Agenda and minutes

            Apologies for inability to attend were reported from Alderman R. Newton and Councillors Garrett, Haire, Lavery and Mac Giolla Mhín.

            The minutes of the meetings of 2nd and 23rd March were taken as read and signed as correct.  It was reported that those minutes had been adopted by the Council at its meeting on 2nd April, subject to:

(i)    the decision of the Committee of 23rd March under the heading “Local Government Reform – Moving Forward” being amended to provide that the Member of the Progressive Unionist Party who would sit on the Voluntary Transition Committee having full voting rights; and

(ii)   the decision of the Committee of 23rd March under the heading “Delivering the Belfast Investment Package”, in so far as it related to the model to be adopted for the allocation of the Local Investment Fund across the City, being amended to provide that, in line with the recommendations of the Party Leaders, Option 3 as set out in the report to the Committee being adopted.  That meant that there would be five area-based working groups consisting of:

·         North Belfast comprising the Castle and Oldpark District Electoral Areas;

·         South Belfast comprising the Balmoral and Laganbank District Electoral Areas;

·         East Belfast comprising the Pottinger and Victoria District Electoral Areas;

·         West Belfast comprising the Lower Falls and Upper Falls District Electoral Areas; and

·         Shankill comprising the Court District Electoral Area.

            The East Belfast, North Belfast, South Belfast and West Belfast Area-based Working Groups would each receive an allocation of £1,127,500 and the Shankill Area?based Working Group an allocation of £490,000.

            The composition of the Area-based Working Groups would be kept under review in line with any changes to the Governance Arrangements in the City.

No declarations of interest were reported.

      Resolved – In accordance with Standing Order 12, the minutes of the meeting be submitted to the Council on 1st May.

            The committee was advised that its next meeting was scheduled to be held on Friday, 4th May.  However, given that the business to be considered at that meeting had been included on the agenda for today’s meeting, it would not now be necessary to hold that meeting.

            The Committee agreed that the meeting scheduled for 4th May be cancelled.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0Relevant Background Information 

1.1In order to ensure the delivery of the Investment Programme the following key deliverables will be required to be agreed by the end of June:

1.    Governance arrangements to support the delivery of the Investment Programme.

2.    Prioritisation frameworks for physical projects.

3.    First cut Capital Programme, LIF and CIF proposals.

4.    Investment Programme Communications Plan.

5.    Delivery Plan for:-

-      Procurement

-      Jobs and Placements

-      Bursary Scheme

-      Social Clauses

-      Marketing the city

6.    Completed Urban Broadband Fund submission.

1.2The table below outlines the timetable and key milestones for these deliverables.

2.0Key Issues

2.1Urban Broadband Fund - the Council has now received detailed guidance from the Department for Culture, Olympics, Media & Sport on the final submission requirements for the Urban Broadband Fund application. By 2 July 2012 the Council must:

·         Agree a programme management and governance structure

·         Set out detailed plans for education, profile-raising and demand stimulation

·         Agree a procurement strategy and timetable

·         Agree a strategy for achieving compliance with State Aid rules

·         Provide a complete resources package

·         Provide detailed programme delivery plans.

      This is a major undertaking in a short timeframe with significant technical elements. In order to maximise the potential of the UBF for the city it is recommended that £150k is allocated to preparing the final submission and that the Council appoint Analysys Mason to assist council officers to prepare the detailed delivery plan for submission to DCMS on 2 July 2012. The Company has expertise in State Aid negotiations with the European Commission and has secured State Aid approvals for broadband projects in the UK. They have worked on assignments with DETI and DFPNI and have a good understanding of the telecoms markets in Belfast. This recommendation is made on the basis that there is insufficient time to tender for this work and it is of a very specialist nature. The value of the work is below EU thresholds and the recommendation is line with the Council’s Standing Orders.

3.0       Recommendations

      Strategic Policy and Resources Committee is asked to agree:

1.     The key Investment Programme deliverables April-June as outlined in para 1.1.

2.     The key milestones April – June 2012  for the delivery of the Investment Programme

3.     The allocation of £150k  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6a

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

“1.0Relevant Background Information 

1.1The Council at its meeting on 2 April 12 adopted five area working groups consisting of:

­-   North Belfast comprising the Castle and Oldpark District Electoral Areas (DEAs);

­-   South Belfast comprising the Balmoral and Laganbank DEAs;

­-   East Belfast comprising the Pottinger and Victoria DEAs;

­-   West Belfast comprising the Lower Falls and Upper Falls DEAs; and

­-   Shankill comprising the Court DEA.

