Agenda and minutes

            An apology for inability to attend was reported on behalf of the Chairperson (Councillor Groogan).

            The minutes of the meeting of 17th December were taken as read and signed as correct.  It was reported that those minutes had been adopted by the Council at its meeting on 10th January, subject to the omission of those matters in respect of which the Council had delegated its powers to the Committee.

            Alderman Sandford and Councillor Pankhurst declared an interest           in respect of agenda item 4a – National Association of Councillors Conference, on the basis that they were members of the Association’s Northern Ireland Region. As those were Council appointments, they were not required to leave the meeting whilst that item was under consideration. 

            Alderman Kingston declared an interest in relation to agenda item 5c – Update on Community Provision Funding, in that he was employed on a part-time basis by the Forward South Partnership, which had benefitted from funding, and left the meeting for the duration of the discussion.

            The information contained in the reports associated with the following eight items 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 meeting during discussion of the following 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:

                       i.        confirmed the cash limits which had been agreed at its meeting 17th December, as follows:

a.      a cash limit of £48,311,171 for the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee for 2022/23, including £3,270,000 for Belfast Investment Fund and £3,000,000 for City Deal;

b.      a cash limit of £87,423,434 for the People and Communities Committee for 2022/23;

c.      a cash limit of £19,461,512 for the City Growth and Regeneration Committee for 2022/23;

d.      a cash limit of £1,462,301 for the Planning Committee for 2022/23; and

e.      a Capital Financing Budget of £22,274,022 for 2022/23.

                     ii.          agreed that the increase in the District Rate for 2022/23 should be 2.99%, based on an Estimated Penny Product of £6,577,312, meaning a non-domestic rate of 27.2045 and a domestic rate of 0.3562 and that the amount raised through the District Rate in 2022/23 will be £173,514,937;

                    iii.          noted the Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Finance and Resources’ statement on the adequacy of the Council’s reserves position and the robustness of the revenue estimates, as required by the Local Government Finance Act (Northern Ireland) 2011;

                    iv.          noted the Minimum Revenue Provision Statement, as set out in Appendix 5 of the Committee report, as required by the Local Government (Capital Finance and Accounting) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2011; and

                     v.          agreed that the aforementioned decisions would not be subject to call-in, as that would cause an unreasonable delay in striking the rate by the legislative deadline of 15th February, 2022, which would be prejudicial to the Council’s and the public’s interest.

            The City Solicitor reminded the Committee that, at its meeting on 24th September, it had considered a report setting out options for the language or languages to be used in naming and signage in leisure facilities designated with a City-wide catchment. The Committee had agreed, in terms of Olympia Leisure Centre, to erect bilingual external naming and internal directional signage, with a report on the detail and appearance of that signage to be submitted to a future meeting.

            He reminded the Committee further that this decision had been called in on both procedural and community impact grounds and that the resulting legal opinion had found that only the community impact element had merit. It had also recommended that the Council should, in any reconsideration of the decision, bear in mind its duties under section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 and its Equality Scheme. The decision of 24th September had then been included on the agenda for the next available meeting of the Council on 10th January and had been referred back to the Committee for further consideration. 

            After discussion, it was

            Moved by Councillor McLaughlin,

            Seconded by Councillor Beattie,

      That the Committees agrees to proceed with an Equality Impact Assessment on the erection of bilingual external naming and internal directional signage at Olympia Leisure Centre. 

            On a recorded vote, twelve Members voted for the proposal and six against and it was declared carried.

            The City Solicitor reminded the Members that the Council, at its meeting on 1st December, had ratified the Committee’s decision of 19th November to reconfigure the Brexit Committee as a Climate and City Resilience Committee and had made a minor amendment to one of its proposed Terms of Reference.

            He submitted for the Committee’s approval the following Terms of Reference for the new Committee, which had been revised to reflect the amendment agreed by the Council and included a number of additions resulting from discussions which had taken place with the Resilience Commissioner and key Council officers on climate, resilience and wider economic issues:

                             i          Political oversight of the Resilience Strategy for Belfast including liaising with Belfast Resilience and Sustainability Board

                            ii          Political oversight of the development and implementation of the Council's Climate Action Plan including liaising with Climate Programme Board, enhancing climate literacy among staff and disclosure of climate data;

                          iii          influencing and contributing to regional considerations of the implications of climate change and other shocks and stresses identified in the Resilience Assessment on both the work of the Council and on the City;

                          iv          understanding the economic risks to the city associated with climate change and other shocks and stresses – including how these might impact the ability of Belfast to continue to attract and retain investment and grow the rate base;

