Agenda and minutes

            An apology for inability to attend was reported from Alderman Spence.

            The minutes of the meeting of 18th August were taken as read and signed as correct.  It was reported that those minutes had been adopted by the Council at its meeting on 4th September.

            No declarations of interest were reported.

            The Committee agreed to change the date of its next scheduled meeting from 17th till 24th November in order to accommodate the rate setting process for 2018-19.

            The Committee noted that, at the request of the organisation, this item had been withdrawn from the agenda.

            The Information contained in the following four reports is restricted in accordance with Part 1 of Schedule 6 of the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 2014

      Resolved – That the Committee agrees to exclude the members of the Press and public from the Committee meeting during discussion of these items as, due to the nature of the items, there would be a disclosure of exempt information as described in Section 42(4) and Section 6 of the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 2014.

            The Committee agreed to defer consideration of this matter to enable further information to be provided. 

            The Committee noted a report which provided an update on the City Centre Investment Fund (CCIF), including progress to date, applications received and the planned next steps.

            The Committee noted the update on the efficiency programme and that further updates on the work streams and progress towards the efficiency targets would be provided as part of the rate setting reporting timetable; and agreed to the establishment of a Commercial Manager post to support the commercialisation of Council services and increased income opportunities to be funding from the invest to save budget at no additional cost to the ratepayer.

            (Mr. Donal Durkan, Director of Development, attended in connection with this item.)

            The Committee considered a report in relation to a request for funding from The Metropolitan Arts Centre.

            The Committee agreed to accede to the request from the Mac to provide funding of £40,000, to be funded initially through general reserves, on the basis that meetings would be set in place between Belfast City Council politicians and representatives from the Mac, as well as the Arts Council and the Department for Communities, to ensure sustainability and enhance cultural and arts offering to local and international audiences.

            It was agreed also that any further consideration for funding requests would only be considered in the context of the business case which had been presented to the Arts Council NI and the Department for Communities.

            The Committee deferred consideration of the matter to enable it to be considered at the Party Group briefings and subsequently the Party Leaders’ Forum.

            The Committee was reminded that the Council, at its meeting on 3rd July, had passed the following motion on Donations to Political Parties, which had been proposed by Councillor Nichol and seconded by Councillor Milne:

            “This Council notes the motions passed in March, 2016 and January, 2017, recognising the importance which the citizens of Belfast place on being able to trust their elected representatives to work for the common good; further recognises the corrupting influence which money can have on political decision-making; considers it unacceptable that donations to political parties continue to remain secret in Northern Ireland; reiterates its calls on the Secretary of State to immediately lift the exemption to reveal all declared donations from £500 upwards to political parties since January 2014; and calls on all political parties to voluntarily publish donations until this time.”

            It was reported that a response had now been received, on behalf of the Secretary of State, from Minister Chloe Smith MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

            Minister Smith explained that the Secretary of State had, in January 2017, written to the leaders of the Political Parties in Northern Ireland to seek their views on whether to move to full transparency for political donations and loans and, if so, to suggest a date from which such transparency should take effect.  All of those parties which had responded had expressed the view that full transparency should be introduced, only one of which had been proposed that it be implemented retrospectively.

            She had pointed out that, in light of those responses and the widespread support amongst the people of Northern Ireland around the importance of transparency to the wider political process, the Secretary of State had, on 3rd July, stated his intention to bring secondary legislation before Parliament shortly, with a view to having it passed in the autumn.  That would provide for the publication of all donations and loans received by Political Parties in Northern Ireland on or after 1st July, 2017.  On the basis of the representations which he had received from the parties, the Secretary of State did not consider it appropriate to impose retrospective regulations on those who had donated in accordance with the rules set out at that time.

            The Minister went on to point out that the threshold for reporting and publishing donations and loans would be the same as in the rest of the United Kingdom, that is, over £7,500 or £1,500 for local accounting units.  She concluded by stating that, whilst there were no plans to change those thresholds, the Secretary of State was aware that Political Parties in Northern Ireland had been considering the possibility of reducing them and the Northern Ireland Office would be interested in obtaining their views in that regard.

Noted.

            The Committee was reminded that the Council, at its meeting on 3rd July, had passed the following motion on the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry, which had been proposed by Councillor Heading and seconded by Councillor McReynolds:

            “This Council notes that the Inquiry into Historical Institutional Child Abuse found that children's homes run by some churches, charities and state institutions in Belfast and elsewhere in Northern Ireland were the scene of widespread abuse and mistreatment of young residents. 

            The Council notes that Sir Anthony Hart, Chair of the Inquiry, recommended compensation, a memorial and a public apology to abuse survivors.

            The Council expresses deep concern that, due to the failure to form a power-sharing government, there has been no progress into implementing the Hart HIA Redress Findings.

            The Council agrees to write to political party leaders in Northern Ireland to ensure that, if an Executive is formed, the Inquiry's recommendations are implemented in full as a matter of urgency.”

            It was reported that a response had now been received, on behalf of the Secretary of State, from Minster Chloe Smith MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

            Minister Smith pointed out that the Secretary of State had met recently with historical institutional child abuse victims from a number of organisations in Northern Ireland, during which he had reiterated the Government’s condemnation of any form of abuse of children and its abhorrence of any tolerance by people in positions of responsibility of such activity by others.

