Agenda and minutes

            Apologies for inability to attend were reported from Councillors Attwood and Ó Muilleoir.

(To consider further the minute of the meeting of 15^th April which, at the request of Alderman Browne, was taken back to the Committee for further consideration.)

            The Committee considered further the minute of the meeting of 15th April which, at the request of Alderman Browne, had been taken back to the Committee for further consideration.  A copy of the minute in this regard is set out hereunder:

“Recruitment of Head of Information Services Belfast

      The Committee was advised that the current Head of Information Services Belfast, Rose Crozier, had been successful in her application for the post of Assistant Director of Parks and Leisure and would take up post with effect from Monday, 18th April, 2011.  It was pointed out that the post of Head of Information Services Belfast was currently being filled on a temporary basis by the two IS Portfolio Managers who were jointly acting up to the position.  Consequently, arrangements now needed to be put in place to recruit a replacement post holder on a permanent basis.

      The Committee was advised that the appointment for the Head of Information Services Belfast would be made in accordance with the Council’s normal recruitment selection procedure.  In accordance with Local Government Staff Commission Guidance, the selection panel should comprise the Chairman and the Deputy Chairman (or their nominees) and another Member of the Committee from a Political Party not represented by the Chairman or the Deputy Chairman, together with the Director of Finance and Resources and another Chief Officer. 

The entire panel needed to be representative of gender and community background, with all panel members having attended recent training on the Council’s recruitment and selection procedures.  An observer from the Local Government Staff Commission and a professional assessor might also be in attendance but would have no voting rights.

      The Committee agreed that:

(i)     the post of Head of Information Services Belfast be recruited on a permanent basis through external advertisement and public competition;

(ii)    the selection panel be comprised following the Annual Meeting of the Council, which was scheduled to be held on 26th May, 2011, with the recruitment and selection schedule developed as soon as possible; and

(iii)   the selection panel be given delegated authority to offer the post to the recommended candidate with the outcome being reported back to the Committee for noting only.”

            The Committee agreed to affirm its decisions of 15th April and that the Chairman, the Deputy Chairman and Councillor Hendron (or their nominees) be appointed to the Selection Panel.

            The Committee was reminded that, at its meeting on 3rd June, it had considered a report in relation to the role of the Corporate Plan in setting priorities and allocating resources in the Council and the role of the Committee in leading the Corporate Planning process.  The Committee had been advised that the Council’s previous Corporate Plan had covered the period 2008-2011 and that over the previous year the Committee had worked with all Members of the Council to prepare a draft update of the Plan for 2011/12.  The update had been produced to ensure that there would be continuity in terms of the Council’s overall direction, whilst the new Committee considered future priorities.  The updated work had been integrated with the development of the Council’s budget for 2011/12, which had been agreed by the Committee in February, 2011.

            The Chief Executive reported that an interim Corporate Plan, which set out the current position and which had been circulated for the information of the Members, had built upon the information which had been presented to the Committee at its previous meeting.  The document outlined:

·         How the interim plan had emerged and the information which had informed its development;

·         Information about the Council and the vital services which the Council provided on a day-to-day basis; and

·         The Council’s current key themes and indicative corporate level projects and performance indicators.

            He pointed out that the Committee would be considering later in the meeting separate reports on the Departmental Plans of the Chief Executive’s, Finance and Resources and Property and Projects Departments and also a report on the thematic plans and that the Corporate Plan would set the context for all those plans for the year ahead.

            He explained that the key issue for Members now was to consider and shape the future Corporate Plan and begin that process as early as possible.  Therefore, it was proposed that the review of the current Corporate Plan and the development of priorities and projects for the new Corporate Plan should commence in August/September through a series of party briefings and facilitated workshops for Members.  The timetable for the development of the new Plan would then become intrinsically linked with the timetable for the development of the Council’s medium?term financial plan and the setting of the rate for 2012/13.

            The Chief Executive explained further that attendance at the workshops would allow Members to consider all of the issues which would be likely to impact upon the Council’s future strategic direction and would identify the key priorities for the future in terms of the local economy, the environment and supporting local people and communities.  Members would consider those key projects, both revenue and capital, which they wanted to make happen in the City.  He pointed out that Members had already expressed a desire to “place-shape” and ensure more local investment and had expressed also the need for the Council to support job creation.  In the months ahead, Members would be supported in taking an evidence-based approach  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

            The Committee approved the Departmental Plans for the Finance and Resources, Property and Projects and Chief Executive’s Department.  A copy of the key achievements for 2010/11 and the key actions and performance indicators for 2011/12 as detailed in the Plans for each of the Departments is set out hereunder:

Finance and Resources

“6.0        Key achievements 2010-11 

6.1       Better Leadership

            Key achievements

· An additional £2.8m financing has been secured for the Capital Programme.

· A capacity building plan for elected Members, senior managers, managers and officers was developed.

· A Member Development Steering Group was established to ensure the development and implementation of the Member Development Strategy.

· Training sessions were delivered to Members on the role of the Council and elected Members, strategic planning, performance management, finance and rate setting.

6.2 Better care for Belfast’s environment

            Key achievements

· Servers numbers have been reduced which has already led to a reduction in energy costs of £20000 in ISB.

· A print management strategy has been developed with targets to reduce the number of printers and the volume of colour printing.

            · Colour printing has been reduced from 67% to 33%.

6.3       Better opportunities for success across the city

            Key achievements

We have continued to work with Land and Property Service to implement the Memorandum of Understanding.  A suite of performance measures has been developed and a performance reporting framework put in place including benchmarking arrangements.

6.4       Better services - listening and delivering

            Key achievements

· 27 online forms have been added to the website to help improve access to our services for our customers.  These include;

- A range of forms for Belfast Castle and Malone House

- Applications for various licences (e.g. Entertainment, Street Trading)

                    - Bin ordering Form

                    - Online burials records search

· Timeframe for creditor payments has improved from 28 days in April 2010 to an average of 22 days during 2010/11.

6.5       Better value for money - an organisation fit to lead and serve

            Key achievements

            - Corporate Human Resource Management

·         A new attendance policy has been implemented with compliance reports reviewed on an ongoing basis by HR and the Council departments. The Council is on track to meet its sickness absence target.

