Agenda and minutes

            Apologies were recorded from Councillors Black and Bunting.

            The Committee was asked to note that the minutes of the meetings of the Committee of 8th August had been adopted by the Council at its meeting on 4th September, subject to the following amendments:

·        Under the heading Pitches Strategy Update, the Council agreed that the minute under the heading “Pitches Strategy Update” be amended to reflect that a report was being undertaken by Council officers in relation to the use of micro plastics, which would include Health and Safety Risks, and the duties and obligations of the Council, in this regard; and

·        Under the heading The Bullring DFC/BSC Capital Project, the Council agreed that a report be submitted to a future Committee meeting in relation to the operation of the Divis Back Path Facility and the reinstatement of the temporary facility management agreement that had previously been in place.

Responsible Dog Ownership

·        under the heading “Responsible Dog Ownership”, the Council agreed that the minute be taken back to the Committee for further consideration, and to allow further information on the issue to be provided.

Sustainable Period Product Scheme

·        under the heading “Sustainable Period Product Scheme”, the Council agreed that the minute be taken back to the Committee for further consideration.

Street Sign Format

·        under the heading “Street Sign Format” the Council rejected the minute and accordingly, the Council agreed that the report requested on the issue would not be submitted to the Committee for consideration.

                  The minutes of the meetings of 8th August were taken as read and signed as correct, subject to the amendments as outlined.

            Councillor Doherty declared an interest in agenda item 4b Matters referred back from Council - Sustainable Period Products Scheme as he had previously collaborated with the Council regarding this scheme.

            The Committee noted that agenda item 5 (d) Belfast City Council (BCYC) Terms of Members and Recruitment had been withdrawn from the agenda.

            The information contained in the reports associated with the following three 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 Committee meeting during discussion on the following 4 items as, due to their nature, 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 Chairperson welcomed to the meeting Ms. P. Pinto and Ms. K. Charnley representing the All-Ireland Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care on what was Palliative Care Week, an annual public awareness campaign that was held each September.

            Ms. Pinto commenced by thanking the Committee for the opportunity to present on the work of the Institute.  She advised that it had been established in 2011, as a membership organisation that sought to promote excellence in palliative care.  It had a total of 28 members, which included hospices, health and social care organisations, charities, and universities on the island of Ireland.

            She advised that the Institute undertook work in research, education and practice, and policy and engagement. Through those areas it sought to improve the palliative care experience of people with life-limiting conditions and their families, through the following measures:

·        involvement of service users, carers and communities in palliative care delivery and development, particularly through its volunteer group, Voices4Care (54 individuals across the island of Ireland, some of them service users, carers or former carers and interested citizens; inform and guide the work of the Institute);

·        working to integrate palliative care across the health system so people were supported as early as possible; and

·        supporting the development of specialist palliative care services for everyone who required it.

            She detailed that they were currently on the third day of the 10th annual Palliative Care Week campaign.  She highlighted that this week was very important because there were many misconceptions about palliative care, often meaning that people who could be benefiting from the services and having a better quality of life did not. Palliative care was usually associated with end-of-life care and cancer, however, she explained that it was much more than that. It was also for symptom management, providing respite for carers and family members and that it could be provided upon diagnosis and for several years, not just at end-of-life. It was also important to highlight that it was not just for cancer, it was also for other conditions such as heart failure, motor neurone disease and dementia, amongst others.

            Whilst this campaign was led by the Institute it was very much driven and informed by the palliative care sector.  She advised that there were many different events, in person and online, taking place across the island to try and bring more awareness and knowledge to the general public.

            She thanked the Committee for the opportunity to present to highlight and publicise the issue and she encouraged the Members to have conversations around death, dying, bereavement and advance care planning to ensure that the public was well informed and able to avail of the available services when and if they should need to avail of them.

Noted.

            The Director of City Services summarised the contents of the report which presented a Quarter 1 financial position for the People and Communities Committee, including a forecast of the year end outturn. She explained that the Quarter 1 position for the Committee showed an underspend of £1.2m, representing 0.7% of the net expenditure budget.  She also advised that, while the Quarter 1 forecasting was early in the financial year, it obviously fell short of the Corporate targeted £3m in year savings required to deliver a Council balanced budget.

            The Members noted that work was ongoing with departments to review plans to ensure that service expenditure was within cash limits by the year end and that revised forecasts would be included in the Quarter 2 finance report. 

            The Committee noted the report and the associated financial reporting pack.

The Director of City Services asked the Committee to note the updated Local Government Regional Resilience function and to grant approval of the reviewed Service Level Agreement (SLA) between Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council and Belfast City Council. 