            She stated that the Government had always believed that the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry, which had been announced in 2012 by the then First Minister and Deputy First Minister, was the most effective way of establishing the truth and that both the Government and agencies had provided the fullest possible level of co-operation.  She highlighted the fact that Sir Anthony Hart, who had led the Inquiry, stated clearly within his closing statement that the report, its findings and recommendations were now a matter for the new Assembly and Executive to consider and urged them to implement his recommendations as a matter of priority.  Minister Smith concluded by recognising fully the frustration felt by victims and survivors at the current lack of progress due to the suspension of the devolved administration and added that the Secretary of State continued to urge the Political Parties to restore the Executive to allow a response to Sir Anthony Hart’s report to be provided at the earliest opportunity, including on his recommendations for redress and support for victims and survivors of child abuse.

            In addition to the response from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the Council had, to date, received responses from two leaders of Political Parties, namely, Mr. Steven Agnew MLA and Mr. Robin Swann MLA of the Green Party and the Ulster Unionist Party respectively.

            Mr Agnew, within his response, recognised the urgency of the issue and maintained that the implementation of the report arising from the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry should not be delayed  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3c

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1       This report provides Members with the proposed final draft of the Belfast Agenda and includes a summary of the changes made following the public consultation held earlier this year.  This report also proposes a launch of the final Belfast Agenda and briefly updates Members on the next steps in the implementation the Belfast Agenda.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to:

·        approve the final Belfast Agenda document and note the summary of changes from the draft;

·        agree a launch of the Belfast Agenda in October; and

·        agree the next steps in taking forward the implementation of the Belfast Agenda including 4 workshops proposed for the late Autumn.

3.0       Main Report

            Background

3.1       As Members will be aware the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 2014, Part 10, placed a statutory duty on councils in relation to community planning.  The legislation states that as lead partner, the council (once consensus has been reached with community planning partners), must publish a community plan that sets out long term objectives for improving economic, social and environment wellbeing of its district, together with the actions and functions to be delivered to achieve these objectives.

3.2       Following significant engagement with Members, partners and the general public (through The Belfast Conversation) Members agreed in November 2016 to a draft Belfast Agenda to go to public consultation in December 2016.

3.3       The public consultation on the draft Belfast Agenda, Belfast’s Community Plan, was undertaken over an 18 week period, from 15th December 2016 to 20th April 2017. During the consultation period, a range of engagement activities were undertaken including public briefings, stakeholder workshops and meetings, an online questionnaire and social media activity.

            Consultation feedback

3.4       Nearly 300 responses from a broad range of individuals, organisations and stakeholders were received to the consultation.  Some of these responses represented the findings of workshops that stakeholders had undertaken with their own groups. 

3.5       Overall the response to the consultation indicated a significant endorsement for the Belfast Agenda – there was general support (over 80% of respondents) for the long term vision, outcomes and ambitions, and for the 4 year (to 2021) priorities of Growing the Economy, Living Here, City Development and Working and Learning.

3.6       Analysis of the feedback has been ongoing over recent months and findings have been discussed with community planning partners (including Party Group Leaders).

3.7       Some respondents suggested improvements to the plan or highlighted concerns, identifying themes that could be strengthened (for example, culture and arts, housing, good relations, environment, health, lifelong learning, among others) and these have been considered in producing the final version. Additionally, since the draft plan was published, more recent data and evidence has become available and this has also been considered, particularly in relation to the ‘Belfast Now’ section, the population indicators and Stretch goals. Greater alignment to the Local Development Plan was raised and this has been strengthened within the Belfast Agenda to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4a

            The Committee agreed to the hosting of a special meeting to consider reports on the 2023 bid.

            The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1       To update the Committee on progress on the development of a Belfast Region City Deal, including the proposed geographic area, overall objective and key themes.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to approve:

·        the proposed geography for the Belfast City Region Deal as set out in the report;

·        the overall objective of ‘more and better jobs; inclusive growth; improved skills and and growth of domestic business and FDI’;

·        the key themes of Infrastructure, Innovation and Skills; and

·        £15,000 to contribute to a joint, co-funded, pre-feasibility study with Louth and Newry and Mourne Councils and ARUP on a Belfast Dublin fast rail link.

3.0       Main report

            Key Issues

3.1       At its meeting in June, members were updated on the proposals to progress a Belfast Region City Deal which included the timeline for the delivery of a full feasibility study, including the development of a detailed evidence base setting out the rationale and benefits of a City Deal.

3.2       Progress on this was discussed with the Committee at its workshop on 6th September 2017 with specific detail provided on the proposed geographic area and the overall objective for the City Deal and its role in the achievement of the key commitments in the Belfast Agenda.

            The Belfast Region Geography

3.3       A ‘city deal’ is not just for a city but is designed to drive investment and growth across a much wider region and ensure that as large a population as possible feels the benefits of increased investment and employment. 

3.4       A principle of UK City Deals is that the proposed geography should be the ‘largest geography consistent with economic geography and effective governance’. The proposed geography for the ‘Belfast Region’ takes in the Belfast Travel to Work Area, extended out to each of the local authority boundaries.

3.5       Based on this travel to work area the current proposed geography includes;

·        Belfast City Council;

·        Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council;

·        Ards & North Down Borough Council;

·        Antrim & Newtownabbey Borough Council;

·        Mid & East Antrim Borough Council; and

·        Newry, Mourne & Down District Council.

3.6       A geographic spread of benefits will be core to the deal. As in other City Region Deals – all areas will see an uplift in increased access to jobs – and mechanisms will be used to ensure a spread across the Region.

