Agenda and minutes

            An apology was reported on behalf of Alderman McCoubrey.

            The minutes of the meeting of 20th October 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 November, subject to the omission of those matters in respect of which the Council had delegated its powers to the Committee.

            Councillors Beattie and M. Donnelly declared an interest in relation to agenda item 2j – Update on Hardship Fund, on the basis that the organisation for which they worked operated a social supermarket and left the meeting whilst that item was being considered.

            Councillor Nelson declared an interest in respect of agenda item 2n – Update on The MAC, in that he had accepted a ticket for an event there and left the meeting for the duration of the discussion. 

            Councillor Whyte declared an interest in respect of agenda item 2n – Update on The MAC, on the basis that it was a client of the company for which he worked and left the meeting whilst it was under consideration.

            The information contained in the reports associated with the following fourteen 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 fourteen 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 Director of Finance submitted for the Committee’s consideration a report providing information on the financial position for Quarter 2 2023/24 and the half-year Treasury Management Report.

            He reported that, at the end of Quarter 2, the financial position for the Council had shown an underspend of £2.7m, representing 3.4% of the net expenditure budget, which could be attributed to employee underspends and savings from retendered contracts. The Quarter 2 Departmental forecast was an underspend of £1.4m, representing 0.8% of the net expenditure budget. He pointed out that work was ongoing to identify the drivers behind the overspends within a number of Departments and how their service delivery models could be reviewed to meet the financial challenges ahead.

            The Director went on to provide an update on the forecast reserves balance, rates finalisation and capital projects and recommended that the Committee:

                                 i.     note the contents of the report, including the Treasury Management Report and agree to continue for the remainder of 2023/24 with the Finance Strategy, which had been formulated to protect the financial sustainability of the Council; and

                               ii.     agree that the reallocation of forecast underspends be considered as part of the year-end finance report.

            The Committee adopted the recommendations.

            The Director of Finance submitted for the Committee’s consideration a report providing information on the key issues which would influence the rate setting process for 2024/25 and the development of the Council’s Medium Term Financial Plan for 2024/25 to 2026/27. The report made reference to the current financial position, business as usual Departmental estimates, uncontrollable costs, the Estimated Penny Product 2024/25, inflation outlook, efficiencies and capital financing and outlined the timeframe associated with the rate setting process.

            The Committee noted the contents of the report.

            The Director of Finance reminded the Committee that, at its meeting on 22nd September, it had agreed that a report be submitted to a future meeting setting out revised criteria which could be put in place to allocate funding from underspends to groups and organisations.

            He reviewed the process for the management of in-year underspends and submitted for the Committee’s approval the following criteria for 2023/24, with revisions to the criteria currently in place in bold:

1.      The total discretionary payments may not exceed £700k.

2.      The amount per applicant is capped at £20k.

3.      The application for the discretionary payment links to one or more of the council’s corporate priorities / Belfast Agenda.

4.      There is direct benefit to be obtained to the council or its district or inhabitants.

5.      The activity or initiative in respect of assistance being sought is being promoted by a person or organisation living or operating, or otherwise having a direct connection with the City.

6.      The request for a discretionary payment does not relate to an event or initiative which falls within a funding stream established through the remit and statutory power of any other committee of the council (in which case it should be so referred).

7.      Whilst it is preferrable that the request relates to a specific event, activity or initiative, due to funding cuts announced by Central Government Departments, the cost-of-living crisis and increase to the National Living Wage, requests will be accepted for running costs for the 2023/24 financial year, but not for a contribution to general funds.

8.      The benefit to be obtained will be commensurate with the payment to be made.

            After discussion, the Committee approved the revised criteria for 2023/24, including the funding amounts, subject to the removal of point 5, the strengthening of point 7 by removing the reference to specific events, activity or initiative and the inclusion of an additional point stating that funding would not be provided to an organisation/group which would be eligible under an existing funding stream.

            The Committee agreed also that, in future, reports on applications for discretionary funding should set out clearly the rationale behind the recommendations being made and noted that the Director of Finance would submit to a future meeting a proposed scoring matrix. 

