Agenda and minutes

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

            The minutes of the meetings of 15th and 23rd April were taken as read and signed as correct.  It was reported that those minutes had been adopted by the Council at its meeting on 4th May, subject to the omission of the minute of the meeting of 15th April under the heading “Local Government (Disqualifications) (Amendment) Bill” which, at the request of Councillor Robinson, had been taken back to the Committee for further consideration.

(To consider further the minute of the meeting of 15^th April which, at the request of Councillor Robinson, was taken back to the Committee for further consideration by the Council at its meeting on 4^th May).

            The Committee considered further the undernoted minute of the meeting of 15th April:

“Local Government (Disqualifications) (Amendment) Bill

      The Director of Legal Services advised the Committee that correspondence had been received from the Committee for the Environment seeking the Council’s views on the draft Local Government (Disqualifications) (Amendment) Bill.  He explained that the sole purpose of the Bill was to amend the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1972 to make provision to disqualify Elected Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly from holding office as Councillors.

      The Director pointed out that Section 4(1) of the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1972 currently prescribed a range of circumstances which would disqualify a person from holding office as a Councillor.  The Bill would extend the 1972 Act to preclude MLAs from being, or being elected, as a Councillor.  Following Royal Assent, it would be the intention that the Bill would be operative on the day of the next District Council Elections, which were expected to take place in May, 2011.

      The Director of Legal Services stated that the Bill addressed a political issue and an excess of 140 individuals and organisations, including political Parties, had been consulted.  The comments received were strongly in favour of the proposal.  Accordingly, he recommended that the Committee agree not to offer any objection to the introduction of the Bill.

      The Committee adopted the recommendation.”

            Councillor Robinson, at whose request the matter had been taken back to the Committee, indicated that if the legislation were to be passed in its current form there could be technical difficulties if the Local Government and Assembly Elections were held on the same date and Parties nominated the same candidate for both elections.

            The Head of Committee and Members’ Services explained that if the legislation did not take effect until the date of the next Local Government Elections, there would be nothing to prevent existing Members of the Assembly from submitting nomination papers for election to Local Councils nor existing Members of Local Councils from submitting nomination papers for election to the Assembly.  One way to avoid that would be to introduce legislation with effect from 1st April, 2011, that is, prior to the submission of nominations.

            However, that would not prevent a person who was a not a Member of either the Council or the Assembly submitting nomination papers for election to both.  While the main political Parties were unlikely to approve candidates submitting papers in respect of both Councils and the Assembly, it was possible that independent persons could do so.  If such a person were to be elected to the Assembly before the Council votes were counted, he or she would then be ineligible for election to the Council despite appearing on the ballot paper and receiving votes from the electorate.  If he or she were to receive sufficient votes to be “elected”, the question was what status he or she would have and how would the matter be dealt with?

            The Head  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0       Relevant Background Information

1.1       Members will be aware of the ongoing discussions within the NI Executive in regards to the Review of Public Administration and how the reform of local government within Northern Ireland will be progressed.  It is understood that there remains an absence of decision on important implementation issues including, for example, the new local government boundaries and how the reform programme will be funded. 

            Key Issues

1.2       The Environment Minister intended to submit a report to the Executive, at its meeting on 13th May 2010, setting out options on a proposed way forward for the RPA.  As it happens, the report did not actually appear on the agenda. 

1.3       It is understood that the report indicated that the reform of local government as currently proposed (particularly the reorganisation of councils from 26 to 11) is no longer deliverable by May 2011 and should be postponed until 2015.  Two options had been outlined for Ministerial consideration:-

·         Option 1: reorganisation of councils postponed until 2015 with shadow councils being put in place from 2014.  Consideration to be given to the interim transfer of some functions (e.g. Planning, DSD functions and the duty off Community Planning) to councils from 2011 onwards.

·         Option 2: reorganisation of councils and transfer of functions deferred until 2015 with consideration given to potential shadow period being introduced from 2014.