            Belfast Region City Deal Overall Objective

3.7       Inclusive Growth is at the heart of the Belfast Agenda and is about more and better jobs, improving living standards and earnings, offering in work progression and challenging barriers to employment such as child care, transport and training.  Given that the City Deal is a key mechanism for delivering the ambitious agenda set out in the Belfast Agenda it is important that we develop a City Deal which puts ‘Inclusive Growth’ at its core, increasing prosperity for the city region, driving forward regional growth and providing wider social and environmental benefits.

3.8       The proposed overarching objective for  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4c

            The Director of Finance and Resources submitted for the Committee’s consideration the following report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1       To provide further details about the launch of the Smart Belfast framework in the City Hall on Tuesday, 26 September 2017 to which all Members have been invited. This paper also provides details of the new Smart Belfast Collaborative Challenge Fund (with the potential value for local SMEs of over £860,000) which will be launched jointly with Invest NI at the same event.

1.2       This report also seeks Members’ approval for the next major work strands which the Smart Belfast team are proposing to undertake over the coming months in support of the objectives of the Smart Belfast framework. A common theme across all these work strands is creating opportunities for greater collaborative innovation between the public and private sector in order to better address city challenges and to support the transformation of public services.

2.0       Recommendation

2.1       The Committee is asked to:

·        note the agenda for the launch of the Smart Belfast framework and the invitation to all Members to attend.

·        note the launch of the Smart Belfast Collaborative Challenge fund and the five city challenges.

·        note Belfast’s submission of an expression of interest in a £30 million bid to the national Local Full Fibre Networks (LFFN) Programme.

·        agree that in the event of a successful agreed bid to Digital Catapult’s LPWAN competition, the Council will commit £30,000 to support activities that exploit Internet of Things technology to address Belfast and regional challenges.

·        allocate £127,000 of non-recurring capital finance for the capital works required to support the establishment of the Immersive Technology hub, subject to agreement on the licensing terms between DfE and Bel Tel LLP. 

·        note that the process to recruit the Belfast Commissioner for Resilience will commence within the next month and

·        agree to provide a letter of support to accompany 100 Resilient Cities’ application to the ‘International Urban Cooperation (IUC) city-to-city cooperation’ programme in support of an exchange programme between Belfast and the Columbian Resilient Cities of Cali and Medellín.

3.0       Main report

            Key Issues

3.1       Smart Belfast framework

            The Smart Belfast framework, previously agreed by Committee in May 2017, aims to marry the city's ambition to support its high-growth digital technology SME sector with a desire to bring the innovation of this sector to bear on urban challenges and public service transformation. The framework will be publicly launched in City Hall at 10am on Tuesday, 26 September to which all Members have been invited. (A printed copy of the framework document will be shared with Members at the meeting).

3.2       The agenda for the launch event includes:

-        A breakfast briefing hosted by the Lord Mayor for representatives of large digital corporations. The briefing is an opportunity to share Belfast’s smart city ambitions with those larger companies already investing in similar work across the world.

-        The main launch event (10am to 12 noon in the Great Hall): Introduced  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4d

            The Committee was reminded that, at its meeting in November 2015, it had adopted the following process for future proposals for the award of the Freedom of the City:

·        When a request is received from a Member of Council or a member of the public for the Freedom of the City to be conferred, the Democratic Services Manager will liaise with the Party Leaders on the Council to ascertain the level of support which the proposal would have;

·        Once the level of support is known, a report will be submitted in the first instance to the Budget and Transformation Panel so that an informal discussion of the proposal can take place and any minor issues resolved; and

·        If there is at least 2/3 of the whole number of Members (40 Member) supportive of the proposal, then the Chief Executive will contact the proposed recipient to ask if they would be amenable to accepting the award should the Council offer it.  If there is a positive response, a report will be submitted to the next available meeting of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee recommending that the award be made and requesting it to set a date for a meeting of the Council to formally consider the proposal.

            The Democratic Services Manager reported that a request had been received in April, 2017, from the then Lord Mayor, Alderman Brian Kingston, that the Council consider awarding the Freedom of the City to Sir Kenneth Branagh, given that he was born in this city and recognising his outstanding achievements and international status in drama and cinema, as actor, director, producer and screen writer.

            In accordance with existing Council policy on the award of the Freedom of the City, the views of the Party Groups on the Council had been sought as to whether or not they would be supportive of such a suggestion.  Parties had responded and there was overwhelming support for the award to be made.  Sir Kenneth had indicated that he would be honoured to accept the award.

            The Committee agreed to award the Freedom of the City to Sir Kenneth Branagh and that a Special Meeting of the Council be convened at 6.00pm on Monday, 2nd October, 2017, immediately prior to the monthly Council meeting, for that purpose.

            The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report or Summary of Main Issues

1.1       To consider the process applied for requests for the conferment of the Freedom of the City.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to:

·        Agree not to make any change to the established process for considering requests for the Freedom of the City but to agree that the award will not be granted more than once in any Council term except when there are exceptional circumstances; and

·        Agree to receive a further report at October’s Strategic Policy and Resources Committee considering an approach to some form of recognition for individuals or organisations at a lower level than the award of the Freedom of the City.

3.0       Main Report

3.1       Background

            The former Council’s policy on consideration of requests for the award of the Freedom of the City was agreed in 1996.

