Agenda item

            The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0  Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1       To provide an update on a number of area related issues for Members’ consideration.

2.0    Recommendations

2.1       Members are asked to –

            AWG minutes

·        approve the most recent round AWG Minutes (East – 3rd November; West – 27th October and South – 31st October) as attached at Appendix 1.  Members are asked to note that the North AWG held its meeting on Thursday 10th November – the minutes for this are not yet available however the relevant funding decisions from the meeting are included within this report.

            Local Investment Fund

·        agree the recommendations from the West and North AWGs in relation to LIF funding (sections 3.2 and 3.3).

            Belfast Investment Fund

·        agree the recommendations from the South in relation to their ringfenced BIF allocation of £500,000.

3.0       Main report

            Key Issues

3.1       AREA WORKING GROUP UPDATES

         Members agreed in June that the Area Working Group minutes would be taken into the SP&R Committee for approval going forward in line with the Council’s commitment to openness and transparency and to ensure a consistency in approach to the other Member-led Working Groups. Members are asked to approve the most recent round AWG Minutes (West – 27th October; South – 31st October and East – 3rd November) as attached at Appendix 1.  Members are asked to note that the North AWG held its meeting on Thursday 10th November – the minutes for this are not yet available however the relevant funding decisions from the meeting are included within this report.

            LOCAL INVESTMENT FUND UPDATE 

3.2    WEST AWG - The West AWG at its meeting on 27TH October, made the following recommendations for the consideration of the SP&R Committee in relation to their LIF.

3.3    NORTH AWG - The West AWG at its meeting on 10th November, made the following recommendations for the consideration of the SP&R Committee in relation to their LIF.

         BELFAST INVESTMENT FUND UPDATE

3.4    In January 2016, as part of the rates setting process, it was agreed that £5m would be ringfenced to support BIF projects in the areas of Lisburn and Castlereagh which transferred across under LGR with the monies to be shared equally as these areas had not had an opportunity to have any BIF projects considered and that in keeping with other BIF projects that it would be the role of the AWGs to consider emerging BIF proposals in these areas and recommend projects to the SP&R Committee in its role as the investment decision maker.

3.5    Members noted in March 2016 that the allocation for Outer East fell across two AWGs (South and East as residents transferred into the Balmoral (South), Lisnasharragh (East) and Orminston (East) DEAs). The total that transferred into these areas was just over 25,000 with approx 1/5 of these transferring into Balmoral (South) and the remainder transferring into the East DEAs.  In terms of the £2.5million available for Outer East this equated to £500,000 for South and £2million for East and this allocation was agreed by Members.

3.6    SOUTH AWG – The South AWG at its meeting on 31st October, made the following recommendations for the consideration of the SP&R Committee in relation to this ringfenced BIF allocation. 

3.7    EAST AWG – The East AWG, at its meeting on 3rd October, agreed that officers continue to engage with the three Stage 1 – Emerging projects (the Hanwood Centre, Tullycarnet Action Group Initiative Trust (TAGIT) and Braniel Church) to obtain further information on each proposal and report back to a future AWG meeting.

3.8       Financial and Resource Implications

·        Financial – £5m has been allocated to LIF 1 and £4m has been allocated to LIF2. 

·        Resource - Officers time to deliver projects.  

3.9       Equality or Good Relations Implications

            LIF has been equality screened.”

Moved by Councillor Long,

Seconded by Councillor Jones,

      That the additional £2m of BIF which had been ring-fenced for projects in the newly transferred areas of outer east should be advertised.

            On a vote by show of hands five members voted for the proposal and fourteen against and it was declared lost.

            The Committee accordingly adopted the recommendations set out in the report.