Agenda and minutes

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

            The minutes of the meetings of 12th and 19th June were taken as read and signed as correct.  It was reported that those minutes had been adopted by the Council at its meetings on 22nd June and 1st July respectively.

            The Committee was reminded that, at its meeting on 21st November, it had delegated authority to the selection panel to appoint the Director of Finance and Resources with the outcome being reported back to the Committee.

            The Chief Executive explained that the post had been publicly advertised during May/June, with the application process having been managed by SOLACE Enterprises.  Following an assessment and interviews, the selection panel had unanimously agreed to the appointment of Mrs. Julie Thompson on the appropriate point of the salary band, £85,133 - £97,283 per annum.

            The Chief Executive pointed out that, due to the successful candidate’s existing pension arrangements, there would be a discrepancy between her current remuneration package and the lower point of the salary band.  Accordingly, to ensure that she would suffer no financial detriment by accepting the post, he was seeking the Committee’s authority to offer Mrs. Thompson the post on the third incremental point of the salary band.

            After a brief discussion, during which it was pointed out by Members who had represented the Committee on the interviewing panel that Mrs. Thompson had demonstrated herself to be a most suitable and able candidate, the Committee granted the authority sought.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0       Relevant Background Information

1.1       The RPA is now entering into a critical stage whereby necessary far-reaching and enabling legislation is being drafted and issued for consultation to enable the planned local government reform to take place by May 2011; outstanding policy and HR related issues are being worked through; revised delivery structures put in place for the purpose of preparing for, and giving full affect to, the reorganisation of local government and the establishment of the 11 new councils.  The focus of the RPA is rapidly moving into implementation phase.

1.2       Since the last update provided to the Committee in June, there has been important developments in the RPA programme which Members need to be made aware of as they will inevitably impact upon how the local government reform and RPA transition process will be taken forward.

1.3       Members will note that, as agreed by the Committee at its meeting on 19th June, an RPA Workshop has been scheduled for 17th August @ 10am in Malone House. The purpose of the workshop is to explore the key issues which need to be addressed as part of the RPA transition process (a number of which are set out within this report) consider the roles and responsibilities of the Council’s RPA Transition Committee (i.e. SP&R) and Transition Management Team in leading this process; and explore potential options in regard to the future engagement with the Transition Committee representing Lisburn and Castlereagh.

2.0       Key Issues

2.1       Legislative Timetable

2.1.1    The key driver over the next number of months will be the legislative timetable and the need to ensure that the Council is geared up and prepared to engage within this process. 

2.1.2    There have been three major RPA related consultation papers released in July which the Committee (as the Councils Transition Committee) will need to consider and respond to. These include:

1.   Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill – refer to Agenda Item Agenda Item 2 (b)

            This Bill makes legislative provisions for the following:

·         to clarify the powers of district councils to enter into long-term service contracts with the private sector

·         to enable councils to vest land for waste management purposes

·         to enable the Department of the Environment (DOE) to issue directions to existing councils as a means of control, so that in the lead up to reorganisation, councils will not be able to dispose of land or enter into capital contracts above specified values

·         to enable the DOE to make regulations for the establishment of statutory transition committees for new councils, including regulations for the appointment of members to the committees, the functions of the committees, and the procedures to be followed by the committees

2.   Reform of the Planning System in Northern Ireland’ – refer to Agenda Item Agenda Item 2 (c)

            Sets out proposals for the reform of the planning system in Northern Ireland in the medium to longer term.   Far-reaching and will impact upon almost every aspect of the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4a

            The Chief Executive submitted for the Committee’s consideration the undernoted report in relation to the Northern Ireland Assembly’s Committee for the Environment’s Consultation on the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill:

“1.0      Relevant Background Information

1.1       The Northern Ireland Assembly’s Committee for the Environment is taking forward the ‘Committee Stage’ (i.e. detailed investigation) of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill with a view to submitting a final recommendations report to the Assembly in due course. As part of this process the Committee have issued a copy of the draft legislative Bill and accompanying Explanatory Memorandum for consultation.  The deadline for the submission of written responses to the draft Bill is 14th August 2009.

1.2       The Bill is structured in three parts with Part 1 referring to Contracts of Councils, Part 2 dealing with Local Government Reorganisation and Part 3 dealing with Supplementary issues.  

1.3       Members will note that Part 1 of the Bill originated as the Local Government (Contracts and Compulsory Purchase) Bill which sought to clarify the powers of district councils to enter into long-term service contracts with the private sector (e.g Public Private Partnerships or Private Finance Initiatives type contracts).  The Bill also sought to give councils the power to vest land for waste management purposes. 