1.4       Any postponement or reconfiguration made to the RPA programme requires Executive approval.

1.5       There has been considerable media speculation and discussion within the Executive over recent months in regards to the RPA.  An extract from Hansard outlining the Environment Minister’s responses to RPA related questions raised within the Assembly on 11th May 2010 has been circulated.

1.6       As previously agreed by the Committee, a letter has been sent to the Environment Minister outlining the Council’s concerns regarding the continued delay and absence of decisions around the RPA and seeking an urgent announcement on the way forward. 

1.7       A verbal update will be provided at the SP&R Committee meeting on 21st May, on any further RPA developments since the report was drafted.

            Collaboration and Efficiency

2.8       Members will be aware of the recent discussions in regards to how local government would intend to take forward the creation of a service-delivery model that would provide efficiencies through collaboration.  This work was initiated in response to the sector’s strong opposition to the proposed establishment of a centralised Business Services Organisation.

2.9       The local government proposed approach outlined in the paper ‘A Practical Approach to Securing Local Government Efficiencies and Improvements through Collaboration’ was accepted in principle by the Environment Minister at the Strategic Leadership Board meeting of 14 April 2010.  The Minister indicated, however, that further work was now required on the detail of the proposals put forward in regards to delivering efficiencies through voluntary collaboration. 

2.10     It is understood that the Environment Minister is minded, in moving forward with a reconfigured RPA programme, to place  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3a

            The Committee was advised that the Department for Social Development had commissioned recently a consortium of consultants to assist the Department in preparing a strategy and policy framework for Urban Regeneration and Community Development in Northern Ireland.  In order to enable key stakeholders to provide an input into the process, the Northern Ireland Local Government Association had arranged a seminar in the Strule Arts Centre, Omagh on Friday, 28th May.

            The Committee approved the attendance of one Member from each of the Party Groupings on the Council, together with appropriate officers, at the seminar.

            The Committee noted the contents of a report which provided an update on the implementation of the Member Development Framework, the proposed content of future Member development activities and a proposed induction training plan for new Members following the Local Government Elections in May, 2011.

            The Committee was reminded that it was intended that the five Education and Library Boards would be replaced with an Education and Skills Authority.  However, that required legislative agreement between the Parties and in the period prior to the establishment of the new Body streamlined Education and Library Boards were being put in place.  The Head of Committee and Members’ Services reminded the Committee further that, at its meeting on 11th December, 2009, it had considered a request from the Minister for Education to put forward, in line with the guidelines published by the Commissioner for Public Appointments, at least eight Councillors who would be willing to sit on the transitional Board.  The Committee had agreed to nominate only four Members with representatives being selected using a one-off d’Hondt process.  That had resulted in the nominations falling to the Sinn Féin, Democratic Unionist, Ulster Unionist and Social Democratic and Labour Party Groupings, with Councillors Convery, Hartley, Rodgers and Rodway having been put forward for selection.

            He reported that further correspondence had been received from the Minister on 17th February reiterating the need for the Council to nominate at least two persons for each vacancy and requesting that an additional four names be forwarded to her.  That had been drawn to the Committee’s attention at its meeting on 19th February, when it had been decided to affirm the decision of 11th December to nominate only four Members to the four places to which the Council was entitled under the legislation.

            The Minister for Education had now written again asking the Council to review its position with a view to providing a total of eight nominees in order to comply with the guidelines of the Commissioner for Public Appointments.  In her letter, the Minister explained that she was required to follow the procedures laid down by the Commissioner and that twenty-four out of the twenty-six Councils in Northern Ireland had complied with the request to provide multiple nominees. 

            The Head of Committee and Members’ Services pointed out that, while that request was essentially no different from that which the Minister had made in February, there was little doubt that the impasse which had arisen was doing nothing to progress and enhance the administration, oversight and management of education in Belfast.  He felt that the Committee might take the view that, in the interests of ensuring that the Council had the opportunity to play a positive and constructive role in overseeing and contributing to educational decisions and policy in the City, it would be better to find a way to accommodate the Minister’s wishes while at the same time preserving and protecting the basis on which the Committee made appointments to Outside Bodies, that is, through the use of the d’Hondt process.

