Agenda and minutes

            Apologies for inability to attend were reported from Councillors Adamson, D. Browne, M. Browne, W. Browne and Crozier.

            The minutes of the meetings of 22nd and 26th 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 3rd March.

            The Chief Executive submitted a report which provided an update in relation to the Review of Public Administration.  He informed the Members that the Environment Minister, Mrs A. Foster, had, the previous day, announced the key decisions in relation to the future shape of Local Government arising from the review of the Local Government aspects of the Review of Public Administration.  The Minister had stated that the current 26 Local Government districts would be rationalised to create 11 new district council areas.  She had indicated that, in order for Local Government to fulfil its role as leader and shaper of communities, a range of functions would be transferred to the new local Councils.  These would include aspects of planning, as well as rural development, the public realm aspects of the local roads functions, urban regeneration and community development, a range of housing related functions and local economic development and tourism.  The Minister had indicated that a further statement providing more detail on the range of functions which would transfer would be made to the Assembly following its return after the Easter period.  The current timetable for Local Government reorganisation was 2011 and, therefore, it would be unlikely that Local Government elections would be held in 2009.  Rather, the Secretary of State is expected to agree to extend the current Council term.

            The Chief Executive reiterated the importance of the Council participating in the process and, in order to draw down some of the funding which had been set aside for modernisation, it would need to put forward proposals on how joint initiatives might be developed to build capacity and joint working before any functions transferred formally.  He undertook to submit a detailed report on the Review of Public Administration to the meeting of the Committee scheduled to be held in April.

Noted.

            The Committee noted the contents of a report providing an update in respect of the work which had been undertaken by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

            The Committee considered a report which provided an update in relation to the improvement agenda.  The Director of Improvement stated that the report provided a status update on the Improvement Programme, highlighting the results of actions against key performance indicators and the progress of projects/activities which had been undertaken during the year in relation to specific elements of the Value Creation Map.  This was the first time that a report had been provided on improvement activity in the context of performance management.

            However, he explained that before discussing the performance of each improvement area, it would be important to define the role of the Members in relation to performance management.  In this regard, he recommended that the Members of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee and the Chief Officers Management Team attend a number of two hour performance management workshops to be held between April and June, which would be facilitated by the IDeA.  He stressed the importance of completing this work before the commencement of regular performance review meetings as part of the new corporate plan.  If the Committee was minded to agree to this course of action, then it would be the intention to roll out a joint programme of performance workshops for each Committee and its relevant officers.

            The Committee noted the information which had been provided, agreed to the holding of the workshops as outlined and agreed also to the inclusion of the improvement agenda key actions for 2008/2009 within the current year’s corporate planning process.

            (Mr. E. Deeny, Head of Corporate Communications, attended in connection with this item.)

            The Committee considered the undernoted report in relation to a proposed review of advertising:

“Relevant Background Information

      At its meeting on 15 June, 2007, the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee gave approval to conduct a review of the council’s approach to advertising and this was ratified at full council on 1 July, 2007.  Two consultants tendered for the work and Verve Communications were appointed in August, 2007 to conduct the review.

      The review of advertising was initially agreed as part of the Review of Communications, approved by the council in February 2006, which highlighted the need for a binding council-wide policy on advertising.  The report pointed out that because display and marketing advertisements were left to individual departments, the council’s overall buying power and clout was being diminished and there was no overall co-ordinated style.  It suggested that we needed a corporate approach to advertising for efficiency and effectiveness reasons.

      Advertising is a vital communications tool and contributes to the image and reputation of the council.  Moving towards central management of advertising is a significant step towards achieving a one council approach to communications, which is one of the central objectives of the improvement agenda.

      The consultants were tasked with identifying current practices and spend across the council in relation to all types of advertising, making recommendations to improve the approach in terms of effectiveness as a communications tool and identifying potential efficiency savings and income streams from advertising.

      A similar co-ordinated approach to graphic design was implemented last year and the benefits became clear quickly with savings of £180,000 being captured in the current financial year across all departments and the widely accepted improvement in our publications following the appointment of an in-house graphic designer.

