Agenda and minutes

The Chief Executive submitted the summons convening the meeting.

No apologies were reported.

Minutes of the Strategic Policy

and Resources Committee

            Councillors P. Donnelly, Duffy, Groogan, McCabe, McCann and Verner declared an interest in relation to the item ‘Minutes of the Shared City Partnership Meeting’ in that they were employed by or associated with organisations which were in receipt of PEACEPLUS funding.

            Councillor Groogan declared an interest in relation to the item ‘Request for use of City Hall grounds for Summer Cinema 2026’ in that her employer was involved with the event.

            Councillor Groogan also declared an interest in relation to the item ‘Neighbourhood Tourism Investment Programme’ in that her employer was involved.

            Councillor McKeown declared an interest in relation to the item ‘Safety Issues in the City Centre’, in that his employer had been mentioned at Committee.

            Councillor Smyth declared an interest in the items ‘Belfast Stories - Community Grants’ and ‘Belfast Child - Seamless Pathway for Children and Families’ in that he was employed by the Belfast Trust.

            Councillor Long declared in interest in item ‘Call for Evidence by Criminal Justice Committee’ in that his wife was the Minister for Justice.

            As the above-mentioned items did not become the subject of debate, the Members were not required to leave the meeting.

            Councillors Bunting, D. Douglas, Doran and Verner declared an interest in relation to the item ‘Request for Funding’ in that they were associated with applicants and left the meeting whilst this item was under consideration.

Minutes of the City Growth

and Regeneration Committee

            Councillor Groogan declared an interest in relation to the item ‘Vacant to Vibrant Programme Update’ in that her employer was in receipt of a grant through the scheme.

            Councillor Groogan also declared an interest in relation to the item ‘2 Royal Avenue Update’ in that she had met with some of the groups which were being considered but that she had not expressed any opinion.

            As the above-mentioned items did not become the subject of debate, the Member was not required to leave the meeting.

Moved by the Lord Mayor (Councillor Kelly),

Seconded by Councillor Bunting, and

      Resolved - That the minutes of the proceedings of the meetings of the Council of 5th May, 2026, be taken as read and signed as correct.

                  The Chief Executive advised the Council that notification had been received from the Alliance Party which indicated that it wished to replace Councillor Bell with Councillor Maghie on the Board of the Eastside Partnership; and Councillor Hanvey with Councillor Murray on Visit Belfast.

      The Council noted the changes.

The Lord Mayor referred to the recent retirements of long-standing staff members Joanne O’Prey and Pamela Davidson.  The Council wished them well in their retirement. 

Councillor R. Brooks expressed her deepest condolences to former Councillor George Dorrian, his wife Lauren, and to their wider family, on the passing of their beloved daughter, Edie.

            Councillor S. Douglas paid tribute to the work of Kinship Care and congratulated them on their first ever Kinship Care Celebration Week.  He praised all those who fostered children.  At the request of the Member, the Lord Mayor agreed to send a letter of thanks and appreciation to Kinship Care.

            The Chief Executive advised the Council that a request to film parts of the Council meeting had been received from a number of media outlets.

            The Council acceded to the request.

The Chief Executive drew the Council’s attention to a report which identified the persons who had been selected by the Nominating Officer of each Political Party to hold the following Positions of Responsibility in year four of the current Council term:

Civic Dignitaries

Strategic Policy and Resources Committee

City Growth and Regeneration Committee

People and Communities Committee

Licensing Committee

Planning Committee

Climate and City Resilience Committee

Standards and Business Committee

Belfast Waterfront and Ulster Hall Ltd. Shareholders’ Committee

Policing and Community Safety Partnership - Chairpersons

Belfast Policing and Community Safety Partnership

Councillor Tara Brooks (Chairperson)

North Belfast District Policing and Community Safety Partnership

Councillor Sam Nelson (Chairperson)

South Belfast District Policing and Community Safety Partnership

Councillor Tara Brooks (Chairperson)

East Belfast District Policing and Community Safety Partnership

Councillor Séamas de Faoite (Chairperson)

West Belfast District Policing and Community Safety Partnership

Councillor Ian McLaughlin (Chairperson)

            The Council agreed to appoint the Members to the positions of responsibility as set out above.

Expressions of Thanks

            The Lord Mayor reviewed her year in office, which she stated had been an incredible honour and that she had truly loved getting out and visiting communities across the City.  She outlined that she had been privileged to be the first female Lord Mayor from the Democratic Unionist Party and that she had been so proud to represent her community.  She highlighted that she been delighted to support her chosen charities, Little Heroes, South Belfast Alternatives, Tre-Eco and South Belfast Sure Start.  She stated that particular highlights for her had included welcoming His Majesty King Charles III and Her Majesty Queen Camilla to Belfast and to have been the First Citizen at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday.  She thanked the Deputy Lord Mayor, the High Sheriff, Council staff, her Party and her husband, family and friends for all of their support and wished the incoming Lord Mayor and Deputy Lord Mayor every success for the year ahead.