            He indicated that the Committee could do so by simply giving each of the Party Groupings two nominees under each choice rather than the normal one.  That would preserve the principle of proportionality yet satisfy the Minister’s wish to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4b

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“Relevant Background Information

      As part of the rate setting process for 2010/2011 the Committee has stressed the need for all Departments to consider potential efficiency savings.  The drive to effect efficiencies and to reduce costs across the organisation is ongoing and reports will be submitted periodically.  One area where costs could be reduced is in the provision of hospitality to external organisations using the City Hall.

Key Issues

      The Council provides hospitality in relation to events organised by external organisations as well as several civic events, such as the Lord Mayor’s installation dinner, the Somme Commemoration and the Rose Trials Dinner, which are organised directly by the Council.

      Hospitality is provided to most external organisations which have been granted authority for their event to take place within the City Hall.  However, it is apparent that the provision of hospitality is of secondary importance to organisations, with securing the use of the building for their event being their primary concern.

      The total expenditure on hospitality for each of the past eight years is illustrated below.

      Members will recall that when the City Hall was closed from September 2007 to October 2009, the Council continued to cover the cost of hospitality for events which were held in alternative venues so long as the request satisfied the criteria.  

      Members will observe from the data that, despite the cost of food and drink increasing over this period, hospitality expenditure has generally decreased.  This is due largely to the decision taken when the policy for the use of the City Hall was reviewed in 2003 to move away from the provision of civic dinners to a ‘use of the building only’ concession.  There was a recognition at that time that circumstances had changed to the extent that Belfast did not have to provide lavish dinners in order to attract conferences, and certainly this does appear to have been the case.  This is illustrated by the fact that the number of business visitors coming to the City doubled from 329,000 in 2003 to 659,000 in 2008.  While there are obviously a range of factors involved in contributing to this increase, it is certainly true that reducing the level of hospitality has not had a negative impact.  The current economic circumstances facing the Council make it necessary to further review the existing policy and to consider whether effecting enhanced savings would be appropriate.

      The following options have been identified as a means of achieving this:

1.      cease to provide any hospitality whatsoever for events organised within the City Hall by external organisations, which would still be granted the use of the building.  This option could save the Council approximately £105,000 per annum.

2.      cap the amount to be spent on drinks receptions to £500 per event.  This option could save the Council approximately £23,000 per annum.

      Although the options outline the financial benefits to the Council they do not take into account any detrimental effects associated with reducing the amount  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4c

            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 adopted the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4d

            The Committee noted the information which had been provided in relation to the submission of late reports.

            The Committee was reminded that the undernoted Notice of Motion had been proposed by Councillor Brownlee and seconded by Councillor M. Browne at the Council meeting on 1st April:

      “The Council commends the achievement of St. Gall’s Gaelic Athletic Club, in this its centenary year, in becoming the first team from Belfast to win an All-Ireland Senior Gaelic Football Club Championship and requests that the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee give consideration to the appropriate way in which this achievement might best be recognised.”

            In accordance with Standing Order 11(e), the motion had stood referred without discussion to the Committee, but had subsequently been deferred at its meeting on 23rd April.  The Committee was reminded also that the scale of the achievement of St. Gall’s winning the All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship had been recognised as soon as it had occurred.  The Deputy Lord Mayor, Councillor Lavery, had raised the matter and arrangements had been put in train to receive the club players and officials in order to pay tribute to their success.  A Mayoral reception had been held on 15th April, the earliest suitable date, when the Deputy Lord Mayor had acknowledged the Club’s success and had congratulated the players on their achievements.

            A Member pointed out that the winning of the trophy had been a significant achievement and requested that the Committee give proper consideration to how it could best be recognised.

            The Committee was advised that the Club was this year celebrating its 100th Anniversary and was seeking to use the City Hall for that event and if the Committee were minded then discussions could be undertaken with the Club to establish how its achievement could be recognised by the Council at that event.