            With the permission of the Chairperson, Councillor Collins drew the Committee’s attention to his motion calling for emergency funding of £50K to be allocated to West Wellbeing Suicide Prevention Centre which the Committee, at its meeting on 22nd September, had agreed to consider as part of the Quarter 2 Financial Report.

            He stated that it was his understanding that the request would instead be dealt with under the discretionary payment scheme, which was capped at £20k and voiced concern in this regard, given the urgent need to ensure that the organisation was in a position to continue to deliver its full range of services for the remainder of 2023. 

            In response, the Director of Finance stated that requests of this nature were dependent upon funding being available for reallocation and pointed out that the Quarter 2 finance report, which had been considered earlier in the meeting, had indicated that none was available. The request would, therefore, be dealt with as part of the year-end financial report.

Noted.

            The Committee granted approval for officers to commence ‘without prejudice’ discussions in respect of privately owned lands in the City centre, located in close proximity to other Council owned lands and which might be available for acquisition for comprehensive housing led mixed use regeneration purposes, as outlined within the report.

            The Committee granted approval also for a letter to be forwarded to Invest NI seeking clarification on its future plans for the former Mackie’s site.   

            The Deputy Chief Executive/Director of Corporate Services drew the Committee’s attention to a report providing an update on the current initiatives being progressed under the Smart Belfast urban innovation programme and recommending that it:

                       i.     approve a contract for funding for £3.8 million with DSIT to deliver the Belfast Wireless Innovation Region Hub programme and agree, in accordance with Standing Order 48(a), that this decision would not be subject to call-in, as the ability not to implement it immediately would result in the breach of a contractual duty;

                      ii.     approve a £928,373 contract for funding with the Department for the Economy to deliver the ‘Augment the City’ SME challenge call;

                    iii.          approve the establishment of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Council and BT Northern Ireland to deliver a joint research and development project within the City Hall exhibition, as part of Belfast 2024, with BT committing a financial contribution to the joint project;

                    iv.          note the launch of the £100,000 SME Maritime Mile Hub-In challenge competition to support collaborative innovation with local communities;

                     v.          grant approval for the Lord Mayor to write to the Mayor of Sejong welcoming his invitation to host a Belfast city delegation in May 2024 (fully funded by Connected Places Catapult) and to issue a reciprocal invite to Sejong in 2024;

                    vi.          approve the Council’s continued participation in Innovation City Belfast, the recruitment of a City Innovation Commissioner and the Council’s contribution to supporting an office of the commissioner for an initial two-year period; and

                  vii.          approve the participation of the Challenge Fund manager on the outward visit to Toronto MaRS Discovery District to support the development of the forthcoming Belfast Region City Deal Challenge Fund programme.

            The Committee adopted the recommendations and agreed that a report be submitted to a future meeting on the potential for creating a mechanism to ensure that local communities, thematic groups etc. were fully involved in the engagement process for initiatives of this nature. The Committee agreed also that, in future, all reports making reference to community consultation, whatever the issue, would list the names of the organisations/groups consulted.

            The Committee noted the contents of a report providing details of the recruitment and selection process which had resulted in the appointment of Mr. David Sales to the post of Strategic Director of City Operations.

            The Committee noted the contents of a report providing an update on the progress on the work programme for the organisational reviews and change portfolio, including timescales, and on the review of the Continuous Improvement Section, which was responsible for progressing organisational reviews and change portfolio projects.

            The Director of Property and Projects submitted for the Committee’s consideration a report seeking approval to move projects within the Capital Programme and providing an update on the Black Mountain Shared Space and Shankill Women’s Centre PEACE IV capital projects.