            In 2013, the Council agreed to bestow the honour of the Freedom of the City to two individuals – Van Morrison and Dame Mary Peters.  Prior to this, there was a period of 11 years when no such awards were made.  In 2015, the Freedom was awarded to Michael Longley and to the Nursing Service in Belfast.  There are now a total of 81 Freemen of the City.

3.2       Legislation

            The Local Government (Modification of Borough Charters) Order (Northern Ireland) 1973 has been revoked by the Local Government (Transitional, Incidental, Consequential and Supplemental Provisions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015.  The rules are now much simpler.  The award can be agreed by the Council by way of a special resolution by a simple majority vote and there is not any need for 10 days’ notice of the special Council meeting to be given.

            Although the new legislation does not require a 2/3 majority of the Council to support a proposal to award the Freedom of the City, the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, at its meeting on 20th November, 2015 agreed that the Council would continue with its previous policy as set out below:

·        When a request is received from a Member of Council or a member of the public for the Freedom of the City to be conferred, the Democratic Services Manager will liaise with the Party Leaders on the Council to ascertain the level of support which the proposal would have.

·        Once the level of support is known, a report will be submitted in the first instance to the Budget and Transformation Panel so that an informal discussion of the proposal can take place and any minor issues resolved.

·        If there is at least 2/3 of the whole number of Members (40 Member) supportive of the proposal, then the Chief Executive will contact the proposed recipient to ask if they would be amenable to accepting the award should the Council offer it.  If there is a positive response, a report will be submitted to the next available meeting of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee recommending that the award be made and requesting  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5b

            The City Solicitor submitted for the Committee’s consideration the undernoted report:

“1.0     Purpose of report or summary of main issues

1.1       The purpose of this report is to submit for approval an amendment to the Scheme of Delegation regarding road closures for special events.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to:

·        agree the proposed amendment to the Scheme of Delegation, as recommended by the Licensing Committee in June 2017.

3.0       Main Report

3.1       Background

            The Roads (Miscellaneous Provision) Act (Northern Ireland) 2010 was enacted on 13 August 2010.  An Order, commencing the specific special events provisions, was made on 25 January 2017 with the provisions becoming operational on 4 September 2017.

3.2       Until now roads have been closed by police using general policing powers. This new legislation provides the Council the power to authorise and approve, by order, the holding of a special event such as a street party, sporting event or making of a film on a public road. 

3.3       This legislation was due to be commenced in 2013 and at the time Members of the Licensing Committee agreed that the Council be recommended to delegate authority to the Licensing Committee to determine all applications under the Act. This decision was ratified by Council on 3rd April 2013. At that time, the Committee undertook to consider all applications whether or not any representations had been received by the Council.

3.4       The Licensing Committee in June 2017 re-considered this issue based on feedback from Northern Ireland Screen who raised concerns that the estimated turnaround time of three months from application to determination could have an impact on the film industry in Northern Ireland, which operates on relatively short lead-in times prior to filming commencing. 

3.5       It is estimated that if delegated authority was granted to issue Orders, where no objection is received (as is the case with other licensing applications), an application could be determined within approximately 35 days, taking account of a statutory 21 days within which representations may be made.   

3.6       Therefore, it is recommended that the Scheme of Delegation is amended so that the exercise of the following functions, in line with relevant Council policies, is delegated to the Director of Planning and Place:

            ‘Exercising all powers in relation to the making of an Order restricting or prohibiting temporarily the use of a public road in connect with special events, excluding provisions relating to:

·        applications for an order where adverse representations are made

·        the recovery of costs incurred by the Council as a consequence of making an Order and such other matters as the Director deems appropriate’

3.7       At the Licensing Committee it was also agreed that a notification procedure would be put in place to alert Members to all applications received by the Council to close roads. Thereby, even if representations were not made Members would be aware of all applications received and have an opportunity to comment on them if necessary. This will be managed by Building Control.

3.8       Members are advised that the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5c

            The Committee considered a report in relation to the introduction of a system of proportionality for the identification of candidates for consideration for the appointment to the Office of High Sheriff.  The Democratic Services Manager reported that a question had been raised as to whether the Council could and should introduce a system of proportionality to identify those Parties which would be entitled to nominate a person to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for consideration for appointment as High Sheriff.

            In short, the Council could decide to do this if they so wished.  However, in considering whether it should do so the Committee take into account the following points.

            The position of High Sheriff is not one which is within the Council’s gift.  Rather, the appointment is made by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland who, each year, requested the Council to provide him/her with the names of three persons suitable for appointment.  For many years now, the process which the Council had used to do this was for one name only to be provided and the name of that person was decided by the Council at a full Council meeting.  Where more than one candidate was nominated, the Council voted and the person who received the most votes was duly nominated.

            The position of High sheriff was not a “Position of Responsibility” as defined in the Local Government Act (NI) 2014 and therefore the Council was not required to use a system of proportionality to make the nominations.  However, the Council could decide to use the same system as proportionality as it did for those Positions of Responsibility when deciding on whom to nominate for High Sheriff.