            She reported that the update proposal had been presented to the NI branch of the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (SOLACE) at its meeting in August 2023 and all 10 councils had subsequently been asked to review and approve. 

            She also referred to an update on SOLACE which provided a summary of a few key current work priorities, the Covid-19 Inquiry, Martyn’s Law, an update of the review mechanism for regional partnership arrangements and also upcoming multi agency training.  She advised that, in relation to routine work, all councils were active members of the sub regional Emergency Preparedness Groups, and all Council Emergency Planning lead officers met regularly via the Local Government Emergency Planning Group.

            A Member welcomed the progress that had been made regarding Martyn’s Law and the impact that it was having.

            The Committee noted the terms of the updated SLA and agreed that Belfast City Council sign the updated agreement to enable the ongoing support for the regional resourcing model for local government civil contingencies.

            The Director of City Services provided an update the Committee in terms of the ongoing legal proceedings regarding the Mullaghglass site.

            A Member advised that complaints had also been received regarding odour emanating from another separate site.

            The Committee:

·        noted the update on legal proceedings and granted approval for officers to enter into without prejudice discussions with the legal representatives of Alpha Resource Management Ltd. to explore the resolution of this dispute on a consensual basis, based on the advice from Senior Counsel; and

·        agreed to submit a report to a future meeting regarding odour nuisance investigation and engagement with other agencies.

To consider further the minute of the meeting of 8th August which was referred back to the Committee by the Council on 4th September (minute attached).

            The Committee considered further the minute of the meeting of 8th August which had been referred back to the Committee by the Council at its meeting on 4th September. An extract of the minute is set out hereunder:

HYBRID MEETING OF THE CITY

PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES COMMITTEE

Tuesday, 8th August, 2023

_______________

Responsible Dog Ownership

            The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0      Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1       To provide members of the People and Communities Committee with an update on addressing better responsible dog ownership, in particular:

·        The Committee noted the previous update at the meeting on 7 March 2023 and requested a Members’ Workshop to discuss the issues and potential solutions to dog fouling in the city in more detail.

·        Actions taken following the Members’ Workshop on 25 April 2023 on Tackling Dog Fouling in the City; and

·        The deferred decision regarding proposed changes to Fixed Penalty Fines for dog fouling offences and littering offences.

2.0       Recommendation

2.1       The Committee is asked to:

·        Note the actions and outcomes following the Members’ Workshop on 25 April 2023.

·        Reconsider Options 1 – 3 in relation to the new fixed penalty limits for dog fouling  and agree a preferred option.

·        Consider Option 4 - applying any changes made to the fixed penalty limits for dog fouling offences to littering offences.

3.0       Main Report

3.1       PART 1 – Members’ Workshop

3.2       A Members’ Workshop on responsible dog ownership and the tackling of dog fouling in the city took place on 25 April 2023. An overview of the Dog Warden Service was followed with fouling statistics and trends; the challenges when tackling dog fouling and updates from the various teams in the Council with responsibility for tackling dog fouling.

3.3       Sixteen actions have been grouped under eight headings and since the workshop, officers in the Dog Warden Service, Environmental Education and Outreach Team, Corporate Marketing and Communications, Open Spaces and Streetscene and the Performance and Improvement Unit have held further workshops and been working through these actions.

            DATA

3.4       ACTION 1 – Consider how best to use data from street inspections / street index data or other data sources to identify hot spots and look at impact. Consider how best to provide data to Members.

3.5       A full analysis of the available data was carried out and the key findings were:

·        Customer complaints in relation to dog fouling increased by 14% from 21/22 (889) to 22/23 (1013).

·        The data from the Council’s Quality Monitoring Survey evidences a seasonal trend to dog fouling, where there is increased dog fouling in the winter months (December – February) compared with the summer months (June – August). This same seasonal trend has been identified in customer complaints recorded by the Customer Hub. It shows from about November to March in both 2021/22 and 2022/23 there was a sharp rise in complaints.

·        The number of fixed penalties and revenue from the fines are currently low. Fouling detection patrols are resource intensive and are carried out  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

To consider further the minute of the meeting of 8th August which was referred back to the Committee by the Council on 4th September (minute attached).

            Extract from Minutes of:-

HYBRID MEETING OF THE

PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES COMMITTEE

Tuesday, 8th August, 2023

_______________

Sustainable Period Product Scheme

            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 an update on the success of the Period Waste Scheme (March 2022 - current)  and seek direction on future delivery.