      The benefits of a joined up approach to advertising has already been shown by the pilot scheme to cover the cost of producing City Matters at no cost to the ratepayer through advertising. Strategic P&R Committee agreed in December to establish this approach and it will realise savings of £140,000 per year on the current four editions per year and over £200,000 when we move to six editions per year in two years time, which was approved under the overall review of communications.  This was partly possible by working with departments and sections and convincing them that part of their promotional, marketing, publicity budgets should be used to advertise in City Matters in which they were able to reach more of their target audience for less spend.

      The approval of this new approach to City Matters means that in the next financial year, the review of communications will have resulted in savings of £320,000 per year on communications spend.  The advertising review has the potential of taking that figure through the £500,000 mark and beyond.

      However, the new approach should not simply be efficiency driven.  We need to continue to develop our methods of communications and embrace  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2d

            The Committee was reminded that the development of the Corporate Plan 2008/2011 was currently ongoing.  At the end of January, the Party Groupings had received briefings on the citizen and Member surveys and the emerging strategic objectives which currently were:

·         Strong leadership;

·         Economic growth and wealth creation;

·         Community cohesion and well-being;

·         Environmental sensitivity and sustainability; and

·         An organisation fit to lead and serve.

            During the Party Group briefings, a number of suggestions had been made by the Members and these had been communicated to the officer working groups which were developing detailed recommendations in terms of projects and programmes of work, available resources and effective performance management.  It was intended that further briefings on those proposals and any recommendations would be undertaken during May, with a view to the Committee determining the Council’s high level strategy in June.  The Director of Improvement indicated that this would not be the end of the corporate planning process but the beginning of a continuous cycle over the next three years, whereby annual business planning and resource planning were informed by the high level strategic direction.  In the first instance, the strategic direction set by the Members would inform the financial planning process for 2009/2010, with the intention that business planning and resource planning would take place concurrently.

            A review of the operation of the new governance arrangements, including scrutiny of performance, was underway also, with a view to ensuring that the Committee had the necessary information and resource levers to drive the delivery of key priorities.  In addition, Party briefings on the prioritisation of the Capital Programme and further development of the City Investment Strategy would take place during April.  This would provide an important opportunity for the Members to begin to prioritise resources in line with the objectives which they were setting for the Council and the impact the Council wished to make in the City.

            The Director of Improvement explained that the Council was working within an increasingly complex planning environment in which Members were seeking to balance the need for:

·         functional business planning, as determined by the Council’s structures, for example cleansing;

·         thematic planning, in terms of issues such as community safety, community relations and older people; and

·         area and neighbourhood planning, such as the Strategic Neighbourhood Action Plan.

            The new Corporate Plan needed to express the Council’s strategic intent in each of the aforementioned processes and it would be necessary to align plans in such a way that the Committee had confidence that the overall strategic direction of the organisation was co-ordinated, integrated and delivered.  Options as to ways in which the Committee could be supported in ensuring such alignment would form part of the recommendations for the effective implementation of the Corporate Plan.

Noted.

            The Committee was reminded that attendance at events organised by the National Association of Councillors had previously been considered by the former Members’ Sub-Committee.  Following the change to the Governance arrangements, attendance at those types of events was now normally considered by the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee.  The usual recommendation was to request the Committee to approve the attendance of the Chairman and the Deputy Chairman, the Council’s representatives on the National Association of Councillors (or their nominees) and a Member of each of the other Party Groupings not represented by the aforementioned Members.

            The Committee Administrator explained that, on occasions, the National Association had held events, such as conferences on anti-social behaviour or community safety, where it had been felt that it was more appropriate for other Committees to consider the representation and the recommendations on attendance at these had not always been in line with the recommendations to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee.

            Following the recent decision of a Committee to appoint only the Chairman and the Deputy Chairman to attend a National Association of Councillors event, a Member had requested if the Committee might wish to formulate an overall policy in this regard.