            The Positions of Responsibility were allocated at the first annual meeting of the Council following a Local Council election for each year of the 4-year Term.  The Council could decide to apply the D’hondt system to the nomination of candidates for High Sheriff as a separate pool of 4 positions.  If this had been applied at the start of the current Council Term then, given the strengths of the Political parties as at the elections in 2014, the 4 choices would have fallen to:

1.     SF

2.     DUP

3.     SF

4.     ALL

5.     SDLP

6.     UUP

7.     DUP

            In the past, both Sinn Fein and SDLP had not nominated anyone as a candidate for High Sheriff and, if that had continued, then the 4 Parties which would have been entitled to nominate a candidate and which would wish to avail of that choice would have been:

1.     DUP

2.     ALL

3.     UUP

4.     DUP

            Of course, it would have been a matter for a political party to choose which of the 4 years it wished when it was their turn to choose.

            Should the Council decide to introduce proportionality from the start of the next Council Term in 2019 then, of course, the Parties which would be eligible to nominate a candidate would be dependent upon the outcome of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5d

            The Director of Property and Projects reminded the Committee that it had agreed that all capital projects much go through a 3 stage process where decisions on which projects progress are taken by the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee.  Accordingly, he requested the Committee to agree the following movements as summarised below:

            He reported that the Palm House in the Botanic Gardens was one of the earliest examples of a glasshouse made from curved iron glass in the United Kingdom.  The building was designed by Sir Charles Lanyon and dated back to the 1840s.  The building was of significant heritage and cultural importance, however, over the years the condition of the building had gradually declined.  The Members would be aware that the adjoining Tropical Ravine in Botanic Gardens had been undergoing a £4.1m restoration over the past few years of which £2.4m was secured from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).  Works on the building are almost complete and it was envisaged that it would be reopened to the public early next year.  The redevelopment of the Palm House, in tandem with the newly refurbished Tropical Ravine, together with the Ulster Museum which recently underwent a substantial renovation programme, could potentially provide a key cultural, heritage and tourism destination helping to restore Botanic Gardens to its former glory as one of the leading Victorian parks within the United Kingdom.

            Accordingly, it was recommended that the proposed upgrade of the Palm House at Botanic Gardens be added to the Capital Programme which would allow the options in relations to the site to be worked up and for the funding strategy to be developed, including the initiation of discussions with the HLF about potential funding for the project.

            In addition, the Committee was requested to note that one LIF project which had previously been agreed for in principle funding (NLIF066 – Wishing Well) had now been scored by officers, had met the minimum threshold and it was recommended that it be now progressed to the Due Diligence stage of the LIF process.

            The Committee agreed that the Palm House, Botanic Gardens be added as a stage 1 – Emerging Project and that the Wishing Well projects be progressed to the Due Diligence stage of the LIF process.

            The Director of Property and Projects submitted for the Committee’s consideration the following report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report or Summary of Main Issues

1.1       The purpose of this report is to update Members on proposals to re-locate the existing disability-accessible WC and to create of a new Family Room in the East Wing of the City Hall, and also to reverse the positioning of the existing toilet facilities in the East area to facilitate these changes.

2.0       Decision(s) required and recommendations

2.1       The Committee is requested to:

·        approve the proposal to re-locate the existing disability-accessible WC; create a new family room to enable breast-feeding/feeding and changing facilities for young children and reverse the current positioning of the ladies and gents’ toilet locations in the East entrance area in order to enhance compliance with statutory duties and best practice; and

·        note the update in respect of the proposed provision of a Changing Places Facility in the City Hall and that a further update will be brought back in due course on this.

3.0       Main Report

3.1       Members will be aware that the new Exhibition area in the City Hall opened to the public on 16th May 2017. As part of this overall facility, and in line with the requirements of the Building Control service in terms of compliance with the relevant building regulations and disability access legislation, a disability-accessible WC facility was built adjacent to the existing male toilets in the East entrance area. Under the regulations this must be located within 30m of the main Exhibition facility.

3.2       The available space to construct this facility was quite limited due to the construction of the walls and the existing layout of the area, and consequently a modest relaxation of the strict application of the building regulations was allowed by Building Control. Although this is a perfectly legitimate application of the professional discretion allowed to Building Control it is recognised that, although the facility is now operational and useable, it would be better if it could be enhanced in terms of its size and fit-out and be made fully compliant with the regulations in all respects.

3.3       At the same time, the Committee will also be aware that the issue of the lack of a dedicated and private family room for people with small children and breast-feeding mothers has been a concern for some time.  Committee will be aware that this is currently on the council’s Capital Programme as a Stage 2 projects as part of the wider scheme involving – City Hall – Family Room and the Additional Toilet Provision (including a Changing Places facility).  An update in respect of the proposed Changing Places facility is given at 3.7 below. 

3.4       An opportunity now exists however to deal with both matters in the course of a single project, which could be undertaken relatively quickly and would offer a number of benefits. This would involve moving the existing disability-accessible WC facility across to a new location adjacent to the current ladies’ toilets  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6b

            Suffolk FC – Licence for 100 Seater Spectator Stand

            The Committee approved the grant of a licence to Suffolk FC to allow the Club to install a proposed stand, subject to the club securing the necessary funding, statutory approvals, including planning permission, and providing adequate insurance cover.

            The Committee noted that the Licence would run alongside the existing Facilities Management Agreement.

            Deed of Dedication - Cregagh Green

            The Committee approved the recommendation of the People and Communities Committee of 7th March, 2017, and agreed to proceed with the completion of a Deed of Dedication with Fields in Trust in respect of the identified land at Cregagh Green, subject to the approval of the Department of Communities (Local Government Policy Division).

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report or Summary of Main Issues

1.1       The purpose of this report is to present to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, the Statement of Accounts of the Council, including the Annual Governance Statement, for the period ending 31 March 2017.

