Agenda and minutes

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

Review of Public Administration Update

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0Relevant Background Information

1.1Members will be aware that the Environment Minister, Edwin Poots submitted a report to the Executive at its meeting on 27th May 2010, setting out proposals on the way forward for the RPA local government reform programme.  It is understood that different views were expressed at the Executive meeting on 27th May and a discussion on the way forward was deferred to the Executive meeting on 10th June 2010.

1.2Following the meeting the Minister for Local Government, Edwin Poots, has written to NILGA and Councils setting out the funding pressures that central government will be under over the coming years and indicating that if local government reform is to proceed the estimated cost of £118M would have to be met by local government.  Council responses were been sought by 4th June to enable the Environment Minister to submit a revised paper for the Executive meeting on 10th June.

2.0Key Issues

2.1Councils have previously considered the issue of financing specific elements of the RPA reform programme and had agreed a number of high-level principles including, for example, the following:

·         The Reform process should be cost neutral to the ratepayer.

·         Where there is no benefit to Local Government, the cost must be borne by central government.

·         Central government should fund activities where equity across the sector is required eg severance.

·         The final programme costs and their apportionment between councils must be negotiated based on a robust and agreed business case.

2.2NILGA recently arranged a meeting for representatives of all local authorities (including a number of Belfast City Council Members) to further discuss the issue of funding reform with a view to informing a NILGA response to be submitted to the Environment Minister on behalf of the local government sector.  At the meeting there was acknowledgment that local authorities may be required to fund an element of the reform costs and that any consideration of funding would be based on the principles previously agreed. Subsequently, NILGA submitted a response to the Environment Minister.

2.3Members will recall that the Committee, at its meeting on 4th June, considered the Councils own response to the Minister and agreed, in summary, that it would be willing ‘to explore with colleagues from central and local government how the costs of reform might be met’.

            Outcome of NI Executive meeting

2.4It is understood that different views were expressed at the Northern Ireland Executive meeting on 10th June, with a lengthy period of intensive discussions ending in deadlock and no decision taken on the way forward. It was agreed that a special Executive meeting would be held on Monday 14th June to attempt to agree a finalised way forward. Extensive discussions between parties are to continue over the weekend.

            Next Steps

2.5As agreed by the Committee, officers are currently examining what options are available to the Council in moving forward with the RPA and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2a

            The Town Solicitor submitted for the Committee’s consideration the undernoted report:

1.0         RELEVANT BACKGROUND INFORMATION 

1.1         The Council received correspondence, dated 29th April 2010, from the Chief Executive of Roads Service setting out proposals for the development of a Roads (Functions of District Councils) Bill. A copy of the consultation document, including the draft Bill, has been circulated. Comments on the draft Bill has been sought by 23rd July 2010.

1.2       The Bill is intended to enable the Department to transfer the following local roads functions to councils:-

·         authorising local road race events;

·         the issue of authorisations to enable vehicles to enter pedestrian zones;

·         off-street car parks; and

·         on and off-street parking enforcement

2.0       KEY ISSUES

2.1       The following provides a brief overview of the provisions as set out within the Bill and the proposed transfer of additional responsibilities to local government.

            Clause 1: Parking Enforcement

2.2       Under Clause 1 and Schedule 1 of the Bill the Council will be given the power to carry out enforcement functions, presently exercised by the Department under the Traffic Management order 2005, in relation to parking and waiting contraventions.  This will mean that councils will become responsible for on and off-street parking enforcement; traffic attendants and for the issuing and processing of Penalty Charge Notices. 

2.3       It is intended that the Department would retain responsibility for type approval of prescribed parking and immobilisation devices; making regulations; to set the Penalty Charge Tariffs and the contraventions in respect of which a Penalty Charge is payable.  Clarification is required as to who retains the income receipt from penalty charges and whether this will be used to off-set the costs incurred by councils for enforcement and necessary maintenance.

            Clause 2: Transfer to councils of certain functions in relation to parking places

2.4       Under Clause 2, the majority of off-street car parks provided by the Department, and the land on which they are situated, would transfer to district councils. The Department would retain and continue to operate those off-street car parks used for ‘park and ride’ and ‘park and share’ schemes. 

            Clause 3: Functions of councils in relation to road races

2.5       The Bill will provide powers to district councils to authorise road races and to make the necessary road closure orders to facilitate them. The district council in whose area a race starts would be the council to make the necessary road closure order. 

