very clearly the present situation and the reasons for divestment, building on Salford City Council’s declaration of a Climate Emergency. _____________________________________________________ Invest in the Future / Divest…
Read moreManchester City Council pressures GM Pension Fund to divest
29th November 2019Manchester City Council pressures GM Pension Fund to divest. Manchester City Council has declared a climate emergency and has started to act. One of the actions in the motion of declaration is to ask the Greater Manchester Pension Fund (GMPF) to divest. The Manchester council motion included this action: Through our role on GMPF, encourage…
Read moreCall on Trafford councillors to back divestment motion
6th October 2019On Wednesday 9th October, councillors in Trafford will get the opportunity to vote on a divestment motion tabled by the Green Party Group.
Read moreThe pressure is beginning to take effect: the GMPF Annual Report 2019
18th September 2019Greater Manchester Pension Fund’s Annual Report for 2019 has appeared on their website. In summary. The Fund acknowledges the climate crisis and is making some steps to move away from fossil fuels. But their main shareholdings still include enormous investments in coal, oil and gas companies. This commitment, which supports continued exploration and extraction of…
Read moreFossil Free GM meets with the Pension Fund – we still say much too slow!
27th July 2019On 11 July, two representatives of Fossil Free Greater Manchester met with senior representatives of Greater Manchester Pension Fund and their advisors. The meeting, which was scheduled at short notice, lasted just over an hour. It was a constructive discussion in which both sides were able to present their thinking and arguments. We have written…
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