            Accordingly, there were a number of options which the Committee might wish to consider:

(i)      that the recommendation for attendance at all National Association of Councillors events be the Chairman and the Deputy Chairman of the appropriate Committee and the Council’s representatives on the National Association of Councillors (or their nominees), together with a Member of the other Party Groupings not represented by the aforementioned Members;

(ii)     that only the Council’s four representatives on the National Association of Councillors (or their nominees) be authorised to attend, regardless of which Committee was considering the individual conference/seminar; or

(iii)    that it be a matter for the appropriate Committee to decide who should attend the conference/seminar.

            After discussion, the Committee agreed to adopt Option (i) as the Council’s policy for the attendance of Members at all National Association of Councillors events.

            The Committee noted a report providing an update in relation to the Members’ Development Framework and Personal Development Plans.

            The Principal Committee Administrator pointed out that, to date, twenty-two Members had either been interviewed or were scheduled to be interviewed by representatives of the IDeA in relation to their Personal Development Plans and he encouraged those Members who had not yet engaged in the process to do so as soon as possible in order that they would be able to access a full range of training opportunities in the next financial year.

            The Committee was advised that the undernoted requests for the provision of hospitality had been received:

            The Committee adopted the recommendations.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report in relation to a strategic financial management framework:

“Relevant Background Information

      Strategic financial management is at the heart of the Council’s improvement agenda because it:

·         is an essential element of good corporate governance;

·         forms part of the foundations of the organisation, underpinning the delivery of agreed priorities; and

·         provides the basis of accountability to Members and the citizens of Belfast for the stewardship and use of resources.

      The improvement agenda update report which is being discussed by committee today includes the key improvement actions undertaken during 2007/08 in relation to strategic financial management.  The purposes of this report are:

·         To outline for Members the strategic financial management framework of the organisation

·         To agree the key improvement actions for each part of the framework for 2008/09

·         To agree a forward finance work plan for the committee for the first quarter of 2008/09.

·         To agree to seek external assistance in the delivery of the improvements within agreed budgets.

Key Issues

      Figure one overleaf shows the key elements of the Council’s strategic management framework.  Members are asked to note the ‘Risk and Control’ element of the framework will be discussed with committee in the context of a report updating Members on the revised terms of reference for the Audit Panel.

Financial Reporting

      The Council reports its financial performance to stakeholders on an annual basis in the form of its audited published accounts.  In terms of internal reporting, the Jack and Helm Reports on the Belfast Education and Library Board highlighted the need for accurate and timely financial information to be presented to Members so that they could fulfil their scrutiny role in relation to financial management.  The Council has now implemented a best in class financial information management system which will enable regular financial reports to be presented to committee.  This reporting will start in June 2008 with an analysis of the 2007/08 year end position.

Financial planning

      The key outputs of the financial planning processes in Council are the Medium Term Financial Plan and the Annual Budget which concludes with the setting of the rate.  These financial plans are simply a monetary expression of what the Council wants to deliver and therefore they need to reflect our key priorities and objectives.  The most successful organisations ensure that their business planning and financial planning are very closely aligned.  A key action for next year is therefore to better integrate our financial and business planning and a report on how this might be achieved will be brought to committee in April 2008.

      Party Groups have firmly indicated their desire for prudent financial planning with the need to keep rate increases to a minimum, whilst at the same time avoiding cuts to front line services.

      One of the key factors which has obstructed the Council in its financial planning has been the inability of the Rates Collection Agency to provide a finalisation figure for rates income until very late in the financial year – normally November/December.  This meant  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5a

            The minutes of the meeting of the Audit Panel held on 11th March were approved and adopted.

            The Committee was advised that the Audit Panel, at its meeting on 11th March, had considered a report on the Revised Terms of Reference of the Audit Panel and agreed that the Strategic Policy and Resources be recommended to approve the terms as set out hereunder:

“Statement of Purpose and Terms of

Reference for the Audit Panel

Purpose of the Audit Panel

      The purpose of BelfastCity Council’s Audit Panel is to provide an independent assurance on the adequacy of the Council’s risk management framework and associated control environment.  It will provide an independent scrutiny of the Council’s financial and non?financial performance to the extent that it exposes the Council to risk and weakens the control environment.  The Panel will also oversee the Council’s financial reporting process.