1.2       The Statement of Accounts are an important element of the council’s overall corporate governance framework as they provide assurance to Members and ratepayers on the stewardship of the council’s finances and its financial position.

1.3       The Statement of Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2017, as attached, have been prepared in line with the Code of Practice on Local Authority Accounting in the United Kingdom 2016/17 based on International Financial Reporting Standards and the Department for the Communities Accounts Direction, Circular LG 10/17 dated 13 March 2017.

1.4       I can confirm that the Statement of Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2017 has been prepared in the form directed by the Department for the Communities and in my opinion the Statement of Accounts give a true and fair view of the income and expenditure and cash flows for the financial year and the financial position as at the end of the financial year.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to

·        approve the Council’s Statement of Accounts and incorporated Annual Governance Statement for the year ended 31 March 2017.

3.0       Main Report

            Key Issues

3.1       Audit Opinion

            It is the Local government Auditors’ opinion that:

            the financial statements give a true and fair view, in accordance with relevant legal and statutory requirements and the Code of Practice on Local Authority Accounting in the United Kingdom 2016-17, of the financial position of Belfast City Council as at 31 March 2017 and its income and expenditure for the year then ended; and

            the statement of accounts have been properly prepared in accordance with the Local Government (Accounts and Audit) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015 and the Department for Communities directions issued thereunder; and

·        the part of the Remuneration Report to be audited has been properly prepared in accordance with the Department for Communities directions made under the Local Government (Accounts and Audit) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015; and

·        the information given in the Narrative Report for the financial year ended 31 March 2017 is consistent with the financial statements.

3.2       Reserves

            General Fund

            The credit balance on the General Fund has increased to £20,989,452 (of which £7,634,933 relates to specified reserves).  The movement on the reserves balance is summarised in Table 1 below:

            Table 1: Summary of Reserves Position

3.3       Capital Fund            £24,850,616

            The Capital Fund is made up of the Belfast Investment Fund (£3,810,715).  The fund has been created to support key partnership projects to regenerate Belfast and help lever substantial funds from other sources, the Local Investment Fund (£4,056,629) to fund smaller local regeneration projects,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7a

            The Committee:

(1)   Approved the public advertisement and acceptance of tenders as listed in Appendix 1 Table 1, and Table 2, through the Council’s electronic procurement system

(2)   Granted delegated authority to the appropriate Director using pre-agreed criteria, to accept the most economically advantageous tender and allow month by month extensions where contracts were under review.

(3)   Approved the award of contracts outlined in Appendix 1, Table 3 that had been carried out by Arc21 on behalf of the Council:

Appendix 1 - Schedule of tenders for consideration

Table 1 - New tenders

Table 2 - New tenders – Peace IV

Table 3 – Tenders awarded by Arc21 on behalf of the Council

            (Mr. Donal Durkan, Director of Development, attended in connection with this item.)

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report or Summary of Main Issues

1.1        The purpose of this report is to request approval from Members to financially support a range of music events and festivals during the financial year 2018/19, pending the outcome of the current strategic review of Events and Festivals.  The events are as follows: 

·        Féile an Phobail

·        Other Voices

·        Gradam Ceoil.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to:-

·        give priority to the named events and festivals when it is considering in-year allocations at the half or year-end periods.

3.0       Main Report

3.1       As Members will be aware, Festivals and Events International (FEI) Consultants have been appointed to develop an Events and Festival Strategy.  This will be completed by December 2017.  The Strategy will set the direction of travel in relation to the future decisions on Council financial support for events and festivals from 2019/20 onwards.  The draft strategy will be presented to the City Growth and Regeneration Committee for endorsement later in this calendar year.  Given that any decisions made will take a while before they can be implemented, 2018/19 will effectively be a transition year for events and festivals support within the Council.

3.2       Investment in events and festivals can help strengthen the profile of the City as a culturally vibrant destination, thus supporting the Belfast Agenda and also aligning well with the current bid for European Capital of Culture in 2023.  They also reinforce the commitment to build the City’s cultural profile and showcase its creative talent.  It is considered that support for the events and festivals noted in this report will make an overwhelmingly positive contribution towards the promotion of Belfast and its cultural offer and will generate significant economic return by virtue of additional visitor spend.  It will also help to create a positive profile of the City as a culturally vibrant location with a rich musical heritage in line with the new city narrative.

3.3       At the August 2017 meeting of the City Growth and Regeneration Committee, Members agreed to approve an allocation of £200,000 towards a programme of BBC-led music events including the Folk Awards and a Big Music Weekend.  Officers advised of a number of additional culture and music-focused events which were in the pipeline for 2018/19 and which would require Council support to proceed.  These are:-

·        Féile an Phobail – financial request of £150,000 towards the August 2018 event

·        Oher Voices – financial request of £40,000 towards the October 2018 event

·        Gradam Ceoil – financial request of £50,000 towards the February 2019 event.

3.4       The Committee agreed to refer the funding requirement for these three events to the September meeting of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee with a request to give priority to these events and festivals when it is considering in-year allocations at the half or year-end periods.

3.5       Members are reminded that, in addition to the City Events Programme and events  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7c

            The Committee approved and adopted the minutes of the meeting of the Shared City Partnership of 11th September.

            The Committee was reminded that the Council was required by Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 to develop an Equality Action Plan.  The Council was also required to report annually to the Equality Commission for NI on the progress of its implementation of its Equality Scheme.