            After discussion, the Committee:

                             i          granted approval to move the IT Programme – Grants Management System project to Stage 3 – Committed and agreed that the necessary procurement processes (including the invitation of tenders and/or the use of appropriate ‘framework’ arrangements) be initiated, with the contract to be awarded on the basis of most economically advantageous tenders received and full commitment to deliver;

                            ii          noted, in relation to the proposed Grants Management System, that Digital Services would be informed of the points which had been raised by Members around user friendliness, the migration of data and the need for consultation with existing users;

                           iii          granted approval for the St. George’s Market – New Stalls project to be added as a Stage 1 – Emerging project to allow for a business case to be developed;

                          iv          agreed that a report be submitted to the relevant Committee on the potential for extending the hours of trading at St. George’s Market and that the Market Traders’ Association be included in any discussions;

                            v          agreed that the Special EU Programmes Body be invited to meet either with the Committee or the Party Leaders to discuss the ongoing challenging issues and risks associated with the Black Mountain Shared Space and the Shankill Shared Women’s Centre projects, depending upon the outcome of its response, with an opinion on the Council’s legal position to be sought; and

                          vi          agreed that a legal opinion be sought on the validity of the decision to exclude Northern Ireland from the latest round of Levelling Up funding.

            (Councillor M. Donnelly declared an interest as soon as reference had been made to the Black Mountain Shared Space project, on the basis that he was on the Board of that organisation, and left the meeting for the duration of the discussion.)

            The Strategic Director of City Operations informed the Committee that the Summer Community Diversionary Programme, to which £500,000 had been allocated, had been established to support the delivery of community-based festivals and programmes aimed at reducing anti-social behaviour linked to the key dates of 11th July and 8th August. All activity should promote positive cultural expression and contribute to the achievement of the T:BUC outcomes of increasing participants’ sense of community belonging and celebrating cultural diversity.

            He reminded the Committee that, at its meeting on 21st April, it had agreed that a review be undertaken of the Summer Community Diversionary Programme and, accordingly, submitted for the Committee’s approval a proposed Terms of Reference for that review. He added that the Bonfire Panel, at its meeting on 5th September, had agreed that the review should be undertaken by an external consultant, in order to provide an independent perspective and that, should the Terms of Reference be approved, a procurement exercise would be undertaken, with up to a maximum of £15,000 to be allocated from existing Departmental budgets.  

            After discussion, during which several Members emphasised the need to retain those elements of the Summer Community Diversionary Programme which had been proven to be effective to date, the Committee approved the Terms of reference for the review and agreed that it should also take into consideration those groups in east and south Belfast which were delivering related programmes with demonstrable results.

            The Head of Inclusive Growth and Anti-Poverty submitted for the Committee’s consideration a report providing an update on the development and implementation of the Hardship Programme for 2023/24, which sought to alleviate the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on vulnerable people across the City. Funding of £1,019,000 was being made available for the financial year 2023/24 and the Committee, at its meeting on 20th October, had approved an indicative budget allocation and delegated authority to the Director of Neighbourhood Services and the Director of City and Organisational Strategy to realign in-year underspends within the overall funding framework.

            After discussion, the Committee:

                               i.          noted the realignment of budgets agreed through delegated authority in respect of Fareshare (-£40,000), Family Support Hubs (+£25,000) and Social Supermarkets (+£15,000);

                              ii.          agreed not to accede to the Red Cross’ request for an indicative management fee of 22% (£16,666), with a report to be presented to the meeting in December on potential options for the redistribution of its allocation of £75k to support persons over the age of 55, having explored other delivery organisations and any scope for an open call process;

                            iii.          noted the acceptance, subject to letter of offer, of additional funds from the Public Health Agency to enhance and augment the Warm and Well Programme in nine designated hotspots;

                            iv.          noted the updates on the Schools’ Project, communications approach and indicative timescales for the implementation of the Hardship Programme, as set out the report; and

                             v.          agreed that any further reallocations beyond the £75k referred to above, be allocated to schools. 

The Committee agreed, in light of a number of issues which had been raised by Members, to hold a special meeting to consider the Belfast 2024 programme, including the commissioning of a bespoke, signature project entitled ‘Power Plants’, in the form of a series of sculptures by Oliver Jeffers, to be located within the grounds of the City Hall. 

