Agenda and minutes

            An apology for inability to attend was reported from Councillor Smyth.

            The minutes of the meeting of 19th September were taken as read and signed as correct.  It was reported that those minutes had been adopted by the Council at its meeting on 1st October, subject to the omission of the minute under the heading “Staff Travel Policy” which, at the request of Councillor Rodway, had been taken back to the Committee for further consideration.

To consider further the minute of the meeting of 22^nd September under the heading “ Staff Travel Policy” which, at the request of  Councillor Rodway, was taken back  to the Committee for further consideration at the meeting of the Council on 1^st October

            (Mrs. H. Louden, Head of Financial Services, attended in connection with this item.)

            The Committee considered further the minute of the meeting of 19th September under the heading “Staff Travel Policy”.  Councillor Rodway, at whose request the minute had been taken back for further consideration, advised the Committee that he had met with the Head of Financial Services to discuss a number of changes which he felt should be included within the policy.  A copy of the revised policy, which incorporated the aforementioned changes which are underlined, is set out hereunder:

“DRAFT POLICY FOR STAFF ATTENDING EVENTS

      Belfast City Council employees will, from time to time, need to attend events such as training courses, conferences, study visits, etc., in order to discharge their duties. This could result in an employee being absent from normal working and may involve travel and other costs.

      We have developed this policy to support the council’s Standing Orders, Financial Regulations and Accounting Manual relating to employees attending events. It has been developed to ensure that approval and control processes are robust and that attendance at such events provides value for money for the rate payers of Belfast.

1.1       Scope

      This approval and control process is for all events which senior management have to approve and addresses the need to ensure consistency between types of events covered in this policy with the categories of events specified on the application form. This will include attendance at:-

·         Conferences as a speaker representing the Council or a delegate.

·         Study visits.

·         Personal/professional development events (excluding part-time study)

·         Service and operational visits

·         Research, study and best practice visits

·         Promotion of the City events and Trade Fairs

·         Best in Class award ceremonies

·         Meetings of professional bodies and groups where payments are paid by BCC even where it is refunded partly or in full by the body to the council.

·         Other bodies with which the council is undertaking work and is directly chargeable by the council to the customer.

      Exclusions from this process are:-

·         Business development days (away days) as they will be subject to a separate policy and application form.

·         Attendance at residential courses as part of a part?time study course which will be approved through the part time study application process.

·         Attendance at meetings of professional bodies and groups where the full attendance cost is paid directly by the body concerned or reimbursed directly to the attendee. Approval to attend such events must be requested as a business absence for employees who use the clockwise system.

·         Attendance at conferences/courses/study visits and meetingswhich have no cost to the council. Approval to attend such events must be requested as a business absence for employees who use the clockwise system.

·         Attendance at a corporate meeting or training course organised by another council department. (If there is a charge from an external source e.g. venue, speaker, etc then a purchase order must be raised through the SAP system in advance of the event).

2.0       Principles

2.1    Attendance at all events  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report which provided an update in relation to the Review of Public Administration:

“1.0       Relevant Background Information

  1.1       The Review of Public Administration (RPA) process is starting to pick up pace.  Legislation is now being drafted, delivery structures established and active consideration being given to the transitional arrangements to be put in place to support local government reform within Northern Ireland.  Members will note that there have been a number of developments in regard to the RPA since the last update provided to Committee at its meeting in September 2008.

  2.0       Key Issues

  2.1       Members will accept that the challenge ahead cannot be underestimated and ensuring that the Council is engaged within the process is paramount to ensuring that the best interests of the citizen, the Council and wider local government sector is pursued throughout the process.

  2.2       Update on Strategic Leadership Board

  2.2.1    The RPA Strategic Leadership Board last met on 3rd October 2008.  The work of the Policy Development Panels had been discussed and the Project Initiation Documents for each PDP presented for approval.

  2.3       Update on Policy Development Panels

  2.3.1    The three Policy Development Panels are now been established and meeting on a regular basis to discuss issues in regard to governance, community planning, central-local government relations, service delivery and structural reform.  It is important to note that the Council is actively engaged, at both elected Member and officer level, within each of the PDPs and inform the ongoing debate and discussions.

