Agenda and minutes

            Apologies for inability to attend were reported for the Chairperson, Councillor McDonough-Brown and Councillor Groogan.

            The minutes of the meeting of 17th February were taken as read and signed as correct.  It was reported that those minutes had been adopted by the Council, at its meeting on 1st, March subject to the omission of those matters in respect of which the Council had delegated its powers to the Committee.

Councillor Beattie declared an interest in respect of item 2g in that he was a Council representative on the Board of the Belfast Harbour Commissioners.

            Councillor Thompson declared an interest in item 6c Area Working Update in that she was on the Board of the Greater Shankill Community Council and the Glencairn Community Project.

            The information contained in the reports associated with the following eleven 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 eleven 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 was reminded that in March last year it had endorsed a draft of the proposed new Policy (SP1A) and supporting justification for public consultation in response to the Planning Appeals Commissions (PAC recommendations and Direction from the Department for Infrastructure (DfI). This was hoped to be the final stage of the dPS development in advance of it being finalised for potential adoption. 

            The Director of Planning and Building Control reported that, in the period since the Public Consultation had closed in July 2022, the engagement with the DfI, required under the terms of their February 2022 Direction, has proved challenging. However, the most recent engagements, at the end of January and beginning of February, had engendered a more positive response and progress to the extent that preparations had commenced towards the formal submission to the DfI. The proposed changes that would result in a final Plan Strategy for potential adoption had been  considered by the Planning Committee on the 16th March 2023 an it had agreed to endorse it for submission to this Committee as the basis for the consideration of the formal adoption for the Plan Strategy.

            The Committee:

1.      noted the Technical Documents to be published alongside the adopted Local Development Plan - Plan Strategy as set out in Appendix 1;

2.      noted the Timetable of required actions to support the potential formal adoption and publication of the Plan Strategy by  May 2023 as detailed in Appendix 2;

3.      noted the Post Independent Examination consultation report outlining the response to the public consultation and engagement with the DfI  Appendix 3;

4.      noted the formal Direction and covering letter issues by the DfI on the 9th March 2023 set out at Appendix 6;

5.      endorsed the proposed modifications set out in Parts 1-4 of Appendix 4; and

6.      endorsed the final Plan Strategy set out in Appendix 5 for adoption in accordance with provisions of the timetable set out in Appendix 2.

            The Director of Finance advised the Committee that, inevitably, a number of debtors who received services from the Council failed to pay.  This was despite the Central Transactions Unit having implemented the Council’s procedures for the recovery of outstanding debt.  The amounts being recommended to Committee for write off totalled £2,334.53.  Those amounts related to contract rebates and were a result of the company having been dissolved.  The advice from the Central Transactions Unit and from Legal Services was that it is very unlikely that the Council would receive any payments in respect of these debts.

            The Committee granted authorisation for the outstanding accounts, as listed within the appendix to the report, to be written off, in accordance with Section M12 of the Council’s Financial Regulations

            The Committee considered a report which provided members with an update on the corporate approach to medium term financial planning, outlining the work to be undertaken to identify and deliver opportunities for cost savings, income generation and service delivery review across departments.

            The Committee:

·        noted the ongoing work outlined below to address the 2023/24 budgetary gap in advance of the 2024/25 rate setting process;

·        noted the ongoing work on the development of a Medium-Term Financial Plan (MTFP) as part of the 2024/25 rate setting process; and

·        agreed to quarterly update reports on reducing the budgetary gap and the development of the MTFP.

            The Committee considered a report which provided an update regarding the progress which had been made following phase 2 of the Continuing the Conversation engagement programme and the next steps in preparing the refreshed Belfast Agenda before it was issued for formal consultation.  

            The Committee:

(i)     noted the development of the draft Belfast Agenda strategy document and action plans, based on the Continuing the Conversation engagement programme and subsequent partnership engagement;

(ii)    noted the engagement activity over the next number of months with partners before completing the draft refreshed Belfast Agenda;

(iii)   agreed to the continued political engagement over the next three months with a view to finalising the draft refreshed Belfast Agenda;

(iv)   to support the co-ordination of the draft refreshed Belfast Agenda, agreed that the Council renews its membership and contribution to the work of the Ulster University Economic Policy Centre for a 2-year period; and

(v)    noted the intent to issue for formal consultation in early July 2023.          

            The Committee was reminded that, at its meeting on 17^th February, it haddeferred the awarding Of Single Tender Actions related to advertising at bus stops and for bus internal and external advertising to enable information to be provided on the previous expenditure for those contracts.