2.6       The Bill also provides for the future legislative responsibility for the Roads Races Order to transfer from DRD to DCAL which has policy responsibility for the central administration and promotion of sport in Northern Ireland.

2.7       Members should note that a separate Bill, the Roads (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill, deals with a number of roads related issues including giving local councils the power to close roads for events. The Bill is currently at 2nd committee consideration stage within the NI Executive. This means that there will be two separate pieces of legislation which will be dealing with the ability  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

            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 agreed that one Member from each of the Party Groupings on the Council, together with the Democratic Services Manager (or his nominee), be authorised to attend the Annual Conference of the Association of Muncipal Authorities of Ireland in Buncrana, County Donegal on 9th and 10th September, 2010 at a cost of £591 per delegate.

            The Chairman advised the Members that this would be the last meeting of the Committee at which Mr. Liam Steele, Head of Committee and Members’ Services, would be in attendance before retiring from the Council at the end of July after 36 years of service.  He thanked Mr. Steele for the contribution which he had made to the work of the Council.

            Representatives of each of the Party Groups paid tribute to Mr. Steele for the exemplary manner in which he had fulfilled his duties during his many years of service.

            Mr. Steele thanked the Members for their kind remarks.

            The Committee approved the minutes of the meeting of the Audit Panel of 7th June and adopted the recommendations in respect of the Financial Accounts 2009/2010; the updated Code of Governance; the Annual Governance statement for 2009/2010; and the proposed target absence figures for 2010/2011 and 2011/2012 to reduce the number of days of sickness absence to 11 days per full-time equivalent by March, 2011; and 10.75 days by March, 2012.

            The Committee approved also the recommendations in relation to the work performed by Audit, Governance and Risk Services on the Annual Assurance Statement for 2009/2010; the Effectiveness of the Audit Panel; the Effectiveness of Internal Audit and the ongoing progress report.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“Relevant Background Information

      The purpose of this report is to present to the Strategic Policy & Resources Committee the Financial Accounts of the council for 2009/10.

      The Financial Accounts are an important element of the council’s overall corporate governance framework as they provide assurance to Members and ratepayers on the stewardship of the council’s finances and its financial position.

      The Financial Report and accounts for the year ended 31 March 2010, as attached, have been prepared in line with the Code of Practice on Local Authority Accounting in the United Kingdom: A Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) 2009 and the Department of the Environment Accounts Direction, Circular LG 10/10 dated 23 April 2010.

      I can confirm that the Statement of Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2010 has been prepared in the form directed by the Department of the Environment and in my opinion the Statement of Accounts give a true and fair view of the income and expenditure and cash flows for the financial year and the financial position as at the end of the financial year.

Key Issues

      Council Net Expenditure

      As previously reported to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee on 19 March 2010 departmental expenditure forecast was £1.9m below budget for the year. This amount, however, was £.0.5m short of the amount needed to cover the £2.4m contribution from reserves to the rate, agreed as part of the rates setting process for 2009/10. This, along with the need to increase the bad debt provision by £0.2m, has resulted in a reduction on the District Fund Balance of £746,914.

      Reserves

      The impact of this financial position on the reserves is summarised in Table 1 below. It shows that the credit balance on the District Fund Reserves has reduced to £4,602,602 which is approximately 2.33% of annual gross expenditure, or 2.91% of the net operating expenditure. A strategy on how to address the reserves position of the Council was agreed at the Strategic Policy & Resources meeting on 22 January 2010.

      Table 1: Summary of Reserves Position

      District Fund   £4,602,602

      The District Fund Reserves can be used to supplement income and unexpected expenditure in future years.

      City Investment Fund   £8,804,256

      The City Investment Fund has been created to give a clear demonstration of the Council’s propensity to action and its wish to contribute to the vibrancy, prosperity, culture and attractiveness of the city.

      Capital Receipts Reserve   £860,000

      These are capital receipts which have originated primarily from the sale of assets and which have not yet been used to finance capital expenditure.  This amount relates to the sale of land & buildings at LoopRiver which has been ring-fenced for the development of the capital scheme ‘LoopRiver – New Facilities’.