      The party representation in each, is as follows:

1.2Members are keen to play an active role in the project management cycle.  It was agreed the key points of involvement for the Member Area Working Groups (AWG) would be:

-   Project identification;

­-Prioritising short-list, on the basis of deliverability and affordability, for design and concept development;

­-   Making recommendation on the investment decision to SP&R Committee, on the basis of feasibility and sustainability;

-   ­Monitoring progress and supporting community engagement, where appropriate;

­-   Official launch and communicating success.

      These stages have been reflected in the draft terms of reference outlined below.

1.3At its meeting on 23 March the Strategic Policy &Resources Committee agreed the following governance arrangements:

2.0Key Issues

2.1In discussions with party groups, Members have indicated that the Area Working Groups (AWG) should be convened on an advisory basis to inform the implementation of Belfast Investment Programme. The expressed preference is for ‘light-touch’ governance arrangements for the AWGs, in the first instance.  The AWGs will have no delegated authority and no budget.

2.2The interim terms of reference for the AWGs are:

      “In the context of the Belfast Investment Programme, the SP&R Committee has convened the Area Working Groups to:

 (i)    Act as community advocates to identify local priorities and support effective ‘place-shaping’;

(ii)   Make recommendations to the Strategic Policy & Resources Committee on investment decisions for the local area;

(iii)  To offer advice and guidance to Strategic Policy & Resources Committee and officers in the development and implementation of local projects;

(iv)  Participate in and facilitate community engagement and communications activities with a wide range of groups on investment in local areas;

(v)   Consider other area-based issues as referred by Strategic Policy & Resources Committee;

(vi)  To monitor progress and produce an annual report on performance.”

2.3Timing of meetings

      It is suggested that meetings are held on a monthly basis.  In order to ensure that recommendations are made on a timely basis to Strategic Policy & Resources Committee, the timeline will be:

            The Members were reminded that the newly established Local Investment Fund had been designed to support the delivery of key regeneration projects and neighbourhoods and also as a way for Elected Members to connect with local communities.  The Director of Finance and Resources explained that one of the key roles of the newly formed Member Area Working Groups would be to prioritise and monitor Capital Projects on a local basis and to make recommendations thereon to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee.  As had been agreed by the Committee at its meeting on 23rd March, there would be a minimum level of investment through the Local Investment Fund of no less than £15,000 and that support of any one project was unlikely to exceed £250,000 in order to ensure a spread of investment across the City.  At present the North, South, East and West Groups had been allocated £1,127,500 each with £490,000 being earmarked for the Shankill Area.

            He stated that the first meetings of the Area Working Groups in May would focus on the following:

(i)   overview of Local Investment Fund;

(ii)  overview of Governance Arrangements;

(iii)Prioritisation Framework;

(iv)overview of indentifying projects and initial “sift”; and

(v)  next steps.

            He indicated that Members had stressed the need to test robustly the future sustainability of any investments made under the City and Local Investment Funds and any future revenue implications, as well as a capacity to deliver “quality of life” outcomes as described in the Council’s Corporate Objectives.  To ensure that occurred and to help inform and support the first meetings of the Area Working Groups, officers had drafted a number of supporting documents in relation to the Local Investment Fund.  Those would aid Members in their decision-making in relation to local projects and would ensure that there was a consistency of approach and transparency in the decision-making process.  The documents had been circulated for the information of the Members and included:

·         Local Investment Fund guidance note for Members and officers – this provided a high level overview of the purpose of the fund, the types of organisations that could receive funding and what types of project could and could not be funded;

·         Project Proposal Form – Each project would be required to complete a Project Proposal Form so that there was a consistent level of information upon which Members could make informed decisions.  Officers from the Council would work closely with local groups to complete those forms;

·         Prioritisation Matrix – once Project Proposal Forms had been completed and been deemed eligible and prioritised by Area Working Groups, they would be assessed, via a Prioritisation Matrix, against the key criteria which had been agreed by the Committee the previous month, which included:

-   affordability, including consideration of available match funding;

-   deliverability;

-   feasibility; and

-   sustainability, including consideration of complementarity, deprivation and need.

            The Director pointed out that the supporting documents were currently in draft form and would need further refinement and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6c

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“2.0Relevant Background Information

2.1The Development Committee at their meeting of 27th September 2011 agreed to support an application for ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) funding in respect of a proposed Innovation Centre project at Springvale / Forthriver.   The Strategic Policy & Resources Committee at their meeting on 23rd September 2011 also agreed to support the application for this project and agreed in principle to meeting the Council contribution from either the Council’s City Investment Fund and/or capital programme subject to attaining an economic appraisal demonstrating a positive economic benefit to the city and being awarded projected grant funding.  These approvals were subsequently ratified by Council on 3rd October 2011.