            Accordingly, the Director of External Affairs, Communications and Marketing submitted a report in this regard.

            After discussion, the Committee approved the following:

            The Interim City Solicitor submitted a report which provided the Committee with the proposed next steps to be taken following the Committee’s decision on 21st January 2022 to proceed with an Equality Impact Assessment on the erection of bilingual external naming and internal directional signage at Olympia Leisure Centre. 

            The Committee noted the information which had been provided and th proposed next steps.

The Committee:

North Foreshore – Proposed variation to disposal terms

-        approved a variation to the terms of the disposal agreed with Belfast Harbour Commissioners to bring forward a portion of the lands within Phase 2B to facilitate their current film studio extension works.

i)       Belfast Stories Site, North St – Proposed meanwhile use of vacant land by BRINK

-        Approved, in principle, the use of part of the vacant land on the Belfast Stories site by BRINK for meanwhile use, subject to a further report on the BRINK proposals being brought to Committee and a short-term licence/tenancy at will being agreed.

ii)     City of Belfast Playing Fields – Lease of land for a play park to Antrim  and Newtownabbey BC

approved the lease of c2,400 sq m (0.59 acres) of land situated at City of Belfast Playing Fields to Antrim & Newtownabbey Borough Council to enable the construction of a play park.         

            The Director of Economic Development provided the Committee with an update regarding a UK and Ireland bid to host the European Football Championships in 2028 and sought approval to sign a number of legal binding documents relating to Belfast potentially being a host city for five groups matches during the European Football Championships in 2028

            The final bid was to be submitted by the Central Bid Team to UEFA by the 12th April 2023. The Central Bid Team required all regional final bid documents and associated guarantees and contracts with them no later than the 24th March to allow for final collation and review prior to submission.

            The Committee:

·        noted the details of this report and provide approval for the Belfast City Council to sign the legally binding host city guarantees associated with the bid;

·        granted approval for BCC to act as the lead on all matters (as far as is Council responsibility lies) associated with the host city requirements, including governance, budget, marketing, volunteering, mobility, transport including associated risk and sign the host city guarantees that manifest these responsibilities;

·        given the timescale required to enter the contractual obligations associated within bid, agreed to suspend call in in line with standing order 48;

·        approved the future allocation of £4m toward the costs of hosting the UEFA European Football Championships in 2028 and that this will be factored into council’s medium term financial planning; and

·        noted that a report will be brought to members regarding the outcome of the full bid when it is known, estimated to be in October 2023, and that future reports will be brought to committee if the bid is successful.

            The Director of Neighbour hood Services submitted a report which outlined the preferred option for providing a gaelic games pitch within the parks estate at Henry Jones Playing Fields and seeking a decision on an associated implementation approach.  The report outlined also the background, the current position, the displacement effects, the timing considerations and the engagement options.

            After discussion, it was

            Moved by Councillor Beattie,

            Seconded by Councillor Lyons.

                  That the Committee:

·        agrees that the East Belfast GAA Gaelic games club be granted the use of the pitches at the Henry Jones Playing Fields with effect from mid-April and that the soccer bookings be rescinded, with clubs displaced to alternative facilities and work commenced immediately to reconfigure the site: and

·        officers and elected members (from the Lisnasharragh DEA/East Belfast area) arrange a meeting with secretaries of the main clubs affected, provide the list of suggested options for the clubs and agree their preferred location moving forward.

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

            The Committee considered a report which was seeking stage approvals under the Capital Programme, procurement approvals for non recurrent and externally funded projects in 2023/24, overviews of recent funding secured and contracts awarded and a request for dual language signage at the Forth Meadow Community Greenaway.

            A member referred to the proposals in relation to the signage along sections of the Greenway which were within the Gaeltic Quarter and expressed the view that these should be dual language signs, that is , English and Irish.

            Accordingly, it was

            Moved by Councillor Beattie,

            Seconded by Councillor Walsh, 

      That the Committee agrees the proposals in respect of signage for the Forth Meadow Community Greenway as outlined in paragraph 3 of the report, subject to the Beacons, Information Panels and the Directional Finger Post Signs located in the Gaeltacht Quarter area (that is Section 3 – Fall Park, Section 4 – Bog Meadows, Section 5- Westlink to City Centre and Springfield Park/Dam) all being in dual-language, that is, English and Irish.

            On a vote, eight Members voted for the proposal and eight against.