1.4       The need for the Bill has arisen because of an EC Landfill Directive (1999/31/EC) which requires Member States to meet recycling targets from 2010 through to 2020 to reduce the volume of biodegradable waste being sent to landfill.  District councils are responsible for the collection and disposal of waste and it is imperative that they meet the Landfill Directive targets to avoid possible infraction proceedings and associated fines. The Bill provides enabling provisions to allow councils to enter into PPP/PFI type contracts with private sector contractors to build necessary waste facilities and provide recycling services.

1.5       In order to ensure that the tight RPA implementation programme was deliverable and to fast-track necessary legislation, the DoE recently extended the scope of the Bill, adding Parts 2 and 3 which deal with Local Government Reorganisation.  A summary of the provisions contained within the Bill is outlined below:

1.      to enable councils to vest land for waste management purposes

2.      to enable the Department of the Environment (DOE) to issue directions to existing councils as a means of control, so that in the lead up to the establishment of the 11 new district councils as part of the RPA reorganisation of local government, councils will not be able to dispose of land or enter into long-term financial commitments (e.g. capital contracts) above specified values

3.      to enable the DOE to make regulations for the establishment of statutory transition committees for the purpose of preparing for, and giving full effect to, the reorganisation of local government and the establishment of the 11 new councils.

4.      to enable the DOE to make regulations for the introduction of severance arrangements for elected members

2.0       Key Issues

2.1       It is important to recognise that the draft Local  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4b

            The Committee was advised that, during July, the Department of the Environment had published a consultation document entitled “Reform of the Planning System in Northern Ireland”, which set out the measures which the Department proposed to take in order to reform the planning system in Northern Ireland in the medium to longer term.  The consultation set out also the proposals to make the changes required in order to implement the decisions taken under the Review of Public Administration which would result in the majority of planning functions returning to Local Government.  To assist Councils in responding to the consultation document, the Department was holding a series of stakeholder events across Northern Ireland, with the Belfast event taking place on Friday, 11th September at 10.30 a.m. in Grosvenor House, Glengall Street.

            The Director of Improvement reported that, following an initial review of the consultation document, the main strategic issues for the Committee to consider at this stage were as follows:

·         there was the potential for the Northern Ireland Planning System to become more fragmented with the regional planning function remaining with two central departments, that is, the Department for Regional Development and the Department of the Environment, while local planning would be transferred to the new Councils;

·         the Department was proposing a new local development plan system, together with a number of other reforms which would be determined by the new Councils.  This would have significant resource and capacity implications for the new Councils which had not been addressed in the document;

·         the Department proposed a high level scrutiny of local Council planning functions through a number of measures including:

- the statement of community involvement must be agreed by central government;

-  local Councils’ programme for the review of the local development plan must be agreed through a Programme Management Scheme by central government;

-  regionally significant developments would be determined by the Department and the Minister; and

-  the proposed thresholds set for regionally significant applications indicated a high level of call-in by the Department;

·         the proposal for a tiered system to determine planning applications meant that they would be determined by either central government or local Councils, which could potentially cause confusion.

            The reforms proposed in the consultation paper were intended to underpin the transfer of planning functions to Local Authorities and to set the framework under which the planning role would be undertaken by the eleven new Councils.  The role of the Transition Committees was to ensure continuity of service delivery across the new Council areas from 2011 and to integrate transferred services and new functions into the new Councils’ operations.  Accordingly, it had been determined that the Council’s Transition Committee would be the most appropriate vehicle to determine the Council’s response to the consultation exercise.

            Since the “Reform of the Planning System in Northern Ireland” consultation covered a wide range of areas, comments were being sought currently from all Council Departments in order to inform the response.  In addition, any comments which the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4c

            The Committee was advised that, in order to facilitate the development of a comprehensive and agreed Local Government response to the consultation document outlined in the previous agenda item, the Department of the Environment, the Northern Ireland Local Government Association and the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives had arranged jointly a consultation event to be held in Craigavon Civic Centre on 26th August at 9.30 a.m.

            Accordingly, it was recommended that the Council be represented at the event by the Chairmen and the Deputy Chairmen of the Transition, Development and Town Planning Committees (or their nominees) and a representative from each of the Party Groupings not represented by the aforementioned Members, together with appropriate officers.

            The Committee adopted the recommendation.

            The Committee was reminded that, at its meeting on 19th June, it had discussed the importance of increasing the number of events organised by community and voluntary groups which took place within the City Hall.  The Committee had expressed its desire to increase that number so that all of the people of Belfast would have an opportunity to enjoy the City Hall.

            The criteria which had been in use since October, 2003 had provided an effective framework which had allowed the Members to take informed decisions on the use of the City Hall and the granting of hospitality.  The criteria used to determine which events should be granted the use of the City Hall and the provision of hospitality had been based on organisations demonstrating how their event contributed significantly to the achievement of one or more of the Corporate Strategic Objectives.  The updated Corporate Plan, which the Committee had agreed on 19th May, had included the replacement of the Corporate Strategic Objectives with six “key themes”.