·         The corporate approach to personal development planning was agreed with roll-out planned from April 2011.

·         The corporate IIP mock assessment was undertaken in October 2010 and a number of next steps were agreed around developing a People Improvement Framework and Plan. It is intended that the Council will work towards seeking corporate accreditation by April 2012.

·         Monitoring and reporting on staff numbers, overtime and agency costs have taken place throughout the year.  A new reporting framework is currently being developed with implementation planned from quarter one 2011/12.

·         All outstanding single status issues have been completed including:

·         Basic Grade Split Scale 2/3 removal, review of essential car users, a revised local arrangement for Tramp and Travel. 

            - Corporate Financial Planning

·         Cash savings of £2.9m have been identified and captured for 2011/12 against an original target of £1.7m.

·         The council agreed  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4a

            The Committee was informed that the undernoted requests for the use of the City Hall and the provision of hospitality had been received:

            The Committee was reminded that, at its meeting on 15th April, it had agreed, after considering a recommendation which promoted the standardisation of the IT equipment provided to Members, to defer the matter until after the election when a Working Group would be set up to consider the relevant issues.

            The Democratic Services Manager reported that, after consideration of the report, the Working Group had agreed to recommend the following package to the Committee:

·         Desktop PC

·         Monitor

or

·         Laptop

·         Monitor

·         Laptop docking station

·         Laptop case

·         Laptop lock

and

·         All-in-one printer, scanner and fax machine

·         500GB External hard drive

·         Blackberry (excluding line rental or cost of calls)

·         Digital camera (for those Members who do not require a Blackberry)

            Members would also be provided with cartridges and memory sticks when required.

            The Democratic Services Manager pointed out that the proposed package not only acknowledged the benefits of the equipment which was currently provided to Members but also considered best practice research.  As a result of that research and in considering how the Council’s methods of communication had evolved and improved, the Working Group had included a Blackberry as part of its recommendation.  The Blackberry would not only permit Members to communicate verbally, by text and e?mail, but it would also provide access to the internet as well as proving to be an effective tool in harnessing social media, a communication technique which was changing the way messages were relayed to many of the City’s key stakeholders through interactive dialogue.  Furthermore, in keeping with the initial report which had been considered by the Committee during April, the Working Group had agreed to recommend that the equipment should be provided on a rolling four year programme which meant that it would not be renewed until after the four year period.

            The Democratic Services Manager explained that, in accordance with the decision of the former Policy and Resources (Members) Sub-Committee, at its meeting on 14th March, 2005, the Working Group had recommended also a continuation of the policy whereby, at the end of its life cycle, Members were given the option to purchase the IT equipment which had been loaned to them and that the cost would be based on the age and quality of the computer equipment.  If IT equipment was purchased, all Council supplied licences, such as Microsoft Office, would be removed.  He stated that, although significant savings could be made through the standardisation of the package being offered, all of those savings would not result in reduced IT support for Members.  He assured the Members that the proposed package would not only allow for their roles and responsibilities as a locally elected representatives to be carried out effectively but that it would also permit Members to harness new, evolving and increasingly important methods of communication.  The total cost to the Council to provide the aforementioned IT package would be approximately £13,000 per year which would result in an annual saving of £12,000 per annum.

            Accordingly, he recommended that the Committee:

(  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1        Relevant Background Information

1.1       The Local Government (Payments to Councillors) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2007 provide that the maximum amount which the Council is permitted to spend on Special Responsibility Allowance is £82,000 per annum.

1.2       Following the Local Government Elections in May and the recent changes agreed by the Council to the Standing Orders, which recognise Party Political Parties on the Council rather than Political Groupings, the time is considered to be right to review the distribution of these allowances.

1.3       A report making recommendations for the distribution of the Special Responsibility Allowance was deferred at the Committee’s meeting on 3rd June to allow additional information on an alternative distribution model to be presented to the Committee.

2          Key Issues

2.1       The division of the Special Responsibility Allowance between the Chairmen and the Deputy Chairmen of the Standing Committees and the Officers of the Political Parties on the Council, as presented to the Committee on 3rd June, is set out in Appendix 1.  This model follows closely that which was established in 2007 following the Council’s Review of Governance, which abolished the Sub Committee structure.

2.2       At the meeting on 3rd June, a suggestion was made that the proposed allocation of the allowance did not sufficiently recognise the responsibility and workload undertaken by all the Party Leaders, irrespective of Party strength on the Council.  The argument was that the basic allocation for Party Leaders needed to be enhanced whilst the amount

            allocated to the Party Leaders based upon the number of Members within their Party on the Council should be reduced.  It was pointed out that the Parties with more than 5 Members were entitled to appoint a Deputy Leader and those with more than 11 Members were entitled to appoint also a Secretary and thereby the workload falling to the Party Leader was reduced.  Whereas, the Leaders of the smaller Political Parties on the Council were required to undertake all of the duties without any assistance.

2.3       An alternative distribution model for the Special Responsibility Allowance to take account of these issues is attached at Appendix 2.  The model reduces the payment for Committee Chairmen and Deputy Chairmen by £125 and £7 per annum respectively, reduces the basic allocation for Deputy Chairmen and Secretaries by £307 per annum, reduces the allocation to the Party Leader per Party Member by £90.48 per annum and increases the basic allocation to the Party Leaders by £1,500 per annum.

2.4       The total amount to be allocated under each model is £82,000.

3          Resource Implications

3.1       The recommended levels of allowance are provided for within the current revenue budgets.

4          Equality and Good Relations Implications

4.1       None.  The division of the Special Responsibility Allowance is based upon the positions held by individual Members either as Chairmen and Deputy Chairmen of Committees or as Officers within the Political Parties.  The allocations are consistent with the Council’s system of proportionality which seeks to allocate positions in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

            The Committee was reminded that, at its meeting on 3rd June, it had considered a report in relation to a review of the allowances paid to the Lord Mayor, the Deputy Lord Mayor and the High Sheriff.  The Committee had referred consideration of the matter to the Budget and Transformation Panel in the first instance and agreed that a further report be submitted to the Committee on the outcome of the discussions.