            As there was an equality of votes, the Deputy Chairperson exercised his second and casting vote in favour of the proposal and it was declared carried.

            A Member also raised the issue of the spectator fencing at the Cherryvale Playing Fields and requested that the spectator fencing around the pitch and a path along the eastern boundary be progressed under permitted development.

            Accordingly, the Committee:

§  Capital Programme: Agreed the following movement under the Capital Programme:

o   City Hall Statues - Winifred Carney and Mary Ann McCracken project (Stage 3 – Committed) proceeds to contract award with a maximum £300,000 budget allocated.

o   Fire Service Belfast Blitz project– add as a Stage 1 – Emerging project under the Capital Programme.

§  Forth Meadow Community Greenway – agreed the proposals in respect of signage for the Forth Meadow Community Greenway as outlined in paragraph 3 of the report, subject to the Beacons, Information Panels and the Directional Finger Post Signs located in the Gaeltacht Quarter area (that is Section 3 – Fall Park, Section 4 – Bog Meadows, Section 5- Westlink to City Centre and Springfield Park/Dam) all being in dual-language, that is, English and Irish. Also noted that it had previously been agreed that the information plaque on the ‘Carry Each Other’ sculpture would be in English/Irish but it was now proposed that this in now in English/Irish and Ulster Scots.  The Committee agreed accordingly,

§  Cherryvale Playing Fields – noted the project update and agreed that the spectator fencing around the pitch and a path along the eastern boundary be progressed under permitted development.

§  Non-Recurrent Programme: Agreed that the necessary procurement processes (including the invitation of tenders and/or the use of appropriate ‘framework’ arrangements) be initiated for any non-recurrent projects for 2023/24, with contracts to be awarded on the basis of most economically advantageous tenders received and full commitment to deliver.

§  Externally Funded Projects:  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2j

            The Committee was advised that the Standards and Business Committee, at its meeting on 21st February, had referred the following motion which had been proposed by Councillor Spratt and Seconded by Councillor Bunting to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee for consideration;

            “This Council will amend maternity leave provision for mothers of babies defined as premature so that maternity leave will not commence until the certified due date of the child. All/any leave required from delivery date of a premature baby by parents will be considered compassionate leave and not reduce an employee’s right to standard parental leave.”

            The Committee adopted the motion and agreed that a further report outlining the financial and other implications be submitted to a future meeting.

            The Committee considered a report in relation to amendments to the Council’s Scheme of Allowances to increase the rates of Basic Allowance, Special Responsibility Allowances and Dependents’ Carers’ Allowance.

            The Committee:

1.      agreed not to increase the Basic Allowance paid to each Councillor from £15,486 per annum to £16,394 with effect from 1st April, 2022;

2.      agreed not to increase the total maximum Special Responsibility Allowance (SRA) from the current £117,774 per annum to £124,676 as set out in Appendix 2 with effect from 1st April, 2022; and

3.      approved the increase to rate of Dependents’ Carers’ Allowance in line with the National Living Wage for 2023-2024

            The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0      Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1The purpose of this report is to provide the Committee with an update on the Local Government Elections in May, 2023.

2.0Recommendations

2.1The Committee is asked to:

·       Note the contents of the report.

3.0Main report

      Background

3.1The Committee will be aware that the Returning Officer (EONI) appoints the Chief Executive to be the Deputy Returning Officer (DRO) for the Local Government Elections.  It is therefore his responsibility to organise the Election Count, amongst other things, from the Notice of Election through to the Counting of the ballot papers to determine the 60 Councillors who are elected to serve the Belfast District for the next Council term: May, 2023 till May, 2027.

3.2To assist him in this process, the DRO has appointed Jim Hanna and Stephen McCrory as Assistant Deputy Returning Officers who are authorised to take all decisions in relation to the election in his place. The Chief Executive will be present throughout the count.

      Date of Election

3.3This year’s Local Government Election poll was scheduled to take place on Thursday, 4th May, with the Counts to each of the 10 District Electoral Areas to take place on Friday, 5th and Saturday 6th.

3.4However, due to the Coronation of King Charles III on Saturday 6th May and the possible impact on the count, the Northern Ireland Minister has determined that the date of the Election will be moved as follows:

3.5The election timetable is attached at Appendix 1 for information.

      Count Venue

3.6The venue for all of the counts will be the City Hall.  This would require 3 counts to take place in the Great Hall and 1 each in the Banqueting Hall and the Reception Room.

