Agenda item

            The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0      Purpose of Report

1.1       This report provides the Committee with an update on the recent meeting of the Belfast Community Planning Partnership held on 27th October.

2.0       Recommendation

2.1       The Committee is asked to note the key areas of work currently being progressed by the Community Planning Partnership (CPP), as outlined in the attached note of the CPP meeting.

3.0       Main Report

            Background

3.1       The Belfast CPP (Strategic Board), chaired by the Council’s Chief Executive, comprises the Council and its Community Planning Partners including a range of statutory and support partner organisations, including VCSE and business sectors.   The Partnership’s strategic level board provides joint oversight and leadership for the community planning process in the city, and for the delivery of the Belfast Agenda with partners.

3.2       Focused work on progressing action plans and their delivery is jointly managed with partners through 4 delivery sub Boards, namely:

- Growing the Economy and City Development Board

- Living Here Board

- Working & Learning Board

- Resilience & Sustainability Board.

3.3       Belfast City Council is currently represented on the Partnership (at strategic board level) by the Chair of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, along with Elected Members nominated from each party (who are also members of an internal Council Community Planning Working Group), and the Council’s Chief Executive, who chairs CPP meetings.

            Belfast Community Planning Partnership meeting 27th October 2020

3.4       Following the postponement of a scheduled CPP meeting in March 2020 due to the Covid pandemic, the Community Planning Partnership met in an online meeting format on Tuesday 27 October 2020. This was therefore an especially important meeting at a crucial time in the community planning process, particularly in light of the Covid-19 impacts on the city and the publication of Council’s Recovery Framework. A summary note of the meeting, outlining the items discussed and the decisions taken, is attached. Important points for Members to note from the discussion include:

                                i)      Aligning focus on city recovery from Covid-19 alongside longer term Belfast Agenda Outcomes

3.5       Partners were briefed on the evolving context for City Recovery, including the Council’s recent work to develop the Belfast: Our Recovery Framework. The Partnership agreed to progress key city priorities through the Delivery Boards and relevant task groups. Members will recognise that many of these areas of focus reflect the Belfast Agenda priorities that were previously identified for immediate focus in the Statement of Progress published by Council in November 2019. These key areas of work are now being adapted to take account of the impacts and new context due to the Covid-19 Pandemic i.e:

·         Health inequalities – including drugs, alcohol and mental health, and work to address excess winter deaths (Warm and well programme)

·         Educational inequalities

·         Employability and skills

·         Neighbourhood regeneration – including focus on local area planning and engagement to support community recovery

·         Housing

·         Sustainability and resilience, including addressing climate challenge

·         Creating a shared, safe and inclusive city, including development of an inclusive growth city charter

                               ii)      Enhancing Partner involvement in the Community Planning Partnership

3.6       Partners agreed that the Partnership’s Delivery Boards should adopt a Co-Chair model to build the sense of co-ownership and collaborative working at all levels of the Partnership. This model has to date been adopted by the Resilience and Sustainability Board, and will now be considered by the other Boards for adoption going forwards.

                                 iii)  Establishment of new Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Sectoral Advisory Panel

3.7       The Partnership received an update from the Chair (Irene Sherry) and Vice Chair (Jim Girvan) of the newly established VCSe Sectoral Advisory Panel, noting the work, commitment and contribution of the Panel to date, and in particular the Panel’s plans to build engagement across the city’s VCSE sectors in the near future. Plans for the VCSe Panel’s upcoming Community Conference on 30^th November, titled 'Putting Community Wellbeing at the Heart of Community Planning' were outlined and Partners were encouraged to support this online event. Both the VCSe Panel and Community Planning Partners present at the meeting stressed the importance of the VCSe Panel and wider sector engagement model as key to the success of the city’s community planning process, and ensuring inclusive involvement of communities in the future.

            City recovery from Covid and refresh of Belfast Agenda

3.8       Members will be aware of the Councils recently published Belfast: Our Recovery framework, setting out Council’s proposed areas of focus for driving economic, social/community and environmental recovery over the next 1-2 years. While this framework does not replace other key city strategies (such as the Belfast Agenda) it is helping to frame engagement with partners and communities as we review our plans, to bring focus to what is needed to help the city recover and move forward.

3.9       Members should note that the Belfast Agenda will be updated and refreshed during 2021, to reflect the current city context, and to set an updated framework of priorities and shared goals for collective focus of city partners. This will build on the planned early engagement with communities due to take place over the next few months. Members will be engaged in this process as it develops in early 2021.

            Financial and Resource Implications

3.10      There are no direct financial implication arising from this report. Costs associated with the implementation and facilitation of the Community Planning Partnership are currently being met within existing council budgets.

            Equality or Good Relations Implications/Rural Needs Assessment

3.11      There are no direct equality implications contained in this report.”

            The Committee adopted the recommendation.