      Repairs and Renewals Fund   £8,567,415

      This fund was established under section 56 of the Local Government Act (NI)  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6b

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

“Relevant Background Information

      It was agreed at the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee in April that work would be ongoing with Members on the development of new financial performance reports for implementation in 2010/11. As agreed, Party Group Briefings took place at the end of May and beginning of June.  This report presents the proposed financial performance reports for Members’ consideration.

Key Issues

      A.   Format of Reports

      The proposed reports are based on best practice from other local authorities and are intended to give Members a rounded view of the council’s finances along with proposals for improvement actions, where required. The key elements of the report pack are as follows:

      Dashboard - A high-level summary of financial performance. The focus will be on the percentage year to date and the year end forecast variances. Each indicator will be colour coded to highlight to Members those which have exceeded the agreed tolerances.

      Executive summary - this section will explain in narrative terms the performance and also any mitigating action required to improve the position.

      The above two elements are intended to summarise the overall financial position for Members with a supporting narrative that aids understanding and makes recommendations for Members’ consideration. They are intended to be stand alone and provide a sufficient overview for Members to assist decisionmaking.

      The remaining elements below are intended to provide further information for Members, should this be required.

      Year to date % variance- indicates the difference of the planned expenditure to the actual expenditure as a percentage variance. This will be from the start of the year to the end of the reporting quarter.

      Forecast % variance - indicates the difference of the planned expenditure to the forecasted expenditure as a percentage variance. This will be the forecast to the end of the financial year.

      Capital Programme - this will compare planned and actual capital expenditure for the year.

      Reserves Position - this indicator shows the actual reserves balance against the planned reserves balance.

      % of Creditors paid within 30 days - this indicator measures the percentage of creditor invoices that have been paid within the 30 day limit.

      % of Debt collected within 30 days - this indicator measures the percentage of customer invoices that have been paid within the payment terms.

      % of Debt over 90days old - this indicator measures the percentage of debt that is over 90days old.

      Supplementary Information - this will include details of budgetary and forecasted variances for each Committee along with a cascaded analysis by department for the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee. The analysis will also include details of non?departmental spend in areas such as the capital programme and the overall movement in reserves.

      Following discussions with Members, the following key points should be emphasised:

1.   This proposed reporting pack should be viewed as still under development and the style and information in reports will continue to evolve,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6c

            The Committee was reminded that, at its meeting on 24th October, 2008, it had approved the Policy for Staff Attending Events.  As part of that policy, it had been agreed that information relating to staff attending events and the associated travelling would be published on an annual basis.  The information was due to be published annually by 30th June.

            The analysis of staff travel for the year 2009/2010 and the comparison with previous years is outlined below:

      *the cost of travel does not include the fees associated with attendance at training courses, seminars, conferences, etc.

            The Director of Finance and Resources reported that the cost of travel had reduced by £64,809 (29.21%), the number of trips had reduced by 143 (20%) and the number of events by 83 (16%) over the same period in the previous year.  The cost of travel was lower in 2009/10 than in any of the previous years.  An analysis on the reasons for travel showed that the cost relating to employee training and development representing 41% (compared to 35% the previous year).  The costs relating to improving our services was 43% and the percentage relating to Promoting Belfast represented 16% of the total spend.  Travel within Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland had accounted for 58% of the total, whilst the percentage of travel to Europe represented 34% and the rest of the world was 8%.

            The Committee noted the information provided and after a lengthy discussion agreed that a further report in relation to the appropriate mechanism for authorising travel by officers to locations outside the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland be submitted to the Committee in due course.

            The Committee granted authority for the commencement of tendering exercises and delegated authority to the appropriate Directors, in accordance with the Scheme of Delegation, to accept the most advantageous tenders received in respect of the following:

(i)   occupational health and employee counselling contracts.  The contract to be awarded for a period of two years, with an option to renew for a further one year.  The Committee agreed also to extend the current contracts for a maximum of six months;

(ii)  the creation of a select list and/or the submission of Tenders in respect of the supply of natural gas to Council-owned properties.  The Committee approved also the conversion of The Cecil Ward Building from oil-fired central heating to natural gas on the terms outlined to the Members, that is, £30,000 less grant assistance of £13,000;

(iii)the supply, fabrication, delivery and fitting of general metalwork at an annual cost of £200,000.  The contract being for a one year period, with the option to renew for a further two years;

(iv)the repair and maintenance of lifts at an annual cost of approximately £80,000.  The contract to be awarded for a period of one year, with an option to renew for a further four years; and

(v)  the provision of Legionella and Risk Management Services, the annual cost of which was approximately £50,000, with the contract to be for a two year period and including an option to renew for a further one year.