2.2The Forthriver Innovation Centre project is included as an emerging Council-led Investment project in the Council’s draft Investment Programme 2012 – 2015. Further reports are to be brought to the Strategic Policy & Resources Committee in relation to the proposed governance arrangements and prioritisation of the Investment Programme. However, due to the timing issues around the ERDF grant funding application, Members are being asked in advance of this to note the INI procedural stepped process which now involves a requirement to submit a Scoping Document to Invest NI as part of the funding application and to seek their approval on the proposed Development Brief process as outlined below.

2.3It is intended that the Innovation Centre will complement the recent investment by Belfast Metropolitan College in their E3 campus at Springvale.  This campus – which was just handed over to Belfast Met at the beginning of April – is to be the base for the college’s project-based learning activity, involving students working with local businesses on company-based projects.  In tandem, the students will be provided with entrepreneurship training and there will be facilities for students to work on their own business ideas.  It is intended that, should the students require additional space and facilities, they may then consider locating in the new Innovation Centre.  This will help build a critical mass of new growth businesses in this location and will create a positive regeneration project at this site, which currently attracts significant levels of anti-social behaviour.  

2.4The Forthriver site is owned by INI and is a serviced site which has been set aside for use by INI eligible businesses. INI, whilst supportive of the application, have reiterated the following points which are relevant in terms of taking forward this funding application:

·         This is a Council/EU scheme. Belfast City Council are the applicant for the purposes of this funding, which is a Local Economic Development (LED) project, and LED funding constraints will steer the type of development and conditions attached to the funding. The development will have to fit within the scheme rules and equally must align with the Council’s objectives.

·         Procurement is a Council issue and INI will expect Council to be complete and compliant in terms of procurement including the procurement of an operator to deliver and manage the scheme,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6d

            The Chief Executive submitted for the Committee’s consideration, the following report:

“1.0Relevant Background Information 

1.1Members will be aware that the NI Executive has given a clear commitment within the Programme for Government and Investment Strategy for Northern Ireland, to proceed with local government reform and to transfer key functions (e.g. planning, regeneration and community planning) to councils as part of the reform process.

1.2On 15 February 2012, the Environment Minister wrote to all councils requesting that they restore necessary implementation structures to support the operational delivery of local government reform at the local level including Voluntary Transition Committees.

1.3At its meeting on 23 March 2012, the Committee agreed to reinstate the Council’s Strategic Policy and Resources Committee as the Belfast voluntary Transition Committee (vTC) with the addition of a member of the Progressive Unionist Party being nominated onto the vTC to provide cross-party representation.  The Council agreed, at its meeting on 1 April 2012 that the PUP member on the Belfast vTC would have voting rights.

2.0Key Issues

2.1The reform process is now entering a critical stage of implementation whereby primary legislation is being drafted, governance and implementation structures being re-established and active consideration being given to the transitional arrangements to be put in place to support local government reform within Northern Ireland together with ongoing transfer of functions issues.

2.2The potential transfer of key functions such as planning and regeneration present a real opportunity for the Council to make a real and lasting difference in stimulating the local economy and improving the quality of people’s lives across the city.

2.3Whilst the Council will be less affected by the convergence issues which will be experienced by the other merging councils, the Council now need to restore its focus on planning for reform and shaping the approach taken by the wider local government sector.

2.4Belfast voluntary Transition Committee

2.4.1    The primary role of the Transition Committee will be to provide overall political direction and to take the necessary decisions to ensure a coherent and co-ordinated approach is taken to implementing the reform programme.

2.4.2    The Council has recently received further correspondence from Linda MacHugh, Director of Local Government Policy Division, DoE setting out initial Guidance on the operation and reporting arrangements for the Voluntary Transition Committees (vTCs).  Members will note that the general principles set out within the Guidance documents regarding the proposed governance; decision making and reporting mechanisms for vTCs align with current Council practice.

      Governance of Belfast Voluntary Transition Committee

2.4.3    In order to ensure there is a clear distinction between the business of the vTC and the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, members are asked to consider the following proposed governance arrangements for the Belfast vTC:

(i)      With effect from May 2012, the first Strategic Policy & Resources meeting of the month will be designated, as appropriate, to deal with local government reform related business and recorded in minutes as VTC business;  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7a

            The Committee was reminded that the Joint Group of the Party Leaders’ Forum and Historic Centenaries Working Group, at its meeting on 13th January, had agreed that any applications for the use of the City Hall should be dealt with in the normal way and be subject to the existing Council Policy on the use of the building and also the principles already agreed by the Historic Centenaries Working Group.  In this regard, the Democratic Services Manager reported that the following applications had been received:

            The 36th (Ulster) Division Memorial Association had submitted an application form requesting the use of the City Hall and the provision of hospitality, in the form of tea, coffee and biscuits, to hold an event entitled “Celebrating the Formation of the Young Citizen Volunteers of Ireland (YCV) on 10th September, 2012.  The purpose of the event was to increase the understanding of the formation of the YCV in its role up to and including the end of the Great War.  The organisers wished for the event to take place in the City Hall, which was where the YCV had been formed by the then Lord Mayor.  It was proposed that the event would take the following format:

            The event aimed to provide opportunities to include a range of different perspectives and ideologies, rather than a single viewpoint, aiming to increase understanding an appreciation of other perspectives and identities.  The main event of the evening would be a lecture by Dr. Gordon Lucy which would set the scene as to why the Young Citizen Volunteers of Ireland had been formed and the role it played in Ireland at that time.  The lecture would seek to provide an appreciation of the breadth and significance of the Division’s formation and the event would be contextualised further through an exhibition of memorabilia which had belonged to the YCV.

            The Democratic Services Manager reported that the organisers had confirmed that the event would be based on historic accuracy, robust academic expertise and critical analysis.  It would do that by gaining input from Historians and Academics such as Gordon Lucy, the author and compiler of the book entitled “The Ulster Covenant: A Pictorial History”.  His advice was deemed critical in ensuring the event was accurately portrayed and that the historical context was captured.

            The organiser was seeking to ensure that the event was non-exclusive and welcomed to all sections of the community in Belfast by inviting the Lord Mayor, all Members of the Council’s Good Relations Partnership, together with representatives of external organisations.  Based on the information received, the application satisfied both the criteria on the use of the City Hall and the principles which had been agreed by the Joint Group of the Party Leaders’ and Historic Centenaries Working Group on 13th January.

            The Unionist Centenary Committee had submitted an application form requesting use of the City Hall to hold an event entitled “A Historical Re-enactment of the Centenary of the Signing of the Ulster Covenant” to be held on 29th September, 2012.  The purpose of the re-enactment was to re-create the events of the day on which the Signing of the Ulster Covenant had taken place.  It was proposed that the event would take the following format:

            The organisers had requested also the use of the Covenant Table for the re?enactment.

            The event aimed to provide opportunities to include a range of different perspectives and ideologies, rather than a single viewpoint, aiming to increase understanding and appreciation of other perspectives and identities.  The re-enactment would be preceded by an introductory talk which would aim to outline the events which had taken place in the City Hall, elsewhere in Ulster, the United Kingdom and across the rest of the world.  The event would seek to draw on the reaction to those events from the different perspectives which existed at that time, both for and against.  This would include editorial and political comment from that time.  The re-enactment also aimed to be an educated event and would include brief pen histories of some of the signatories which would seek to increase the understanding of the breadth and range of support for the Ulster Covenant.

            The Democratic Services Manager indicated that the organisers had confirmed that the event would be based on historic accuracy, robust academic expertise and critical analysis.  It would so that by gaining input from the Historians and Academics, such as Dr. Gordon Lucy, whose advice was deemed critical in ensuring the event was accurately portrayed and that historical context was captured.

            The organisers were seeking to ensure that the event was non-exclusive and welcoming to all sections of the community in Belfast by inviting the Lord Mayor, all Members of the Council’s Good Relations Partnership and the Leaders of the Unionist Political Parties, the Churches, the Loyal Orders, representatives of the Government and the Irish Government, representatives of a cross-section of Churches and minority ethnic communities.  The organisers also planned to produce a visual record of the event, as well as liaising with the BBC in respect of being able to broadcast a live event from within the City Hall to the Big City Screen in the grounds of the City Hall.

            The Democratic Services Manager indicated that, based on the information which had been received, the application satisfied both the criteria on use of the City Hall and the principles agreed by the Joint  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8c

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

            The Committee was advised that, subsequent to the report having issued, a further request for the use of the City Hall had been received from Invest NI for the holding of the Titanic Offshore Energy Supply Chain Event on 15th May, 2012.  The event would be held in the Titanic Belfast but the organisers had requested the use of the Banqueting Hall for a pre-event reception.  The conference was expected to attract up to 400 delegates, including international representatives.  Accordingly, the Director of Property and Projects recommended that the Committee accede to the request.

            The Committee adopted the recommendation.

            The Committee approved the minutes of the meetings of the Governance Woking Group of 21st March and 18th April and adopted the recommendation of the Group in respect of the following:

            Protocol on Issues Appearing On Committee Agendas

            An extract of the minute in this regard is set out hereunder:

      “The Democratic Services Manager reminded the Group that a draft protocol on how issues appeared on Committee Agendas had been considered by the Working Group at its meeting on 30th January.  At that meeting, it had been agreed that Members of the Group forward to the Democratic Services Manager any comments on the protocol and that a revised report be submitted to its next meeting.