            The Democratic Services Manager reported that the matter had been considered by the Budget and Transformation Panel which had agreed to recommend to the Committee that there should be no increase in the allowances to be paid to the Lord Mayor, the Deputy Lord Mayor and the High Sheriff in 2011/12.  Furthermore, the Panel had requested that the Committee be provided with the relevant information in relation to the use of a Lord Mayor’s Entertainment Allowance by a Deputy Lord Mayor.  In that regard, it was pointed out that the primary role of the Deputy Lord Mayor was to deputise for the Lord Mayor and, in respect of the application of strict protocol, the Deputy Lord Mayor enjoyed no civic precedence other than in deputising for the Lord Mayor.  When the Deputy Lord Mayor or the High Sheriff was acting on behalf of the Lord Mayor and where that the Civic duty involved the provision of hospitality, then the cost was borne by the Lord Mayor’s entertainment budget and not the Deputy Lord Mayor’s or the High Sheriff’s budget.

            Moved by Councillor McVeigh,

            Seconded by Councillor Maskey,

      That the Committee adopts the recommendation of the Budget and Transformation Panel and that there be no increase in the allowances to be paid to the Lord Mayor, the Deputy Lord Mayor and the High Sheriff for 2011/12.

            On a vote by show of hands eleven Members voted for the proposal and none against and it was accordingly declared carried.

            The Democratic Services Manager reminded the Committee that the appointment of a person to undertake the duties of the High Sheriff for Belfast was a matter for the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and the term of office ran for a calendar year.  The Council was asked to nominate persons whom it considered to be suitable for such appointment and that normally took place in October or November each year.  The current High Sheriff was former Councillor Ian Adamson.  Mr. Adamson failed to be re-elected to the Council at the elections in May.  However, he retained the position of High Sheriff until the end of 2011.

            He explained that for many years the tradition in the Council had been that both the Deputy Lord Mayor and the High Sheriff had deputised for the Lord Mayor in respect of Civic engagements.  That had been necessary due to the high number of invitations which were received by the Civic Dignitaries each year.  However, it would not be appropriate for the current High Sheriff to undertake any of those Civic duties given that he was not re-elected as a Councillor in May.  The current High Sheriff would continue to undertake the duties of that office until the end of the year, including participation in Royal visits.

            In addition, the Deputy Lord Mayor and the High Sheriff were entitled to nominate up to four charitable events which they would support during their year in office and support for those events was provided by the staff in the Lord Mayor’s office.  The current High Sheriff had nominated events in connection with War on Want, the Somme Association, the George Best Foundation and the Old Belmont School Preservation Trust.  The staff in the Lord Mayor’s office had been working with the High Sheriff in the planning for those events and it would seem to be entirely reasonable to allow that support to continue for the remainder of the year, despite the fact that Mr. Adamson was not returned at the elections as a Councillor.

            The Democratic Services Manager explained also that the High Sheriff position received a small personal allowance and entertainments allowance each year.  For the current year the allowances were £6,250 and £735 respectively.  It was deemed to be appropriate to continue to pay the personal allowance up to the end of the year and to continue to provide a small budget for the provision of hospitality.

            The Committee agreed to:

(i)      the current High Sheriff not being used to cover Civic engagements for the remainder of the year in office but rather focus on the duties of the High Sheriff position;

(ii)     office support being continued to be provided for the current High Sheriff in relation to his charitable events for the remainder of the year; and

(iii)    the payment of the allowances to the High Sheriff for the remainder of his year in office.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1        Relevant Background Information

1.1       The Belfast Harbour Order (Northern Ireland) 2002 provides that a maximum of four of the Harbour Commissioners shall be Members of Belfast City Council.

1.2       In past years, the nomination of the four members to fill these positions was determined as part of the overall pool of appointments to Outside Bodies, using the d’Hondt system of proportionality, at the Annual Council meeting immediately following the local elections.

1.3       The Council was informed on 27th April by the Department for Regional Development that concerns had been expressed by the Commissioner for Public Appointments in relation to the appointments process in that the Council was not providing a number of candidates from which four would be

            chosen to fill the positions following a public appointments process.  Accordingly, the Department indicated that it would inform the Council of the process to be applied after the Assembly elections had been completed and the new Minister appointed.

1.4       Correspondence has been received from the Department dated 6th June (copy attached at Appendix 1) indicating that the Council should provide to it the names of eight Members who would be willing to serve as Commissioners from which four would be selected following an interview.

1.5       The Department has also pointed out that, in normal circumstances, a Councillor would not be permitted to serve more than two terms (normally of four years each) as a Commissioner and no more than ten years in total.  Although there may be some flexibility in relation to the first condition, subject to Departmental permission, the ten year rule is absolute and Members are requested to bear this in mind.

2          Key Issues

2.1       This matter was discussed at the meeting of Party Leaders on 25th May when the allocation of places on Outside Bodies was being determined and it was decided that, due to the uncertainty which existed at that time as to the Department for Regional Development’s intentions, the nomination of Members to the Harbour Commissioners should be dealt with by the Committee as a separate matter.

2.2       The Committee is reminded that, in December, 2009, when it was considering the appointment of Members to the newly constituted Interim Belfast Education and Library Board, it was decided that a one-off selection process using the d’Hondt system was the proper way to proceed.

2.3       In keeping with this principle, a one-off d’Hondt exercise for eight names would provide the following result:

Sinn Fein – choices 1, 3 and 7

DUP – choices 2, 5 and 8

SDLP – choice 4

Alliance – choice 6

2.4       Alternatively, the Committee might decide that it should continue to run on the existing d’Hondt table of choices, which was used for the appointment of Members to Outside Bodies at the Annual Council meeting on 26th May, for the next available eight choices.  Using this system the following results are achieved:

Sinn Fein – choices 38, 41 and 44

DUP – choices  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10a

            The Committee was reminded that, at its meeting on 26th October, 2010, it had considered a report which had informed the Members that the Department of the Environment had, due to the uncertainty as to a way forward for the Review of Public Administration, decided to suspend the funding which had been made available for the Council’s Voluntary Transition Committee.  The Democratic Services Manager reminded the Members also that the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee had acted as the Council’s Voluntary Transition Committee and had set aside one of its two scheduled meetings each month to consider transitional matters.  The Committee had decided to continue to schedule two meetings each month and agreed that one of the monthly meetings would concentrate on such issues as the development of the Corporate Plan, financial planning and efficiency, the Capital Programme, City investment and organisational development.  The other monthly meeting was to deal with the more routine business which would come before the Committee on a regular basis.