            The Committee agreed to this course of action.

            The Committee was reminded that the Lord Mayor, at the meeting of the Council on 4th May, in accordance with Standing Order 11(e), had referred to the Committee the undernoted Notice of Motion which had been proposed by Councillor Stoker and seconded by Councillor Rodgers:

      “This Council recognises the achievement of Noel Bailie in reaching the incredible milestone of having made 1,000 appearances for Linfield Football Club and calls upon the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee to give consideration to the appropriate way in which this achievement might best be recognised.”

            It was suggested that, as a means of recognising the feat, the incoming Lord Mayor be recommended to hold a reception for the Linfield Football Club and that a special presentation be made at that event to Mr. Noel Bailie in recognition of his having achieved 1,000 appearances for the Club.

            The Committee agreed to this course of action.

            The Committee was advised that it had been the practice for the Entertainment and Personal Allowances paid to the Lord Mayor, the Deputy Lord Mayor and the High Sheriff to be reviewed annually to take into account increases in the cost of living and other factors.

            Accordingly, it was recommended that the Committee approve the increasing of the Lord Mayor’s Personal and Entertainments Allowances to £34,800 and £25,900 respectively and the Deputy Lord Mayor’s and the High Sheriff’s Personal and Entertainments Allowances to £5,250 and £735 respectively.  All the recommended increases in the allowances represented an inflationary increase of 3% approximately.

            The Committee adopted the recommendations.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report in relation to the minutes of the meeting of the Budget and Transformation Panel of 14th May:

“Relevant Background Information

      These are the minutes of Meeting No.11 of the Budget and Transformation Panel, held on Friday 14 May 2010.

      Present:

Cllr T Hartley           SF (Chair)

Cllr M Browne         SF

Cllr P Convery        SDLP

Cllr M Jones            ALL

Cllr R Newton          DUP

P McNaney              Chief Executive

J Thompson            Director of Finance and Resources

G Millar                    Director of Property and Projects

R Cregan                 Head of Finance and Performance

Key Issues

      1.   Indicative Rate Target for 2011/12

      The Chief Executive discussed with Members the challenging financial environment anticipated for the public sector over the next few years, for both capital and revenue expenditure.

      As agreed at the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee in March 2010, work has been ongoing to develop an indicative rate target for 2011/12 and an efficiency target which would be discussed at the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee in May 2010. This is an additional step put into the rates setting process which will give a context and framework for officers as they approach the more detailed rates setting work in the late summer/autumn.

      The Director of Finance and Resources presented a paper to Members of the Budget and Transformation Panel on the indicative rates target for 2011/12. Having considered the financial implications for the Council at a very high level, it was recommended that an indicative rate target for 2011/12 be established at 2.5%.

      Members recognised that this was an initial target that was subject to review as more detailed work progressed. Further choices and recommendations would be presented to Members but they advised that this should be viewed as an upper target at this stage and officers should seek to identify a lower rates uplift, if at all possible. The need for prudence was emphasised with control and challenge of costs, along with the identification of options for investment in the city. The role of Land and Property Services in maximising rates income was also discussed. It was agreed that the Budget and Transformation Panel would recommend an indicative rates target of 2.5% for 2011/12 to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee.

      2.   Use of VAT Reclaim Monies (2009/10)

      On the back of a court case which challenged the VAT charged for sporting, leisure and cultural services, the council has been able to secure a VAT refund. Given the difficulties of predicting the success of our claim, we have recently received some £1.3m of extra income which has not yet been accounted for, on top of the £1.56m income already included in the Council’s forecast projections for 2009/10. This £1.3m is one off income that needs to be accounted for in 2009/10, with the draft accounts planned to be presented to the Audit Panel on 7 June.