2.0                   Recommendations

2.1                   The Committee is asked to note the contents of the report and make a recommendation that the Environmental Education & Outreach team will cease provision from April 2024 given that:

o   current demand appears to have been met through the first two pilot programmes;

o   there is no available budget to run a third programme

o   provision will be established through the new legislation 

2.2                   The Committee is also asked to authorise the Director of City and Organisational Strategy to submit a formal written response on behalf of council, as outlined at 3.13, to the TEO consultation on the provision of free period products.

3.0                   Main report

                    Background

3.1                   The aim of the Period Waste initiative was to raise awareness and encourage increased use of reusable period products. This will have an environmental benefit as it will reduce the amount of period waste that is entering our waste stream and being landfilled, and it will also reduce plastic waste. Disposal of single use menstrual products - tampons, pads and applicators generates 200,000 tonnes of waste per year in the UK[1]. In addition, sanitary waste can be made of up to 90% plastic.

3.2                   In the most recent BCC Waste Composition Study (2014) it was found that 1.87% of all miscellaneous combustible waste (the largest category of waste we collect) was of a sanitary waste nature (including other absorbent hygiene products but excluding nappies). This means each household was producing on average 3.38Kg of this type of product waste per year.

3.3                   This project was primarily focused on waste reduction but also had the benefit of providing a sustainable resource for those affected by period poverty which is an added pressure on individuals and families as a result of the current cost of living pressures.

3.4                   The pilot scheme was launched on 30 March 22 to unprecedented demand and in less than 24 hours the pilot had to be closed because of demand. Through the scheme we provided free access to reusable period products to 3,159 people in the Belfast area. Council worked with the social enterprise, ‘Hey Girls’. (www.heygirls.co.uk) to deliver the scheme, where participants could register and order reusable sanitary products online.

3.5                   Social media coverage and feedback on the scheme was also very positive. Commentary praised Belfast City Council for bringing the initiative forward. Over 95,000 people were reached through Council social media on the topic with over 225,000 people having viewed twitter posts promoting the scheme.

3.6                   Market research targeted at participants of the pilot found that 94.2% of respondent use the products they  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.

            The Committee was advised that, at the meeting of the Standards and Business Committee held on 29th August, the following motion on Urban Wildflower Meadows, which had been proposed by Councillor R. McLaughlin and seconded by Councillor Long, had been referred to the Committee for consideration.

“This Council reaffirms its commitment to enhancing our city's ecological credentials. Therefore, this Council is dedicated to a pilot project that will aim to identify one site for wildflower cultivation in each quadrant of the city. These sites must adhere to one of the following criteria: a) Owned by the Council itself, b) Owned by another Government Department, or c) Currently unadopted.

The precise locations for these pilot projects will be presented for discussion during the inaugural convening of the area working groups.

This Council comprehends the benefits that Urban Wildflower Meadows can bring to our city, ranging from reduced maintenance to supporting our climate change ambitions, and ultimately leading to Belfast becoming a more biodiverse city.”

            A Member stated that, whilst he welcomed the motion, he felt that much of this had already been included in a previous motion which had been adopted by the Committee in September 2022 in respect of a Herbicide Reduction Policy.

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

            (Mr. A. McHaffie, Senior Woodland and Recreation Officer, and Ms. M. McAleer, Performance and Improvement Officer, attended in connection with this item.)

            The Chairperson welcomed to the meeting Mr. K. Rogers, Project Lead, Treeconomics.

            Mr. Rogers commenced by providing an overview of the key aspects of the Belfast Tree Strategy 2022 – 2032, this included detail regarding the consultative process that had taken place with the various stakeholders, including the public. 

            He referred to the future vision for woodlands, hedges, and tree provision in the city, advising that the strategy had incorporated the aims of the Council and its key city partners and was reflective of existing programmes, such as, Belfast One Million Trees, the Belfast Local Development Plan and the Belfast Agenda.  It had also connected with the Belfast Resilience Strategy, Green and Blue Infrastructure Plan with the aim of delivering 37 key actions over the next ten years.

            He drew the Members’ attention to the vision of the Belfast Tree Strategy and how this vision would be achieved, noting that the strategy would have a 10-year life span from its launch date and would set out a commitment to delivering key priorities and actions through a fully resourced action plan which would be reviewed at approximately three yearly intervals. 

            The representative concluded by drawing the Members’ attention to the targets, priorities and actions that had been identified, along with specific detail as to how these would be delivered through the strategy, a copy of which was available here.

            The Committee then considered the undernoted report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issue

1.1            Thepurpose ofthisreport isto updateMemberson the outcome ofthe Belfast Tree Strategy public consultation and to seek approval for publication of the final strategy.

2.0       Recommendation

2.1       TheCommittee is asked to:

·          Consider this report along with a presentation on the development of the Belfast Tree Strategy and action plan from Kenton Rodgers, co-founder of Treeconomics and to give approval for the publication of the new Belfast Tree Strategy.

