Agenda item

            (Mr. E. Deeny, Head of Corporate Communications, attended in connection with this item.)

            The Head of Corporate Communications reminded the Committee that, following the launch of the Investment Programme in February, a communications plan had been approved by the Committee at its meeting on 18th May.  In the intervening period, a short-term communications plan had been drawn up and implemented and to date there had been media, City Matters and website coverage for a number of initiatives including:

·     Super Connected Cities;

·     Mary Peters Track;

·     Dunville and Woodvale Parks;

·     the Local Investment Fund;

·     the jobs target (110 jobs and 170 placements this year); and

·     plans for the Belfast Waterfront Hall.

            Internally, there had also been regular updates to staff through the Intercom magazine, Interlink (intranet) and team briefings and, in addition, signage had been erected at the Mary Peters Track and the Dunville and Woodvale Parks.

            The Head of Corporate Communications explained that, with the first anniversary of the launch of the Investment Programme approaching in February, it was vital that communication was stepped up and that the contents of the original document were revisited and updates on any progress were pulled together.  He expressed the need to highlight projects on the ground that were being delivered and the progress on the headline developments, such as the Belfast Waterfront Hall and the Mary Peters Track and that the Council demonstrated that it was achieving its aims.

            He explained that the purpose of the report was to inform Members of plans to build on the original communications strategic approach paper and produce a fully developed action plan.  One of the issues to date had been the gathering of updated information on the progress from the various strands but the appointment, earlier in the month, of the Investment Programme Communications Officer and the recent appointments of the Programme Managers would resolve that ongoing difficulty.

            A communications group of officers involved in delivering the projects, led by the Director of Finance and Resources and the Head of Corporate Communications, had been set up and would develop the action plan, which would be submitted to the Committee for approval in January.  In addition, a quarterly report on communications issues would also be submitted.

            He stressed the importance of communications being politically-led.  Therefore, the Communications Group would report through the Budget and Transformation Panel to the Committee.

            In addition, individual parties had requested access to the Council’s photographic images to allow them to include publicity about the Council’s Investment Programme in their own publications.  It was possible for that to be provided and the Committee was requested to consider if that should be made available on request, through Corporate Communications, to Political Parties with the proviso that the Investment Programme should always be referred to as a cross-party Council innitiative.  That would be in keeping with the Council’s stated position that the Investment Programme was politically-led. 

            He requested also that the Committee reaffirm the protocols around lead representatives in photo calls and press releases in relation to the Investment Programme.  The following had been suggested in the original communications strategic document:

·     Party Leaders on the big projects delivered by the Council, such as the Belfast Waterfront Hall and the Mary Peters Track, at the announcement and completion stages.  If for logistical reasons only one person could be used in a press release or photo call, the Chair of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee would represent the Party Leaders as a whole;

·     the Chairman of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee or Lord Mayor, on agreement with Party Leaders, on partnership/Citywide projects which were not owned by the Council or only partly involved the Council and on events that required civic presence and other events where the Office of the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister or other Ministers attended and official openings;

·     Committee Chairs at Departmental projects and also at key milestones (other than announcement and completion) of major projects; and

·     Other Councillors – local projects, where possible, to be made cross?party and all local representatives where possible.

            After discussion, the Committee noted the establishment of the Communications Group and that a fully developed Communications Action Plan would be submitted to the Committee in January for approval, followed by quarterly update reports.  In addition, the Committee approved:

(i)      making Council-owned photographic images available through Corporation Communications to Political Parties for use in their own publications, subject to any use always referring to the Investment Programme as cross-party Council initiative; and

(ii)     the protocols in relation to Council representatives in Investment Programme press releases and photographs.