  2.3.2    PDP A (Governance, Community Planning, Central-Local Government Relations) are currently developing proposals on high level governance arrangements for the new Councils including considering issues in relation to decision-making structures, proportionality, standards, codes of conduct, oversight and transparency. PDP A is also developing proposals for the introduction of a Council led community planning process which will draw upon the experience and lessons learnt from other jurisdictions.  In addition, the issue of the future relationship between central and local government within Northern Ireland is being considered by PDP A.

  2.3.3    As part of its work, PDP B (Service Delivery) is developing a draft Customer Service strategy, draft IS Strategy and will be examining the potential requirements for an appropriate Performance Management Strategy.  A series of sub-groups have been established to take these issues forward and, again, the Council is actively engaged within these groups to ensure, as is reasonably possible, alignment with the Councils own improvement activities.

  2.3.4    PDP C (Structural Reform) has established 4 sub-groups to take forward issues in relation to Human Resources; capacity building; finance and estates; regional and sub?regional design.  Consideration of the transfer of functions will be taken forward by PDP C.

  2.3.5    It would be the intention that the proposals emerging from the PDPs will be combined into a consultation document expected to be issued in Spring 2009.  In the interim, Members will kept updated on emerging proposals and political direction sought on the key issues.

  2.4       Transitional Arrangements

  2.4.1    At  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4a

            The Committee was reminded that the Local Government Boundaries Commissioner had, on 18th September, released his recommendations on the proposed new 11 Local Government Districts in Northern Ireland.  The number of wards, and therefore Councillors, in each District would be 40, with the exception of Belfast which would have 60.  The total number of Councillors would be 460, which represented a reduction of 122.

            The Commissioner had recommended that the boundary of the Belfast City Council Local Government District should reflect the City’s natural setting within the surrounding hills, a number of landscape features and several major roads.  He had proposed that:

·         9 localities – Gilnahirk, Tullycarnet, Braniel, Castlereagh, Merok, Cregagh, Wynchurch, Glencregagh and Belvoir – be transferred from the current Castlereagh Borough Council area into Belfast;

·         6 localities – Colin Glen, Poleglass, Lagmore, Twinbrook, Kilwee and Dunmurray – be transferred from the existing Lisburn City Council area into Belfast; and

·         1 small area of housing at Knocknagoney be transferred from the existing North Down Borough Council area to Belfast.

            Those changes would increase the population of the City to 318,000, with the eligible electorate rising by 32,000 to 190,000.

            The Commissioner was seeking views on all aspects of his provisional recommendations, including the boundaries and the names of the new Local Government Districts and the number, boundaries and names of the wards making up each District.  Written comments were being sought by 12th November.  Following that there would be a series of public hearings in each of the new Local Government Districts, with the Belfast hearings scheduled for 20th and 21st November in Malone House commencing at 10.00 a.m.  Thereafter the Commissioner would submit his final recommendations to the Department of the Environment by June, 2009.  Those would then be laid before the Assembly for approval.

            In addition to the obvious political issues relating to the revised Local Government Boundaries, there were other issues which would have to be considered:

·         the resource implications for services such as refuse collection and street cleansing;

·         the potential significant increase in the Council’s demographic profile in terms of Targeting Social Needs areas; and

·         the impact on leisure provision.

            Whilst it was certain that there would be significant financial implications arising from the expansion of the boundary of the City in terms of potential impact on its rate base, both domestic and commercial, that impact had not as yet been quantified.  Any consideration of the impact of the proposed changes to the City’s boundary would need to be set within the context of the expansion of Council services into the merging areas and the potential requirement for new facilities.  Furthermore, the reconfiguration of the Local Government Boundaries might result in the Council taking ownership of additional areas of open space and/or facilities, for example, community and leisure.  Again, an assessment would need to be undertaken to identify such facilities, examine fitness for purpose and to quantify the potential capital/revenue implications for the Council.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4b

            The Committee was reminded that, at its meeting on 19th September, it had agreed that a report providing details on the current position of the Local Government Association and what its expected position and influence would be post-Review of Public Administration be submitted to the Committee for its consideration.