            At its meeting on 3rd June, the Committee had been of the view that for a number of reasons this separation of the business had not been strictly applied as of yet and again expressed the opinion that the two monthly meetings of the Committee should deal with different agendas, with one meeting being set aside for strategic matters and the other for routine business.  The Democratic Services Manager

explained that, for logistical reasons, it would be much better if the second meeting each month was dedicated to the routine business.  That would allow the minutes of the Working Groups which met early in the month, such as the Budget and Transformation Panel and the Good Relations Partnership, to be presented to the Committee in the same calendar month.  It would allow also any matter amended at full Council or referred to the Committee by the Council to be given proper consideration before appearing on the agenda.  However, it was accepted that, from time to time, it would be necessary to raise a routine matter of business at the first monthly meeting and, conversely, to raise a strategic matter at the second meeting.

            Accordingly, it was recommended that the Committee agree that the first of its monthly meetings be dedicated to the more strategic matters which the Committee was responsible for, including the development of the Corporate Plan, financial planning and efficiency, the Capital Programme, City investment, development and resourcing, performance management and organisational development, with the second meeting dealing with routine business.

            The Committee adopted the recommendation.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“Relevant background information

      The Strategic Policy and Resources Committee agreed on 18 June 2010 that:

·         the council would produce financial reporting packs for the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee and each Standing Committee on a quarterly basis

·         the Budget and Transformation Panel would also receive monthly financial updates if there were any significant issues to report.

      The reporting pack contains a summary dashboard of the financial indicators and an executive summary explaining the financial performance (Appendix 1). It also provides a more detailed explanation of each of the relevant indicators covering the year to date and forecast financial position, progress in year on the capital programme, implications for reserves, payments to creditors and recovery of debt.

      The style and layout reflect the discussion and feedback arising from the members’ financial training at the end of September 2010.  As we previously advised the committee, we will continue to develop the style and contents of the reports in liaison with members.

      Central finance and departmental management teams have worked together to develop the information within the financial reporting packs.

Key Issues

      Current and Forecast Financial Position 2010/11

      and Implications for Reserves

      The year end financial position for the council is an under spend of £2.6m (2.2%).

      As in quarter 3, the key elements of the under spend relate to the current unutilised pay rise budget, additional electricity generation income, fuel costs being lower than anticipated, the deferred roll out of food collection as part of waste management and delays in the filling of vacant posts.

      The year end position reflects the claw back by LPS of some £3.1m, reduced from the previous forecast in January 2011 of £3.5m.

      Members should note that efficiency savings of £2.9m have been included in the 2011/12 estimates and this will assist in addressing many of the areas where under-spends have occurred this year.

      The financial reporting pack contains more detail on both the overall council position and the financial performance in each of the Committees.

      Reserves Position

      At 1 April 2010 the opening reserves were £4.6m and, as agreed as part of the 2010/11 rates setting exercise, Members planned to build the reserves up to £9.1m by 31 March 2011. The actual reserves position as at 31 March 2011 is £12.5m. This position is mainly explained by the 2010-11 in-year under spend of £2.6m; additional income from a VAT reclaim and rent reviews relating to previous years; and the rates finalisation adjustments for 2009/10.

      The Strategic Policy and Resources Committee has previously been advised that an acceptable level of general reserves for Belfast City Council would be £10m. This means that the council now has £2.5m of funds that can be used for other purposes.  The April Strategic Policy and Resources Committee agreed that officers should consider the potential to establish a Capital Fund for investment in local capital projects, perhaps aligned to the Social Investment Fund and other external funding streams. A separate report on this  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.

            The Director of Finance and Resources submitted for the Committee’s consideration the undernoted report:

“1.0     Relevant Background Information

1.1       The Council’s Strategic Policy and Resources Committee at its meeting on 4 March and more recently on 15 April, discussed the need for the Council to ‘work in partnership

            and form strategic alliances to ensure continued investment in the City during this period of austerity and to secure the necessary resources to make things happen, with a greater focus on delivery’.  The Committee recognised that this conversation needs to include a focus on projects that are significant both at a city and neighbourhood level and agreed that work should be undertaken to explore the potential scope or the Council to establish a Local Capital Investment Fund.

1.2       Such a fund would enable the Council to support the delivery of key regenerative projects at a local level and would offer the potential for greater alignment with other emerging funding streams such as OFMDFM’s £80m Social Investment Fund, DCAL’s £130m investment in stadia within Belfast; DSD’s capital investment monies; and other partnership funding sources.

1.3       It will be important that the Council seeks to engage and work with the relevant departments and stakeholders to secure the maximum level of potential investment into the city and to capitalise on the wider social, economic and environmental impacts of such investment. 

1.4       The purpose of this report is to outline for Members consideration some initial thoughts on the potential need for a Local Investment Fund, the types of principles and objectives which may underpin it and to set out a process of Members engagement over the coming months to further develop and refine the thinking behind such a fund.

2.0       Key Issues

            Possible Objectives of Local Capital Investment Fund

2.1       The creation of a Local Capital Investment Fund would represent a further commitment by the Council to continue to invest in the City.  It would enable the Council to support small scale local regeneration projects that would enable communities to see, touch and feel a difference within their neighbourhoods. Such a fund would enable the Council to become a partner of choice through its ability to commit resources to lever and/or complement other potential funding streams to address investment priorities in local neighbourhoods. 

2.2       The objectives of such a fund may include the following:

(i)    To provide the Council with the ability to invest in smaller scale local/neighbourhood capital schemes if it wishes to do so.