            The Committee noted that the above-mentioned item had been withdrawn from the agenda.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“Relevant Background Information

      In 2006 Council took the decision that the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee would become the main Committee for overall policy, resource allocation and performance to ensure implementation of Council policies and strategies.  In essence the Committee is in control of finance, people and assets including major projects as well as associated key risks across the Council.

      In November 2008, the Local Government Auditor noted that the Council had identified the governance of major projects such as Connswater Community Greenway, the new cemetery, Titanic Signature project, Velodrome, North Foreshore etc as a key risk for the organisation.  Such projects run financial risks of millions of pounds, through various factors, such as ill-defined decision making processes and paths, an aggressively litigious procurement environment as well as the normal risks to physical projects such as time, cost and specification underperformance.  The need for Council to work increasingly with a range of partners in delivering such projects only adds to the above risk and ultimately to the Councils reputation and credibility.

      Leading property consultants Drivers Jonas were commissioned to provide best practice advice on governance and their findings and recommendations were incorporated into the Review of the Centre report to Committee in June 2009.

      The purpose of this report is to update Members on the implementation of this review. 

Key Issues

      The review examined the current arrangements in the council for managing major projects.  Major projects were defined at the outset as those projects which significantly affect the Council’s budget, reputation and/or operation.

      The key finding of the review were as follows:

·         The current governance arrangements for major projects were fragmented across the council and this is due to the responsibility for projects resting across difference departments and committees.

·         The skills which the organisation need to bring together to make significant projects work currently sits across at least three departments.

·         The role of the Strategic Policy and Resource Committee in relation to project governance needs to be clarified and strengthened.

·         The officer with whom overall responsibility rests for a particular project is not always clear.

·         There is a lack of coherence in dealing with external parties.

·         New governance arrangements are needed to ensure the most effective use of limited resources.

·         Clearer roles, responsibilities and accountabilities for major projects need to be established.

      Drivers Jonas have made a number of recommendations which are in line with the recommended government best practice guidance which is known as, ‘Office of Government Commerce Portfolio, Programme and Project Management best practice (P3O)’.  The key recommendations of the review are as follows:

·         The Strategic Policy and Resources Committee should have overall responsibility for the allocation of resources to major projects.

·         COMT should provide officer oversight for all major projects.

·         Every major project should have a named responsible officer as a client.

·         The Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, Chief Officers Management Team and responsible officers should be supported by a director who has the relevant project management skills to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7a

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“Purpose of Report

      The purpose of this paper is to update Members on the status of the Council’s four applications under Priority 2.1 ‘Creating Shared Public Spaces’ of the Peace III programme that were submitted to the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) on 13th November 2009.

Relevant Background Information

      Members will recall that the Council agreed, at its meeting in November 2009, to submit 4 bids to the call for capital bids under Priority 2.1 ‘Creating Shared Public Spaces’ of the Peace III programme.  Under this measure SEUPB was seeking to support between 4-7 large strategic and iconic projects across the eligible Peace III programme area funded at between 1.5-10million Euros each. Their preference was to support five projects around €5 Million per project although additional money may be made available for significant projects.  Projects will be funded at 100%. The main aim of this measure is to produce iconic structures that can be easily recognised as a Peace III project long after the programme ends in 2015.

      Members should note there was a significant level of interest in this programme and that it was heavily over-subscribed. In total 31 applications were received by SEUPB under this call competing for approx.  €29million. A brief description of the four bids that the Council submitted is outlined below.

      The 4 bids which the Council submitted as lead partner were:

·         Girdwood Community Hub – the development of an integrated community hub containing leisure, community, library and educational facilities in a shared space with an associated plan of shared space activities at Girdwood.  This application was for £9.6million

·         Giant Park Sports Village at the North Foreshore with Crusaders and Newington - to develop a shared community sports complex through a partnership between the Council and Crusaders and Newington Football Clubs, using sports and heritage to promote peace and reconciliation.  This application was for £14.1million

·         GasworksBridge – the development of a pedestrian and cycle bridge to improve connectivity between the city centre, Gasworks BusinessPark and the Lower Ravenhill and OrmeauPark.  This application was for £9million

·         North Belfast Cultural Corridor (Donegall St., Clifton St., Crumlin Rd.) - to improve the physical environment, in order to create an attractive, welcoming and shared public realm in an area uniquely rich in the city’s built and cultural heritage.  This application was for £8.9million 

      Assessment Process for Priority 2.1 Applications

      Members are asked to note that all applications received by SEUPB under this call were assessed in line with their assessment criteria and process. Decisions on the applications are discussed and determined by the Priority 2.1 Steering Committee. The stages in this process are outlined below.