            The Director of Core Improvement reported that the Association was firmly established within the decision-making process and implementation structures which had been established to take forward the Review of Public Administration process.  The Association facilitated the nomination process for the Review’s Strategic Leadership Board and Policy Development Panels and provided Joint Secretariat support, alongside officials of the Department of the Environment, to those structures.  The Joint Secretariat was contributing also to the development of policy and discussion papers which were being submitted to the aforementioned Board and Panels for consideration.  In addition, the Association had established an internal Review of Public Administration Working Group on which the Council was represented.

            Whilst it was important to recognise that the Association was one key component in supporting the Review of Public Administration, Local Authorities, at both Elected Member and officer level, were a constituent part of the process and it was important that the implementation of the Review was owned by the whole sector.  Therefore, it was suggested that the Council could use its strengthened role within the Association’s Executive and its direct Member and officer interface with the Association to further reinforce its engagement and overall influence within the Review of Public Administration process.  The establishment of a more formalised link between the Association and the Council and a structured approach to liaison between both parties would enable the Council to inform the ongoing agenda in terms of planning and policy development within the Association.  Such advice provided by the Council to the Association would benefit the wider Local Government sector, particularly in the context of the Review of Public Administration process.

            The Association had taken also a leading role in advocating on behalf of the Local Government sector and in co-ordinating the development of sectoral position papers on key policy areas including the Review of Public Administration, Local Government modernisation, European affairs, health and environmental issues, planning and e-government.  The Association had established a series of working groups to take forward detailed consideration of those important issues and the Council had been engaged within that process.  With a view to enhancing its capacity, the Association had strengthened recently its senior management team with the appointment of a Director of Improvement, a Director of Policy and Strategy and a Director of Communications.  These posts had been funded by the Department of the Environment.

            The Committee was advised that, while the future role and remit of the Association post-Review of Public Administration was somewhat uncertain at this stage, the Association itself had indicated that it would be subject to review in the lead up to the new Local Government structures to be put in place in 2011.  This was being considered within the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4c

            The Committee noted the contents of a report providing details in relation to the Council’s Best Value Performance Indicators for the period 2007/2008 and approved their submission to the Department of the Environment, Local Government Division.

            The Committee was advised that the National Association of Councillors was holding its Annual General Meeting and Conference in Lytham St Annes from 14th till 16th November.  The theme of this year’s conference was “Improving Services – Delivering Best Practice”.  The conference would consider the ongoing challenge to continuously improving public services to meet rising citizen expectations.  It would provide Members with an opportunity to hear from a number of expert speakers, participate in interactive question and answer sessions and hear of best practice in other Local Authorities.  The Council had been a member of the National Association for a considerable period of years and had been represented at previous conferences.  Those Members who had attended had found that it provided a valuable opportunity to increase their awareness of Members’ issues and to be able to discuss with other Councillors from across England, Scotland and Wales issues of mutual interest and concern.

            It was recommended that the Committee authorise the attendance at the Annual General Meeting and Conference of the Chairman, the Deputy Chairman, the Council’s representatives on the National Association of Councillors, Northern Ireland Region, the Head of Committee and Members’ Services (or their nominees) and a representative of the Party Groupings on the Council not represented by the aforementioned Members and approve the payment of the Conference fees and the appropriate travelling and subsistence allowances in connection therewith.

            The Committee adopted the recommendation.

            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 adopted the recommendations.

            The Committee approved and adopted the minutes of the meeting of the Audit Panel which had been held on 29th September.

            The Members noted that a review of the new Governance arrangements which had been introduced on 1st June, 2007 would be submitted for the Committee’s consideration in spring, 2009.

            The Committee granted authority for the commencement of tendering exercises and delegated authority to the Director of Improvement and the Director of Corporate Services, as appropriate, in accordance with the Scheme of Delegation, to accept the most advantageous tenders in respect of the following:

(i)     the provision of a minibus/coach hire service for the period 1st March, 2009 till 28th February 2010, with the option to renew for a further two years.  The projected costs of the service were £75,000 per annum;

(ii)    a five-year lease for three high speed digital printer/photocopiers, the estimated total cost of which would be £198,000, including support for the period;

(iii)   the installation of air conditioning at 22-38 Gloucester Street, at an estimated cost of £60,000;

(iv)   the provision of network cabling services for a two-year period, with an option to renew for a further year.  The estimated cost of the cabling contract would be £60,000 per annum; and

(v)    a new framework agreement for the supply of core and edge network equipment and its associated maintenance and support for a three-year period.  The nominal value of the contract to be let over three years would be £150,000.