      The Audit Panel will also have the function of providing scrutiny in relation to the implementation of the Council’s policy decisions for the purpose of ensuring that the Council meets its obligations to secure continuous improvement in the way in which its functions are exercised, having regard to a combination of economy, efficiency and effectiveness, pursuant to section 1 of the Local Government (Best Value) (NI) Act 2002.

Audit Activity

1.     To consider the Head of Audit, Governance and Risk Services annual report and opinion, and a summary of internal audit activity (actual and proposed) and the level of assurance it can give concerning the Council’s corporate governance arrangements.

2.     To consider summaries of specific internal audit reports.

3.     To consider reports dealing with the management and performance of Audit, Governance and Risk Services.

4.     To consider reports from Audit, Governance and Risk Services on agreed recommendations not implemented within a reasonable timescale.

5.     To consider the Local Government Auditor’s annual letter, management letter and relevant reports.

6.     To consider all recommendations, reports and declarations of the Local Government Auditor as made under the Local Government (NI) Order 2005.

Scrutiny Role

7.     To scrutinise the Council’s arrangements for ensuring value?for-money, pursuant to section 1 of the Local Government (Best Value) (NI) Act 2002.

8.     To commission work from internal audit (including value-for-money and review of the progress of any improvement plans) and external audit

9.     To comment on the scope and depth of external audit work and to ensure it gives value-for-money.

Regulatory Framework

10.   To maintain an overview of the Council’s constitution in respect of contract procedure rules, financial regulations and codes of conduct and behaviour.

11.   To monitor the effective development and operation of risk management and corporate governance in the Council.

12.   To monitor Council policies on whistleblowing and the anti?fraud and corruption strategy and the Council’s complaints process.

13.   To oversee the production of the Council’s Statement on Internal Control and to recommend its adoption.

14.   To consider the Council’s arrangements for corporate governance and agreeing necessary actions to ensure compliance with best practice.

15.   To consider the Council’s compliance with its own and other published standards and controls.

Accounts

16.   To review the annual  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5c

            The Committee noted a report which provided details in relation to a Review of the Council’s Travel Policy which would be undertaken by the Audit Panel.  The Committee noted also that the Audit Panel, at its meeting on 11th March, had adopted the following terms of reference for the Review:

“Objectives

1.   To review current approval and control processes and the travel policy

2.   To identify improvements to both processes and policy which matches the new financial systems, takes account of the human resources strategy and workforce development plan’s needs and which provides for continuous improvement

3.   To ensure that the new processes enable improved access to information which enables improved on-going scrutiny of value for money and greater accountability, both internally and externally

Outputs

1.   A travel policy which it is agreed is fit for the purpose for the organisation

2.   Reviewed and where necessary improved control mechanisms and processes

3.   A framework for compliance monitoring, value for money audit and continuous review

4.   An action plan for implementation including communication and training.”

            The Committee was advised that the Rating Policy Division, Department of Finance and Personnel, had sought the views of the Council in relation to the changing of Schedule 13 of the Rates (Northern Ireland) Order 1977 which excluded universities from claiming exemption from rates.  The Director of Corporate Services submitted for the Committee’s consideration a proposed Council response, copies of which were available on Modern.gov, to the consultation Document.

            The Director of Corporate Services explained that local universities were excluded currently from claiming exemption from rates.  However, they saw themselves as being disadvantaged because universities in Great Britain were entitled to at least 80% exemption from rates.  Therefore, there was a strong argument for allowing universities in Northern Ireland a similar level of relief.  From the Council’s perspective, the key issue was how the Council would recoup the lost rate income from university rates.  Currently, the two universities in Northern Ireland had accommodation placed in Belfast with a Net Asset Value (NAV) totalling £7,627,416.  The rates were the Council’s main source of income, therefore, any diminution on that income could have a potentially serious impact on the provision of services.  Accordingly, if the Department was minded to exempt universities, it was the Council’s view that is should receive a payment in lieu of university rates that year on year kept pace with increases in the rate poundage.  This could be achieved by keeping the full NAV of universities on the valuation list and by the Land Property Services providing relief as an allowance against the annual rate bill.  This would be a fair position as the two universities served all of Northern Ireland and therefore any relief against the rate should be shared by Northern Ireland as a whole and funded from the block grant.

