Agenda and minutes

            Apologies for inability to attend were reported from Councillors Campbell and Newton.

            The minutes of the meeting of 21st May 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 June.

(The Chairman, Councillor Crozier, in the Chair.)

                        The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0      Relevant Background Information 

1.1       Discussions about the reform of local government, as part of the Review of Public Administration, have been ongoing for over 9 years.  Approaches to the Review have changed over the years, but the current position is that local government reform is scheduled to take place in May 2011 with elections for 11 new Councils, the boundaries of which have not yet been fully agreed.  An independent Boundaries Commission made recommendations on boundaries and the final recommendations have been circulated.

1.2       The boundaries for the new Councils need to be agreed with both the Executive and the Northern Ireland Assembly before a draft Order can be made by the Assembly to give effect to the Commissioner’s recommendations, with or without modifications.  At the present time the Minister has not accepted the recommendations of the Boundaries Commission and the Executive has not accepted the modifications proposed by the Minister.  In essence the disagreement is centred on the Boundaries Commission’s recommendations that Dunmurry and Forestside Shopping Centre should transfer to Belfast.  It is contended by Lisburn/Castlereagh Transition Committee that this would have a drastic effect on their rate base and would require large rate rises in the new Council to correct the position.

1.3       For some time Belfast City Council has made representation to the Minister and the rest of local government, that local government reform will only be seen as a success by ratepayers if in May 2011 ratepayers can see new Councils making a demonstrable difference to the quality of life in their areas.  Citizens will not look kindly on new Councils being formed which result in large rate rises, poorer services being provided and less resources being available for capital investment for facilities in their areas.  In other words, for local government to be a success all of these issues need to be planned for and regional government support needs to be made available to smooth out potential rate rises and allow investment in Council areas to continue.

1.4       The Department of the Environment commissioned an economic appraisal from PricewaterhouseCooper to look at the options for local government service delivery and ascertain the costs of a number of options.  The Minister’s preferred position in terms of the economic appraisal was option 5, which was transformation of Councils with regional collaboration.  This option recommended the setting up of a new regional business services organisation and a single waste authority serving all of Northern Ireland.  It also envisaged each of the 11 new Councils being self-contained in terms of service delivery, incorporating the new services which are to be transferred to local government, the principal ones of which are planning, neighbourhood renewal and regeneration.  The cost of implementing options was estimated at £118M with a payback over 25 years of £438M.  A breakdown of the costs have been circulated.

1.5       Local government considered the Minister’s recommendation and were not in favour of the creation of a business services organisation.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.

            The Committee considered a report in relation to the Capital Programme and agreed that, in the first instance, Party Group Briefings be held on the re-prioritising of the future Capital Programme.