      Order of Counts

3.7It is recognised that most Members would prefer the count for the DEA in which they are standing to take place on the Friday rather than the Saturday.  In deciding which 5 DEAs should be counted in which room, there are some logistical matters which need to be taken into account:

3.8

·       The Reception Room is being used as a count venue and it is significantly smaller than the other count venues in the City Hall.  The Banqueting Hall is the largest of the venues being used.

3.9

·       The 10 DEAs do not all elect the same number of councillors.  Black Mountain and Ormiston DEAs elect 7 members each; Balmoral and Botanic DEAs elect 5 members each; and Castle, Oldpark, Court, Collin, Lisnasharragh and Titanic DEAs each elect 6 members.

3.10      It is accepted that the number of members to be elected to a DEA does not necessarily mean that the count will take less time to complete but  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4b

            The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0      Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1       This report is to provide an update to Committee on the progress of the Belfast Region City Deal (BRCD).

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to note:

·        The progress being made on the Contracts for Funding which are required for each of the capital projects delivered through the Deal and the update on project development and delivery across the pillars of investment.

·        The update in relation to the BRCD Annual Report.

·        The update in respect of the BRCD Council Panel.

3.0       Main report

            Contracts for Funding

3.1       As previously noted by the Committee, a number of contracts for funding have now been approved and signed which will allow for funding to begin to flow to projects.  Since the last update to Members in January the first funding drawdown requests for the City Deal to the Department for Economy and Department for Communities have now been submitted marking another significant milestone for deal delivery.

3.2       It was also noted by the Committee that Members would be advised of progress to agree the funding agreements for each project. Since the last update to the Committee progress has continued to prepare and agree a number of contracts as outlined below.

·        The contract for The Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre (AMIC) has now been approved and signed.

·        The Contract for Mourne Mountain Gateway is at a very advanced stage and it is anticipated this will be submitted this month to Newry, Mourne & Down District Council for their agreement.

·        Contracts for the Institute for Research Excellence in Advanced Clinical Healthcare (iREACH), and the Global Innovation Institute have been finalised and are expected to be signed during this month.

            Progress across BRCD Pillars

            Innovation

3.3       AMIC has been advanced by Queen’s University through to the detailed design stage and has now concluded the end of RIBA Stage 3, with the final report being considered by the Department of Finance and Invest NI. The invitation to tender for the prime contractor for the project has now been published since the last update to Members.

3.4       The Outline Business Case for the Centre for Digital Healthcare Technology is currently being revised to reflect proposed changes to the scope since Department of Finance approval in May 2022, including the consideration of early procurement of equipment for the Royal Victoria Hospital Living Lab.  The updated Outline Business Case (OBC) is expected to be submitted in April.

3.5       As previously reported to Members construction work on Studio Ulster commenced on site in October 2022. Following the publication of the Prior Information Notice in November, and the successful completion of the Pre-Qualification phase, the Invitation to Participate in Dialogue is now under development in advance of the commencement of the competitive dialogue process. 

            Digital

3.6       Since the last update to Members, OBC for the Investment Fund element of the Innovation Challenge Fund has progressed well, with a Strategic case review completed with key Government and partner  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5a

            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 provide Members with the updated annual Modern Slavery Transparency in Supply Chains Statement to meet the obligations of the Modern Slavery Act, 2015 and an update on the related corporate action plan.

2.0      Recommendations

2.1      It is recommended that the Committee:

·        Note the updated annual Modern Slavery Transparency in Supply Chains Statement (the ‘Transparency Statement’).

·        Approve the addition of the Transparency Statement to the UK Government’s online registry.

·        Note the progress made on the action plan.

3.0      Main report

3.1      Background

            The Modern Slavery Act 2015 (the ‘Act’) aims to address slavery and trafficking by enhancing support and protection for victims, giving law enforcement the tools needed to target today’s slave drivers and ensuring perpetrators can be severely punished. It also includes a provision in Section 54 to encourage organisations to ensure their supply chains are slavery-free, known as the Transparency in Supply Chains arrangements (‘TISC’).

3.2       Key Issues

            The Council has voluntarily published an annual Transparency Statement on our website since 2015. This sets out what the Council has done to ensure there is no modern slavery in its supply chains or any part of its business.

            This year, the annual Transparency Statement has been reviewed by Commercial and Procurement Services, the Council’s Safeguarding Officer and the Equality and Diversity Officer and has been refreshed to reflect current guidance on its content. An updated version for 2021-22 is set out in Appendix 1.