            The Strategic Director of City Operations drew the Committee’s attention to a report providing an update on Phase V of the Council’s alleygating programme and seeking approval to proceed with the next steps, following the completion of the initial consultation exercise on the location of gates.

            After discussion, the Committee:

                                 i.     agreed to proceed with the publication of a Gating Order for the installation of gates in those streets where the threshold for responses to the consultation had been 40% and above;

                               ii.     agreed to proceed with a ten-week consultation exercise for all remaining streets, using canvassers, local community groups etc., with Members to be informed when that process had commenced; and

                              iii.     noted that a report would be submitted to its next monthly meeting on the terms of reference for a local inquiry, where an objection to a proposed Gating Order had been received.

            The Strategic Director of City Operations submitted for the Committee’s consideration the following requests for funding, which had been referred to it by the People and Communities Committee and for which no provision had been made within the revenue estimates for 2023/24 and beyond:

            Capacity Building Grant Budget – TechDesk CIC

      The Committee granted approval to increase the Capital Building Grant Budget by £47,500 per annum for the financial years 2023-26, to enable a grant payment to be made to TechDesk CIC.

New Parks Assets

      The Committee agreed to allocate an annual budget of £15,000 to each of the following new parks assets, which did not have specific animation budgets, to allow for the early development of local community programming:

·        Ballysillan Park

·        Lower Shankill Park

·        Marrowbone Park

·        Páirc an Lonnain

·        Páirc Nua Chollan

·        Paisley Park and

·        Pitt Park.

Lagan Valley Regional Park

      The Committee agreed, in light of the shortfall in funding from the Department for Infrastructure, to allocate £21,000 to the Lagan Valley Regional Park, on condition that it be matched by Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council and agreed also that a review be undertaken of future funding requirements.

Reusable Period Product Scheme

      The Committee agreed to allocate an additional £35,000 to enable the existing Reusable Period Product Scheme to be continued, with the future of the scheme to be reviewed in the context of whether The Period Products (Free Provision) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022, being introduced in May, 2024, included reusable period products.

            The Strategic Director of City Operations submitted also for the Committee’s consideration the following additional request for funding:

            Coláiste Feirste

      The Committee agreed to allocate approximately £50,000 to Coláiste Feirste to assist with the provision of sporting facilities for public use.  

            The Committee agreed to defer to a special meeting a request to provide The MAC with funding of £50k to assist it in addressing a significant in-year operating deficit.

            The Committee agreed also that, in order to facilitate a timely decision, the special meeting be held before 11th December and that the Council delegate authority to the Committee to take any such decision or decisions as may be determined.

            The Committee was informed that the Standards and Business Committee, at its meeting on 24th October, had referred the following motion, which had been proposed by Councillor Garrett and seconded by Councillor McCormick, to this Committee for consideration:

“Northern Ireland (NI) has the highest prevalence of mental health problems in the UK.

It is estimated that only 40% of people in NI who seek help can access effective mental health care and 79% of those do not receive the service they need.

This Council will conduct an online survey open to everyone who lives in the Council district to assess accessibility to mental health support within each District Electoral Area.

The survey will include but not be limited to assessing stakeholders' ease of access to mental health support, sample stakeholders' understanding of their rights regarding mental health, document the source of stressors and the number of services perceived to be providing mental health and well-being support in the district.

As leaders in the field of mental health provision, this Council will work with MindWise in co-designing and hosting the survey and will invite a representative from MindWise to give deputation to the relevant or interested Committee or Committees.”

            The Committee agreed to adopt the motion, with a report to be submitted to a future meeting on how it could be facilitated.

            The Committee was informed that the Standards and Business Committee, at its meeting on 24th October, had referred the following motion, which had been proposed by Councillor Maghie and seconded by Councillor Bower, to this Committee for consideration:

“This Council recognises childcare as vital social and economic infrastructure, a crucial form of early intervention, early education, an anti-poverty tool and a means by which to improve productivity and gender equality in the labour market across the Council area; believes that childcare should be child-centred, high quality and accessible to all children; and commits to reviewing how the Council can support childcare provision in the area, including reviewing whether schemes supported by the Council during school holidays can be expanded.”