            The Deputy Lord Mayor reflected on his year in office and paid tribute to the Lord Mayor, the High Sheriff, his wife and children and Council staff for the valuable assistance which they had provided.  He stated that it had been one of the greatest honours of his life.  His highlights had included welcoming the President of Ireland, Catherine Connolly, to Belfast and leading the Pride and Mela parades.  He had been grateful to have worked with a number of important charities during his time in office, including the Children’s Hospice, Belfast City of Sanctuary and the People’s Kitchen.  He wished the incoming Lord Mayor and Deputy Mayor well in their forthcoming term of office.

Tributes

            Representatives of all the Political Parties paid tribute to the Lord Mayor and the Deputy Lord for the manner in which they had fulfilled their duties during their year in office.

Installation of Lord Mayor

            The Chief Executive reminded the Council that it had, earlier in the meeting, approved the Positions of Responsibility for 2026/2027 and that Councillor Róis-Máire Donnelly had been nominated to serve as Lord Mayor.

            Accordingly, Councillor R.M. Donnelly was installed in Office for the period to end on the date of the annual meeting of the Council in 2027.

            Councillor R.M. Donnelly thanked her Political Party for nominating her to serve as Lord Mayor.  She stated that she was honoured to be the first Irish-speaking, female Lord Mayor of Belfast.  She highlighted that she wanted to put young people, diversity and language rights at the heart of everything that she would do throughout her year in office. She stated that she was particularly looking forward to welcoming the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann to Belfast.  She paid tribute to the previous Lord Mayor and Deputy Lord Mayor for the manner in which they had carried out their duties. She stated that she was looking forward to the year ahead and to working with the Deputy Lord Mayor and the High Sheriff.

(The Lord Mayor, Councillor R.M. Donnelly, in the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

            The Council was again reminded that earlier in the meeting Councillor Abernethy had, under the Positions of Responsibility for 2026/2027, been nominated to serve as Deputy Lord Mayor.

            Accordingly, Councillor Abernethy was installed in Office for the period to end on the date of the annual meeting of the Council in 2027.

            He paid tribute to the previous Lord Mayor and Deputy Lord Mayor, thanked his Political Party for nominating him, thanked his family and friends for their support, and outlined his main objectives for his term in office.  He stated that he was looking forward to the year ahead, to listening and learning, and to working with the Lord Mayor and the High Sheriff.

            The Chief Executive drew the Council’s attention to a report which identified the following persons who had been nominated by the Nominating Officer of each Political Party to the Council’s Standing Committees and to the (District) Policing and Community Safety Partnerships for 2026/2027:

Strategic Policy and Resources Committee

City Growth and Regeneration Committee

People and Communities Committee

Licensing Committee

The Council was provided with a copy of the legal opinion which was obtained in relation to the call-in of the Council decision of 1st October, 2025, to approve the draft Irish Language Policy.

The Council noted:

·         the contents of the legal opinion;

·         that the call-in was not considered to have merit on community impact grounds; and

·         that the decision would now be implemented in accordance with Standing Order 48.

Moved by Councillor I. McLaughlin,

Seconded by Councillor McCallin,

      “That the minutes of the proceedings of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee of 22nd May, 2026, omitting matters in respect of which the Council has delegated its powers to the Committee, be approved and adopted.”

Requests for Funding

            Moved by Councillor I. McLaughlin,

            Seconded by Alderman Lawlor,

      “That the Council agrees that the decision of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee of 22nd May, 2026, under the above heading be amended to provide that the Committee agrees to fund the 47 discretionary funding support requests as outlined in the report and agrees that the funding, totalling £339,242, be allocated from the non-recurrent community capacity building monies included in the Growth Fund for 26/27”.

The following addition, proposed by Councillor McCallin, was agreed by the proposer:

“with a report to come back to the committee on up to £100,000 being allocated for dual language signage in the extended Gaeltacht area as identified in the Irish Language Policy.”

On a vote on the amendment standing in the name of Councillor I. McLaughlin, as amended by Councillor McCallin, thirty-seven Members voted for it, eighteen against, and with one no vote, it was accordingly declared carried.

Minutes of the Language Strategy Working Group

                  Moved by Councillor Walsh,

                  Seconded by Councillor Ó Néill and

    Resolved – That the Council agrees that the Irish Language Commissioner,Pól Deeds, be invited to attend the next meeting of the Working Group.

Sunday Trading

Moved by Alderman McCullough

Seconded by Councillor Doran

      “That the Council agrees that the decision of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee of 22nd May, 2026, under the above heading be rejected and, accordingly, the Council agrees not to designate the Belfast City Council area as a Holiday Resort designation to enable extended Sunday trading hours for larger retailers.”