3.3       Recent changes to the Transparency Statement requirements

            The TISC provisions currently apply to commercial organisations, however, in recent years both the UK Government and the Northern Ireland Department of Justice have reviewed and consulted on these provisions and their potential application to the public sector: 

·        In July 2018, the Home Secretary undertook an independent review of the Act and made recommendations, one of which was to strengthen Section 54 by extending the requirement to publish Modern Slavery Statements to government and the public sector.

·        In July 2019 the UK Government launched a consultation on measures to strengthen the TISC arrangements and published its proposals on how it planned to take this work forward. Many of the proposed changes will require legislative change which has not happened to date. The proposed changes would see a strengthening of the TISC arrangements for commercial businesses, and would, for the first time, extend them so they apply to the public sector.

·        In January 2022, the Northern Ireland Department of Justice (‘DOJ’) published its report, summary of responses and next steps in response to its consultation on TISC. It found that overall, there is widespread support for the strengthening of TISC arrangements.  

3.4       Approach to Modern Slavery in Northern Ireland

            In October 2022, in accordance with Section 12 of the Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Criminal Justice and Support for Victims) Act (Northern Ireland) 2015, (as amended by the Justice (Sexual Offences and Trafficking Victims) Act (Northern  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5c

            The Committee approved and adopted the minutes of the Area Working (West – 23 February, South – 27 February North – 28 February; and

West AWG

            In relation to the West Working Group, adopted the following recommendation to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee:

            Expansion of Belfast Bikes Scheme 2022/23 –

       I.          To note that Coláiste Feirste was content with the Belfast Bikes docking station to be placed on its land, with the agreement that the Council tidy up the entrance and maintain in the area before the docking station is installed. C&NS has agreed this approach.

      II.          Shankill Road –agreed that further consideration be given to a docking site located closer to Glencairn with the potential for a location at the entrance to Glencairn Park at Forthriver Road as part of the Forth Meadow Community Greenway

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

“1.0      Purpose of Report

1.1       The Local Government Finance Act (NI) 2011 and the supporting Prudential and Treasury Codes produced by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), require the Council to consider the affordability and sustainability of capital expenditure decisions through the reporting of prudential and treasury management indicators.

1.2       The Prudential Code requires the Council to produce a Capital Strategy for 2023/24. This report provides information for Members on the Capital Strategy, incorporating the prudential indicators for Belfast City Council for the period 2023/24 to 2025/26, and the Council’s Treasury Management Strategy for 2023/24.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to:

·        note the contents of this report and the prudential and treasury management indicators included within the appendices to the report.

            And agree:

·        The Authorised Borrowing Limit for the Council of £140m for 2023/24.

·        The Treasury Management Strategy for 2023/24, which has been included as Appendix B to this report.

3.0       Main report

3.1       The Local Government Finance Act (NI) 2011 requires the Council to adopt the CIPFA Prudential Code for Capital Finance in Local Authorities.  In doing so, the Council is required to agree a minimum revenue provision policy annually and to set and monitor a series of Prudential Indicators, the key objectives of which are to ensure that, within a clear framework, the capital investment plans of the council are affordable, prudent and sustainable.

3.2       At the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee on the 9 December 2011, Members approved the Council’s Treasury Management Policy which is based on the CIPFA Treasury Management Code of Practice.  The Treasury Management Policy requires that a Treasury Management Strategy be presented to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee on an annual basis and that it is supported by a mid-year and year end treasury management reports. Recent changes in the CIPFA Prudential Code recommends best practice that treasury management reports are submitted on a quarterly basis and this will be effective from 1 April 2023

3.3       The Capital Strategy, incorporating the prudential indicators, is included as Appendix A, while the Treasury Management Strategy and treasury management indicators have been included as Appendix B.

3.4       The comparison of ‘Gross Debt’ to ‘Capital Financing Requirement’ (CFR) is the main indicator of prudence when considering the proposed capital investment plans of the Council.  Estimated gross debt should not exceed the CFR for the current year plus two years.  The Council’s estimated gross debt position, illustrated in Table 6, Appendix A, is comfortably within the CFR in the medium term.  The Director of Finance therefore considers the estimated levels of gross debt as being prudent.

3.5       Table 10 (Appendix A) shows the estimated financing costs for capital expenditure as a percentage of the estimated net revenue stream for the Council, based on the medium financial plan.  These illustrate that in the medium term, capital financing costs will represent an average of 6.35% of the Council’s net running costs.  On  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7a

            The Director of Finance advised the Committee that the City Growth and Regeneration Committee, at its meeting on 11th January 2023, had agreed that the Business Cluster and Community Grant scheme would not be reopened to new applications, and that any realised underspend be referred to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committees for reallocation.