      Stage 1 – Initial Assessment of projects – Following a basic eligibility check each bid received was scored against the following criteria –

·         Capacity to be shared space and to build peace and reconciliation

·         Capacity to transform local communities

·         Capacity to be iconic and provide a lasting legacy to the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7b

            The Committee was reminded that the Council, as part of the City Investment Strategy, had agreed to co-ordinate the acquisition of lands 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 would have to be accessible for forty years to comply with the Big Lottery Fund letter of offer, although the intention was to secure rights for longer if possible.

            It was reported that three areas of land had been identified as being required to help complete the Greenway route and associated landscaping:

(i)   the first was an area of 0.609 acres of land at Laburnum Playing Fields off the Knock dual carriageway and Council officers had agreed, subject to the approval of the Committee and CBM Developments Board, to purchase the land at a cost of £21,500 plus professional and legal fees and to take out a Licence from the company for a temporary path and associated temporary embankment to support the path.  The proposal was for the path to remain in place until a proposed new road was constructed through the Laburnum site at which time the footpath adjacent to the new road would become the Greenway.  The proposal for the new road required both the support of the Belfast Education and Library Board and full planning approval from the Department of the Environment and at this stage there was no certainty as to whether such approval would be forthcoming within the timeframe of the Greenway Project.  The agreement would provide for the temporary route to remain in place for a minimum of forty years if the new road was not constructed/approved;

(ii)  an area of 0.036 acres of land at Loopland Court, which Council officers had agreed, subject to the Committee’s approval, to acquire from the Deramore Property Group.  There would be no cost to the Council in acquiring the land beyond the payment of reasonable expenses; and

(iii)an area of 0.622 acres of land at Holywood Arches.  The land was owned by the Department for Regional Development and was held as part of the Road Protection Corridor for the Connsbank Link and Holywood Bypass.  The Department could not dispose of those lands while the proposal for the Connsbank Link and Holywood Arches Bypass remained extant.  However, Council officers had agreed to take out a five year licence from the Department to facilitate the construction of a public square as part of the Greenway.  The Big Lottery and other funders had confirmed that they were content with that approach and could waive the usual requirement for a minimum 40 year term given the particular circumstances of that case.  The transfer of land would require expenditure of legal fees only.

            The Committee granted approval for the purchase of the three areas of land as outlined and noted that the design of the public square  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7c

            The Committee agreed to defer until its meeting in August consideration of a report on the review of rents on parks houses.

            Poster for Tomorrow

            The Committee was advised that a request had been received from Poster for Tomorrow to exhibit within the grounds of the City Hall 100 posters marking World and European Day against the Death Penalty on 10th October.  The posters would be selected from public competition submissions by a panel comprised of eminent local people and would be displayed within the grounds from 7th till 10th October.  Belfast would be one of 100 cities across the world marking the event.

            The posters would be displayed on trellis-type fencing positioned within the grounds.  There would be no resource implications for the Council as the organisation would provide all of their own display materials.  In addition, there would be no requirement for electrical power and the organisation would take out full indemnity insurance.  Due to the nature of the subject, some of the posters might be sensitive in nature, although the Council did have the option of vetoing specific posters if it were deemed that they were controversial or offensive.

            The Committee was advised that the death penalty was still supported by a number of countries, notably the United States of America and China, so the organisers’ position would not have unqualified support.  It was envisaged that the exhibition might receive significant media coverage.  One of the criteria for use of the City Hall grounds stated that the request should comply with the Council’s Equality and Good Relations obligations.  The application by Poster for Tomorrow had been discussed with the Council’s Good Relations Manager who had recommended, given that the United Kingdom had abolished the death penalty, that the application be approved by the Committee.

            After discussion, it was

Moved by Councillor N. Kelly,

Seconded by Councillor McCarthy,

      That the Committee agrees to accede to the request.