            The Committee agreed to adopt the motion, with the report to be submitted to a future meeting on how it could be facilitated to examine also the provision of childcare support for Council staff.   

The Committee was informed that the Standards and Business Committee, at its meeting on 24th October, had referred the following motion, which had been proposed by Councillor Lyons and seconded by Councillor Maghie, to this Committee for consideration:

“This council recognises the historic success of the Irish rugby team in the Rugby World Cup 2023 and agrees to hold a civic reception in its honour.”

The Committee agreed to adopt the motion.

            The Committee agreed to refer to the Social Policy Working Group a response which had been received from the Department of Education to the motion on a Right to Food, as passed by the Council at its meeting on 4th October.

            The Committee approved the following schedule of meetings for 2024, with all meetings to commence at 9.30 a.m.:

·        Friday 12th January (Rate setting, if required)

·        Friday 19th January

·        Friday 23rd February

·        Friday 22nd March

·        Friday 19th April

·        Friday, 24th May

·        Friday, 21st June

·        No monthly meeting in July

·        Friday 23rd August

·        Friday 20th September

·        Friday 25th October

·        Friday 22nd November and

·        Friday 13th December

            The Committee approved the change of date of the Council meeting in January from Tuesday, 2nd to Monday, 8th, with proceedings to commence at the usual time of 6.00 p.m.

            The Interim City Solicitor/Director of Legal and Civic Services submitted for the Committee’s consideration the following report:

“1.0      Purpose of Report/Summary of Main Issues

1.1       At the Council meeting on 4th October, the Chief Executive, in response to a Member’s query, agreed to consider in conjunction with the City Solicitor, any internal measures which could be taken in respect of Members posting restricted information on social media, particularly when there were commercial sensitivities. 

1.2       The City Solicitor has provided this report, which outlines the general duty of confidence in this regard and the steps that may be taken if a Member discloses confidential information. 

2.0       Recommendation

2.1       The Committee is asked to:

i.       note the contents of this report, including the provisions within the 2014 Act and the Northern Ireland Local Government Code of Conduct for Councillors in respect of the treatment of restricted information;

ii.      note the steps that may be taken should a disclosure of confidential information be suspected; and

iii.    consider the proposal to include a reference to ‘restricted’ reports and the duty of confidence in the Chairperson’s statement.

3.0       Main Report

3.1       Access to Meetings and Documents

            Part 8 of The Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 2014 (‘the 2014 Act’) sets out the rules around public access to council meetings and documents. 

            A meeting of the council must be open to the public at all times, except where the council by resolution has excluded the public during an item of business whenever it is likely, due to the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, that if members of the public were present during that item, that either:

-       ‘confidential information’ would be disclosed to the public in breach of the obligation of confidence, or

-       ‘exempt information’ would be disclosed to the public.

            ‘Confidential information’ means ‘information provided to the council by a government department upon terms (however expressed) which forbid the disclosure of the information to the public; and information the disclosure of which to the public is prohibited by or under any statutory provision or by the order of a court’.

            ‘Exempt information’ is defined in Section 51 and Schedule 6 of the 2014 Act.

            The Council has the power by resolution to mark certain reports as ‘restricted’ and to exclude the public from proceedings whilst such reports are discussed.  Reports which are marked restricted are required to describe the nature of the ‘exempt information’ from the categories listed in Schedule 6 of the 2014 Act.

3.2       The Northern Ireland Local Government Code of Conduct for Councillors

            The Code of Conduct for Councillors Paragraph 4.15 is clear that a Member must not disclose any confidential information to the public unless authorised to do so.  Confidential information includes any information discussed during a closed session of a council meeting.

            Code paragraph 4.15

            ‘You must not disclose confidential information or information which should reasonably be regarded as being of a confidential nature, without the express consent of a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 27.