3.0       Main report

3.1       Key Issues

At its meeting of the 8 November 2022 members of this committee received a report (copy at Appendix 1) on the development of the Belfast Tree Strategy.  A public consultation commenced on 24 January 2023 and concluded on 24 April 2023. This included engagement with communities across Belfast with five workshops at the following venues:

§    Girdwood Community Hub

§    Falls Park Bowling Pavilion

§    Avoniel Leisure Centre

§    2 Royal Avenue Belfast

§    Malone House Belfast

3.2       In total over 900 people attended the workshops during the 12- week period and 500 free trees were distributed along with practical advice on planting and maintenance from Council staff.

3.3       This second phase of consultation also contained a survey delivered via the Your Say Belfast Platform on the Council Website. This received 119 responses. 

3.4       The key findings from the second phase of consultation were as follows:

-        97% of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1       To provide an update to members on Waste Collections Management and performance.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is requested to:

·        Note the contents of the report.

·        Provide feedback on the current consultation on the draft regulations for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR for packaging scheme.

3.0       Main report

            Key Issues

Waste Performance & Recycling Rates – 2022/23 Year to Date

3.1       DAERA has recently published the Northern Ireland, Local Authority Collected Municipal Waste Management Statistics for Q4 (Jan-Mar’23) 2022/23. The general picture is one of a stagnant recycling rate (46%) combined with a slightly increased energy recovery rate (28%) and corresponding decreasing reliance upon landfill (24%) as a disposal route.

3.2       An examination of the 12-month rolling figures for Belfast City Council, which in this instance can act as a proxy for the annual figures, indicates the following:

·     Municipal Waste Arisings – the total tonnage of all types of waste collected by the Council was 158,000 tonnes. This is a reduction of 10,000 thousand tonnes (6%) on the previous year.

·     Municipal Waste Recycling Rate – the percentage of all types of waste collected by the Council which was re-used, recycled or composted, declined by 1% to 37%.

·     Household Waste Recycling Rate– the percentage of household waste only collected by the Council which was re-used, recycled or composted, remained unchanged at 41%.

3.3       The validated annual figures will be published by NIEA later in the year and an analysis will be provided to Members following their publication.

3.4       As noted within this report, there are a number of legislative, strategic and financial drivers which are going to shape future waste management arrangements. Until there is sufficient clarity around this environment, radical, systemic change aimed at delivering significant improvements in the recycling rate are unlikely.

            In the interim the Service is exploring initiatives which could be delivered, such as communications campaigns and doorstep engagement, aimed at reversing the trend, aligning with policy drivers and improving performance.

Waste Framework Update

3.5       At the People and Communities Committee meeting of June 2017, Members approved the Waste Framework document.  It provides an overview of options on how waste could be managed within the city over the next decade.  It was developed to align with the objectives of the Belfast Agenda and Resourceful Belfast (Circular Economy), designing out waste, improving the quantity and quality of recycling and supporting local jobs.

3.6       The Waste Framework focuses on four themes (i) Collection Arrangements, (ii) Infrastructure, (iii) Behaviour Change and (iv) Technology. 

3.7       Resources and Fleet continue to look at initiatives and opportunities to develop methods of collection and introduce new schemes to encourage the reuse and recycling of waste as a resource. The following provides an insight on the work and initiatives currently being undertaken under the 4 main workstreams.

Persistent Organic Pollutants

3.8       Members will be aware that at the February 2023 meeting of the Committee the issue of Persistent Organic  ...  view the full minutes text for item 16.

            The Committee agreed to defer the report to the October meeting to enable the Members to consider its content in more detail.

            The Director of City Services drew the Members’ attention to correspondence that had been received from the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in response to a letter that had been forwarded from the Committee in August seeking Air Quality Monitoring Stations to be erected around Primary Schools.

            The Committee was advised that, in her response, the Head of Air and Environmental Quality in DAERA had advised that the Air and Environmental Quality (AEQ) Unit had considered the Council’s request for funding support for a dedicated ambient air quality monitoring programme to be implemented outside of schools as part of the councils 2023/24 LAQM Grant application. She advised that it fully recognised the importance of monitoring, and this had been reflected in the revised priorities for the new grant.  

            She referred to the increased rates of funding available for some aspects of the grant which had been determined in an effort to assist all Councils as much as possible, at a time of both financial and funding pressures, and within the correspondence she set out, in detail, the priorities for this year’s grant, which included the following key measures:

·        Maintenance of existing monitoring;

·        Staff costs;

·        Expansion of monitoring; and

·        Behavioural change/education campaigns.