(ii)   To act as a catalyst for attracting or complementing resources from the public, private and voluntary sectors

(iii)  To provide funding for initial development capital at the local level which enhances development economics; ‘pump priming’ development opportunities and acting as a demand stimulus

(iv)  To enable the Council to have a more strategic conversation with key delivery bodies and communities about the investment priorities for the city

            Financing the Local Capital Investment Fund

2.3       The ‘Financial Reporting – Quarter 4 2010/11’ report on the agenda for this  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1        Relevant Background Information

1.1       Members will be aware that to date the corporate efficiency programme has delivered savings of some £12m across the Council. At the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee on the 15 April 2011, it was agreed that a further indicative efficiency target of £2m per year for 2012-13 and 2013-14 should be achieved with a further report to be brought back in June.

1.2       Based on further work and in liaison with the Trade Union Efficiency Sub Group a break down of the efficiency programme for 2012/13 has been developed for Members consideration.

2          Key Issues

2.1       In developing the programme, Members should be aware that we have used the same efficiency theme headings as previously agreed by SP&R Committee in May 2010. These cover the areas suggested by the HM Treasury as the fundamental key drivers for developing successful efficiency programmes.

2.2       These themes are:

·         Assets and Land

·         Procurement

·         Budgetary Challenge

·         ICT

·         Service & Employee Costs Reviews

·         Income Generation

2.3       The proposed split of the £2m efficiency target across these headings is set out in Figure One below.

Figure One

2.4       A summary of the types of projects included under each theme within the proposed 2012-13 programme has been included in Appendix 1.

2.5       Next Steps

            Work will be ongoing with departments over the coming months to provide support and assistance in the delivery of the projects identified. The projected cash savings will then be removed from budgets as part of the 2012-13 estimates process.

2.6       Councillors will wish to keep the efficiency target for 2012/13 under review during the rates setting process in the autumn. Work will also continue with departments on the efficiency programme for 2013/14.

3          Recommendations

3.1       Members are requested to:

·         Note the contents of the report.

·         Agree that the efficiency programme for 2012/13 should achieve a minimum of £2m in the areas outlined within the report.

·         Note that the final efficiency target and programme for 2012/13 will be agreed as part of the rates setting process in the autumn.

4          Decision Tracker

            Responsible Officers:

            Director of Finance & Resources and

               Head of Finance & Performance

5          Documents Attached

            Appendix 1 – Efficiency programme 2012/13

Appendix 1

Breakdown of Indicative Efficiency Target for 2012/13

Assets and Land

      The types of projects included under this theme include reviewing accommodation requirements, energy conservation type projects and cash savings from our Fleet in advance of the wider review into Fleet across the Council.

Procurement

      Under this theme a review led by the Procurement Unit was conducted of the tenders that departments where putting out during 2011-12 to identify scope for realising further efficiencies and potential savings of approximately £159k have been identified as a result of this exercise. Savings are proposed within cleaning contracts, supplies and services, catering franchises and cash collection contracts.

Budgetary Challenge  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14a

            The Committee adopted the minutes of the meeting of the Audit Panel of 9th June.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“Relevant Background Information

      The purpose of this report is to present to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee the Financial Accounts of the council for 2010/11.

      The Financial Accounts are an important element of the council’s overall corporate governance framework as they provide assurance to Members and ratepayers on the stewardship of the council’s finances and its financial position.

      The Financial Report and accounts for the year ended 31 March 2011 have been prepared in line with the Code of Practice on Local Authority Accounting in the United Kingdom 2010/11 based on International Financial Reporting Standards and the Department of the Environment Accounts Direction, Circular LG 10/11 dated 20 April 2011.

      I can confirm that the Statement of Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2011 have been prepared in the form directed by the Department of the Environment and in my opinion the Statement of Accounts give a true and fair view of the income and expenditure and cash flows for the financial year and the financial position as at the end of the financial year.

Key Issues

      Council Net Expenditure

      The year end financial position for the council is an under spend of £2.6m

      Reserves

      The impact of this financial position on the reserves is summarised in Table 1 below. It shows that the credit balance on the District Fund Reserves has increased to £10,426,040 (of which £366k relates to specified reserves).

      Table 1: Summary of Reserves Position

      District Fund       £10,426,040

      The District Fund Reserves can be used to supplement income and unexpected expenditure in future years.  Of the £10,426,040, £366,147 relates to expenditure committed at year-end. Advice has previously been given to both the Audit Panel and the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee that £10m is an appropriate level of district fund reserve for Belfast City Council.

      Capital Fund        £15,439,745

      The capital fund is made up of the City Investment Fund (£12,939,745) which has been created to give a clear demonstration of the Council’s wish to contribute to the vibrancy, prosperity, culture and attractiveness of the city through iconic projects and the Local Investment Fund (£2,500,000) to fund neighbourhood capital projects.

      In relation to the latter, it was agreed at the meeting of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee on 15 April 2011 that officers could carry out preparatory work on the potential to establish a capital fund to finance local capital projects, in partnership with other funding streams such as the Social Investment Fund. The issue was also raised at the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee on 3 June and the Budget and Transformation Panel on 10 June. This issue is covered in the Local Capital Investment  ...  view the full minutes text for item 16.

            The Committee adopted the minutes of the meeting of the Budget and Transformation Panel of 10th June.

            The Committee granted authority for the commencement of a tendering exercise and delegated authority to the appropriate Directors, in accordance with the Scheme of Delegation, to accept the most advantageous tenders received in respect of the following:

(i)      a new framework or leasing agreement for the supply of workstations and laptops at an approximate annual cost of £152,000 for a period of four years, with the option to extend for an additional year;

(ii)     the provision of competency based assessment centres to assist with the recruitment of senior Council posts.  The Contract to be awarded for a period of two years, with an option to extend for a further two years.  The Committee agreed also, given that the Council would be collaborating with other Councils and the value of the contract would require a lengthy European tendering process, to extend the current contract with AS Associates for a period of six months, until February, 2012, and then on a monthly basis thereafter until the procurement process had been completed and the new contract was in place;

(iii)    the supply of timber, at an estimated cost of £44,000.  The period of the contract to be for one year, with an option to extend for a further two years;

(iv)    the supply of paint and oils in the sum of £19,000 per annum for a period of one year, with the option to extend for a further two years; and

(v)     the supply of paper refuse sacks and degradable plastic refuse sacks at a cost of £157,000 per annum.  The contract would be for a period of one year, with an option to extend for a further two years.