                           v          monitoring the particular implications of climate change for vulnerable and disadvantaged communities across the city and to actively plan with them under the principles of a Just Transition;

                          vi          to consider public campaigns/public education programmes which the Council may wish to deliver to change behaviour among residents and businesses;

                         vii          to take account of the Council’s statutory responsibilities on sustainable development and relevant Programme for Government commitments; and to hear evidence from other parties;

                       viii          to consider good practice from other cities and local authorities from the UK, Ireland and internationally;

                          ix          The continuous monitoring of progress and announcements around Brexit;

                           x          Influencing and contributing to regional considerations of the implications of Brexit on both the work of the Council and on the district;

                          xi          to foster and maintain positive relations and cultural links with the European Union, and within the United Kingdom, post Brexit;

                         xii          Identifying any actions the Council may take to mitigate any adverse impacts arising and capitalising on any opportunities as a result of Brexit;

                       xiii          establishing links and collaborating with relevant authorities and organisations on a North/South and East/West basis and connections with Europe; and

                       xiv          to work collaboratively with the Shared Island Unit to avail of funding opportunities and deal with strategic issues and challenges to the benefit of our citizens.

            The Committee approved the foregoing Terms of Reference.

The Committee agreed to note a report providing an update on the progress being made across each of the operational areas in implementing the City Hall Recovery Plan and noted also that arrangements would be reviewed as further decisions were taken by the Northern Ireland Executive.

The Committee agreed also that a report be submitted to the People and Communities Committee addressing issues which had been raised by a Member around the collection of bins.

            The Director of Physical Programmes submitted for Committee’s consideration a report seeking approval in relation to the following asset related disposal, acquisition and estate matters:

Land at Upper Whiterock Road

(The minute for this item has been restricted - The restriction will be lifted in due course.)

North Foreshore

·  The Committee granted approval to enter into a 999-year lease with Northern Ireland Electricity Networks Limited for land needed to install a sub-station at the North Foreshore development site;

Land adjoining 131 Mount Eagles Avenue

·  The Committee approved the transfer of a small plot of grassland to an adjoining householder;

Licence Renewal – 118 - 122 Royal Avenue

·  The Committee approved the renewal of a licence agreement with Extern Northern Ireland for office premises at 118-122 Royal Avenue, for a period of 9 months from 1st February, 2022; and

Proposed extension of Annual Asset Valuation Contract

·        The Committee approved a one-year contract extension with Land and Property Services to carry out its annual asset Valuation of the Council’s property holdings.

            The Committee was reminded that the decision of the City Solicitor to illuminate the City Hall on 21st October, 2021 to mark the anniversary of the Centenary of Northern Ireland had been called in on both procedural and community impact grounds.

            The City Solicitor reported that, given the urgency of the matter, the barrister had, on that date, informed the Council via a summary note that she considered the call-in to have merit on each of the aforementioned grounds.  He drew the Committee’s attention to a more detailed legal opinion which had subsequently been received by the Council, which supported her earlier view that the call-in had merit on both grounds. It had recommended that the opinion be circulated to Members and that the decision be included on the agenda for the next available meeting of the Council, with any vote to be taken on a qualified majority basis.

            After discussion, the Committee noted the legal opinion and agreed that the Party Leaders would work to identify a way of improving the decision-making process for dealing with issues of an urgent nature. 

            (Mr. J. Greer, Director of Economic Development, attended in connection with this item.)

            The Committee was reminded that, at its meeting on 17th December, it had considered a report providing an update on the ongoing development of City events, as part of the ten-year cultural strategy, A City Imagining. The report had made specific reference to the new approach being adopted to delivering St. Patrick’s Day events from 2022 onwards and had outlined the three-stage process which had been used to assess applications to deliver pilot projects in that year.

            The Committee had been informed that applications had been received from four organisations and had adopted the recommendation to approve the commissioning of the two which had been ranked highest, namely, Beat Carnival and The Duncairn, with funding of £100,000 and £80,000 to be allocated respectively.

            In addition, it had agreed to extend the development phase for the two remaining projects, namely, Féile an Phobail and MayWe, to enable each of them to provide an updated proposal for delivery in March, 2022.