            The Committee noted that the tenders would be evaluated using pre-determined criteria.

            (Ms. J. Minne, Acting Head of Human Resources, attended in connection with these items.)

            The Committee was advised that absenteeism for the period from July till September, 2008 was showing an average of 2.79 days lost per employee, which was equivalent to the previous quarter.  It represented a decrease of 1.09 days per employee for the same period in the previous year, when the figure had been 3.88 days.  This meant that the Council was on target to meet its two day target reduction by 2010/11.  It was pointed out that 75.72% of staff had had no absence during quarter two, with the number of staff with long-term sickness absence having reduced from 7.99% at the same time last year to 5.10%.

            The Committee noted the information which had been provided.

            The Committee was reminded that, at its meeting on 22nd August, it had been advised that the National Employers Organisation, UNISON and Unite would be entering into further negotiations with the aim of securing an agreed employment package to resolve the ongoing pay dispute.

            The Acting Head of Human Resources reported that, following talks which had been planned after the industrial action of 16th and 17th July, the Trades Union side had referred the matter of the ongoing pay dispute to the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service for arbitration.  This was provided for in the National Joint Council National Agreement on Pay and Conditions of Service which stated that “in the event of a dispute over terms and conditions of employment arising between the two Sides of the Council the dispute shall, if requested by either Side, be referred for settlement by arbitration”.

            She explained that, in the first instance, arbitration would take the form of written submissions, with a subsequent arbitration hearing.  Thereafter, the arbitrator would advise both sides of the settlement to be awarded.  The typical timeframe for such an exercise was between two and three months.  However, both sides had indicated informally that they would hope to conclude the arbitration by December, 2008.  She pointed out that the aforementioned National Agreement stated also that “the arbitration award shall be accepted by both Sides and shall be treated as though it were an agreement between the two Sides”.  Consequently there could be no further industrial action on the issue.

Noted.

            It was reported that, in accordance with Standing Order 55 and the authority delegated to him, the Director of Corporate Services had authorised the appointment of a number of persons who were related to existing officers of the Council.

            The Committee noted the appointments.

            The Committee was advised that the Department of the Environment was seeking responses to its consultation exercise in respect of the above-mentioned pension regulations.  The Director of Corporate Services recommended that the following comments be submitted as the Council’s response in this regard:

      “BelfastCity Council welcomes the opportunity to comment on the above proposed regulations.  It is a fact that people are living longer and consequently former employees are drawing benefits for longer periods than before.  The proposed changes to local government staff pensions and regulations are therefore both needed and necessary.  There must be a modern scheme that is affordable, viable, and fit for the 21st century.

      The key aspect of the proposed regulations is to make sure that the pension scheme is sustainable in the long term, provides a good deal for Council ratepayers, and makes sure that local government continues to be an attractive place to work for both current and future employees.  Notwithstanding, there are some issues that the Department of the Environment might wish to consider before making the regulations.

·         There are three sets of regulations out for consultation requiring cross referencing for some elements of the proposals.  It would be preferable to produce one set of regulations for ease of management and understanding.

·         Seven new contribution rates are being introduced for employees and this will result in a significant administration burden for employers, scheme administrators as well as presenting some inequities.  It would be preferable to determine one common contribution rate for all participants calculated on an average rate, which is understood to be circa 6.3%.  Additionally, some discretions are provided for employers to exercise and it is considered this may well result in wide variations within schemes given the number of employers.  This is not viewed as desirable and may well lead to future difficulties for employers.

·         New ill-health arrangements are proposed introducing a 3-tier system.  It is believed these proposals are unworkable as has been demonstrated in England.  It would appear to be perverse to introduce any such new arrangements given they will not work.

·         Revisions to amend the application of Flexible Retirement arrangements so that part of a member’s benefits can be paid require clarification before they can be implemented.