            It was reported that a draft Equality Action Plan had been issued for public consultation from 13th December, 2016 till 7th March, 2017 and had been updated based on feedback.  The consultation had been aligned with the Belfast Agenda initial consultation period and considered in line with the agreed priorities from the Belfast Agenda.  Following feedback during the public consultation, the main updates to the Action Plan included:

·        Renaming the Equality Action Plan ‘Equality and Diversity Framework’ to reflect the broader actions across the organisation which were in addition to the equality compliance actions;

·        The Community Safety Plan was now included as one of our key actions under ‘Leadership, Partnership and Organisational Commitment’; and

·        A review of the Equality Consultative Forum and engagement mechanisms across all Section 75 groups will be addressed in 2017/18.

            The Council was also required to report annually to the Equality commission on the implementation of the Council’s Equality Scheme, including progress on delivery of actions identified to promote equality of opportunity and good relations.

            The Committee approved:

·        The updates Draft Equality and Diversity Framework 2017-21; and

·        The Council’s Annual Report to the Equality Commission of Northern Ireland (ECNI) for 2016-17.

            The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report or Summary of Main Issues

1.1       To update Members on the proposed governance and delivery approaches for the Decade of Centenaries area of work and the proposed programme for the final phase of the Decade of Centenaries. This next phase will cover Decade of Centenaries Commemorations from 2017 up until 2022.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to;

·        Agree the proposed governance and delivery approaches for the Decade of Centenaries area of work and approve the proposed programme outline for delivery over the coming 6 years. The programme includes activity within the current Council term, with agreement in principle on activity to be delivered following Council elections in 2019. Any activity agreed now, for beyond 2019, would be reviewed at that stage.

3.0       Main Report

3.1       Key Issues

            Members will be aware of the programme of work in relation to the Decade of Centenaries, which has been ongoing since 2011. The Decade of Centenaries has been considered by the Diversity Working Group until March of this year, when that group ceased. Council decided at its April meeting that Decade of Centenaries issues would be discussed at the Shared City Partnership from then on.

3.2       In 2011, Members of the then Historic Centenaries Working Group had agreed a three phased approach to the Decade of Centenaries, divided into 3 phases.

3.3       The first period, 1912-1914, was entitled ‘Shared History, Differing Allegiances’. The second period, 1914-1918, would cover the period of World War I, including the Somme and the Easter Rising. This activity, under the banner of ‘Belfast; Reflections on 1916’ was hugely successful. The third period, 1918-1922, would cover the end of WWI, the 1918 elections and the establishment of parliaments in Belfast and Dublin.

3.4       Major exhibitions were commissioned for the Covenant, the Somme and the Easter Rising and there was a Civic Dinner to mark each of these three major historical events. All of this activity, and more, has been delivered thus far.

3.5       In 2016, at the August meeting of the Diversity Working Group, Members requested that officers develop a programme for the remainder of the Decade, to run until 2022.  

3.6       Central to the programme, Members requested that:

-        Activity being planned would continue with the objective of having a strong Belfast focus, exploring the human stories of lost lives and be respectful.

-        The current Principles, agreed in 2011, will inform all activity within the final phase of the Decade of Centenaries

3.7       This programme that has been developed contains a number of themes and a series of events to be delivered within each theme (see appendices 1 and 2)

3.8       At their August meeting, Party Group Leaders agreed to the themes and programme within appendix 1 and 2 to be delivered from 2018 – 2022. The programme for this financial year (appendix 3) was agreed by the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee in March of this year.

3.9       Members also confirmed that the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8c

            The Committee agreed to defer consideration of the report on the above mentioned matter for a period of one month.

            The Committee was reminded that 10th April, 2018 would mark 20 years since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement (GFA).  The British Council, working with both universities as well as the Centre for Democracy and Peace Building, was proposing to host a major conference in Belfast to mark the event.  The conference would take place in a number of venues across the City from 10th – 12th April 2018.

            The objective of the conference was to bring together policy makers and peace practitioners from around the world to share reflections and case studies on building effective, inclusive and sustainable peace.  The series of plenary sessions, workshops, site visits and cultural events would create an open, inclusive and shared space for international dialogue to reflect upon the experience of peace processes across the world.  The events would build on the Northern Ireland experience of and expertise in conflict resolution and peace building.  By marking the achievement of the multi-track work that led to the signing of the Agreement, the conference would provide opportunities for international dialogue to reflect on the experience of everyday peace building.  The conference would also reflect on the contribution of partners such as the EU and the USA in the achievement and continuation of peace.

            The British Council and its partners hoped to attract a number of individuals who played a key role in the negotiations at attend the event.  They hoped, in particular, to invite former US President Bill Clinton to the event.  In order to provide civic endorsement to the invitation, the British Council had asked whether the Lord Mayor of Belfast could issue this invitation on behalf of the City.

            The Conference programme is currently being drafted.  It will involve a series of tours, discussion and panel sessions, cultural showcases and visits to relevant projects and sites across the City.  These were likely to involve Girdwood and the Innovation Factory.  Attendees at the event would come from Northern Ireland but there would also be representation from international cities that were dealing with issues of conflict resolution.

            The involvement of former President Clinton was seen as highly symbolic, given his close involvement in local politics at the time of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement.  His visit to the City Hall and the former Mackie’s site in 1995 were also undertaken at a critical time in the process.  A return visit to both locations offered a significant opportunity to explore how the City had developed since that time and to showcase how local partners were working collectively to improve lives within our communities.