      The Democratic Services Manager reported that no comments had been received by any individual members of the Working Group.  However, at the previous meeting the Members had felt that a Councillor should be able to request that an item be placed on a Committee agenda without the need to reduce that request to writing or an e-mail.  Accordingly, the protocol had been revised to incorporate that change and a copy is set out hereunder:

‘Appendix 1

Protocol setting out the means by which items appear on Committee agendas

There has been some confusion recently concerning the means by which items appear on the agendas of the several Committees of the Council.  The Strategic Policy and Resources Committee has agreed that a protocol on this matter should be developed so that Members and officers alike can understand the agreed rules.

Before setting out the protocol, it is worth restating one of the key principles of the operation of a public body.  That is, it is for the elected Members, acting through the established decision-making structures of the Council, to decide on policy and to make the decisions which allocate resources.  Officers will only act on these issues when there is a political decision to do so which is approved by the Council

There are a number of ways in which matters can appear on agendas and these are summarised below:

1.   Corporate Plan/Departmental Plans

      The Council invests a considerable amount of Member and officer time into the development of the Corporate Plan and the several departmental Plans.  Officers will present reports to Committees making suggestions as to how the priorities in these plans can be given effect.

2.   New Legislation or Guidelines

      From time to time new legislation or guidelines are introduced which impact upon the delivery of Council services.  Officers will prepare reports for consideration by the appropriate Committee on such matters.

3.   Requests by Outside Organisations

      The Council receives numerous requests from organisations and individuals for assistance or requests for the Council to take action on a certain matter.  Where appropriate, officers deal with these requests where the Council has an established policy on the matter.  However, on occasions it is considered to be necessary to bring such requests to the attention of the appropriate Committee for a decision.

4.   Requests from the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8f

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“Relevant background information

      Members will be aware that, under the revised Scheme of Delegation, approval must be sought from the relevant Committee prior to inviting tenders for the supply of goods or services.

      Members will also be aware that, in the course of providing maintenance services at all Council properties, the Property Maintenance unit makes regular use of a number of external contractors, both in order to provide specialist services and also to supplement the existing in-house workforce during times of peak demand.

      As part of the planned maintenance programme for 2012/13 it is proposed to replace the existing façade lighting to the North, East, and West elevations of Belfast City Hall with energy efficient solid state LED lighting. The proposed lighting is at least 60 percent more efficient than the existing lighting and has the potential to reduce electricity usage in the City Hall by approximately £13,000 per annum. The Property Maintenance unit therefore wishes to create a Select List for the supply and installation of the necessary LED lighting and associated infrastructure.

      It should be noted that, within the current 2012/13 planned maintenance programme, provision of approx. £90,000 had been set aside to replace part of the existing façade floodlights around the City Hall main dome and turrets. Participation in the ILLUMINATE project would allow us to replace all the existing floodlighting on the main dome and turrets, and in addition to completely replace all of the external façade lighting around the building using the latest low-power LED lighting for a relatively small increase in project cost.

      In addition to being cheaper to run, this lighting is much more flexible and programmable than the current system, and can allow the use of colour on specific parts of the building to complement events being staged in the grounds etc.

      It is notable that this maintenance project has secured matched funding from an EU programme – Innovative Lighting Systems - and will be carried out in conjunction with a number of other European cities promoting energy efficiency using solid state technology.

      The total projected cost of the project for the City Hall is £335,000 of which approximately £206,000 will be provided for from EU funds (this includes an allowance for project administration, design, internal staff costs, and travel). Belfast City Council would therefore contribute a net sum of approximately £129,000 to the project from the budget allocated from the 2012/13 planned maintenance (an increase of £39K over original budget).

      The Corporate Management Team approved the initial attempt to secure match-funding, however now that this has been successfully secured the Committee’s approval is necessary before any procurement can take place.

      Detailed specifications are to be prepared in order to permit the contract to be let, and subject to Committee approval advertisements will be placed in the local press inviting applications for inclusion on a Select List.

      It is intended that the installation of the upgraded lighting will be complete in all significant respects  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9a

The Committee approved and adopted the minutes of the meeting of the Budget and Transformation Panel of 19th April.

            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 area of land had been identified as being required to help complete the Greenway route and associated landscaping which officers had agreed to purchase, subject to the Committee’s approval:

·         An area of 0.622 acres of land at Connsbank Link and the Holywood Arches by-pass which was owned by the Department for Regional Development as part of the road protection corridor for a licence fee of £60 per annum.

            The Committee granted approval for the purchase of the land as outlined.

Report to be tabled

            The Committee considered a report which had been submitted by the Director of Property and Projects and the Assistant Chief Executive in relation to the current position regarding the contract for the Connswater Community Greenway/Flood Alleviation Scheme.