      The reserves position is in line with the current reserves strategy and therefore it is proposed that the £1.3m is not put  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5a

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

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“Relevant Background Information

      On 22nd January, the Committee was advised that the Big Lottery Fund (BIG) had begun a tendering process for the delivery of three pilot projects on community planning in Northern Ireland, commencing with a pre-qualification stage to determine who should be invited to tender for the contract.  The Committee agreed that the Council should submit an expression of interest and complete the pre-qualification application.  As BIG’s preferred method of delivery appeared to be a partnership approach with the voluntary and community sector (VCS), the Committee also agreed that this should be done in collaboration with the five Area Partnership Boards (APBs) and the not for profit organisation, Community Places.  For the purposes of the funding application, this partnership was named the ‘Belfast Community Planning Consortium’ with Belfast City Council assigned as the lead partner.

      On 19th March the Committee was informed that the Council’s consortium application had been short-listed and that we had been invited to submit a tender for the pilot community planning project.  At that meeting, an outline project proposal that would form the basis of the submission was approved by the Committee.  Officers from the Council, in collaboration with our consortium partners, subsequently developed the funding application and also attended an interview with BIG as part of the evaluation process. 

      We have now received notification from BIG that the bid has been successful and that they intend to award one of the three pilots to Belfast.  

Key Issues

      The Pilot Project

      As agreed by Committee on 19th March, the pilot project will focus on the single theme of ‘health’ as this provides a manageable way to test processes and relationships whilst also securing deliverables for partners and ultimately the local community.  The pilot project will build upon the Council’s commitment to creating a healthier Belfast and will augment the work done to date within Council and with our partners to improve health and wellbeing.  It will work closely with the new Belfast Health Development Unit (set up jointly between the Council, the Public Health Agency and the Health Trust) and comes at an opportune time to influence the further development of the new Unit’s business plan and the development of a health and wellbeing plan for the City.  At the same time it provides an opportunity to test in practical ways the capacity and ability of the VCS to participate most effectively in community planning. 

      Key elements of the project plan include:

·         An engagement programme

·         A capacity building programme

·         A planning integration exercise (and in collaboration with our health partners lead to the creation of a health and wellbeing plan for the city)

·         Development of a model of community planning for replication.

      The intended outcomes of the pilot are to:

·         Develop a shared understanding of community planning, through testing and modelling community planning processes around the theme of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5b

            The Committee considered the undernoted report in relation to land contamination at the Gasworks Estate:

“Relevant Background Information

      Members will be aware that following closure of gas production in the City a major land remediation project of the Gasworks site was undertaken by Council in mid-1990’s following initial decommissioning and removal of the gas production infrastructure by Department of Economic Development. Council’s remediation involved the removal of a surface layer of contaminated material to be replaced with ‘clean’ material. Council appointed Parkman as consultants to oversee this land remediation project to meet the required standard prescribed by Department of Environment (Guidance on the Assessment and Redevelopment of Contaminated Land) that would permit future commercial development on the former Gasworks site.

      Following remediation and provision of road and service infrastructure by Council various plots were leased to the private sector for development. Appropriate development was subsequently undertaken in accordance with legal agreements which required the developer to secure appropriate planning and all other relevant statutory consents and approvals.

      To date in excess of £150 million of private sector investment has been secured in development of the former Gasworks site.  The last development to be completed (Ormeau Gasworks Ltd – Plot 6) received its planning consent in April 2006.

      A number of subsequent planning applications in respect of the former Gasworks site made by Helm Housing (formerly BIH Housing Association Ltd) in September 2007 to extend an existing social housing scheme and Cusp Ltd for a new 169?bed hotel made in March 2008 have been severely delayed in the planning system as a result of intervention by Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) who are seeking clarification and assurances on environmental issues.

      In particular NIEA are concerned with potential negative environmental effects of development upon a naturally occurring aquifer in bedrock located beneath the Gasworks site. It is understood that NIEA require detailed reports on identification, monitoring and management of potential pollution risks to this aquifer associated with construction/use of the respective developments.

      The backdrop to NIEA’s particular concerns are rooted in a recent European Directive on Environmental Liability and impending implementation of Part III of the Waste & Contaminated Land (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 which focus on prevention and remediation of environmental damage arising from the development of brownfield sites.