            The Director of Economic Development reported that further work had been undertaken with Féile an Phobail and MayWe to enhance their proposals. In terms of content, Féile an Phobail was proposing to develop a music trail, with events taking place in various venues and locations across the City in the lead up to and including 17th March. MayWe was planning to deliver four creative artist and community-led creative commissions, which could be further developed in subsequent years and focus on participation from under-represented communities. Accordingly, he recommended that the Committee approve the commissioning of the projects to be delivered by Féile an Phobail and MayWe and to allocate funding of £50,000 and £40,000 respectively.

The Committee adopted the recommendation.

Peace IV Programme – Shankill Shared Women’s

Centre and Black Mountain Shared Space Projects

(The minute for this item has been restricted -   The restriction will be lifted

in due course.)           

Department for Infrastructure Blue and Green Infrastructure

Fund and Active Travel Projects 2021/22

·         The Committee noted the update on the four capital proposals to be supported under this fund and the risks to delivery.

Proposed movement on the Capital Programme: IT Programme – Financial Replacement System (Stage 3 – Committed)

·        The Committee noted that a satisfactory tender return had now been achieved and agreed that a maximum of £650,000 of capital be now allocated to this project, which the Director of Finance and Resources had confirmed was within the affordability limits of the Council.

Neighbourhood Regeneration Fund

·        The Committee noted that Stage 1 of the Neighbourhood Regeneration Fund (the application stage) would be launched on Thursday, 17th February.

            Contracts Awarded

·        The Committee noted a list of contracts which had been awarded between October and December, 2021.

            The Committee was reminded that the Council, at its meeting on 1st December, had passed the following motion, which had been proposed by Councillor Heading and seconded by Councillor Lyons:

“This Council recognises the lengthy delays which Northern Ireland Housing Executive and Housing Association tenants across Belfast are facing when it comes to insulation inspections and insulation being provided. The absence of adequate insulation only compounds the problems arising from fuel poverty facing many citizens this winter.

The Council notes the warning provided by the Utility Regulator that Northern Ireland households are facing energy bills of around £1,000 higher than last year.

The Council will, therefore, write to the Minister for Communities requesting a review of the affordable warmth scheme, as the current threshold for support is too low and does not reflect the rising costs facing households earning more than £23,000.

The Council will also ask the Minister to undertake a public review exercise for Northern Ireland Housing Executive and Housing Association tenants to detail their experience of accessing insulation for their homes from their housing provider."

            The City Solicitor informed the Committee that a response had been received from Ms. J. Woodburn, a Housing Director within the Department for Communities.

            Ms. Woodburn had begun by stating that, when the Affordable Warmth Scheme was introduced in 2014, the income threshold had been set at £20,000 per annum to include all social security benefits.

            She had outlined the background to the establishment of that threshold by explaining that, in 2013, following successful pilots in 2012, the Department for Communities had held a public consultation and had proposed that the household annual income level be set at a modest level, in line with other Government programmes, such as the level of income for determining eligibility for free school meals, which was £16,190 per annum at that time.

            Most respondents to the consultation had agreed that eligibility for the Affordable Warmth Scheme should be determined by household income and not just on social security benefit passports. However, many respondents had felt that the income threshold proposed had been too low.

            She had explained that, following additional research and engagement with stakeholders, a further public consultation had been carried out, which had closed in February, 2018. The consultation had proposed that the income threshold be increased to £23,000 for households occupied by more than one person and reduced to £18,000 for single person households and that certain benefits, namely Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance, Personal Independence Payment and Carers’ Allowance, be removed from the calculation of income. Most respondents had agreed that the disability benefits should be removed from the calculation of income but had disagreed with lowering the income threshold to £18,000 for single person households.

            Following that, the Minister had approved an increase in the income threshold to £23,000 and the removal of disability benefits from the calculation of income.  The changes to the eligibility criteria had been implemented on 1st July 2021, with the average annual income for successful applicants  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14.

            The City Solicitor informed the Members that the Standards and Business Committee, at its meeting on 6th January, had referred the following motion, which had been proposed by Councillor Pankhurst and seconded by Councillor McCullough to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee for consideration:

“This Council agrees to formally mark Holocaust Memorial Day on an annual basis by lighting a flame on the front lawn of Belfast City Hall from 2022 onwards. The Council agrees to light the flame for a full day from dawn until midnight on Holocaust Memorial Day and agrees also to invite members of the Jewish Community and other relevant groups to take part in a short Memorial Service whilst the flame is lit.

Furthermore, the Council recommits to vehemently opposing contemporary anti-Semitism, racism, and hatred in all its forms against Jews. To that end, we request that the Council makes this a public declaration and that a letter is sent to representatives of our Jewish brothers and sisters from the Lord Mayor reaffirming this City’s solidarity and commitment to stand with the Jewish people, both here in Belfast, and worldwide.”