            A further report was submitted to City Growth and Regeneration Committee on 8th February 2023 approving the final tranche of grants.  As a result, the reserve that was set up would no longer be fully utilised and an amount of £220,254 was no longer required for this purpose.

            The Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, at its meeting on 17th February 2023, had agreed that reallocations of forecast departmental underspends would be considered as part of year end reporting taking into consideration the 2023/24 budgetary gap.  However, in this instance, as the underspend was from a specified reserve and not a departmental underspend then members could agree to reallocate this for other purposes or to include as a reserve to partly offset the 2023/24 budgetary gap.

            After discussion, it was

            Moved by Councillor Garrett,

            Seconded by Councillor Beattie,

                  That the Committee agrees:

·        to reallocate the sum of £220,254 to deliver a pilot project replicating the model used in Dunville Park to reduce levels of ASB in parks. The pilot will create permanent park warden teams dedicated to already identified parks experiencing high levels of anti-social behaviour (asb); and 

·        that the resource should be directed to those parks in the city already identified through the People and Communities Committee as having high levels of reported asb. From a west Belfast perspective that would include Dunville Park and Páirc Nua Chollan, with additional areas in the north, east and south of the city to be included. 

Amendment

            Moved By Councillor Long,

            Seconded by Councillor McMullan,

      That monies be reallocated and used towards the expansion of the kerbside glass recycling project.

            On a vote, three Members voted for the proposal and fifteen against and it was declared lost.

            The original proposal standing in the name of Councillor Garrett was put to the meeting and passed.

The Committee:

·        Noted the key issues arising at the meeting and approved and adopted the minutes of the March meeting of the Audit & Risk Panel at appendix A; and

·        Approved the updated Terms of Reference for the Audit & Risk Panel at appendix B.

            The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0      Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1       To update the Strategic Policy & Resources Committee following consideration by the Social Policy Working Group at their meeting in February on the delivery of social value outcomes via open tender competitions awarded in accordance with the Council’s Social Value Procurement Policy ‘SVPP’

1.2       The report also provides an update on tenders awarded by Physical Programmes where, due to project funding rules, social value has been considered and included in accordance with the CPD Buy Social Model.

1.3       It is intended that this report will be provided every 2 months in line with Social Value Working Group meetings. This report covers the reporting period 1st December 2022 to 31st January 2023.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to:

·        Note the update provided in the report

3.0       Main Report/Background

            Background

3.1       The SVPP was approved by Committee in April 23 with a ‘Go Live’ date of 1st June 2022.

3.2       SVPP applied to any new applicable open tender exercises with approval dated from 1st June 22.

3.3       To help Officers understanding the SVPP and how to apply this to applicable tender competitions, the Commercial and Procurement Services ‘CPS’ team has developed a step-by-step guidance document which takes Officers though key considerations in line with the SVPP. This guidance was developed and communicated to Officers ahead of the ‘Go Live’ date in June 22.

3.4       As outlined in the guidance to Officers application of the SVPP is considered in 2 key parts:

3.5       Part 1 – For all tender competitions valued over £30k, consideration by Officers about whether to:

1.      Reserve the tender competition to a social enterprise/ VCSE sector taking into consideration levels of market competition in this sector

2.      Include organisational behaviours (i.e., ethical procurement, environmental and HR policies and procedures) taking into consideration relevance of these policies and procedures to the goods, services or works being purchased and relevance to the market. When selected for inclusion in the tender these social value organisational behaviours are mandatory pass/fail questions for suppliers to demonstrate rather than scored questions.

3.6       Part 2 – the inclusion of a social value weighting (10% or 15%) and scoring for tenders valued over £250k.

3.7       The social value offer made by suppliers using the list of social value initiatives and points is then evaluated and scored with a minimum scoring threshold required to be met. 

3.8       Note from April 23 for all tender competitions valued over £30k the following be included (in addition to the above in Part 1):

1.      Payment of the Real Living Wage by suppliers to their employees

2.      The prohibited use of zero hours contracts by suppliers

3.      The inclusion of a social value weighting (10% or 15%) and scoring

            CPD Buy Social Model

3.9       The CPD Buy Social Model is applied where external central government funding of 50% or greater is provided for a capital/ works project managed by Physical Programmes.