            The Committee agreed to defer consideration of a report in relation to the invitation of tenders for the Bobbin Coffee Shop to enable a further report in relation to the terms and conditions of contractors to be submitted to the Committee.  The Committee agreed also that, given that the review of the management of the City Hall could have an impact on the operation of the Bobbin and the fact that the matter had been deferred, to extend the current contract for a maximum period of nine months to enable the procurement process to be completed and a new contract to be put in place.

            The Committee was advised that a request for financial assistance in the sum of £6,000 had been received from Common Purpose Belfast in connection with its 2011 Navigator emerging leaders programme.  The application sought support to part-fund three bursaries for non-profit organisations in Belfast.  Last year the Council had funded participants from UnLtd Belfast (a charity supporting social entrepreneurs), the Northern Ireland Cancer Fund for Children and EXTERN.  The Council had supported the organisation since its inception in 1996 and had approved similar funding in 2010.

            Accordingly, it was

      Resolved – That expenditure in the sum of £6,000 for the Common Purpose Navigator Programme be approved under Section 115 of the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1972, it being the opinion of the Committee that the expenditure would be in the interest of, and bring direct benefit to, the District and inhabitants of the District, with the Committee being satisfied that the direct benefits so accruing would be commensurate with the payments to be made.

            (Mrs. J. Minne, Head of Human Resources, attended in connection with this item.)

            The Head of Human Resources reminded the Committee that, in June, 2010, it had agreed a new two-year Council target to reduce sickness absence to 11.00 days per full-time equivalent by March, 2011 and 10.75 days per full-time equivalent by March, 2012.  She reported that the work in relation to absence management had resulted in a reduction in sickness absence of five-and-a-half days per full-time employee since 2005/2006 as shown below:

            The Head of Human Resources then made the following points:

·         at the end of the 2011 financial year, the average number of days of sickness absence per full-time employee had been 10.3 days;

·         that meant that the Council had not only met this year’s target but had exceeded the two-year target to reduce sickness absence to 10.7 days by the end of March, 2012;

·         there had been a reduction in the number of staff absent during the year (58.5%) compared to the same period in 2009/10 which was 61.7%;

·         41.5% of staff had no absence for that year compared to 38.3% for the same time in 2009/10; and

·         long-term absence had reduced this year with 58.6% (14,270 days) of absence classified as long-term compared to 63% (19,217 days) for the previous year.

            The Head of Human Resources explained that, while the Council had more than achieved its two-year target in one year, considerable resources and significant work had been required to achieve that and would continue to be required to ensure that there was no upward movement.  In addition, considerable corporate Human Resources were now being allocated to adopt a similar approach to reducing employee costs, through reducing agency staff and overtime.  Therefore, it was proposed that the Council seeks to sustain that level in 2011/12 to reduce to ten days per full-time equivalent by March, 2013.

            The Committee noted the information which had been provided, congratulated the Head of Human Resources on achieving a significant reduction in the overall absence rate and approved the target of ten absence days per person to be achieved by March, 2013.

            The Committee was reminded that, as part of the City Investment Strategy, it had agreed to co-ordinate the acquisition of lands to allow the Connswater Community Greenway to proceed.  It was reported that the following four areas of land had been identified as being required to help complete the Greenway route and associated landscaping which officers had agreed to purchase or sell, subject to the Committee’s approval:

                                Strategic Policy and Resources Committee,                                B

                                                  Friday, 17th June, 2011                                                 89

·         an area of 0.029 acres of land off the Montgomery Road from the local branch of the Royal British Legion for £1,250;

·         an area of land at the Belfast Metropolitan College on the Montgomery Road consisting of 0.491 acres by way of a Licence Agreement and reasonable legal fees;

·         an area of land off of the Alexander Road has to be acquired by the Council from the Police Service for Northern Ireland.  However, Northern Ireland Water require 0.041 acres of the land to construct an underground chamber as part of their flood alleviation scheme for the area.  Those proposals could be accommodated without conflict with the Connswater Community Greenway.  Council officers had agreed to sell that area of land to Northern Ireland Water by way of a 99-year lease for a one-off premium of £1,000 plus payment by Northern Ireland Water of the Council’s reasonable legal fees; and

·         an area of 0.180 acres of land off the Castlereagh Road to be purchased from Mr. and Mrs. F. Copeland in the sum of £5,000.

            The Committee granted the approvals for the purchase and disposal of the lands as outlined.

            The Committee agreed to defer until its next scheduled meeting consideration of a report in relation to restoration at the Lagan Gateway Project.

            DunvillePark

            In accordance with Standing Order 60, the Committee was advised that the Parks and Leisure Committee, at its meeting on 10th February, had approved the purchase of a small portion of land at Dunville Park from the Northern Ireland Housing Executive in order to facilitate the proposed refurbishment of the Park.  In addition, that Committee, at its meeting on 9th June, had approved the surrender of a lease by the Council to the Springfield Charitable Association in respect of an area of land within Dunville Park.

            The Committee approved the purchase and lease surrender as outlined.

            Whiterock Close

            The Committee was advised that the Parks and Leisure Committee, at its meeting on 14th April, had agreed that the Trustees of the Black Mountain Irish Medium School should be liable for rent in respect of land previously leased to them at Whiterock Close up to the date that the school had vacated the site for their new premises, that is, 31st January, 2005, subject to the approval of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee.

            The Committee granted the approval sought.

            (Ms. C. Wilson, Project Officer, Chief Executive’s Department, attended in connection with this item.)