            The Committee adopted the motion and agreed that a report be submitted to a future meeting on the potential placing of a permanent Holocaust memorial.

The City Solicitor informed the Members that the Standards and Business Committee, at its meeting on 6th January, had referred the following motion, which had been proposed by Councillor Ferguson and seconded by Councillor Matt Collins to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee for consideration:

“This Council recognises and appreciates the remarkable role that our leisure workers have played in keeping services running during very difficult services the past year and more, notes that these workers have been substantially underpaid for years and have not had any pay uplift since 2018 and further notes that, since the outsourcing of leisure services, there remains a serious pay legacy issue regarding staff who have TUPE’d over to GLL.

Accordingly, the Council supports the joint pay claim submitted by Unite the Union and NIPSA, calling for a 11.75% increase for Belfast City Council terms and conditions members and a 15.75% increase for Castlereagh Borough terms and conditions members, to address retrospective pay legacy issues. The Council will also host a specific meeting as soon as is reasonably possible, that is open to representatives from all Parties, and also includes Council management, GLL management and trade union representatives, in order to discuss this pay claim.”

            The Committee noted the motion and agreed, in the first instance, that a report be submitted to a future meeting on how it would be facilitated, resourced and managed.

            The City Solicitor informed the Members that the Standards and Business Committee, at its meeting on 6th January, had referred the following motion, which had been proposed by Councillor Brooks and seconded by Councillor T. Kelly to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee for consideration:

“There is a constant complaint from both clubs and individuals regarding the shortage of playing pitches in Belfast. However, there also a number of sites, under Council ownership, which could be better utilised to address this issue.

The Council will ask officers to bring forward an action plan which will include investing in identified sites, which are in Council ownership, and how they can be brought up to match day quality. This will, in turn, generate additional income for the Council while maximising asset use for the benefit of the local community”.

            The Committee noted the motion and agreed that a report be submitted to a future meeting on how it would be facilitated, resourced and managed.

            The Committee noted that a report would be submitted also on the progress of the Parks Improvement Programme, in the context of a request which had been made to include within the motion those Council’s parks and open spaces across the City which would benefit from further investment.

            The Committee noted the contents of a report providing a quarterly update on motions and issues raised in advance, which fell within the remit of the Committee, and approved the closure of the motion on the accompanying list, relating to Funding for a Citywide Tribunal Service, on the basis that all actions had been completed.

            The Committee was informed that the National Association of Councillors would be holding a conference in Glasgow from 25th till 27th February.

            The City Solicitor reported that the theme for the conference would be “Community Empowerment” and that the topics to be covered would include participatory budgets, empowering women and other groups and the importance of communities and democracy.

The fee per delegate was £350 and there would also be travel and accommodation costs, which would be met from existing budgets. Accordingly, he recommended that the Committee grant approval for any of the eight Members appointed by the Council to the National Association of Councillors (Northern Ireland Region) to attend the conference. 

            The Committee adopted the recommendation.

            The City Solicitor informed the Committee that the Department for Communities had issued a Call for Evidence seeking views on the use of the current arrangements, as set out in the Local Government (Coronavirus) (Flexibility of District Council Meetings) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020, which made provision for councils in Northern Ireland to hold meetings remotely or in a hybrid format during the Covid-19 pandemic.

            The Department had stated that it was aware that the experience of remote meetings had been varied and that, whilst the experience of managing and participating in remote meetings had grown considerably during the period since the regulations had come into operation, there had been examples of the difficulties which some councils had faced in using this format.

            The Department had stated also that it had received representations from the local government sector making the case for permanent provision for remote meetings to be explored. It had, therefore, invited comments from interested parties on the pros and cons of making such arrangements permanent in Northern Ireland and on the use of the arrangements to date.

            The City Solicitor submitted for the Committee’s approval a draft response to the Call for Evidence and confirmed that it was based on the assertion that the Council would support legislation being put in place which would allow remote/hybrid meetings to be held on a permanent basis.  The current arrangements for the holding of remote meetings would, he pointed out, cease on 24th March.