            Main  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7d

The Committee:

·        Approved the public advertisement of tenders as per Standing Order 37a detailed in Appendix 1 (Table 1);

·        Approved the award of STAs in line with Standing Order 55 exceptions as detailed in Appendix 1 (Table 2) and agreed the STA in relation to ballots and associated documentation would not be subject to call-in due to statutory obligations;

·        Approved the modification of the contract as per Standing Order 37a detailed in Appendix 1 (Table 3);

·        Noted the award of retrospective STAs in line with Standing Order 55 exceptions as detailed in Appendix 1 (Table 4); and

·        Noted the award of contracts by Arc 21 on behalf the council (Table 5):

Table 1: Competitive Tenders

Table 2: Single Tender Actions

            The Committee approved and adopted the minutes of the meeting of the Shared City Partnership of 6th March, including the following:

PEACEPLUS

·        To note  the high-level feedback from the public meeting on 27^th February at 2pm in City Hall; and the updated process Stage 2 development of the Local Action Plan, including forthcoming Thematic Working Group meetings.

PEACE IV

Secretariat

            To note the contents of the report and agree contract extensions for:

             i.     ArtsEkta for the provision of activities for Forth Meadow Community Greenway to 31/10/2022;

           ii.     Mediation NI contract for the Intergenerational Shared Spaces project to 31 March 2023 and

          iii.     the Good Relations through Sports contract with Active Communities Network to 31 March 2023

CYP Theme

·        To note the contents of the report and note that discussions with SEUPB have progressed and the further details presented as outlined in Appendix II Update NIHE position.

SSS Theme

            To agree:

·        That a request for a 3-month extension to 30 September 2023 is explored with SEUPB to enable the installation of signage;

·        The target audience for the SSS narratives publication as the local community and visitors to the Forth Meadow Community Greenway; and

·        The name of the bridge at Springfield Dam as the ‘Foundry Bridge’.

BPR Theme

·        BPR 1 - NIHE- Cross Community Area Networks

            To note that discussions have progressed with SEUPB relating to proposed mitigations and next steps

·        BPR 2 - Culture Unit - Creative Communities

            To note the quotation for an artist for the Short Strand/Walkway received nil submissions and therefore delivery of this project element is no longer viable.

·        BPR6 St Comgall’s

            To agree the updated Educational Resources and Exhibition Materials as agreed by the Programme Board on 9 February 2023 via delegated authority.  The exhibition materials (website) are to be approved, subject to SEUPB approval.

GOOD RELATIONS

Good Relations Action Plan Q1 Expenditure:

·        To agree to proceed with the delivery of the Good Relations Action Plan 23/24 under delegated authority of the Director of Neighbourhood Services, allocating up to 25% of the total Plan until a formal Letter of Offer had been received by TEO.

·        Approve the increase in the allocation of Grant Aid under BCC1, to incorporate an additional £23,000 from the BCC9 Strategic Intervention Programme in order to include projects that met the objectives of the programme. 

Cultural Inclusion Programme:

·        To note the contents of the report and the activities that were being delivered during March 2023 as part of this project, to which the Members were welcome to attend.

Update on the Belfast Agenda:

·        To agree that the feedback analysis template relating to the Good Relations priority would be circulated to Members with a deadline of receipt  for feedback and comments  by 15^th March 2023, to allow for papers to be prepared in advance of the findings being brought to the Community Planning Partnership in March 2023;

·        To note that community planning partners would be asked to make a nomination to sit on a group which would oversee the delivery of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8a

            The Committee was reminded that  the Council had a duty to have, under section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998:

·        Due regard to the need to promote equality of opportunity in relation to the nine equality categories; and

·        Regard to the desirability of promotion good relations

            In addition, under section 1 of the Rural Needs Act (Northern Ireland) 2016:

·        Due regard to rural needs when developing, adopting, implementing or revising policies, strategies and plans, and when designing and delivering public services

            To this end, the Council had a process to carry out equality screening and rural needs assessment of new and revised policies. This allowed any impacts related to equality of opportunity, good relations or rural needs to be identified and addressed.

            An equality screening and rural needs impact assessment template was completed by the relevant officer, in collaboration with the Equality and Diversity Unit.  On a regular basis, the Unit collates all completed templates into a screening outcome report and publishes it onto the Council’s website, along with the relevant completed templates. 

            The Committee noted the Quarterly Screening Outcome Report which would be published on the Council’s website

            The Committee approved and adopted the minutes of the meeting of the Party Group Leaders’ Consultative Forum of 16th March, 2023.