            On a vote by show of hands eight Members voted for the proposal and seven against and it was accordingly declared carried.

            West Belfast Festival

            The Committee was informed that the organisers of the West Belfast Festival had requested the use of the City Hall grounds on 7th August for a young people’s music event.  The intention of the event was to engage with numerous young people who already typically congregated in the City Hall grounds in the summer months and to provide facilities to present and promote music relevant to and suggested by those young people themselves.  It was the view of the organisers that the target group of young people would normally have little or no interaction with West Belfast either geographically or culturally and, therefore, the event would essentially be an outreach activity to a group which was not otherwise catered for by the traditional Festival activities.

            The event would take place between 1.00 p.m. and 5.00 p.m. and was likely to attract several hundred spectators.  It would be promoted as a no alcohol event and the organisers intended to engage in significant outreach activities with the target group beforehand in that respect.  The organisers would be operating the event  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7e

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

            The minutes of the meeting of the Good Relations Partnership of 11th June were approved and adopted.

            (Councillor Rodgers declared an interest in this item on so far as he was on the Board of Libraries Northern Ireland and left the meeting while this item was under discussion.)

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“Purpose of the Report 

      To inform the Strategic Policy & Resources Committee on the decisions made by the Board of Libraries NI on the consultation document ‘Meeting the demands for a Modern Public Library Service within Northern Ireland, Stage 1: Greater Belfast. 

Relevant Background Information

      Summary of the Proposals Consulted upon

      Libraries NI was created in 2009 to take responsibility for the public libraries service across Northern Ireland. One of the first tasks that the new authority carried out was a strategic review of its library provision across the Province. The first phase included a review of the Greater Belfast area.

      The review encompassed 32 libraries within the Greater Belfast area.  Each of these libraries was examined under 4 criteria which were:

·         fit for purpose;

·         capable of delivering on the vision of Libraries NI;

·         in the right location; and

·         sustainability

      Using these criteria it was contended that the following libraries were considered to be no longer viable: Andersonstown; Ballyhackamore; Ballymacarrett, Belvoir Park, Braniel, Cloughfern, Dunmurray, Gilnahirk, Ligoniel, Oldpark, Sandyrow, Tullycarnet, Whitewell, Woodstock.

      Libraries that met the key criteria for future use and may have been recently refurbished and are well placed geographically to remain were Carryduff, Dundonald, Finaghy, Glengormley, Grove, Holywood Arches, Rathcoole and Whiterock.

      The review indicated that libraries that require new builds or major refurbishment were Ardoyne, Chichester, Cregagh, Falls Road, Lisburn Road, Newtownbreda, Ormeau and Shankill.

      Libraries that required to be clustered to consolidate provision into a single viable entity were Suffolk and Colin Glen.

      Members received a briefing from representatives from Libraries NI on Tuesday 16th March 2010 on the details of the proposals contained within the consultation document and the comments discussed at this meeting where included within the Council response.

      BelfastCity Council Response

      The Council’s response to the consultation was approved by the Committee at its meeting on Friday 19th March 2010 and was subsequently submitted to Libraries NI. 

      The response highlighted that the Council would be keen to explore the co-location of library services within Belfast City Council owned buildings.  Particularly where BelfastCity Council buildings are located in the proximity of libraries facing potential closure.  The response also stressed the need for an assessment of the population needs of the areas where service withdrawal was proposed. 

      In summary, the factors which the council highlighted needed further consideration when making decisions on proposed closures included:

·         Any plans for the closure of libraries should take into consideration access to public transport. The older population and those with physical disabilities would for example find distance to an alternative library a limiting issue.

·         Libraries are regularly used as community spaces and local people use them as  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9a

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“Relevant Background Information

      This paper presents for consideration a draft response to the consultation exercise relating to the Road Safety Strategy for Northern Ireland 2010 – 2020.  The production of the draft strategy has been overseen by representatives from DoE, Driver and Vehicle Licence Agency, DRD, Department of Education, Department of Employment and Learning, Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, PSNI, Fire and Rescue Service and the Ambulance Service.

      The draft strategy is based on detailed research and analysis of road safety statistics including views gathered in a pre-consultation engagement which involved input from the former Belfast Road Safety Committee (which comprised councillors, representatives of external organisations and individuals).  The strategy seeks to involve all those who have a contribution to make, including Local Authorities, to explore ways to build capacity to reduce casualties at local level.