      Members are reminded of the ongoing work to bring forward development of the Gasworks Northern Fringe and in this regard are presently seeking to secure outline planning permission. Planning Service require a detailed report on land contamination to be submitted as part of this outline application which has been undertaken.

      Given the historical use of the Gasworks site the Council agreed to renewal of the environmental insurance policy (including the majority of the Northern Fringe lands) at its meeting of 17th January 2007 which is aimed at protecting Council should any subsequent claims arise from the previous contaminated condition of the remediated land.

      However, given the NIEA recent interventions and the possibility they could include the Gasworks as a special  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6a

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“Relevant Background Information

      Asset realisation is a key plank of both the City Leadership Place Shaping agenda and also the Council’s Efficiency Agenda. 

      Members will recall that a paper was taken to Strategic Policy & Resources Committee on 20 November 2009 on the City Investment Framework which incorporated asset disposals.

      At that meeting it was highlighted that the current economic climate is not favourable to asset disposals given the lack of market demand, availability of finance & the resultant marked decline in market values. However, it was agreed that a cross departmental Assets Realisation Project Group be established to undertake appraisal and assessment of certain land and property assets, with a view to having them ‘market ready’ and to bring forward for disposal and/or development when the market improves or if any advantageous proposals are presented to the Council in the interim.

      It was recognised that there are a number of issues that slow down any disposal or development options including planning, legal & title restrictions, environmental and contamination issues, and co dependencies with other agencies and external stakeholders. By way of examples, obtaining planning approval is the major hurdle in completing the Loughside disposal; it was also the major issue in the previously proposed redevelopment and disposal of the former Ravenhill Road PC’s and rest garden site; and planning approval was required for both the demolition and redevelopment of the former Templemore Avenue PC’s (located in an Area of Townscape Character) which delayed the site coming to the market.  Resolving title issues (albeit in relation to the adjoining land primarily) at Primrose Street former civic amenity site has also delayed completion, whilst overcoming contamination & environmental constraints is a major issue of many sites, including the Gasworks Northern Fringe.

      The above are only some examples but every site has its own particular issues and problems.

Key Issues

·         A cross departmental Asset Realisation Project Group has been established comprising officers from Property & Projects, Legal Services, Health & Environmental Services, Development & the Parks & Leisure departments.

·         The group are of the view that in terms of moving forward & progressing planning, legal, environmental and other issues, or progressing with disposal, that prioritisation should be given to those assets that are already currently surplus to Council requirements or, in certain instances, where interest has been expressed by third parties in acquiring or developing. These are listed in Table 1 below. In the case of the other assets previously identified (listed in Table 2 below), these are still being progressed but as there are various operational & other issues to be addressed in the first instance, it is considered prudent to take a phased approach. Thirdly, Table 3 provides a short list of under-utilised assets which could potentially be developed to the benefit of the wider community and the city.

·         Planning assessments are to be undertaken in respect of many of these sites to ascertain future use options, optimal development & likelihood of obtaining approval in the context of planning policy, highway & other constraints. A  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6b

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“Relevant Background Information

      The Major Works in City Hall commenced on the 19th November 2007 after a full decant of personnel to Adelaide Exchange and Clarendon Dock.  The work was divided into two phases with the Council stipulating that Phase 1, which included the main Civic Rooms, was to be completed within a twelve month period. Phase 2, which included all the remaining areas, was to be completed by the 10th August 2009. These dates were successfully achieved.

      In addition a major re-opening programme ‘City Hall for All’ was held during October. 