            The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0      Purpose of Report/Summary of Main Issues

1.1       To advise the Committee of the cost to the Council of the Local Government Elections held in May, 2023.

2.0       Recommendation

2.1       The Committee is asked to note the report.

3.0       Main Report

            Key Issues

3.1       The local council expenditure for delivering Local Government Elections is, under the provision of the Electoral Law Act (Northern Ireland) 1962, constrained by a scale of expenditure set by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

3.2       The Local Election Fees and Expenses Scale for Belfast City Council for May, 2023 was £909,463. This excludes the cost of candidates’ mailing, which is not included within that maximum. However, that cost still must be met by the Council.

3.3       The direct cost to the Council was £292,476.96 and the Electoral Office of Northern Ireland’s costs charged to the Council were £551,858.00.

3.4       Therefore the cost of administering and delivering the election was £844,335, which was £65,127.68 under the budget set by the Northern Ireland Office (NIO).

3.5       With the additional cost of candidates’ mailing being £26,345.28 this brings the total cost to the Council to £1,120,353.92.

3.6       Compared with the cost of the Elections in 2019 of £853,008.64, this is an increase of £267,345.28.

3.7       This increase is due principally to the general increase in costs since four years ago, particularly staffing costs. Given this increase, a review of how we administer and deliver the elections will be undertaken to identify any potential cost saving measures going forward.

3.8       A breakdown of the cost is attached to this report.

3.9       Financial and Resource Implications

            None associated with this report. The Council sets, each year during the rate setting process, an amount into a specified reserve to cover the cost of elections and there was sufficient funding in the budget to cover this year’s election.

3.10      Equality or Good Relations Implications/Rural Needs Assessment

            None associated with this report.”

Appendix

            The Committee noted the contents of the report.

Gasworks Northern Fringe

      The Committee approved the disposal of c68 m² of land on Site A Gasworks Northern Fringe and of c24 m² on Site D to Radius Housing Association, with the Council to receive £12,500 and £3,200 respectively.

2 Royal Avenue

      The Committee approved the surrender of a lease to AIB Group NI PLC in respect of the ATM structure at 2 Royal Avenue, for which the Council had received a nominal rent.

Cherryvale Playing Fields

      The Committee granted approval to commence the vesting process in respect of c25 m² of land separating Cherryvale Playing Fields from the public footpath and Road, with the Council to be liable for the costs associated with the application and maintenance of the land moving forward.

Gregagh Green

      The Committee approved the grant of a licence to Cregagh Wanderers Football Club for general container provision at Cregagh Green, with the licence to be drafted by the Legal Services Section on the instructions of the Estates Management Unit.

Station Street Car Park

      The Council approved the renewal of a licence agreement with the Department for Communities in relation to the Council operated off-street car park at Station Street, with the Council to pay a licence fee, as assessed by Land and Property Services and retain all revenue generated.

Leisure Centres

      The Committee granted approval to enter into seven-year legal agreements with electric charge point operator EASYGO to regulate the operation of electric vehicle chargers at the seven leisure centre sites listed below, with the legal agreement for each site to be finalised and agreed with the Legal Services Section and EASYGO to be responsible for the installation, maintenance and operation of the charging points for the duration of the term:

·        Avoniel Leisure Centre

·        Ballysillan Leisure Centre

·        Brook Leisure Centre

·        Girdwood Community Hub

·        Grove Wellbeing and Treatment Centre

·        Whiterock Leisure Centre and

·        Lisnasharragh Leisure Centre.

            The Committee:

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

·        approved the award of Single Tender Actions, in line with Standing Order 55 exceptions, as detailed in Table 2 below, with the term of the St. Patricks Day contract with Tradfest to be renegotiated to one year and a report to be submitted at the earliest opportunity to the City Growth and Regeneration Committee providing:

                                                 i.          further information on the difficulties which had been experienced around the tender process for this contract, in terms of preparedness for future years; and

                                                ii.          an update on the award of the contracts for the other three elements of the St. Patrick’s Day programme; and 

·        approved the modification of the contract, as per Standing Order 37a, as detailed in Table 3 below.