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0     Relevant Background Information

1.1       The overall aim of the Peace III Programme is: to reinforce progress towards a peaceful and stable society and to promote reconciliation.  Under this priority, entitled ‘Creating Shared Public Spaces’, Belfast City Council has been lead partner for 8 bids:

1.2       In addition to the £300k awarded to the Urban Skatepark, the following awards have been made by SEUPB, under this priority to projects in Belfast:

2.0       Key Issues

2.1       Girdwood Community Hub – supplementary

            evidence for SEUPB

            In its correspondence (03 June 10) notifying the Council of the deferral of the Girdwood Community Hub, SEUPB asked for further evidence of the following:

-    An implementation timetable for the Community Hub and the wider site (including housing and infrastructure) within an agreed masterplan

-    Programming of the facility by strategic partners as part of the Shared Space Action Plan

-    Further evidence that there is full political and local PUL community support for the project

-    SLAs on the relationship between the Council and strategic partners

-    Resource costs to inform the assessment of costs

-    An Equality Impact Assessment

            A series of papers have been submitted (13 June 11 – subject to ratification by Council), to SEUPB as documentary evidence of the above – attached in appendix.  SEUPB’s decision-making committee will consider the application at its meeting in early autumn.

            There is still the opportunity to submit further information up until mid-August, in light of recently elected Council and newly appointed Ministers.

2.2       Girdwood Community Hub – process to date

            Over the last 6 months, there has been a series of meetings with community and statutory partners, both on a bi-lateral basis and joint meetings.   All agree there is significant merit in securing the resources available from SEUPB for the Community Hub, to benefit local neighbourhoods as well as create a new integrated services centre for the city.  Through this process, a number of issues have been  ...  view the full minutes text for item 25.

            The Committee was reminded that the Council, at a special meeting on 9th February, had agreed to include £700,000 of capital financing for alleygating interventions throughout Belfast.  In addition, at its meeting on 8th June, the Health and Environmental Services Committee had agreed to progress the implementation of Phase 3, 2012/14 Alleygate Project.  However, that required the approval of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee.  Accordingly, it was recommended that the Committee agree, from a corporate capital finance perspective, to the implementation of Phase 3 of the Alleygating Project, with a full commitment to invest, including the invitation of tenders and to the award of the contract to the firm submitting the most economically advantageous tender.

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

            The Committee approved the minutes of the meeting of the Good Relations Partnership of 6th June and adopted the recommendation in relation to the award of the Summer Intervention Funding.

            The Committee was reminded that, at its meeting on 3rd June, it had deferred consideration of the re-constitution of the Memorabilia Working Group to enable a report setting out information on the background of its establishment, its achievements to date, likely future workload, difficulties encountered and possible options for the Committee to oversee future work in that area.  Accordingly, the Good Relations Manager submitted a report in that regard.

            After discussion, the Committee agreed that the Memorabilia Working Group be dissolved and that any business normally considered by that Group be submitted directly to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1        Relevant Background Information

            Members will recall that at its meeting on 15 April the Committee deferred consideration of the attached report until after the Local Government Elections of May 2011.

            Since a newly elected Council is now in place it is appropriate that the new Committee should now consider this issue.

2          Key Issues

            As noted in the original report, it is proposed that the existing Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) of the Council’s flag flying policy should be refreshed and up-dated.  This should be accompanied by a new EQIA on the memorabilia within the City Hall, done in parallel.

            It is recommended that the up-dating of the factual information on the flag flying policy be done by the same independent consultant who carried out the original EQIA (Denise Wheatley of the Equality Company) and that this information be fed into a separate but linked EQIA on City Hall memorabilia, to be done by another independent consultant (Dr John Kremer of Kremer Consultancy).  Both EQIAs would be developed under the theme of ‘Promoting a Good and Harmonious Working Environment’ – the title of the appropriate guidance issued by the Equality Commission for NI.

            This theme would allow both issues to be considered together in a broader context.

3          Proposed procedure

            It is proposed that Dr John Kremer meet with the Members of the Committee at an early stage, either jointly or in political party groups, to discuss how to best progress this matter. When a process has been agreed, the consultants will begin work with a full report being submitted to Committee in October which will also deal with the issue of what resources are required to implement the recommendations of the process.

4          Equality and Good Relations Considerations

            This work will be carried out to comply with all relevant equality guidance. 

5          Resource Implications

            It is anticipated that both EQIAs could be completed for around £12,000; the costs of these can be accommodated within the Strategic Policy & Resources Committee’s revenue budget.

6          Decision required

            The Strategic Policy & Resources Committee is therefore requested to grant approval to:

·         the carrying out of a formal Equality Impact Assessment on the City Hall memorabilia by an independent external consultant

·         the refreshing/up-dating of the Equality Impact Assessment on the Council’s policy of Flying the Union flag by an independent external consultant

·         the up-dating of both legal advice and of advice from the Equality Commission on the matter by the Town Solicitor

·         the combining of both EQIAs under the theme of ‘Promoting a Good and Harmonious Working Environment’

·         meeting the recommended consultant at an early date, either as a Committee or by political party groups.

            The Town Solicitor will bring a composite report to a future meeting of the Memorabilia Working Group and the Strategic Policy & Resources Committee for consideration in due course.

7          Officers to contact for further information

            Ciaran Quigley, Town Solicitor and

               Assistant Chief Executive, ext. 6038

            Hazel Francey, Good Relations Manager, ext. 6020

8  ...  view the full minutes text for item 29.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0     Relevant Background Information

1.1       The Council at its meeting on 4 April 2011, agreed the following notice of motion:

      ‘The City of Belfast extends a warm invitation to the military authorities to hold a ‘Homecoming Parade’ here in to order to welcome home members of the Royal Irish Regiment and Irish Guards on their safe return from their deployment in Afghanistan.’

            In addition, the Council agreed to host a reception in the City Hall to mark the event.

            Subsequent to the issue of the invitation, Commander Field Army responded on 21 April  to the Chief Executive stating that due to ‘both the Royal Irish Regiment and the Irish Guards …embarking on a very busy period of post operational duties…(and being) geographically dislocated

            with differing programmes of events (which could not) be disrupted, without infringing on the soldiers and officers taking their full complement of rest and recuperation…it is therefore with regret that…we will be unable to accept the kind and gracious offer made by Belfast City Council, but…offer our sincere thanks for your continued support’. This correspondence was followed up by Headquarters 38 (Irish) Brigade offering support to the Council to further progress discussions on the issue.