            The “key themes” are listed below:

·         City Leadership – strong, fair, together;

·         Better care for Belfast’s environment;

·         Better opportunities for success across the City;

·         Better support for people and communities;

·         Better Services – listening and delivering; and

·         Better Value for Money, that is, a “can-do”, accountable and efficient Council.

            The key themes which had been introduced represented the key priority areas for the Council and it was recommended that the criteria should reflect that by requesting organisations wishing to use the City Hall to demonstrate how their event would contribute substantially to the achievement of one or more of the Council’s “key themes”.

            The Committee, at its meeting on 26th September, 2003, had agreed to approve the revised policy in respect of the criteria for the use of the City Hall and the provision of Civic Hospitality.  The policy included a specific application process for community and voluntary groups wishing to use the City Hall and avail of “Community Hospitality”, with organisations encouraged to apply annually through advertisements in the local print media.

            At its meeting on 18th August, 2006, the Committee had agreed that, because only five applications had been received over the previous two years and to avoid duplication in operating two procedures, a review of the criteria be undertaken to establish whether the current policy could be amended to make provision for Community Hospitality.  That would mean that a separate process would not be required, saving the Council advertising expenses and administration costs, whilst improving the efficiency of the overall process.  The Committee subsequently agreed to amend the criteria so as to facilitate applications from community and voluntary organisations through the procedure applied to all groups but with a specific section being added to the application form to cater for the Community and Voluntary Sector.

            In the past it had become apparent that community and voluntary groups did not always have the capacity to organise large-scale events in the City Hall.  However, it had been the practice  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5a

            (Councillors Attwood, Convery, Hartley, Hendron, Lavery, Rodgers and Rodway declared an interest in this item in that they were Members of the Belfast Education and Library Board and took no part in the Committee’s consideration of the matter.)

            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 noted that the following applications had been approved under delegated authority by the Director of Corporate Services in accordance with Standing Order 41:

            The Committee was advised that the National Association of Councillors (Northern Ireland Region) was holding its Annual General Meeting and Conference in the La Mon Hotel and Country Club, Belfast on 25th and 26th September.  The Minister with Responsibility for the Department of the Environment had been invited to attend the Conference to deliver the keynote address.  It was expected also that a significant number of key politicians and decision-makers involved directly with the implementation of the Review of Public Administration would be in attendance.  Given the pace at which the implementation of the Review of Public Administration was progressing, it was important that Members were afforded the opportunity to be represented by attendance at the Conference to meet with their fellow Councillors and learn of new developments and initiatives.  The Council had been represented at the event in previous years and those Members who had attended had found it to be a valuable opportunity to increase their awareness of Members’ issues and to discuss with other Councils issues of mutual interest and concern.  The cost per delegate attending was £207, allowance for which had been included in the Revenue Budget.

            The Committee authorised the attendance at the National Association of Councillors Annual Conference and Annual General Meeting 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 each of the Party Groupings on the Council not represented by the aforementioned Members.

            The Committee was advised that correspondence had been received from the Chief Executive of the Patient and Client Council requesting an opportunity to make a presentation.  The Patient and Client Council, which had taken over from the former regional Health and Social Services Councils, had been established on 1st April, 2009 as a result of the reorganisation of the Health Service in Northern Ireland.

            The main functions of the new Body were to:

·         engage with the public to obtain their views on any aspect of health and social care;

·         promote the involvement of patients, clients, carers and the public in the design, planning, commissioning and delivery of health and social care;

·         provide assistance to people wishing to make a complaint relating to health and social care; and

·         provide advice and information to the public about health and social care services.

            The Committee agreed to accede to the request.

            The “On Board” training programme, delivered by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, was the leading training programme in the United Kingdom for board members of public bodies.  It provided new and existing board members with invaluable information on their roles and responsibilities and explored also any of the practical issues facing board members and their organisations.  The programme was delivered by consultants who were widely recognised as experts on corporate governance in relation to public bodies.  To date the Institute had delivered successfully almost 500 “On-Board” programmes in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland and would be holding the programme on a one-day basis at various venues in Belfast during 2009 and 2010.

            The programme was designed in such a way that on completion delegates would:

·         understand the roles and responsibilities of the Board as a corporate body and the common problems which could arise;

·         gain an appreciation of the knowledge, skills and attributes of an effective board member and an effective Chairman;

·         understand how to develop and maintain key internal and external relationships;

·         be familiar with the Nolan Principles which boards and board members were expected to adhere to and understand the practical issues arising from their application; and

·         be aware of the public service environment and in particular the requirements arising from the need to account for the use of public money and the safekeeping of public assets.