Table 1: Competitive Tenders

Table 2: Single Tender Actions

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

“1.0      Purpose of Report

1.1       To provide the Committee with information on how the accounting treatment of the Belfast Investment Fund.

2.0       Recommendation

2.1       The Committee is asked to note the report.

3.0       Main Report

3.1       At the Council meeting on 1st October, the Chief Executive agreed that a report would be submitted to a future meeting of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee outlining the accounting treatment in relation to the allocation of funding for the Belfast Investment Fund..

3.2       The Belfast Investment Fund was first set up to support partnership projects across the city, with a recurring amount included in the revenue estimates of £3.27m.  The intention being to borrow the money to pay for the projects with the recurring budget covering the borrowing costs.

3.3       Due to slippages in delivery of projects to date, the majority of projects have been funded by the recurring budget without the need to borrow.  As at period 7 (31 October 2023), the fund has an amount of £5,379,365 allocated to it.

3.4       The fund would be designated as a cash backed fund, however, this does not mean that the Council has £5.4m sitting in an account waiting to be spent on Belfast Investment Fund projects.  Similarly, it does not have cash/investments to support all its useable reserves.  For information, as at 31st March 2023, the Council had useable reserves of £87,787,629 but only held cash and cash equivalents of £19,140,662.

3.5       This is due to the Council using its cash to fund capital expenditure, referred to as internal borrowing, and then only using external borrowing as and when required to ensure it has adequate working capital.

3.6       By applying this approach to managing its cash balances the Council minimises its cost of carry, i.e., the difference borrowing rates and investment returns.

            Accounting Treatment

3.7       As mentioned above, the annual amount include in the estimates is £3.27m.  Every month 1/12th of this amount is debited to the cost centre and credited to the balance sheet, BIF Account.  At the end of the financial year an amount is transferred from the BIF balance sheet account to finance the capital expenditure incurred on Belfast Investment Fund projects.

3.8       Financial and Resource Implications

            None

3.9       Equality or Good Relations Implications / Rural Needs Assessment

            None.”

            The Committee noted the contents of the report.

            The Committee approved and adopted the minutes of the meeting of the Social Policy Working Group of 14th November.

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

            Schedule of Meetings

·        to approve the schedule of meetings for 2024, with a commencement time of 1.30 p.m.;

            Membership of Shared City Partnership

·        to note the update and approve the approach for the filling of vacant positions, as set out within the minutes;

            Good Relations Scope of Work

·        to note the update and that an updated Action Plan would be submitted to the meeting of the Partnership in December, which would aim to further build sustainable good relations within communities; and

            Peace Plus

·        to note the update.

            The Committee approved the Annual Monitoring Return to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs for 2022-23 here, which provided evidence of how the Council had met certain duties under the Rural Needs Act (Northern Ireland) 2016.

            The Interim City Solicitor/Director of Legal and Civic Services submitted for the Committee’s consideration the following report:

“1.0      Purpose of Report/Summary of Main Issues

1.1       The purpose of this report is to provide the Committee 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       Recommendation

2.1       The Committee is asked to:

i.       note the updated annual Modern Slavery Transparency in Supply Chains Statement (the ‘Transparency Statement’) here;

ii.      approve the addition of the Transparency Statement to the UK Government’s online registry; and

iii.    note the progress made on the action plan here

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 its 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, the Council’s Registrar for Births, Deaths, Marriages and Civil Partnerships and the Equality and Diversity Officer and has been refreshed to reflect current guidance on its content. An updated version for 2022-23 can be accessed in paragraph 2.1 above which, following Council ratification, will be published on the Council’s website.

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; and

·        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  ...  view the full minutes text for item 38.

            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, as well as an update on the delivery of its Disability Action Plan.

            Accordingly, the Interim City Solicitor/Director of Legal and Civic Services submitted for the Committee’s approval the annual report for 2022/23.

            The Committee approved the annual report here and noted that it would be submitted to the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland following Council ratification.