            The Committee approved the proposed response.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“Relevant Background Information

      Members will recall that at its meeting on 26 February the Committee agreed to defer consideration of the relocation of the emergency room to enable a report providing details on how the Health and Environmental Services Department proposed to finance the proposal to be submitted.

      The matter was discussed by the Health & Environmental Services Committee at its meeting on 5 March when it was decided to refer the matter to this meeting of the Strategic Policy & Resources Committee, to which the members of the Health & Environmental Services Committee have been invited, to enable further information to be provided.

      Members of the Health and Environmental Services Committee asked for the following information to be considered further:

·         rationale for the emergency room proposal;

·         cost estimate analysis;

·         history of funding applications;

·         examination of potential financial support from other emergency services.

Key Issues

      A fully functional multi-agency emergency control centre is needed to enable the Council to fulfil the co-ordination role expected of it in the Civil Contingencies Framework.  The need for such a facility was highlighted during the response to the flooding in June 2007.

      Rationale

      There is a strong case to be made for the provision of a much more functional emergency management centre in the City Hall which will enable the Council to more effectively perform its responsibilities in co-ordinating  both planning for emergencies and the response of a range of agencies in actual emergency situations, such as happened during the flooding in Belfast in June 2007.

      The current emergency management arrangements in the City Hall consist of a very small room in the basement which can accommodate a maximum of around 8 people at any one time.  This means that once the Emergency Management Team (Chief Officers and Emergency Planning staff) are in the room along with some support staff to log all decisions and to receive and make telephone calls, email and faxes, the room is extremely crowded and noisy.  There is also no room for any other agencies to attend and provide a link back to their organisations.  The City Hall basement itself is also susceptible to flooding.

      The current facilities are far below the standard of those provided in some much smaller local authorities in Great Britain and, as demonstrated in the recent flooding response, would not be able to be used for a prolonged period should the Council face a much more protracted emergency with a more widespread recovery operation to support local residents and communities.

      In addition, best practice would show that emergency responses are most effectively co-ordinated when there is co?location of a liaison person from some of the other key responding agencies, most notably, the Police.  This then would enable linkages with the control rooms and response teams of other agencies .  The PSNI has been asked to provide £100,000 funding as a contribution to ensure that this room can provide facilities for their organisation and the necessary secure communication linkages  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5f

            The Committee granted authority for the commencement of a tendering exercise in respect of asbestos removal from Council properties.

            It was reported that, in accordance with Standing Order 55 and the authority delegated to him, the Director of Corporate Services had authorised the appointment of a member of staff who was related to an existing officer of the Council.

            The Committee noted the appointment.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report in relation to Council Office Accommodation:

“Relevant Background Information

      This Report highlights an imminent requirement for Council to find alternative City centre office space and offers the opportunity for Members to consider the broader accommodation issues facing the Council not only for the short term but also in the medium to long term as well.

      The basic plan was that Members and most staff currently located in Adelaide Exchange would return to the City Hall following completion of the current refurbishment works.  The void left in Adelaide Exchange would be taken up by relocating staff presently housed in temporary accommodation in Clarendon House, Linenhall Exchange and Scottish Amicable.

      Members were advised at its meeting of 14th December 2007 that in addition to the health and safety issues that have arisen with the existing temporary Clarendon House accommodation, ownership of the building had changed hands.  The new owners (Jermon Developments) have advised Council of its plans to demolish and redevelop new hotel and office premises.  Having recently submitted his planning application the developer is now seeking vacant possession of this building.

      In order to commence immediate redevelopment of Clarendon House Jermon Developments have offered similar office accommodation in Fanum House on Great Victoria Street on a short term basis that would match completion of the City Hall refurbishment programme.  It should be noted that Fanum House is also scheduled for redevelopment.