            The Head of Committee and Members’ Services advised the Members that, since the report had been issued, it had been ascertained that the Institute would be willing to organise training in-house for the Members of Belfast City Council and accordingly he recommended that he be authorised to make the necessary arrangements to organise such training.

            The Committee granted the authority sought.

            The Committee was advised that the Council’s Child Protection Policy and Procedures had been adopted by the Council on 3rd June, 2002.  An internal review had been undertaken over the previous two years to assess how the policy had been implemented and used in practice within the Council.  The review exercise had been completed and an amended draft Policy and Procedures had been produced, a copy of which was available on the Moden.gov internet site.  The main amendments to the Council’s Policy arising from the review included:

(i)      the incorporation of protection for vulnerable adults;

(ii)     the introduction of AccessNI and the Vetting and Barring Scheme;

(iii)    guidelines for reporting concerns regarding staff employed through an agency;

(iv)    changes to the training programme, including the introduction of refresher training; and

(v)     changes to the reporting structure.

            The changes to the reporting structure had included the introduction of two Deputy Designated Officers, revised roles for key Workers and an outline of the level of commitment required.  Increased awareness of the Child Protection Policy would be required through a publicity strategy which would be targeted at both staff and the general public.

            The Committee approved:

(i)      the amended Child Protection Policy and Procedures; and

(ii)     the associated publicity strategy, training and support programme.

The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“Relevant Background Information

      BelfastCity Council Child Protection Policy and Procedures were adopted by Council on 3rd June 2002. A training programme was implemented to raise awareness and to inform BelfastCity Council employees regarding the policy and issues relating to working with or contact with children and young people. The training is delivered by three Community Services Officers who are accredited child protection trainers.

      The Derwent Initiative (TDI) is an independent UK charity which works to improve public protection by finding creative and practical multi-agency solutions to the problems of sexual offending. They offer research, consultancy, training and trademarked public protection schemes, including Leisurewatch. The Leisurewatch scheme involves training staff to raise awareness of adults who may potentially use public facilities such as leisure centres to gain access to children and young people. The training involves helping front line staff to identify, assess and manage sex offender risk. Additional training is provided for managers to co-ordinate and manage the risk.

      A site audit is undertaken that examines physical, design and security issues and materials including signage is provided to confirm that the premise is a member of Leisurewatch.

      The programme involves the establishment of an Official Protocol with the Police whereby concerns reported by staff will be acted upon. In Northern Ireland, the PSNI support the project financially and have an officer seconded to the project on a part-time basis.

      The main difference between Leisurewatch and Child Protection is that the former is about perpetrator awareness. It trains staff to be aware of potential sex offenders who may come onto the premises to gain access to children. Concerns are fed to the police at an early stage and where an alleged incident may not have occurred. This may include a person hanging around a centre or park specifically at times when children are about. Child protection deals specifically where a child or young person has been potentially harmed.

Key Issues

      Benefits of membership for BelfastCity Council in belonging to Leisurewatch would include:

1.     Additional on site and detailed training

2.     Branding – centres displaying posters will potentially put off sex offenders use of the buildings.

3.     Ongoing audit of facilities and advice regarding how to deter potential sex offenders

4.     Mystery shopper – where visits would be made to assess if the facility was adopting appropriate procedures

5.     Formal links with PSNI

      Leisurewatch would not only be of benefit for leisure centres but could be adapted for all BCC premises where potential sex offenders could have access to children and young people.

      Leisurewatch has approached BelfastCity Council regarding potential membership. Several meetings have taken place between Leisurewatch and BelfastCity Council’s Designated Officer and the Key Worker for Leisure. These involved discussion of the implications and the links to the Council’s Child Protection Policy and training programme. Concerns were raised that there could be potential confusion between the two policies, so it was agreed that the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6d

            In accordance with Notice on the Agenda, Councillor Rodgers advised the Committee that a number of significant historical events would be taking place in 2012, including the centenary of the launch of the Titanic and the centenary of the signing of the Ulster Covenant.  He requested that a report be submitted to the Committee outlining how these occasions would be celebrated.

            A Member requested that the Committee consider including in the report the 1400th Anniversary of the establishment of the Monastry at Bobbio.

            The Committee agreed that a report in this regard be submitted to a future meeting.

            (Mrs. R. Crozier, Head of information Systems Belfast, attended in connection with this item.)

            In accordance with Notice on the Agenda, the Chairman, Councillor Hartley, referred to the problems which were being experienced by Members and officers regarding the Council’s computer system.  He expressed concern at the significant periods of downtime being experienced and pointed out that this translated into considerable costs for the organisation.  He requested that an audit be undertaken of staff in all Departments to identify the full extent of the problem to enable a detailed report outlining the measures which it would be necessary to introduce in order to mitigate against and indeed eradicate the problems which had been experienced and identified to be submitted to an early meeting of the Committee.

            The Committee agreed to this course of action being taken.