            After discussion, the Committee authorised the Director of Property and Projects and the Town Solicitor to:

(i)   accept the Conciliator’s Outcome;

(ii)  pursue mutual termination in the best interests of the Council in the event         that the contractor, Connswater Joint Venture, rejected the Outcome;

(iii)seek unilateral termination on the advice of the Council’s Senior Counsel; and

(iv)commence re-procurement of the scheme.

            The Chief Executive placed on record his thanks for the hard work of the Council officers involved in the conciliation process and this was endorsed by the Committee.

            In accordance with Standing Order 60, the Committee was advised that the Parks and Leisure Committee, at its meeting on 12th April, had approved the grant of a five-year lease to Bunscoil Bheann Mhadagain of an area of 0.29 acres of land at the Cliftonville Playing Fields at a rent of £1,780 per annum, subject to an appropriate legal agreement to be drawn up by Legal Services which would restrict the use of the site to educational purposes.

            The Committee granted approval for the lease and noted that discussions were continuing with the Department of Education regarding the future overall site utilisation as well as procurement and delivery options.

            The Committee was advised that approximately 0.125 acres of land at Tamar Street, Ballymacarrett, which was held by the Development Committee, was currently leased to the Scout Association.  The Association held the site under a 25 year lease from the Council from 1st October, 1994.  The lease had originally been granted to the Save the Children Fund which had erected a modular building on 1st August, 2000.  The former Community and Recreation Sub-Committee had approved an assignment of the lease to the Scout Association on 16th May, 2001.  Under the terms of the lease, the rent for the site was reviewable every five years.  The rent of £900 per annum was currently payable by the Scout Association with effect from 1st October, 2009, with a review due 1st October, 2014.

            The Director of Property and Projects reported that the Scout Association, which did not have groups meeting in the hall, had been trying for two years to assign its lease in the premises but to no avail.  Accordingly, the Association had requested that the Council agree to accept a surrender of the remaining terms of the lease which was due to end on 30th September, 2019, although there was a break option in the lease in October, 2014.  However, due to the financial burden of the rent to the Association and the upkeep of the premises, it currently considered that it was no longer able to continue with the lease.  He indicated that the Council could require the Scout Association to remove the building and make good the site, however, the Group did not have the funds to undertake that work.

            The Committee was therefore being requested to agree to lease surrender and accept the site back from the Association, with the building remaining on site to be demolished, removed and disposed of by the Council.  Due to the poor condition of the modular building, it was not feasible to re-locate it elsewhere.  The Council had had a planning assessment prepared on the site by a Planning Consultant in December, 2010.  The site was designated a “white land” within the Belfast Urban Area Plan 2001 and, as such, was free from constraint and might be suitable for development, subject to normal development control considerations.  The return of the site to the Council might therefore facilitate future development along the adjoining land which was in the Council’s ownership.  Any future options for the use of the site would be presented to the Committee in due course.

            Accordingly, the Director recommended that the Committee agree to accept a surrender of the current lease on the Tamar Street site from the Scout Association and approve the demolition and removal of the modular building located thereon.

            The Committee adopted the recommendation.

            The Committee was advised that the Parks and Leisure Committee, at its meeting on 15th March, had approved the review of rents for houses located on land for which the Parks and Leisure Department had operational responsibility.  However, in accordance with Standing Order 46, the rents remained subject to approval by the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee.

            The Committee approved the revised rents.

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

            The Committee approved and adopted the minutes of the meeting of the Good Relations Partnership of 3rd April and adopted the recommendations in respect of the following:

            Tenders for the Delivery of Peace III

            Phase II Interfaces Programme

            Approval to seek tenders for the delivery of the Interfaces Programme and the delegation of authority to the Assistant Chief Executive and Town Solicitor to award the tender to the most economically advantageous submission received which fulfilled the relevant criteria, including quality and cost.

            International Day of Peace 2012

            The holding of an appropriate event on 21st March to mark International Day of Peace 2012.

            Community Relations Week 2012

            The hosting of two events, the total cost of which would not exceed £700 and which would be recouped in full from the Peace III Migrant and Minority Ethnic Project, in May, as part of the Community Relations Week 2012.

            The Chief Executive submitted for the Committee’s consideration the undernoted report:

“1.0       Relevant Background Information 

1.1       Members will be aware that Strategic Policy & Resources Committee at its meeting on 18 November 2011 agreed:

‘that the Party Group leaders meet with the Centenaries Working Group over a defined period of time, as set out (in the report), to explore the possibility of developing a Council strategy on diversity and agree that the Chief Executive’s office liaise with Members to agree a timetable of meetings to be tabled at the first joint meeting of the Historic Centenaries Group.’