      The document identifies 6 key challenges to be addressed over the lifetime of the strategy.

1.   Continuing to reduce the numbers of road deaths and serious injuries.

2.   Focusing specifically on improving safety on rural roads.

3.   Working particularly to protect young drivers (age range 16-24) and motor cyclists).

4.   Reducing inappropriate and illegal road user behaviour including speeding, drink and drug driving and careless and dangerous driving.

5.   Improving our knowledge and involvement in solving road safety problems, and

6.   Working with funding uncertainties.

      Road Safety has been established as an important consideration in successive Programmes for Government.  It is accepted that proposals impact on other government policies including improving health, the environment, sustainability and climate change and also local government and public sector reform.  The document notes that future decisions will be impacted by a range of factors including devolved powers to local government, use of public transport, increase in walking/cycling and carbon constraints.

Key Issues

      Based on the analysis of road safety statistics and a review of strategies in other locations, the consultation document presents over 170 proposed Action Measures which have been agreed by the statutory road safety partners.  The measures are set to contribute to 4 key targets which are established against a baseline of 2004 – 2008 average figures.

1.   To reduce the number of people killed in road collisions by at least 40%.

2.   To reduce the number of people seriously injured in road collisions by at least 45%.

3.   To reduce the number of children (aged 0-15) killed or seriously injured in road collisions by at least 55%, and

4.   To reduce the number of young people (aged 16-24) killed or seriously injured in road collisions by at least 55%.

      The 174 proposals contained within the draft strategy are listed under broad headings:

(i)    Road users

(ii)   Roads

(iii)  Vehicles

(iv)  Working with others

      The main proposals under each heading are summarised below:

(i)    Road Users

(a)   Audit road safety education services and resources.

(b)   Develop improved measures to influence young people’s attitudes and behaviours.

(c)   Re-assess and improve the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9b

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“Relevant Background Information

      The 2008 DoENI State of the Environment Report highlights that road transportation is the 2nd largest source of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions within Northern Ireland, as well as being a key source of air pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and particulate matter (PM₁₀) in urban areas. In 2004, BelfastCity Council declared four air quality management areas across the city for predicted exceedences of nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter health-based objectives principally associated with road transport, as part of its statutory obligations prescribed under the Air Quality Strategy for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and Part III of the Environment (Northern Ireland) Order 2002. Council subsequently published an Air Quality Action Plan for Belfast in 2006 and continues to work with partner organisations including the Department for Regional Development Roads Service and Translink, etc. in order to meet the air quality objectives in the respective compliance years.

      In developing its 2008-2011 Corporate Plan, the Council committed to reduce the city’s impact on climate change and improve air quality under the strategic theme of ‘Better Care for Belfast’s Environment - a clean, green city now and for the future’. Council also adopted primary performance indicators of ‘% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from Council premises’ and ‘Number of monitored exceedences of EU and UK air quality standards within Belfast’.     

      On 16 April 2009, the then UK Secretaries of State for Transport and Business jointly announced the UK's Strategy for Ultra Low Carbon Vehicles. The document provides an overview of government's activities for the next 5 years in terms of research, demonstration and incentives for consumers and industry. The strategy includes a reference to £250m of consumer incentives designed to stimulate the take up of electric and plug-in-hybrid vehicles, scheduled to become commercially available across the UK from 2011 onwards. 

      Government has recognised however, that an electric vehicle charging infrastructure framework will have to be developed in advance of the introduction of monetary incentives to consumers. This is to be delivered via the Department for Transport (DfT) Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) ‘Plugged-In Places Infrastructure Framework’, which is designed to support the creation of a critical mass of vehicle recharging infrastructure in 3-6 lead cities or regions of the United Kingdom ahead of the introduction in January 2011 of a ‘point of purchase’ consumer incentive scheme offering up to £5,000 of the cost of eligible electric, plug-in hybrid and hydrogen cars. Government has stated that zero emission vehicles (ZEV) can help to improve the environment by reducing emissions of carbon dioxide and ambient air pollutants. Accordingly, DfT has made infrastructure framework funding of £30m available between 1 April 2010 and 31 March 2013 to support up to 50% of eligible costs. Indicatively, funding will be spread equally over the three-year period.

      The Department of Environment for Northern Ireland (DoENI) and Department  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9c