            After discussion, the Committee approved the following response for submission to the Department for Communities:

COUNCIL RESPONSE

Questions

Q1 Generally speaking, how well do you consider the current remote meetings arrangements  work?        VeryWell  Well  Neitherwellnorpoorly    Poorly    Very Poorly  Unsure   Whilethe powersin section78 ofthe CoronavirusAct werebrought in specificallyto helpdistrict councilsin NorthernIreland (and localauthorities inEngland andWales) dealwith thechallenges ofholding meetingsduring thecoronaviruspandemic, the Department wouldalso liketo hearfrom interestedparties aboutthe prosand consof makingpermanent provision,in wholeor inpart, fordistrict councilsin NorthernIreland.   Q3. What do you think are some of the benefits of the remote meetings arrangements?  Please select all that apply.      More accessible for council members  Reduction in travel time for councillors  Meetings more easily accessed by local residents  Greater transparency for council meetings Documents(e.g.minutes,agendas,supportingpapers)aremoreaccessibletolocalresidentsandothersonline Easiertochairmeetingsinanorderlyfashion Avirtualformatpromotesgreaterequalityinspeakingtimeduringmeetings Idonotthinkthereareanybenefits toremotemeetings Other (please specify)             Q5. What do you  ...  view the full minutes text for item 21.

            The Director of City and Organisational Strategy informed the Committee that the Northern Ireland Housing Executive had, on 27th October, launched a twelve-week consultation on its draft Homelessness Strategy for 2022 – 2027. The Strategy outlined the Housing Executive’s approach to addressing homelessness, with an emphasis being placed on supporting some of the most vulnerable people and households across Northern Ireland.

            He drew the Committee’s attention to the following draft Council response to the consultation and recommended that it be submitted to the Northern Ireland Housing Executive:

COUNCIL RESPONSE

            The Committee was informed that the Northern Ireland Housing Executive had, on 27th October, launched a twelve-week consultation on its Draft Strategic Action Plan for Temporary Accommodation

            The Director of City and Organisational Strategy explained that the Action Plan had been developed in consultation with key stakeholders, as part of the Housing Executive’s Strategic Review of Temporary Accommodation project, which had been conducted with the aim of assessing how effectively the current temporary accommodation portfolio met the needs of homeless customers. 

            He referred to the following draft Council response to the consultation and recommended that it be submitted to the Northern Ireland Housing Executive:

COUNCIL RESPONSE

            (Mr. R. Black, Director of Neighbourhood Services, attended in connection with this item.)

            The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0      Purpose of Report/Summary of Main Issues

1.1       The purpose of this report is to:

·        update the Committee on further ‘Social Supermarket Support’ funding received from the Department for Communities which has to be spend by end March 2022;

·        update the Committee on capacity issues for existing funded community partners which is affecting their ability to fully spend existing allocations; and

·        request updated delegated authority to the Director of Neighbourhood Services to make pro rata allocations given the very tight timescales for delivery.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is requested to grant updated delegated authority to the Director of Neighbourhood Services to allocate the additional monies received by DfC and any underspends from existing allocations on a pro rata basis to the following delivery partners and only to those who have confirmed they can spend the allocation by end of March 22:

-       Area Strategic Partners

-       City Thematic Partners

-       St. Vincent de Paul and Salvation Army

-       Belfast and Lisburn Women’s Aid

-       Men’s Advisory Project

3.0       Main Report

            Background

3.1       Members will be aware that, at the People and Communities Committee meeting on 9th November 2021, the following was agreed:

                                             (i)          to agree to accept the additional funding allocation of £1,243,710 from the DfC under priority areas of General Community Support and Financial Inclusion.

                                            (ii)          to agree to the following allocation model for the additional funding.

Community Support

£631,360 (Micro & Medium Grants Programme 21/22)

£250,000 (Area Strategic Partners)

£150,000 (City Thematic partners)

                                          (iii)          to grant delegated authority to the Director of Neighbourhood Services to allocate any additional monies which may be received by DfC in-year to relevant delivery partners based on the agreed delivery approaches as outlined within this report.

3.2       However, at the subsequent Council meeting on 1st December, one element of this decision was changed, specifically the £250,000 allocation to Area Strategic Partners should instead be allocated to:

                                             (i)          £180k to be divided equally between the Salvation Army and St. Vincent de Paul to support their Christmas appeals;

                                            (ii)          £55k to be allocated to Belfast and Lisburn Women’s Aid; and

                                          (iii)          £15k to be allocated to the Belfast Men’s Advisory Project.

3.3       It is important to note that the change to the People and Communities decision of 9th November was on the basis of the Council having already allocated £650,000 to Area Strategic Partners at Special Council on 26 November 2021.