            It also agreed the following items for discussion:

­-       memorabilia and displays in and around the City Hall

­-   Flying of the Union Flag Equality Impact Assessment

­-   the Decade of Centenaries programme, events, cultural displays in Council public facilities

­-   use of the Irish language

­-   use of the Ulster-Scots language

­-   use of minority ethnic languages

­-   how the Council deals with homecoming parades

­-   Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations

­-   expressions of distinctiveness within local areas and neighbourhoods (i.e. including public art, signage and symbolism).

1.2       The Joint Group has now met on 7 occasions and has agreed to bring a report to update Strategic Policy & Resources Committee on discussions within the Joint Group.  The paper is to seek formal authority on recommendations and gain approval to continue discussions in relation to City Hall displays and other outstanding issues.

2.0       Key Issues

2.1       Emerging themes

1.    In preliminary discussion, a number of themes have been agreed:

2.    In the visible face of the City Council, there is a need to represent the total complexity of the city fairly, including in City Hall.  The definition of fairness will necessarily change continuously with the city.  At the present time, this requires attention to be paid to diversity in relation to British-ness and Irish-ness,  as well as to other under-represented aspects of Belfast life including migration, poverty, labour, ethnic minorities and women;

3.    Trust and robust working relationships are central to the ability of the Joint Group to reach agreement on issues.  There is a need to go beyond the minimum ‘live and let live’ approach, towards respect for each other’s identity and traditions.  Progress will only be possible through open discussion, a willingness to meet the expressed needs of others and a commitment to ‘reciprocal generosity’;

4.    Councillors recognised that the issues under discussion have consequences beyond City Hall, within the city as well as at a Northern Ireland Executive level, and there is a need to be mindful of these interests;

5.    There is a commitment to engage in process and detailed discussions which exhaust all possible avenues for consensus;

6.    Disagreement on specific issues should be done in a civil and balanced way, so as not to jeopardise broader goals;

7.    For Unionists, the act of ‘adding to’ is less contentious and for Nationalists, there is a desire to increase a diversity of cultural expression in and around  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10b

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

            The Director of Environmental Services submitted for the Committee’s consideration the undernoted report:

“1.0       Relevant background information

1.1       This report provides an update on the BIG Lottery Fund Community Planning Pilot and proposals from the Community Planning cross-party reference group on the way forward for community planning within Council.

1.2       In June 2006 the ‘local government taskforce community planning sub-group’ produced a recommendation paper.  The Director of Development was a leading Member of this group which made 21 key recommendations with regard to community planning.   At that time it was envisaged RPA would be introduced in 2009. This slipped to 2011 and it is now anticipated to be introduced in 2015.  As a consequence of the taskforce and the subsequent Foundation Programme a significant amount of work and policy developments were initiated in Council to prepare for community planning.

1.3       A key initiative was an application to the BIG Lottery Fund to tender for one of three contracts to deliver a community planning pilot project in Northern Ireland.  In May 2010 Belfast City Council (as the lead partner in the Belfast Community Planning Consortium) was awarded one of the contracts (valued at £140k plus VAT). This was to be completed by January 2012.

1.4       The focus of the Pilots was the support of the VCS to participate in proposed community planning processes.  The key achievements of the Belfast Pilot included:

·         Raising the profile of community planning and contributing to a shared understanding of community planning

·         Developing and strengthening relationships and alliances between Council Members/Officers and cross-sector external agencies (statutory & VCS)

·         Assisting the Belfast Strategic Partnership to develop its Framework for Action by designing its initial planning process and first stage engagement.

·         Development of a community planning model/framework for Belfast

·         Delivering a replicable capacity building learning programme in partnership with University of Ulster

·         Summary of key lessons learned

1.5       The achievements and learning from the Pilot were shared at a summative conference held on 19 January 2012. The keynote speaker was the Minister of the Environment who reiterated the Programme for Government’s commitment to Local Government Reform and in particular the introduction of the duty of Community Planning by 2015.  He publically invited the Pilot Consortium to engage with his department in order to share the learning from this pilot.

1.6       The Belfast Pilot was extended by two months until the end of March 2012 and this additional period has focused on transitioning the Pilot’s work from a time-bound project into a sustainable value-added process within BCC.

1.7       The cross-party Members working group on Community Planning has met monthly since September 2011 after its post-election re-establishment.  It has met jointly with the Pilot Consortium twice and Cllr Attwood (Chairman) spoke at the Pilot’s final conference outlining the Council’s commitment to the continuing development of community planning. 

1.8       The cross-party Members group recently met and agreed proposals for the next stage in developing Community Planning.

2.0       Key  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11a

            The Committee was advised that the Grundtvig Initiative on Volunteering in Europe for Seniors was a European initiative which had been introduced in 2009.  It consisted of a scheme of grants to support senior volunteering projects between local organisations located in two countries participating in the European Lifelong Learning Programme.  In August, 2009, the Council’s European Unit had sent out a call to other European cities asking for a show of interest should they wish to partner Belfast in this exchange programme.  Various cities had made contact, however, the most suitable in terms of volunteering opportunities and best practice had been Madrid.

