City attacks report critics after failing ‘green’ test

Oct 22 2007 by Liza Williams, Liverpool Daily Post

LIVERPOOL is the least sustainable large city in Britain, according to a report compiled to find out how green the country’s urban centres are.

The Sustainable Cities Index, published by the Forum for the Future charity, ranks Britain’s 20 biggest cities according to social, economic and environmental performance – and overall Liverpool came in 20th place.

The charity used a total of 13 indicators from data that already exist about areas in which cities are expected to improve.

The indicators included air pollution and river water quality for environmental impact, healthy life expectancy at 65 and unemployment for quality of life and a local authority’s recycling and commitments on climate change to measure “future proofing”, or its sustainability. According to the study, Liverpool was let down because of its poor employment, education and healthy life expectancy ratings. The 2008 European City of Culture also measured poorly in all aspects of future proofing.

Overall, the survey showed that wealthier cities, which may be expected to have more resources to devote to sustainability issues, performed best. Brighton and Hove topped the overall table, despite finishing in 15th place for its environmental impact.

Second place overall went to Edinburgh, and Bristol was third. Hull and Birmingham were in 18th and 19th place, above Liverpool, while Manchester was placed 12th.

Cllr Berni Turner, Liverpool council's executive member for environment, is unconvinced the study is helpful.

She said: “These reports have their uses, but how can you compare 20 cities? How can you compare a yuppie paradise valley like Brighton and Hove with Liverpool?

“It does not have the issues with deprivation like Liverpool. The Mersey is cleaner than it has ever been, and our recycling has gone up to 23% in a year.

“Last year, recycling rates in the city were around 10%.

“We have made massive strides but we are not sitting on our backsides.” She added that salmon and cod are now living in the Mersey due to its improved water quality.

The Forum says around nine out of 10 people in the UK now live in towns and cities and it intends to publish the Sustainable Cities Index annually.

The forum’s chief executive, Peter Madden, said: “We are an increasingly urban world. Britain, with its strong civic tradition, should be leading the way in sustainable city-living.

“We hope this index will make our cities better places to live.

“We also hope it will encourage some healthy competition amongst our big cities to see who is greenest.”

For the full report, log on to www.forumforthefuture.org.uk/files/sustainablecities07.pdf

lizawilliams