      There is a current shortage of City Centre office accommodation of sufficient size, suitability and available on a short term basis that could accommodate all the staff currently located in Clarendon House.  Attached to this Report is a schedule of currently available office accommodation of these there are only two that would meet the particular short term requirements of the Council.

Key Issues

      The key issue is the immediate need to provide an additional office space created by the need to vacate Clarendon House in 6 to 8 months time.  Action to secure this additional accommodation needs to commence now in order to give enough time to secure a new lease and to plan, tender and complete the fit?out of any new accommodation.

      Other factors which will have an impact on availability of office accommodation are:

a.   the surrender of other temporary leases in Linenhall Exchange and Scottish Amicable

b.   proposed surrender of Callender Street Lease

c.   the volume of spaces in the (restored) City Hall which Members may decide to allocate for public access purposes

d.   continued overcrowding in Cecil WardBuilding and rationalisation of office space requirements resulting from restructuring of the organisation

e.   relocation of staff resulting from rationalisation and disposal of Council owned premises to raise capital income to support projects such as the City Investment Fund Income raised could also fund additional office space requirements.

      Members also need to consider the impact on the morale and motivation of staff based in Clarendon House.  Staff were at first asked to move for an 18 month period but  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8a

            The Committee considered the undernoted report in relation to the surrender of the lease at 6 Callendar Street:

“Relevant Background Information

      The Council hold premises at 6 Callender Street by way of a 21 year lease which is due to expire on the 31^st July 2012.  The premises were previously used by the Council’s Consumer Advice Centre, who relocated to alternative premises in 2006.  Following agreement by the Council, Belfast Local Strategic Partnership (BLSP) currently occupies some of the accommodation previously occupied by the Consumer Advice Centre.  There is only a small number of BLSP staff remaining and it is understood that the contracts for any remaining staff are due to expire by December 2008.

      The Citizens Advice Centre also occupies a portion of the premises by way of an agreement with the Council (inc. payment of an apportioned rent).  They are however proposing to relocate in the next few weeks to alternative premises.

      The annual rent for the premises is currently £32,000 per annum (the rent has not been reviewed since 1994 and officers have resisted any attempts from this date to have the rent increased).  The total annual rent, service charge, insurance, rates and maintenance costs are approximately £73,000 p.a (based on current figures and on the basis that the Citizens Advice Centre has moved out). 

      The premises suffer from a poor layout, are in poor repair and there are onerous repairing liabilities on the part of the Council.  Under the terms of the lease the Council is required, on expiration of the lease, to leave the premises in good and substantial repair and condition.  This could therefore result in a substantial dilapidations claim cost against the Council at the end of the lease term.  The premises are not DDA compliant (there are no WCs on ground or first floor, no lift and there are difficulties in providing a ramped entrance due to footpath width etc).  The Consumer Advice Centre relocated to alternative premises due to the problems associated with the building, and the Citizens Advice Centre is also relocating for the same reasons.

      Given the inherent problems with the building, officers have been attempting for some time to negotiate an early surrender of the lease with the owners of the premises, but until recently they had refused.  However the owners have now indicated that they will accept an early surrender subject to the Council paying a premium of £110,000 to compensate them for lost rental income.  Initially the owners had requested a higher premium and had also made the surrender conditional upon a dilapidations survey being carried out and any issues raised being addressed by the Council at their expense.  However, following negotiations they have now dropped the dilapidations condition and reduced the premium.

      As the annual cost of occupation is £73,000 p.a. (as above), the total cost of occupation to the end of the lease, based on current figures, is estimated at £330,000.  However, as the service charge, rates and insurance costs will  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8b

            In accordance with Standing Order 60, the Committee was notified that the Parks and Leisure Committee, at its meeting on 14th February, had agreed to the acquisition of 0.32 acres of land at Blythefield Open Space from the Belfast Education and Library Board in the sum of £16,000.

Noted.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report in relation to a number of urgent capital programme projects:

“Relevant Background Information

      As reported last month, the Council’s Capital Programme has yet to be politically prioritised to ensure that the Programme and the City Investment Strategy meet Members’ political priorities and are delivered in the context of affordable financial limits set by Members’ decisions on the level of the rate.