            The Interim City Solicitor/Director of Legal and Civic Services submitted for the Committee’s consideration the following report:

“1.0      Purpose of Report/Summary of Main Issues

1.1       The purpose of this report is to seek the Committee’s approval to issue the draft Changing Places Toilet Policy for public consultation.   

2.0       Recommendation

2.1       The Committee is asked to grant approval to issue the draft policy here for public consultation.

3.0       Main Report

3.1       Background

            A motion proposed by Councillor Ross McMullan calling for the introduction of a Changing Places Toilets Policy for Belfast City Council was referred to this Committee by the Council on 1st September 2021.  The Committee adopted the motion and agreed that a report be brought back to a subsequent meeting providing details on how it would be facilitated, resourced and managed.

            An update report was brought to the Disability Working Group in February 2023, summarising the motion and the proposed approach.  A Changing Places Toilet Policy officer working group has met regularly over the past few months and their input has helped inform the various factors which the policy must consider including how it will be facilitated, resourced and managed.

            A further update was brought to the Disability Working Group on 10th October, which endorsed the draft Policy and recommended that it be brought back to this Committee for approval.

3.2       Draft Policy and Key Issues Arising

            The final draft policy being presented for Committee approval can be accessed. A summary of the policy is included below.

            Buildings

·        Members will note that the requirement to provide Changing Places Toilet (CPT) facilities in all large new builds of a certain size is enforced through the amended Building Regulations rather than through this policy. 

·        The policy restates this requirement but goes further by adding consideration of CPTs where we extend or refurbish existing buildings, even if the provision of CPTs were not required by the amended building regulations.

            Council Estate 

·        The policy, as drafted, would also commit the Council to carrying out a review of where CPT facilities could be installed on the council estate.

·        When reviewing the provision of any future CPT facilities within the Council estate we will consider the existing level of provision on the Council estate and also the availability of CPT facilities in non-Council assets.

·        Whilst cost alone will not be the deciding factor in any decision, the cost of installing any specific Changing Places facility will need to be carefully considered in conjunction with all of the other capital programme priorities identified by the Council.

·        The management and maintenance of any such CPT facility will need to be carefully considered when examining any proposal.  Following installation there will be ongoing costs associated with cleaning, checking and maintaining the equipment within the facility.

            Events

·        The draft policy extends to events and creates new requirements upon both the Council and external events organisers.

·        When organising public events, the Council will consider if it can take place at a venue that already has a Changing Places facility or  ...  view the full minutes text for item 40.

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

            The Interim City Solicitor/Director of Legal and Civic Services informed the Committee that there was a statutory requirement upon the Council to have a Health and Safety Policy Statement in place and to revise it, as and when required. The Statement provided information on the Council as an organisation and its commitment to health and safety and the work being done to achieve its commitments and was signed on an annual basis by the Chief Executive, the Chairperson of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee and the nominated Director for health and safety matters. The document had last been reviewed and signed in April, 2019, prior to the Coronavirus pandemic.

            She reported that a review of the Statement had recently been undertaken and drew the Committee’s attention to a minor amendment relating to the commitments on setting objectives and targets.

            The Committee approved the revised Health and Safety Policy Statement here and noted that it would be communicated to Council staff through Interlink, health and safety committees and corporate health and safety training.

            The Committee approved the following requests for the use of the City Hall Grounds and noted that each organiser would be required to submit an event management plan and risk assessment in advance of their event:

·        Action Cancer Breast Foot Forward Walk – 7th June;

·        Pride Picnic – 20th July;

·        Féile Rocks Pride Concert – 27th July;

·        Belfast One Film Screening – 10th and 11th August; and

·        Belfast Mela Carnival Parade Party – 17th August.

The Committee approved and adopted the minutes of the meeting of the Cost of Living Working Group of 16th November.

            The Committee adopted the recommendations in respect of those applications received up to 10th November, as set out below:

Councillor Smyth to raise

            The Committee agreed, at the request of Councillor Smyth, that a report be submitted to its next monthly meeting providing an update on the above-mentioned motion, which had been passed by the Council at its meeting on 1st March, with specific reference to meetings held, legal advice sought and partners engaged with.