On a vote, nineteen Members voted for amendment and 41 against and it was accordingly declared lost.

Further Amendment

Moved by Councillor Nelson

Seconded by Councillor McDonough-Brown

      “That the Council agrees that the decision of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee of 22nd May, 2026, under the above heading be rejected and accordingly agrees to the implementation of the in-principle Council decision from July 2025 and to designate the entire Belfast City Council area as a Holiday Resort designation under Article 6, paragraph (9) of the Shops Sunday (Sunday Trading) (Northern Ireland) Order 1997.”

            On a vote, ten Members voted for the amendment, forty-nine against and with one no vote, it was accordingly declared lost.

Neighbourhood Tourism Investment Programme

Moved by Councillor I. McLaughlin,

Seconded by The High Sheriff (Alderman McCoubrey)

      “That the Council agrees that the decision of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee of 22nd May, 2026, under the above heading, be amended to provide that a report be submitted to a future meeting seeking to allocate £50,000 from the growth fund for the tourism plan for the Greater Shankill area of the City.”

                  On a vote, sixteen Members voted for the amendment  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.

Moved by Councillor Maghie,

Seconded by Councillor Murray

      “That the minutes of the proceedings of the People and Communities Committee of 12th May, 2026, be approved and adopted.”

European City of Sport 2026 Programme

Moved by Councillor Lyons,

Seconded by Councillor de Faoite and

   Resolved – “That the Council agrees that the decision of the People and Communities Committee of 12th May, 2026, under the above heading, be amended to also provide that letters are issued to the Home Office and to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, outlining the economic barrier faced by non-visa nationals who wish to travel from the Republic of Ireland to attend upcoming international cricket matches  in Belfast (Ireland versus India and Ireland versus New Zealand) due to the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) process.”

Playground Accessibility – Update

Moved by Councillor M. Donnelly,

Seconded by Councillor R. Brooks and

   Resolved – “That a report be submitted to a future meeting, asking officers to carry out a scoping exercise across all play parks in the city, to aim to have accessible play facilities for children with additional needs in each play park; to consider building new play parks on sites which are not suitable for housing or pitches; to investigate how it could work with the Department for Communities and the Shared Island Fund; and the creation of an exemplary park in each quarter of the City, with accessible play park equipment for children with additional needs.”

Pitch Partner and Facilities Management Agreements

            At the request of a Member, officers were requested to consider the use of Blanchflower Playing Fields by St. Matthew’s and Doyle Football Clubs within the report coming back to Committee.

Dual Language Street Signs – Review of Data Survey Process

                  A Member requested that, in addition to issuing surveys to individuals listed within streets on the electoral register, that surveys would also be issued also to dwellings where no residents were listed on the electoral register, with a report to be submitted to a future meeting, outlining any additional costs associated with such a decision.

            The City Solicitor provided legal advice to the Council in respect of the issue and confirmed that a report considering the Dual Language Street Sign policy was to be submitted to a future meeting of the People and Communities Committee, and that the issues raised would be included within it.

Requests for the Use of Parks

At the request of a Member, officers were requested to bring an update on the Social Value Levy Fund to the June meeting of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee.

Dog Fouling Programme

At the request of a Member, officers were requested to bring back information on the number of lamppost bins in storage and the plan for their installation across residential areas.

Dual Language Street Signs – University Street and

Streets Not Reaching 15 Per Cent Threshold

Moved by Councillor Bunting

Seconded by Councillor Kelly,

    “That the Council agrees that the decision of the People and Communities Committee of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14.

Moved by Councillor Duffy,

Seconded by Councillor Smyth and 

      Resolved – That the minutes of the proceedings of the City Growth and Regeneration Committee of 13th and 27th May, 2026, be approved and adopted.

Moved by Councillor T. Brooks,

Seconded by Councillor Smyth and

      Resolved – That the minutes of the proceedings of the Licensing Committee of 20th May 2026, omitting matters in respect of which the Council has delegated its powers to the Committee, be approved and adopted.

Moved by Councillor Murphy,

Seconded by S. Douglas and

      Resolved – That the minutes of the proceedings of the Planning Committee of 19th May 2026, omitting matters in respect of which the Council has delegated its powers to the Committee, be approved and adopted.

Moved by Councillor Lyons,

Seconded by Councillor R. McLaughlin and

      Resolved – That the minutes of the proceedings of the Climate and City Resilience Committee of 14th May, 2026, be approved and adopted.

Moved by Alderman Lawlor,

Seconded by Councillor Smyth and

      Resolved – That the minutes of the proceedings of the Standards and Business Committee of 26th May, 2026, be approved and adopted.