Agenda and minutes

            Apologies for inability to attend were reported from Alderman Browne and Councillors Jones and McVeigh.

            The minutes of the meetings of 7th and 21st June 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 July, subject to

(1)              The amendment of the minute under the heading “Creation of Statutory Transition Committee” to provide that consideration of the appointment of Members from the Council to the STC be deferred until such times as the Local Government (STC) Regulations (NI) 2013 and any intended guidance were provided to the Council and the political parties had an opportunity to consider them; and until such time as Lisburn City Council and Castlereagh Borough Council had provided details of their nominations to the STC;

(2)              The rejection of the minute of the meeting of 21st June under the heading “Flag Flying Policy- Armed Forces Flag”; the Council accordingly agreed that Armed Forces Day be added to the list of other flags which were flown on specific occasions at the City Hall and that that be for a period of six days; and

(3)              The amendment of the minute of 21st June under the heading “Local Investment Fund- Update” to provide that a sum of £15,000 from the South Belfast Area Working Group’s Intervention Fund be allocated to the Lisburn Road Business Association for the purposes of undertaking promotional development activities; and, in accordance with the decision of the West Belfast Area Working Group, at its meeting on 19th of June, to approve two additional feasibility studies for the Springfield Charitable Association and for a proposed community hub at the Donegal Celtic Football Club.

            No declarations of interest were reported.

            (Mrs. D. Colville, ISB and Ms. C. Dixon, External Communications Manager, Corporate Communications, attended in connection with this item)

            The Committee was reminded that, at its meeting on 12th June, it had been advised that the Council’s website was undergoing a major upgrading.  Accordingly, in order to apprise the Members of the amendments to the website, Miss E. Dixon and Mrs D. Colville were in attendance to provide a presentation to the Committee.

            The Committee was advised that the Council’s website attracted an average visitor figure of 132,000 every month.  Over one third of those visitors accessed the site using a mobile device.  The main aim of the website project was to develop a mobile responsive site to ensure that the Council’s customers could easily access information and services, regardless of whether they were using a personal computer or a mobile device.

            The new website would provide a platform to further develop:

·         use of social media as a communication, engagement, marketing and service improvement tool;

·         the provision of on-line and mobile transactions;

·         a new corporate approach to complaints; and

·         use of video as a communication tool.

            The Council was currently developing a new ICT strategy and use of the website, social media and mobile technology would form a strand of it.  A further report on the ICT Strategy would be submitted to the Committee in the Autumn.  A project team from ISB and Corporate Communications were leading on the delivery of the new mobile responsive website and resources from those two services would work on an intensive content migration exercise before the new site was launched.  An on-going program of delivering online and mobile enabled services would continue following the launch of the new website.

            The Committee noted the information which had been provided and agreed that a report on a revised ICT Strategy be submitted to the Committee for consideration in the Autumn.

            The Director of Finance and Resources provided the Members with an update in relation to an ongoing fraud investigation.

            After discussion, during which the Director of Finance and Resources answered a number of questions, the Committee noted the information which had been provided and that a further more detailed report would be provided a special meeting of the Audit Panel which was scheduled to be held on the 12th August.

            The Democratic Services Manager informed the Committee that he had been advised earlier in the day that objections had been received in relation to the Provisional Recommendations of the District Electoral Areas Commissioner in relation to the establishment of the new Belfast District Electoral Area.  Therefore, a public inquiry would require to be heard.

            The Committee noted the information which had been provided and that a further report on the final recommendations would be submitted to the Committee in December.

Chairman