            The Director of Health and Environmental Services explained that Fundacion Voluntarios por Madrid (Madrid for Volunteers Foundation) was a non-profit entity for promotion, training and advice in the field of volunteerism.  It had been set up in 2005 by Madrid City Council.  The Foundation was chaired by the Mayor of Madrid and had Elected Members on the Board, with the overall responsibility resting with the Director for Volunteering.  The joint application with Madrid to the programme had been successful and the Council had been awarded €24,282.  To date six volunteers had travelled to Madrid to volunteer for six weeks and Belfast had hosted six volunteers.

            The European funded volunteer exchange programme between Belfast and Madrid was due to close in July, 2012.  The original funding application and budget included the organisation of a final conference which would bring together all of the volunteers to celebrate their learning and evaluate the programme.  Madrid had offered to host that conference and to cover the costs of the accommodation.  Belfast would be required to cover expenses relating to travel and subsistence for the local volunteers, an officer and a Member of Council, all of which could be claimed from the grant which had been awarded.  Councillor Bernie Kelly, who had chaired the All-Party Reference Group on Older People, had been involved in the project from the initial discussion stages and had attended the first meeting in Madrid in January, 2010.  Accordingly, it was recommended that the Committee authorise the attendance of Councillor Kelly and the Council’s lead officer on older people (or their nominees) to attend the final conference for the project in Madrid in June, 2012.

            The Committee adopted the recommendation.

            The Committee was reminded that the Council, at its meeting on 1st March, 2012, had agreed the following Notice of Motion:

      “This Council believes that the Coalition Government’s welfare cuts and major aspects of their Welfare Reform agenda are having and will continue to have a significant detrimental impact on the citizens of Belfast; recognises the impact will be more severe for Northern Ireland and our city's citizens given our historically high levels of disadvantage, higher proportion of families with children and of individuals in receipt of Disability Living Allowance; notes that the accumulated cost of welfare cuts to the local economy could reach £450m; calls on the Assembly to establish an ad-hoc committee to undertake detailed scrutiny of the upcoming universal credit bill and related issues; and further calls on the Northern Ireland Executive to make opposition to a wide range of the welfare reforms the highest Executive priority and to immediately pursue robust negotiations with the Coalition Government to pursue all possible legal and operational flexibilities and financial support to mitigate the impact of welfare cuts and changes imposed on Northern Ireland and Belfast in particular.”

            The Democratic Services Manager reported that correspondence had been received from Mr. J. Reynolds, Head of Poverty, Social Inclusion, Disability Branch, Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister, advising that tackling disadvantage was a key priority for the Executive and an essential element in the draft Programme for Government.  Ministers had therefore included in the Programme a commitment to establish an advisory group to assist in alleviating hardship, including any implications of the Coalition Government’s Welfare Reform Programme.

            The Committee noted receipt of the correspondence.

            The Democratic Services Manager reminded the Committee that the Council, at its meeting on 1st March, had agreed the following Notice of Motion:

      “This Council expresses its support and solidarity with the family and friends of former Belfast City Council Youth Forum Member Joby Murphy following his sad loss at the footbridge over the River Lagan in January.

      The Council recognises the increased role of the river front in the life of the City and the need to ensure that is a safe environment and that standards of provision are reviewed in light of this tragedy and the sad loss for the Murphy family.

      The Council also expresses its opposition to the practice of inappropriate and dangerous drinks promotions in pubs and clubs and calls upon the Minister responsible to continue to engage with appropriate authorities, including representatives of local licensees, to develop an action plan to put an end to such practices.”

            He reported that correspondence had been received from the Minister for Social Development, Mr. Nelson McCausland, MLA, indicating that the Department shared the Council’s support for the family and friends of the late Joby Murphy.  In addition, with regard to the provision of safety alarms along the riverfront at the Laganside, the Department had commissioned an immediate health and safety review audit in order to reassure the public that the safety measures within the area fully comply with current bridge design and safety codes.  The Audit, which had been completed, had identified a number of recommendations in relation to further preventative measures to reduce the risk of deliberate entry into the water.

            The Democratic Services Manager pointed out that the Minister had welcomed the Council’s opposition to irresponsible drinks promotions and had indicated that the Department for Social Development was committed to banning such promotions and was working currently with representatives of the drinks trade to develop a code of practice on drinks promotions.  The Department had launched a public consultation on the introduction of regulations to ban those promotions and look forward to receiving the Council’s response thereon.  The Council’s response would be considered by the Health and Environmental Services Committee at its meeting on 2nd May.

Noted.