Agenda item

            The Committee was reminded that, as part of the Review of Public Administration process, a Transfer of Functions Working Group had been established, which comprised of senior officials from both central and local government and was chaired by the Chief Executive of Belfast City Council.  Its purpose was to examine the package of functions which were proposed to be transferred from central to local government and to provide greater clarity in terms of the scope of the transferring functions; the resources, or otherwise, attached to the functions; and to examine those operational issues which needed to be addressed prior to the transfer.

            The Chief Executive reported that that work had cumulated in the development of an initial draft baseline report which gave detailed consideration to those issues relating to each of the transferring function areas.  The report contained a number of critical issues, which related particularly to resources, which needed to be resolved in advance of any formal transfer of functions.  He pointed out that the recent deferral of a decision by the Northern Ireland Executive in respect of the future of the Review of Public Administration and the subsequent decision to hold elections to 26 and not 11 Councils in May, 2011 had further reinforced the uncertainty in regard to the transfer of functions.

            He stated that there was clearly a need for a continued political conversation in respect to any future prospect of transferring functions, the scope of such transfer and the operational and financial implications for Councils.  As part of its deliberations on the future of local government reform, it would be important that the Executive reaffirmed its commitment to the transfer of functions from central to local government and provided clarification on the proposed timetable for implementation.  Given the current economic climate, the pending departmental budgetary cuts and growing pressures on the public sector to do more with less, there was an opportunity to reconfigure the conversation with central government departments to focus on the need for and benefits of service integration at the local level.  There was a need also to explore potential scope for greater co-design and co-delivery of services.

            The Chief Executive reported that, in an attempt to initiate and/or inform such discussions, the Transfer of Functions Working Group had prepared the aforementioned report which provided an update on discussions to date, outlined the key outstanding issues which still needed to be addressed and presented a case for the need for greater service integration.  The report recommended also that consideration be given to the initiation of a number of integrated area-based pilots which would being together, for example, regeneration, planning, community development and economic development.  Such an approach would go towards strengthening the relationship between central and local government and could offer a managed response to dealing with the budgetary pressures facing the entire public sector whilst limiting the impact on services.  It would be the intention that the Transfer of Functions Report, subject to any proposed revisions by the Members, would be submitted to the Environment Minister, with a view to securing Ministerial Support for the initiation of a number of integrated area-based pilots.

            The Chief Executive pointed out that the Council would also need to continue to engage both at political and officer level with relevant central government departments and Ministers in regards to the transfer of functions issue and explore the potential for integrated area-based pilots or partnership projects in advance of any formal transfer.  The Members might also wish to consider discussing with Political Party and Ministerial colleagues the potential for Belfast to take forward area pilots.  The Council had already successfully established integrated service delivery models in the areas of health and community safety.  Any consideration given to potential area-based pilots would need to be integrated with the Council’s approach to community planning.

            The Committee agreed to:

(i)   support the proposal that the Council advocate the potential initiation of integrated area-based pilots and that the Members lobby for Belfast pilots; and

(ii)  that the draft report of the Transfer of Functions Working Group be submitted to the Environment Minister.