      Scope of Work

      In order to obtain the best possible deal for Council, the Project Management Unit tendered the work in two packages. The object was to ensure all the important items were covered in Tender A with those items forming a ‘desirable list’ included in such a manner in Tender B as to allow Council to add items if funding was available. When tenders were returned it proved possible for all items listed in Tender B to be included in the Scope of Work which included:

            Tender A

·         Re-roofing the slated areas of the North and East roofs

·         Rewire of the building (excluding recently rewired areas such as the Control Room, Births Deaths and Marriages area, Lord Mayors Parlour and what is now the café area)

·         New gas fired boilers with a new Low Temperature Hot Water Heating System

·         Air Conditioning to all Party Rooms

·         Re-decoration of general areas

·         Asbestos removal

·         Provision of air conditioned archive storage in four basement rooms

·         Fire compartmentation in the roof void

·         General repairs to marble and mosaic flooring

·         Digging up the courtyard and provision of new drainage system, paved area and fountain feature.

            Tender B

·         Re-roofing the slated areas of the South and West roofs

·         Decoration extended to include all internal areas

·         Rewiring of the main kitchen

·         Provision of a new chandelier in the Rotunda

·         Ornate 3 lamp lighting fittings in Civic Corridors

·         Courtyard lighting

      The following additional items were added and paid for out of the project contingencies:

·         Re-leathering the seats in the Council Chamber

·         Renewal of the bird netting on the turrets

·         Upgrading of the lightening protection

·         Conversion of part of the East wing to a new café/exhibition area

·         Replacement marble flooring in reception area and ground floor corridors

·         Upgrading Members Common room

      Additional funding was also secured for the following:

·         A new Emergency Control Room

      Building Contract

      A contract was let to John Graham (Dromore) Ltd following a competitive procurement exercise.

      The work was completed on time, even with all the extras, and the cost will be under the Capital Programme allocation for the project ie within budget.

      A Gate 4 review has been undertaken for the project and a green rating was achieved – indicating successful delivery of the project to time, cost and quality.  However, there were a number of things which could have been done better and a ‘lesson learned’ post project review report will  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6c

            The Committee was reminded that the Council, as part of the City Investment Strategy, had agreed to co-ordinate the acquisition of land to enable the Connswater Community Greenway Programme to proceed.  The Council would secure rights over the land needed for the Greenway and would be responsible for the management and maintenance of that land and any assets on it.  The Greenway must be accessible for forty years to comply with the Big Lottery Funding letter of offer, although the intention was to secure rights for longer if possible.

            It was reported that an area of 0.02 acres of land at Park Avenue had been identified as being required to help complete the Greenway route and associated landscaping.  Subject to Committee approval, Council officers had agreed to purchase from the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company the area of land at a cost of £400 plus legal fees.

            The Committee granted approval for the purchase of the area of land on the terms outlined.

            (Mr. D. Robinson, Good Relations Officer, attended in connection with these items.)

            The minutes of the meeting of the Memorabilia Working Group of 10th May were approved and adopted, subject to the minute in relation to the Somme Resolution being referred back to the Group for further consideration, with a view to a report being submitted to the Committee in August to enable a final decision on a revised resolution to be taken at the meeting of the Council scheduled to be held on 1st September.

            The minutes of the meeting of the Memorabilia Working Group of 14th May were approved and adopted.

            The Committee approved the minutes of the meeting of the Good Relations Partnership of 14th May and adopted the recommendation in respect of the following:

            The approval of the issue of letters of offer for funding up to a maximum of £25,000 to those groups which had achieved the necessary minimum score, subject to the undertaking of site visits and further checks by the Peace III Programme Officers.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“Relevant Background Information

      Members will be aware that the Committee, at its meeting on 23rd April, agreed to receive a report detailing the actions which the various Council Departments were undertaking in relation to suicide awareness and prevention.

      The prevention of suicide has been a major issue for some time with the numbers of such deaths in Northern Ireland running at extremely high levels, as illustrated in figure 1.

Figure 1:      Deaths from suicide across Northern Ireland

                    by age and gender 2005 – 2008

Source: DHSSPSNI, NISRA statistics, Registrar General Quarterly reports

      Suicide is a recognised problem within Belfastas illustrated in Figure 2, with the north and west of the city recording the highest numbers of deaths. 

Figure 2: Deaths from suicide and undetermined intent

Source: DHSSPS, NINIS statistics

      Furthermore, it is well documented that these areas suffer from extreme social and economic deprivation and that the aftermath of the ‘Troubles’ has left a legacy of poor mental and physical health and wellbeing.