Proposals to revise the age at which benefits can be accessed from 50 to 55 is unhelpful at this time given it will limit scope for managing the transition of a small number of employees through the RPA process.  It would be preferable if this could be deferred to facilitate RPA transition work.  It may be that the relevant Compensation Regulations could be modified to mitigate the negative impact of this age revision.”

            The Committee approved the proposed response.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“Relevant Background Information

      Council agreed that the refurbishment work to City Hall would take place in two phases.  Phase 1 would be the availability of the main civic rooms ie the Council Chamber, Reception Room, Banqueting Hall, Great Hall, Rotunda and associated access and amenity in the form of stairway lift and restrooms.  That target has now been achieved although access to the building will only be available from the front. 

Key Information

      Phase 1 will be complete by 19 November 2008 meaning the Council Chamber will be available for the Council meeting from December 2008, although the Committee rooms and Party rooms will not be available until phase 2 in the Summer.

      As phase 2 of the construction programme will be ongoing until Summer 2009 a number of temporary arrangements will need to be put in place for Members to hold Council meetings in City Hall from December onwards.  Restrictions that will necessarily apply are outlined below:

      The Civic Rooms – as stated the main rooms and access to them will be available from 19 November 2008.  There will be heating and lighting, toilets available in the East entrance and lift and stair access.

      What will not be available are any phone or data links and there will be no arts or artefacts displayed in the rooms.

      Catering – Facilities Management can provide a cold buffet service as they do presently with the Reception Room made available for dining or if required hot food can made available.  Alternatively, if Members wish, catering could be provided in CWB although that would mean Members having to walk around to the front of City Hall to access the building.

      Pre Council Party Meetings – space can be made available for Party Groups to hold Pre Council meetings in the main civic rooms by partitioning some space eg in the Banqueting Room or Great Hall.  Please note, however, any Party Groups who wish to meet in City Hall rooms will have fairly basic furniture such as round dining tables and stacking chairs. 

      The alternative to this ad hoc arrangement is to meet first in Adelaide Exchange and then transfer to City Hall for the Council meeting. 

      Car Parking – Car parking at City Hall will be very limited with at most 10-14 spaces available at the East and Front entrances.  Again the main alternative is to park in Adelaide Exchange and walk to City Hall although there is free on street parking in Linenhall Street etc from 6.00pm. 

      Members views are sought on allocation of any available City Hall spaces.  Please note the courtyard is the contractors compound and will be the last part of the contract to be completed.

      December Issues – In addition to the above arrangements the December meeting has an added difficulty in that the Continental Market which will be occupying the front lawn.  Members will have to access the building via the market, although Facilities Management will maintain sufficient  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9a

            The Committee noted the contents of a report which provided an update in relation to the major works which were being undertaken at the City Hall and agreed that a site visit of the building be undertaken after the completion of phase 1 of the works on 19th November.

            In this regard the Members directed that all information being submitted to Committee to assist in decision-making be produced in a clear and readable format.

            Former Grove Leisure Centre

            The Committee was informed that the Parks and Leisure Committee, at its meeting on 14th February, had recommended that, upon closure of the former Grove Leisure Centre, the site be transferred to the Corporate Land Bank for disposal in accordance with Council procedures.  That decision had been ratified by the Council, at its meeting on 3rd March, subject to officers investigating the future use to which the site could be put in order to maximise the benefits to the local community.

            In accordance with Standing Order 60, the Committee noted the appropriation of the premises and noted also that a further report regarding options for the future use of the site would be submitted to the Committee in due course.

            CityCemetery Gate Lodge (Fox’s Lodge)

            The Committee was reminded that, at its meeting on 19th September, it had approved the disposal of Fox’s Lodge, which fronted the Whiterock Road at the City Cemetery, with the Development Brief to be submitted to the Committee for consideration.  Accordingly, the Director of Core Improvement submitted a report in this regard.

            During discussion in the matter, a Member suggested that the Brief should be amended to provide that an option be included which might allow the Lodge to be developed in a manner in which it could be used to reflect the history of the cemetery.

