Agenda and minutes

            Apologies for inability to attend were reported from Alderman Browne and Councillor Attwood.

            The minutes of the meetings of 8th, 9th and 22nd September were taken as read and signed as correct.  It was reported that those minutes had been adopted by the Council at its meeting on 3rd October.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1        Relevant Background Information

1.1          Members will recall that the Committee, at its meeting on 17 June, considered that the review of the current Corporate Plan and the development of priorities and projects for the new Corporate Plan should commence in August/September through a series of party briefings and facilitated workshops for Members. The timetable for the development of the new Plan would then become aligned with the timetable for the development of the Council’s medium-term financial plan and the setting of the rate for 2012/13.

1.2          The purpose of the Workshops would be to seek agreement on what Members wished to achieve by the end of the Council term and to consider how this could be delivered in the context of available resources. Among the issues which Members would consider during the next three months would be:

·         Ambition – what the Council would deliver across the City in terms of both projects and programmes;

·         Advocacy – where and how to influence on behalf of the City;

·         Affordability – what was achievable and realistic;

·         Delivery – understanding what it took to get things from concept to delivery and making sure things happened; and

·         Governance – ensuring effective decision-making and clarifying the roles of Members and officers in achieving the priorities.

1.3          The first workshop, held on 17 August, incorporated two sessions:

1.    ‘Place-shaping’ and potentially ‘game-changing’ projects that Members wanted to see delivered in Belfast on a NSEW and City Centre basis.

2.    Consideration of the Council’s Corporate Themes – leadership, economy, environment, people and communities and improving services.

1.4  Subsequently, on 23 September, the Committee considered a report which outlined the direction given by Members at the workshop to inform the development of the Corporate Plan 2012-15 and an ‘investment package’ which would communicate the Council’s Commitment to tackling the effects of the economic downturn in the city.

1.5The second workshop, held on 28 September, aimed to foster an understanding of ‘city competitiveness’ and incorporated a presentation by Neil Gibson of Oxford Economics who outlined the challenges and opportunities facing Belfast and proposed what the Council may consider in supporting the economic growth of the city.  The findings of the workshop will be used to inform the second iteration of the ‘Belfast Investment Package 2011’ Document.

1.6Furthermore, area based working sessions have been scheduled to take place over the coming weeks in advance of the next meeting of the Budget and Transformation Panel.  These sessions, will aim to build upon discussions among Members at the recent Place-Shaping workshop.  The briefing sessions will enable Members to further discuss and refine the projects and priorities previously identified.

1.7Members will be aware that there are quite a few meetings, workshops and other sessions being arranged in order to complete a draft Corporate Plan as well as informing the striking of the rate.  A work plan is enclosed as Appendix 1 which aims to outline upcoming issues and when they will be considered.

2  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0     Relevant Background Information 

Members are advised that during the past year local government have been working together to development a sector led ‘Improvement, Collaboration and Efficiency (ICE)’ programme. The ICE programme seeks to identify potential collaborative opportunities to support service improvement and secure greater efficiencies within councils.  As previously agreed by Committee, Council officers have been engaged in these discussions to explore the potential opportunities for the Council as part of its wider efficiency programme which has already recognised collaboration as one approach.  

1.2       Although initially developed as a counter argument to the proposed establishment of a centralised Business Services Organisation to deliver a range of new functions which had been proposed to transfer to Local Government, the ICE programme seeks to reflect the vacuum created by the suspension of the RPA in June 2010, and the increasingly challenging financial environment facing councils. The stated aim of the programme is to reduce the financial burden on ratepayers and to make the Sector more efficient through identifying, sharing and implementing opportunities for improvement and efficiency via collaboration.

2.0       Key Issues

2.1       The exploratory work in relation to ICE cumulated in the release, in February 2011, of a ‘Case for Change’ document which sought to engage the sector in discussions on potential improvement opportunities.  The Council submitted a detailed response to this consultation document indicating its support for the principles which underpin the ICE programme and confirming its continued involvement insofar as there may be potential tangible benefits for the Council in doing so.

2.2       In July 2011, a consultation findings report was issued to all councils for information summarising the feedback received on the ICE Case for Change report and setting out recommendations for moving the ICE programme forward including the establishment of a Regional Governance Group, a political forum, which would identify, consider and make recommendations to councils on potential collaborative opportunities.

2.3       Subsequently, the Chief Executive has recently received joint correspondence, dated 19 September, from the President of NILGA and Chair of SOLACE setting out proposals for the establishment of such a Regional Governance Group including its proposed role, political membership, secretarial support, resource requirements and operating principles.

2.4       In reviewing the proposals put forward, Members are asked to consider the following key issues:-

I)       Membership of Regional Governance Group (RGG) – it is proposed that each Council is asked to nominate one political representative, and a substitute member, onto the RGG.  If the Council was to consider that it should participate on the RGG it is proposed that the Chair of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee be nominated to represent the Council, with the Deputy Chair as the substitute nomination.

II)      Resource Implications – The report indicates that the only costs to be met by councils as a result of their participation on the RGG will be those relating to expenses incurred (e.g. travel to meetings) by the RGG nominated Member and the potential costs associated with hosting meetings  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

            The Democratic Services Manager reminded the Committee that, at its meeting on 19th August, it had agreed to undertake a one-off exercise based on the d’Hondt principles in order to nominate eight Members to fill the Council’s places on the Belfast Education and Library Board.  He reported that, to date, six nominations had been received.  The Democratic Unionist Party, which was entitled to nominate three Members, had indicated that it was prepared only to nominate one.  The Party maintained that the Minister for Education should appoint that Member to the Board in line with the Council’s system of proportionality on the appointment of Members to Outside Bodies. 

            Accordingly, the Democratic Services Manager recommended that, in order to be consistent with the approach taken by the Committee in relation to such appointments, it would be necessary to allocate the remaining places to the Parties holding choices nine and ten on the d’Hondt table, namely, Sinn Féin and the Social Democratic and Labour Party.  He recommended also that, in line with the previous stance adopted by the Council in appointing Members to the Interim Belfast Education and Library Board and the Belfast Harbour Commissioners, it would be necessary for the Council to advise the Department of Education that the application of the Council’s system of proportionality to the first four nominations to the Board would provide for two Sinn Féin representatives, one from the Democratic Unionist Party and one from the Social Democratic and Labour Party.

            The Committee adopted the recommendations.

            The Director of Finance and Resources reminded the Committee that, at its meeting on 24th September, 2010 it had, in accordance with a recommendation as contained within an Audit Report on Treasury Management, granted authority for the commencement of a tendering exercise and delegated authority to the Director of Finance and Resources to accept the most advantageous tender received in respect of the Council’s banking arrangements.  He reported that in response to public advertisement, four tenders had been received.  Each tender had been assessed in accordance with pre-agreed criteria and the most advantageous tender submitted was that by Barclays Bank.  Accordingly, he requested that the Committee note the outcome of the tendering exercise.

Noted.

            It was reported that, in accordance with Standing Order 55, the Director of Finance and Resources had authorised the appointment of individuals who were related to existing officers of the Council.