      Party Groups are to consider a draft Capital Programme along with City Investment fund proposals at a series of briefings which have been arranged for April.

Key Issues

      At the moment there are a large number of schemes in the draft programme which have been put forward by various Committees over a number of years on an ongoing basis.

      Furthermore in the context of setting the rate the Council has agreed to a £15m borrowing limit per annum for capital expenditure and a number of schemes are being moved forward within this limit e.g. Grove, Ulster Hall etc.  However there are a number of urgent projects which Departments wish to move forward for various reasons and Committee direction is sought on a way forward.  The full details of each project are set out in the attached appendices to this report.  The main arguments however are summarised below.

North Foreshore: NIE Substation/Electricity Generation Compound Site Works

This proposal is a subset of the landfill powered electricity generation (joint venture) project and the grid connection project, which has been included in the capital programme since 2002/03.

The Council has previously taken a decision to commit expenditure to NIE for the installation of an electricity cable and construction of a substation to supply the North Foreshore site for future development purposes and permit the export of generated electricity.

The site for the substation is within the landfill site and NIE are reluctant to assume responsibility for the specialist engineering substructure works required and therefore the Council will need to undertake this work itself, necessitating a further committee approval to tender for the work. 

The electricity generation facility is to be constructed, operated and funded by a private sector company; the tender process has been completed and a contract has been awarded (Renewable Power Systems), which includes the construction of the compound for the generators; however, it may prove to be more economic for the Council undertake the construction of the compound itself and therefore this work is being included in the tender documentation as an option.

The expenditure in respect of both elements of this proposal has been factored into the £15m capital expenditure limits.

Waterfront Hall Fire Alarm System

This project has been in the capital programme since 2007/2008 and was deemed critical after inspection showed that the smoke and heat detection devices are at the end of their operational life. 

Rather than opt for a straight replacement it is argued that better value for money would be achieved by replacing the entire system as key components of the current system will not have  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8d

            (Mrs. H. Francey, Good Relations, attended in connection with these items.)

            The Committee approved the minutes of the meeting of the Good Relations Steering Panel of 7th March and adopted the recommendations of the Panel in relation to the following issues:

Peace III

(i)      the engagement of consultancy assistance for the recruitment and selection of representatives from the voluntary and community sectors for the Good Relations Partnership; and

(ii)     the engagement of consultants to assist in providing additional information to be included in the Peace Plan.

            The Committee noted that the Special European Union Programmes Body would meet 100% of the costs of commissioning consultants.

            The Committee noted also the concerns which had been raised by the Steering Panel regarding the Special European Union Programmes Body’s approach to the submission of the Peace Plan and the level of detail demanded in relation to which organisations would receive funding, how much they would receive and when this was to be allocated over the three-year period 2007/2010 and agreed that the Chief Executive of the Special European Union Programmes Body be invited to attend a special meeting of the Steering Panel to discuss these issues.

Elected Members Study Visit – Chicago

            The Committee adopted the recommendation of the Steering Panel to approve the participation of Elected Members and up to four officers on a study visit to Chicago, the cost of which would be 100% grant-aided by the Belfast Local Strategy Partnership under the Peace II extension programme.

“Local Governments in Conflict Prevention, Peace-Building

and Post-Conflict Reconstruction” Conference

            The Committee adopted the recommendation of the Steering Panel to approve the attendance at the above-mentioned conference to be held in The Hague, The Netherlands from 11th till 13th June of the Chairman of the Good Relations Steering Panel and the Good Relations Manager (or their nominees) and to the payment of the conference fees, together with the appropriate travelling and subsistence allowances in connection therewith.

Re-Imaging Communities Scheme

            The Panel had agreed that additional funding, up to a maximum of £15,000, be provided to secure the service of an additional officer on a part-time basis for a one?year period to ensure that the expectations of local community groups regarding the re-imaging communities scheme would be met.

            The Committee adopted the recommendation of the Steering Panel.