            The Director of Development pointed out that the former Parks and Cemeteries Services Sub-Committee had agreed to the disposal on the grounds that the site should be developed as a self-contained entity.  Accordingly, if the Committee were minded to alter the conditions of disposal the matter would need to be referred back to the Parks and Leisure Committee, which now had responsibility for the City cemetery, to seek its views thereon.

            The Committee agreed to this course of action.

            Wayleave at Shaftesbury Recreation Centre

            The Committee was informed that a request had been received from Doran Consulting, Consulting Engineers, seeking permission to provide a wayleave across Council-owned land for a proposed new storm sewer to serve a planned new pitch on the Shaftesbury Recreation Centre site.  The length of the sewer on the land was 4.5 metres and the width of the wayleave being sought was 9 metres.  The Council currently leased the centre to the Lower Ormeau and Markets Community Forum on a ten-year lease from 1st October, 2000.  The leased land presently fell under the operational control of Community Services and the Development Committee.  The proposed wayleave was across land which formed part of the Parks and Cemeteries Services land known as River Terrace and fell under the operational control of the Parks and Leisure Committee.

            The Committee granted approval for the provision of a storm sewer wayleave, at no cost to the Lower Ormeau and Markets Community Forum, in order to facilitate the development of a proposed new pitch on land leased to it by the Council, the wayleave to be on terms agreed by the Estates Manager  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9c

            (Mr. G. Wright, Head of Facilities Management, attended in connection with this item.)

            The Committee was advised that a request had been received for the use of the City Hall east lawn for a Festival of Fools event to take place from 1st till 5th May.  The event would be a high quality maze installation entitled “Get Lost”.  The Committee had, in 2007, refused a previous request to host the event.  However, granting authority for the event could assist in the important task of keeping the City Hall in the public eye during the period of closure and might therefore be worth considering again.

            The organisers had provided assurances in principle in respect of the following key issues:

·         an appropriate level of indemnity in respect of loss, damage or personal injury would be provided to the Council;

·         the impact on the normal operation of the grounds would be minimal;

·         all incidental costs associated with the event, including additional stewarding and security costs, would be borne by the organisers;

·         the signage used for the event would have due regard to the status of the City Hall as the political and administrative headquarters of the Council; and

·         the lawn would be kept intact as far as possible and re-turfed if necessary.

            The Committee agreed to accede to the request.

            The Committee approved the minutes of the meeting of the Good Relations Partnership of 10th October.

            In considering the minutes, the Committee noted and/or confirmed the following:

            Interface/Peace Walls

            In accordance with a Notice of Motion, which had been passed by the Council, at its meeting on 3rd March, in regard to the reductions and ultimate removal of the so called “Peace Walls” and barriers which divided the City, a major piece of research on interfaces had been undertaken.  In addition, a further audit/mapping exercise of the groups or organisations working in interface areas, to be funded from the Peace III Programme, had been commissioned by the Good Relations Unit.

            Peace III Small Grants Programme

            The Committee adopted the decision of the Good Relations Partnership in so far as it related to the approval of the criteria and application process for the small grants element of the Peace III Programme.

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

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“Relevant Background Information

      The officer group facilitating the All Party Reference Group on Older People has developed an action plan around the delivery of council services to older people. The plan is designed to facilitate a one council approach by both building on existing services and, where possible, identifying new or innovative ways of meeting the needs of older people.

      One of the principal areas of concern is fuel poverty and the impact that it has on older people in particular. A household is in fuel poverty if, in order to maintain an acceptable level of temperature throughout the home, the occupants would have to spend more than 10% of their income on all household fuel use.

      The 2006 House Condition Survey has reported fuel poverty in Belfast at 38.5% of households, however, recent fuel price rises are likely to have increased this figure significantly. The survey also confirms that older people, and lone older people in particular, are most likely to be in fuel poverty.

      Some district councils in Northern Ireland currently operate ‘Fuel Stamps’ schemes for domestic heating oil users. These schemes are designed to help people who are in, or are close to, fuel poverty to better manage their fuel costs. Whilst such a scheme will not reduce fuel poverty it can ensure that people who are struggling to budget for everyday living are encouraged to set money aside to help with their heating costs.