            The Committee adopted the recommendations in respect of those applications received up to 10th March, 2023:

            The Committee approved and adopted the minutes of the meeting of the Installations Working Group of 22nd February, 2023.

            The Committee approved and adopted the minutes of the meeting of the Castle, Cavehill, Zoo and North Foreshore Working Group of 27th February, 2023.

            The Committee approved and adopted the minutes of the meeting of the Language Strategy Working Group of 2nd March, 2023.

The Committee:

       I.          Noted that, as the project lead for the Horizon 2020 UPSURGE project, Alan Wardle would be attending the Project Group meeting in 28th – 29th March in Maribor, Slovenia.

      II.          Noted that all costs associated with the attendance at the event were covered within the EU Horizon 2020 UPSURGE grant funding.

            The Committee approved and adopted the minutes of the meeting of the City Centre Working Group of 3rd March, 2023.

            The Committee agreed to delegate authority to the Interim City Solicitor to progress a Freedom of the City request which had been agreed at the meeting of the Party Group Leaders’ Consultative Forum on 16ht March, 2023.

            The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0      Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1       This report is a further update to members on the dual language street signs applications.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to:

·        Note the contents of the report.

3.0       Main report

            Key Issues

            Applicants and current status

3.1       The total number of live requests for dual language street signs received as of 22nd March 2023 is 458.

3.2       The first dual language street sign under the new policy was agreed by P&C Committee on the 7th February and ratified by Council on 1st March 2023, with a further 3 street signs agreed at P&C Committee on 7th March.

3.3       There are currently 4 applications due to go to P&C Committee in April, subject to the results of the surveys.  Officers expect that number to increase at future meetings once there is a full complement of staff in place.

3.4       The third member notification for the next 10 streets was issued on 24th February and a further list will be issued at the end of March. Officers will review the frequency and number of applications on these lists once there is a full complement of staff. 

3.5       Initial assessments to check for any potential adverse impacts on the grounds of equality or good relations were carried out on a further 20 streets on 28th February 2023 and a further session for 20 streets is scheduled for the first week in April 2023. These assessments involve officers from across the council including Good Relations, Equality and Diversity Unit, Place and Economy and Building Control and include significant preparatory work and for decisions made to be fully documented.

            Workloads

3.6       Survey work is the most labour-intensive part of the process.  Analysis of the surveys carried out before the adoption of the new policy identified an average of 43 surveys per street. This was due to the fact that requests tended to be for smaller streets due to the requirement to get a third of residents to sign the initial request. As there is no longer a requirement to provide the initial petition, applications for larger streets have increased significantly.  Currently the average surveys per street is 116, which is significant additional workload per street.

            Timeframe for the process

3.7       Measures are in place to ensure that each stage of the process is progressing in a consistent manner, and bottlenecks are avoided. As many of the tasks as possible are being done in parallel to shorten the overall timeframe from application submitted to consideration by committee.  However, given the multiple stages of the process and set timeframes, it does take at least 4 months to get through the process, from when we start to process an application through to reaching decisions and have the signs erected.  Timeframes for each application also vary due to the specific circumstances for each application. For example, the number of occupiers and therefore the numbers of surveys to be  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10a

            In accordance with notice on the agenda, Councillor Ferguson raised the issue of the funding of the Belfast Citywide Tribunal Service.  She referred to a report which had been presented at the meeting of the People and Communities Committee on 7th March which had indicated that the Service would only receive funding in the sum of £70,400 from the Department of Communities in 2023/24.  She stated that this would leave the Service of a shortfall of up to £279,315 for that period.  She requested that the Committee consider funding the shortfall the year-end underspends and/or the Council’s reserves.

            The Committee was advised that the Committee had, the previous month, agreed that reallocations of forecast departmental underspends would be considered as part of the year end reporting, taking into consideration the 2023/24 budgetary gap and the Committee would be required to rescind that decision.  In addition, the Chief Executive stated that, as Chief Financial Officer, he would not be prepared to use the Council’s reserves for that purpose.

            After further discussion, it was

            Moved by Councillor Ferguson,

            Seconded by Councillor Lyons,

      That the Committee agrees to rescind its decision of 17th February in relation to the reallocation of departmental underspends and agreed further to use any in-year underspend to commit to covering the shortfall of up to £279,315 to fund the Citywide Tribunal Service in 2023/24.

            On a vote, twelve Members vote the proposal and none against, with six no votes and it was declared carried.