                        Current Context

3.4       The Department for Communities has just issued a letter of offer for £239,803.74 to the Council for Social Supermarket Support funding.  The aim of a social supermarket model is to offer a sustainable response to food insecurity by seeking to help address the root causes of poverty rather simply provide food.

3.5       Additionally, existing some funded partners (as detailed above) are indicating to officers that they are not in a position to accept even some of the funding already allocated  ...  view the full minutes text for item 25.

            The Committee:

·        approved the public advertisement of tenders, as per Standing Order 37a, as detailed in Table 1 of the appendix to the report;

·        approved the award of Single Tender Actions, in line with Standing Order 55 exceptions, as detailed in Table 2 of the appendix to the report;

·        approved the modification of the contract, as per Standing Order 37a, as detailed in Table 3 of the appendix to the report; and

·        noted the award of retrospective Single Tender Actions, in line with Standing Order 55 exceptions, as detailed in Table 4 of the appendix to the report.

            The Committee was advised that the Council was required, under Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, to provide the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland with an annual report on the progress of the implementation of its Equality Scheme.  Accordingly, the City Solicitor submitted for the Committee’s approval the annual report for 2020/21, which outlined the progress on actions identified to promote equality of opportunity and good relations.

            The Committee approved the Council’s annual report for 2020/21 for submission to the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.

            The Committee approved and adopted the minutes of the meeting of the Shared City Partnership of 17th January, including the following recommendations:

PEACE IV

·        to agree to issue formal correspondence to the SEUPB highlighting concerns regarding the reimbursement of claims.

Building Positive Relationships

      BPR1

·        to agree in principle to the request to reduce contact hours by 27% and delegate authority to the BPR Chair and Programme Manager to consider the detail, subject to SEUPB approval.

      BPR3

·        to agree to extend the current reduction in contact hours (from 30 to 21 hours) for cohorts completing up to June 2022.

      BPR4

·        to approve, in principle, the request for the extension and reprofiling of the budget and to delegate authority to the PEACE IV Programme Board to progress the modification.

BPR6 - St. Comgalls

·        to agree, in principle, to amend the Overnight Study Visit to NI or ROI, in place of Wolverhampton, due to Covid-19 impacts, and to delegate authority to BPR Chair/PIV Programme Manager to consider and approve the finalised arrangements, subject to SEUPB approval.

Good Relations

·        to submit to The Executive Office the draft Action Plan for 2022/23, as set out in Appendix 2 of the Committee report;

·        to note that, in order to meet the deadline set by The Executive Office, the Action Plan will be submitted in draft by 26th January, with the proviso that it is subject to approval by the Council on 1st February;

·        to note that the Action Plan submission is subject to amendment during the assessing and scoring process to be undertaken by The Executive Office; 

·        to note that the Council will be notified of any changes in the final approved Action Plans;

·        to note that a request has been submitted to The Executive Office to increase the programme budget for the BCC1 Community Provision Support Programme, using underspends from other programmes within the DCGRP Action Plan 2021/22; and

·        to agree, under the BCC10 Strategic Intervention Programme, that the underspend in the South area of £4k (and if required a proportion of the underspend in North) be reallocated to the Lagan Village Youth and Community Association Centre for a reimaging project.

            The Committee approved and adopted the minutes of the meeting of the Party Group Leaders’ Consultative Forum of 13th January.

            The Committee acceded to a request from the organisers of the annual Belfast Photo Festival for the use of the City Hall grounds from 13th till 30th June for a photographic exhibition and noted that the exhibition would be in line with those held in previous years.

            The Committee acceded to a request from the Royal Naval Association for the use of the Cenotaph at approximately 11.00 a.m. on Sunday, 12th June to hold a commemoration service to mark the 40th Anniversary of the Falklands War.  

            The Committee agreed to adopt the recommendations made in respect of those applications received up to 7th January, as set out below:

            The Committee noted the minutes of the meeting of the Active Belfast Limited Board of 17th January.

(Councillor Lyons to raise)

Councillor Lyons referred to the allegations which had been made against Prince Andrew and requested that the Committee give consideration to the matter of the flying of the Union Flag on the City Hall on the Designated Day of 19th February, 2022 to mark the Prince’s birthday.

            After discussion, it was

Moved by Councillor Lyons,

Seconded by Councillor Heading,

      That the Committee agrees not to fly the Union Flag on the City Hall on 19th February, 2022 to mark the birthday of Prince Andrew and agrees further that the Party Leaders discuss the potential for using that Designated Day on an alternative date to mark another occasion/event. 

            On a recorded vote, twelve Members voted for the proposal and six against and it was declared carried.