            This Conference presented a significant opportunity for the City to tell its story twenty years on from the Good Friday Agreement.  It also offered an opportunity to reflect on developments since that time and to engage in discussion with other cities and locations that had undergone similar experiences.

            The Committee authorised the Lord Mayor to issue an invitation on behalf of the City to former President Bill Clinton to address  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8e

            The City Solicitor submitted for the Committee’s consideration the following report:

“1.0     Purpose of report or summary of Main Issues

1.2       Members will be aware that at the meeting of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee on 21 April 2017 approval was given to consult on the draft Policy on Linguistic Diversity.  A report on the findings from the consultation, which ran from 23 May 2017 to 18 July 2017 is presented for discussion. One of the key recommendations is to further develop the draft Policy on Linguistic Diversity as a Language Strategy, and the related action plan, to run from October 2017 until March 2018, which has been developed from the consultation findings, is also presented for approval.

1.2       The Committee should note that this report was brought to Party Group Leaders and they requested briefings for clarity but Sinn Fein have asked that it is considered at the September Committee meeting.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to:

·        Note the findings of the consultation on the draft Linguistic Diversity Policy and approve the recommendations;

·        Approve the Language Strategy Action Plan Oct 2017 – March 2018.

3.0       Main Report

3.1       Background

            Belfast aims to be a welcoming and inclusive city for all.  To help achieve this aim and to meet other best practice guidance and legal requirements, we developed a draft Linguistic Diversity Policy, approved for consultation at Strategic Policy and Resources Committee on 21 April 2017. The draft Linguistic Diversity Policy outlined our approach to promoting different languages in the Belfast City Council area. It builds on our 2006 Language Policy which needed to be revised to take account of the changing population and other developments.

3.2       The draft policy provided background on the changing dynamics of the population of Belfast and also explained the legal framework, current central government strategies and details of previous engagement with stakeholders. 

            Based on this information, the draft policy recommended an approach which included:

·        The development of an over-arching Language Framework, which articulated our commitment to supporting minority languages whilst allowing the different needs of speakers of Irish, Ulster-Scots and other minority languages to be addressed effectively. 

·        Development of an Irish Language Policy which focused primarily on the enhancement and protection of the language;

·        Development of an Ulster-Scots Language policy which looked more to the promotion of the language and the cultural and heritage aspects of the language rather than the need for translation of documents and interpretation services. 

·        Development of a policy on other minority languages (including sign languages) which focused on ensuring good communication and increasing awareness and understanding of minority cultures.

3.3       The draft Policy on Linguistic Diversity was subject to a formal consultation period which ran from 23 May 2017 to 18 July 2017. Prior to this period, there had already been informal engagement / pre-consultation meetings with relevant sectors to ensure that the draft policy reflected on priorities and issues for each stakeholder group, these had taken place over the period from  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8f

            The Committee approved and adopted the minutes of the meeting of the Audit and Risk Panel of 11th September.

            The Committee approved and adopted the minutes of the meeting of the Budget and Transformation Panel of the 14th September.

            The Committee approved and adopted the minutes of the meeting of the North Foreshore Steering Group of 21st August.

            The Committee approved and adopted the minutes of the Area Working Group meetings as follows:

            West Area Working Group 24th August;

            North Area working Group 29th August; and

            East Area Working Group 5th September.

            The committee noted the minutes of the meeting of the Active Belfast Limited Board of 18th September.

            The Committee approved the recommendations in relation to the requests for the use of the City Hall for the provision of hospitality as set out below:

            The Committee was advised that the Northern Ireland Local Government Association (NILGA) annual conference would take place at La Mon House Hotel on 12th October.  The Council was represented on NILIGA by a number of Members across the political parties.  The normal practice was to authorise those representatives to attend the Annual Conference if they so desired.

            In addition, later that evening the Northern Ireland Local Government Awards dinner would be held.  The Awards set out to showcase excellence in service delivery across the work of the Councils.  This year the Council had been nominated in 5 categories.  The Democratic Services Manager reported that it would be important for the Council to be represented at the Awards dinner so that, if successful, an elected Member could accept the award.

            The Committee approved the attendance of the Council representatives on NILGA at the Annual conference on 12th October and authorised the attendance of the Chairpersons and the Deputy Chairpersons of the Strategic Policy and Resources, City Growth and Regeneration and People and Communittees (or their nominees), together with the appropriate Officer at the Local Government Award dinner on 12th October.

            The Committee was advised that the National Association of Councillors (Northern Ireland Region) AGM was being held on Friday, 6^th October, at 11.00am in the Glenavon House Hotel, Cookstown.

            Following the meeting, there would be two guest speakers:

·        Kevin Higgins, Head of Policy at Advice NI who would speak on the introduction of Universal Credit; and

·        Maria Anderson, Local Government Commissioner for Standards, who would speak on the Councillors’ Code of Conduct.

            The Democratic Services Manager reported that all Councillors were entitled to attend the Annual General Meeting and, accordingly, authority was being sought to authorise the attendance at the meeting of any Member of the Council who so wished and to consider it as an approved duty.

            The Committee granted the authority sought.

            The Committee approved and adopted the minutes of the meeting of the Historic Working Group of 7th September.

            The Committee agreed to defer again consideration of this item to allow Alderman Browne who had raised the matter to be in attendance.