      It is a relatively simple procedure whereby members of the public are given a card, on request, and they can then buy stamps (e.g. at £5 each) which they stick on the card and are able to build up credit that will be accepted by specific participating oil companies towards their fuel bills. The scheme is facilitated principally by participating retail outlets but can also be supplemented by Council staff located in public buildings, such as leisure centres. 

      The scheme utilises a savings method that would be very familiar to older people and therefore one they are more likely to feel comfortable with. The experience of other district councils operating similar schemes is that they are very popular.

      A fuel stamps scheme operating across the Belfast City Council area would be of a significantly greater magnitude than any of the existing council schemes. In order therefore to measure its feasibility and the potential resource implications of a comprehensive scheme it would be necessary to apply a pragmatic and manageable approach in the first instance by piloting it in a defined area of the city.  Currently the Council is represented on the North and West Belfast, Investing for Health, Fuel Poverty Community of Interest (COI). As part of its action plan the COI has been delivering a pilot project in North Belfast which is designed to target fuel poverty through energy efficiency programmes, grants, community development and communication. The Council has already  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11a

            The Committee noted the contents of a report which provided an update in relation to Year 2 of the Sustainable Development Action Plan 2006-2009.

            The Committee was reminded that, at its meeting on 18th May, 2007, it had approved the establishment of a pilot cycle-to-work scheme.  The pilot had been based on a Department of Transport initiative which provided a tax exempt loan scheme for employees to purchase cycles and related safety equipment up to a value of £1,000.  The main condition of the scheme was that cycles would be used for the most part for travel to work.  The Committee was advised that the pilot had proved to be very successful with the number of target participants having been exceeded significantly.  Accordingly, it was recommended that the Committee agree that the cycle-to-work scheme be operated on a permanent basis.

            The Committee adopted the recommendation.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“Relevant Background Information

Purpose

      To bring to the attention of the Strategic Policy & Resources Committee details of a consultation by Belfast Health and Social Care Trust – New Directions: A conversation on the future delivery of health and social care services in Belfast.  The Belfast Trust has started a process to examine how it will deliver services in the future and this consultation details the initial overview of the strategic direction for services.  The consultation runs from 29th August 2008 to 7th November 2008.

Background

      On the 22nd November 2005, the previous Minister for Health, Shaun Woodward announced the largest reform to health and social services in Northern Ireland.  The plans included:

·         A considerably smaller Government Department;

·         A Strategic Health and Social Services Authority to replace the four boards and take on some functions currently with the Department;

·         Eighteen Trusts reduced to five by April 2007 (the Ambulance Service remains as a separate Trust);

·         Seven local commissioning bodies, demand led by patients and driven by GPs and primary care professionals, taking on some roles from the four boards and some roles from the 15 Local Health and Social Care Groups, which will be abolished;

·         One Patient and Client Council replacing the existing four Health and Social Services Councils.

      Belfast Health and Social Care Trust was formed in April 2007 from the merging of six Trusts, four of which were acute, as part of the Review of Public Administration reforms.  The new Trust is responsible for a full range of services, removing the distinction between acute, community and mixed Trusts.  It was intended that the new Trusts would promote integration between health and social services, across professional groupings and across geographical areas; the networking of services would be at the core of this.

Summary of the Consultation

      The consultation document outlines the guiding principles that will steer the Trust’s approach to reviewing and reorganising services.  The Trust is generally seeking feedback around the guiding principles and the proposed models of care that might be implemented.

      The key principles outlined in the consultation documentation for comment under the following headings:-

1.   Guiding Principles

·         Improve health and wellbeing and reduce health inequalities

·         Focus on prevention of illness, early assessment and intervention

·         Focus on individual needs and choices

·         Provide safe, high quality, effective care

·         Improve accessibility to services – promote equity and welcome diversity

·         Localise where possible, centralise where necessary

·         Integrate services (through partnerships working)

·         Provide clear directions to services, reducing fragmented and frustrating services

·         Maximise utilisation of assets

2.     Proposals for modernisation and reform of services

·         Following discussions within the Trust, proposed models of care have been outlined and set within DHSS policy decisions and PfG

3.    How do I get access to community health and social care services?

·         A network of seven wellbeing and treatment centres, intended to be single access points for information, advice and services

4.     Where do I go if I am having a baby?

·         Central to the delivery  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11d