            The correspondence concluded by stating that she hoped that the funding offered this year, in particular, for the Schools ‘idling vehicle’ air pollution monitoring and awareness raising project, would go some way to help obtain a better understanding of ambient air quality in the vicinity of schools and to assess the beneficial impacts of mitigation measures.         

            The Committee noted the correspondence and that the Air Quality Officer would look at the program of monitoring in year and submit an update to the Committee in due course.

The Committee agreed to the erection of a second street nameplate in Irish at Stockmans Drive, Whiterock Gardens, Dermott Hill Drive, Dermott Hill Park, Linview Court and Thornberry Glen.

            The City Solicitor drew the Members’ attention to an application to name a new street in the city off the Monagh By Pass, as Black Ridge View.   She advised that a late request had been received from the developer seeking permission to erect a second nameplate in Irish.  She advised the Committee that, should it choose to, it was able to use its Residual Discretion to permit the developer as there was currently no residents on the street to survey.

            A Member stated that she did not agree with this approach as it could ultimately result in other developments also being permitted dual language street signs without being surveyed and this might make a development less appealing to some sections of the community.

            Following discussion, it was

Moved by Councillor Ó Néill,

Seconded by Councillor de Faoite,

      That the Committee agrees to the erection of a dual language street sign at Black Ridge View, off the Monagh by Pass.

            On a vote, 14 Members voted for the proposal and 3 against and it was declared carried.

            The Committee agreed the application to name a new street in the city at Black Ridge View, off Monagh by Pass, BT11, and agreed to use its Residual Discretion to permit the developer, as per a late request, to also erect a dual language street sign, given there was no residents on the street to survey.

            The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1       To advise members of a successful funding application made by St Oliver Plunkett FC to the Irish Football Association/DCMS Grassroots scheme and to seek approval for a one-off funding contribution by Council to help secure the drawdown of this external funding.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       That the Committee note the successful application and agree to permit the installation of a container at Lenadoon Millennium Park for exclusive use of SOPFC for the storage of equipment purchased using the IFA funding. The proposal is that the costs of the concrete base to support the container (Circa £5k) would be provided from revenue budgets as a funding contribution from Council, while the Club will meet the costs of the container itself and that this approach will enable £25k of external funding to be secured.

3.0       Main report

            Key Issues

3.1       St Oliver Plunket FC has been successful in an application to the Irish Football Association/DCMS for sporting equipment at a value of £25,000. The majority of the club’s bookings are made at Councils Lenadoon Millennium Park which is managed under a FMA by the Lenadoon Amateur Sports Community Interest Company. The CIC were supportive of the application. 

3.2       The club’s award is conditional on adequate secure storage being provided and to satisfy this condition the club is requesting permission to install a container on council land at the site. The container would be purchased by the club and placed in a location to be agreed between the club, Council and the CIC.  Given ground conditions at the site enabling works will be required to support the container and it is proposed that Council will meet these costs (circa £5k) from current revenue budgets. 

3.3       Members may recall that at a previous meeting of this committee in December 2022 it was agreed that no further requests for the installation of club owned containers would be considered until a formal policy had been adopted. Unfortunately, a resource to take forward this work has not yet been identified and in the interim, East Area Working Group made an award of £30k LIF funding to eight soccer clubs in East Belfast for containerised storage in March 2023.

3.4       Members are therefore asked if they would wish to accede to the request from St Oliver Plunkett FC to help secure the clubs draw down of the external IFA funding. 

Financial and Resource Implications

The cost of providing the container at Lenadoon would be met by the club. The cost for the enabling works (£5k) would be met by Council from existing revenue budgets. This approach will secure £25k of external funding for the club.

Equality or Good Relations Implications/

Rural Needs Assessment

3.5       None.”

            The Committee adopted the recommendation at paragraph 2.0 of the report.

            At the request of Councillor Flynn, the Committee agreed to receive a presentation at its October meeting from Causeway Coast Dog Rescue.

“At present, there is no policy regarding Bilingual Signage for New Developments in the city. Developers or Housing Associations might make an ad-hoc request to the committee; however, there is no overarching policy.  

Therefore, as a matter of practice, this council will amend its policy on naming a new street and will allow Developers/Housing Associations to request Bilingual signage as a part of their application for a new street, with the final sign-off being with the People and Communities Committee.”

At the request of Councillor Ó Néill, the Committee agreed that a report be submitted a future meeting which would consider, as a matter of practice, the Council amending its current policy on naming a new street to permit Developers/Housing Associations to request Bilingual signage as a part of an application for a new street, with the final sign-off being with the People and Communities Committee.