1.2       At the special meeting of the Council on 3 May 2011, it was noted that further correspondence had been received from Headquarters 38 (Irish) Brigade indicating that the military were willing to meet with Council representatives to discuss how the commitment of the Royal Irish Regiment and the Irish Guards on their return from Afghanistan could be honoured publicly by the Council.

            The matter was therefore deferred to enable discussions to be held between the military and Council officers and a report was to be submitted to the next meeting of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee.

2.0       Key Issues

2.1       Consequent to that decision, officers have been in discussion with military representatives to discuss options for the homecoming event. At the outset, the military re-affirmed their position that circumstances could not permit them to accept an invitation for a parade for the reasons previously articulated but were happy to explore a number of other options.

            The military’s preference is for a ‘relatively static ceremonial event’ that is memorable for both spectators and participants.  The regiments can offer a number of event types: an inspection; a review; a mini-tattoo; or an event described by its musical title, e.g. Beating Retreat.  Planning for any of these options would include a musical element, the event tailored to any chosen venue/location. 

            Their representatives are anxious that the event demonstrates the Council’s aspirations for an appropriate civic recognition, whilst at the same time acknowledging that this remains a sensitive issue within the city.

2.2       Based on these discussions, a number of issues have emerged in determining the optimum venue/location for the event:

-    Appropriate stature for the event

-    Sufficient scope for military event

-    Accommodation for families and public to view the spectacle

-    Sufficient facilities for  ...  view the full minutes text for item 30.

            (Ms. S. Wylie, Director of Health and Environmental Services, attended in connection with this item.)

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1        Relevant Background Information

1.1       In 2009/10 the Council’s Corporate Plan was restructured to set out a number of key themes on which the Council would focus to ensure that it delivered on its main purpose of improving the quality of life.  This approach has been carried through into future corporate plans, including the current draft plan.  The main outward facing themes are leadership, environment, economy and support for people and communities.  This new approach also meant that Council Departments had to work in a more integrated way to deliver across themes.

1.2       To support work on some of priority objectives within these themes, which did not fall neatly within the remit of one department, separate integrated plans were developed for the following work:

·         Older People

·         Health and Well Being

·         Safer City

·         Sustainable Development

·         Children and Young People

1.3       This approach was developed to move the Council towards a community planning framework, focusing on key themes.  With each of the priorities mentioned above there is considerable partnership working with other organisations and engagement with communities / stakeholders. 

1.4       This paper focuses on the following 3 ‘thematic working’ plans for 11/12 and beyond which are now complete. (Note that the older people’s theme has now been incorporated into the Healthier City Plan and that the Children and Young Peoples plan will be reported to Committee at a later date).

(i)    Belfast City Council Sustainable Development Action Plan 2011 – 14

(ii)   Belfast CityCouncil Safer City Plan 2011 – 12

(iii)  Belfast CityCouncil HealthierCity Plan 2011 - 12

1.5       [Due to the volume of pages associated with the reports the full plans are not contained within committee reports but may be accessed on mod.gov/council.min].  However a flavour of the priorities is provided in this report.

1.6       It should be noted that these plans do not sit in isolation and are related closely to emerging areas of work such as community planning, neighbourhood approaches and community development.

2          Key Issues

2.1       Each of the plans listed above is managed by cross departmental teams with the direct involvement of a lead Chief Officer.  Outputs are reported through the Departmental project management process.  A brief summary of each of the plans is outlined below.

2.2       (i)         Sustainable Development Action Plan 2011-14

            The Council’s SD Action Plan seeks to meet corporate objectives to:

·         Reduce the Council’s energy use

·         Reduce the Council’s carbon footprint

·         Reduce the amount of waste we produce and to

·         Promote the development of renewable energy and ‘green industries’.

            It lists a series of over 40 actions within a framework of 6 themes

(i)      Environmental Management systems

(ii)     Environmental Purchasing

(iii)    Energy and Carbon Management

(iv)    Waste Management

(v)     Sustainable Transport

(vi)    Environmental Protection and Enhancement

            Energy conservation projects receive a high priority within the plan.  Proposals will be evaluated using business planning  ...  view the full minutes text for item 32.

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

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0     Relevant Background Information

1.1       The purpose of this report is to present Members with a draft community development model for the city and a council strategy to support it. It also includes proposals for public consultation.

1.2       Our corporate plan places great importance on the relationship between the council and the communities we serve. Community development (CD) activity is one of the core drivers of this work. Where it is successful community development work makes it much easier for the council, and our partners, to engage with communities to determine local priorities; to make better use out of local assets; to deliver our services more effectively; and to measure our impact more easily. It also complements and enhances our wider civic leadership role in contributing to quality of life in the city. It will also be a fundamental element of the Council’s emerging community planning role.

1.3       Recognising this underpinning role of community development activity, the Development Committee agreed in May 2010 to design a CD strategy that would help the whole council to contribute more effectively to shared community development goals.

1.4       Work on the strategy to date has been in three stages:

1.5       Stage 1. Drawing together CD best practice; discussions with council officers; preparing a draft CD statement; and designing an approach to engagement with stakeholders.

1.6       Stage 2. Initial engagement with stakeholders (including a series of workshops with council officers and representatives from over 50 external organisations including the community, voluntary and statutory sectors).  An All-Party workshop in February 2011 considered the results of preparatory work. While attendance at the workshop was low, Members who attended were enthusiastic about the content.

1.7       Stage 3. The formation of a draft community development ‘model’ to share with our partners; and a community development strategy that would allow the council to contribute to the wider model.

2.0       Key Issues

2.0       The current draft text is attached as Appendix 1.  It does two things:

2.1       1.   Establishes a simple model of community development that could be shared both within the council, and with our partners across the city; and

2.2       2.   Creates a community development strategy specifically for the council that would allow us, within the context of our corporate objectives, to contribute to the outcomes described in the model.

2.3       The model focuses on a broad definition of community development and the strands of work that contribute to it. It also considers the likely outcomes. Over time we would wish to get support from our external partners for the model and eventually agree on how (either individually or jointly) we could contribute to shared outcomes.

2.4       The second element, the strategy, is for the council and its departments. It considers where the community development model fits with our own corporate objectives, both as a supporting process that enhances the organisation’s existing and potential contributions to CD, and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 33.