      The problem in Northern Ireland led to the government introducing a Suicide Prevention Strategy, ‘Protect Life – a shared vision’, in October 2006 which advocates innovative and comprehensive local multi-sectoral approaches to help reduce the problem.

Key Issues

      The Council recognises the urgent and imperative need to address actively the issues of suicide awareness and prevention.  Various initiatives and activities have been undertaken in an effort to help deal with this problem.  A list of these is set out below:

·         In response to concerns about suicide rates in North and West Belfast, a multi sectoral Implementation Group for the prevention of suicide and self harm was established in October 2006.  The Council has representation at both Member and officer level.

·         The Council has taken a lead role in developing a community response plan which aims to provide a co?ordinated approach to enable early detection of possible suicide clusters in order to prevent further suicides by supporting those individuals at risk.  The plan also aims to ensure that information is gathered effectively and that the success or otherwise of each case is reviewed so that improvements can be made where necessary.

·         The Council has entered into a partnership with the Public Health Agency and Belfast Health and Social Care Trust to form the Belfast Health Development Unit. This unit aims to produce an integrated city  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8a

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

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“Relevant Background Information

      The Department of Justice (formerly NIO) is currently undertaking a consultation on the future of Community Safety and District Policing Partnerships.  The deadline for response is 3rd June 2010.

      The Community Safety and DPP teams within the Health & Environmental Services Department have been coordinating consultation on the proposals on behalf of Belfast City Council and the attached report (Appendix 1) is now being been brought before members of committee for their consideration.

      In Belfast consultation has taken place with the following:

·         Belfast District Policing Partnership – Principal Partnership, North, South, East & West Sub-groups

·         Belfast Community Safety Partnership – Strategic & Operational Tiers

·         Chairman of Belfast District Policing Partnership

·         Chairman of Belfast Community Safety Partnership

·         Sinn Fein Party Group, Belfast City Council

·         DUP Party Group, Belfast City Council

·         UUP Party Group, Belfast City Council

·         SDLP Party Group, Belfast City Council

·         Alliance Party Group, Belfast City Council

·         PUP Party Group, Belfast City Council

·         Belfast City Council Inter-Departmental Policy Officers Group

      Consultation took the form of:

·         Party Group briefings

·         Individual briefing sessions

·         Partnership meetings

·         A joint CSP and DPP consultation event

·         Email circulation for comment to members of the CSP and Council departments.

Key Issues

      Aim of the Consultation: To seek views on the best way to deliver the functions of Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs) and District Policing Partnerships (DPPs) in the future through a single partnership.

      Rationale: CSPs and DPPs were set up as separate structures with specific, but complementary functions, in 2003 after a Criminal Justice Review.   This was considered to be the best arrangement at the time, considering the political climate that existed.

      CSPs are largely seen to deliver initiatives on the ground to reduce crime, anti-social behaviour and the fear of crime, while the DPPs ensure local engagement and accountability for how policing is delivered.  These partnerships have generally worked very well but there is an emerging consensus that the time is now right to bring the functions of CSPs and DPPs together and it is suggested that they should be delivered by a single partnership.

      There are a number of reasons that the NIO (now DOJ) believe that a single partnership is the best way forward:

1.   Taking a more joined-up approach will result in better local delivery , accountability and engagement

2.   Single partnerships should also complement the introduction of community planning

3.   By streamlining the administration and overheads involved, we should be able to make better use of the resources available for partnership working by directing more of the funding to initiatives on the ground.

      While this review is not in itself a cost-cutting exercise, the NIO (now DOJ) believes that it is vital that the new arrangements provide good value for money.  At present, CSPs administrative costs account for approximately £1.15m (35%) out of their total budget of £3.28m, and approximately £3.5m (85%) out  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8b

            The Chairman referred to the fact that this would be his last meeting prior to the new Chairman being appointed in June and he thanked the Members and officers for their support over the previous year.