Agenda item

Moved by Councillor Black,

            Seconded by Councillor Beattie,

 

            That the minutes of the proceedings of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee of 23rd April, omitting matters in respect of which the Council has delegated its powers to the Committee, be approved and adopted.

 

 

Amendment

 

Medium Term Financial Plan/Commercial Plan

 

Moved by Councillor Groogan,

Seconded by Councillor Matt Collins,

 

            That the decision of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee of 23rd April, under the heading “Medium Term Financial Plan/Commercial Plan”, be rejected and, accordingly, the Council agrees to reject the Commercial Plan.

 

            On a recorded vote, thirty Members voted for the amendment and twenty-six against and it was declared carried.

 

For 30	Against 26
The Deputy Lord Mayor, Councillor McCusker; Councillors Baker, Beattie, Black, Bradley, Canavan, Carson, Matt Collins, Michael Collins, Corr, De Faoite, Donnelly, Ferguson, Flynn, Garrett, Gormley, Groogan, Heading, Lyons, Magee, Magennis, Maskey, McAteer, McCabe, McKeown, McLaughlin, Murphy, O’Hara, Smyth, and Walsh.	The Lord Mayor (Alderman McCoubrey); The High Sheriff (Councillor Long); Aldermen Copeland, Dorrian, Haire, Kingston, Rodgers and Sandford; and Councillors Brooks, Bunting, Hanvey, Hussey, Hutchinson, T. Kelly, Kyle, McAllister, McCullough, McDonough-Brown, McMullan, McReynolds, Mulholland, Newton, Nicholl, Pankhurst, Spratt and Verner.

 

 

Amendment 1

 

Standards and Business Committee –

Draft Terms of Reference

 

Moved by Councillor Ferguson,

Seconded by Councillor Matt Collins,

 

That the decision of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee of 23rd April, under the heading “Standards and Business Committee – Draft Terms of Reference”, be rejected and, accordingly, the Council agrees not to proceed with plans for a Standards and Business Committee, and instead asks officers to investigate a more democratic means for dealing with both matters.

 

On a recorded vote, twenty Members voted for the amendment and thirty-two against and it was declared lost.

 

For 20	Against 32	No Vote 4
The Deputy Lord Mayor, Councillor McCusker; The High Sheriff (Councillor Long); Councillors Matt Collins, Michael Collins, De Faoite, Ferguson, Flynn, Groogan, Hanvey, Heading, Lyons, McAllister, McDonough-Brown, McKeown, McMullan, McReynolds, Mulholland, Nicholl, O’Hara, Smyth,	The Lord Mayor (Alderman McCoubrey); Aldermen Dorrian, Haire, Kingston and Sandford; and Councillors Baker, Beattie, Black, Bradley, Brooks, Bunting, Canavan, Carson, Corr, Donnelly, Garrett, Gormley, Hussey, T. Kelly, Magee, Magennis, Maskey, McAteer, McCabe, McCullough, McLaughlin, Murphy, Newton, Pankhurst, Spratt, Verner and Walsh.	Aldermen Copeland and  Rodgers; and Councillors Hutchinson and Kyle.

 

Amendment 2

 

Standards and Business Committee –

Draft Terms of Reference

 

Moved by Councillor McAllister,

Seconded by High Sheriff, Councillor Long,

 

That the decision of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee of 23rd April, under the heading “Standards and Business Committee –

Draft Terms of Reference”, be amended and, accordingly, the Council agrees to remove the Business Committee element as outlined in the report and agrees to the Standards Committee only.

 

On a recorded vote, twenty-one Members voted for the amendment and thirty-four against, with 2 No Votes, and it was declared lost.

 

 

For 21	Against 34	No Vote 2
The Deputy Lord Mayor, Councillor McCusker; The High Sheriff (Councillor Long); Councillors Matt Collins, Michael Collins, De Faoite, Ferguson, Flynn, Groogan, Hanvey, Heading, Howard, Lyons, McAllister, McDonough-Brown, McKeown, McMullan, McReynolds, Mulholland, Nicholl, O’Hara, Smyth.	The Lord Mayor (Alderman McCoubrey); Aldermen Copeland, Dorrian, Haire, Kingston and Rodgers, Sandford; and Councillors Baker, Beattie, Black, Bradley, Brooks, Bunting, Canavan, Carson, Corr, Donnelly, Garrett, Gormley, Hussey, T. Kelly, Magee, Magennis, Maskey, McAteer, McCabe, McCullough, McLaughlin, Murphy, Newton, Pankhurst, Spratt, Verner and Walsh.	Councillors Hutchinson and Kyle.

 

 

Amendment 3

 

Standards and Business Committee –

Draft Terms of Reference

 

Moved by Councillor Groogan,

Seconded by Councillor O’Hara,

 

That the decision of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee of 23rd April, under the heading “Standards and Business Committee –

Draft Terms of Reference”, be rejected and, accordingly, the Council agrees in line with our Constitution that states that ‘the Full Council is the over-arching decision-making body’, this Council does not agree that the Standards and Business Committee should have delegated authority over any matter. Decisions of this Committee should be subject to ratification at full Council like any other Committee. As such the Terms and References for this Committee should be amended to reflect this and brought back to Strategic Policy and Resources Committee for approval.

 

On a recorded vote, twenty-four Members voted for the amendment and thirty-four against and it was declared lost.

 

For 24	Against 34
The Deputy Lord Mayor, Councillor McCusker; The High Sheriff (Councillor Long); Councillors Matt Collins, Michael Collins, De Faoite, Ferguson, Flynn, Groogan, Hanvey, Heading, Howard, Hutchinson, Kyle, Lyons, McAllister, McDonough-Brown, McKeown, McMullan, McReynolds, Mulholland, Nicholl, O’Hara, Smyth and Whyte.	The Lord Mayor (Alderman McCoubrey); Aldermen Copeland, Dorrian, Haire, Kingston Rodgers and Sandford; and Councillors Baker, Beattie, Black, Bradley, Brooks, Bunting, Canavan, Carson, Corr, Donnelly, Garrett, Gormley, Hussey, T. Kelly, Magee, Magennis, Maskey, McAteer, McCabe, McCullough, McLaughlin, Murphy, Newton, Pankhurst, Spratt, Verner and Walsh.

 

 

Amendment 4

 

Standards and Business Committee –

Draft Terms of Reference

 

Moved by Councillor Michael Collins,

Seconded by Councillor Matt Collins,

 

That the decision of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee of 23rd April, under the heading “Standards and Business Committee –

Draft Terms of Reference”, be rejected and, accordingly, the Council agrees to seek outside legal advice to re-examine the issue.

 

On a recorded vote, twenty Members voted for the amendment and thirty-six against and it was declared lost.

 

For 20	Against 36
The Deputy Lord Mayor, Councillor McCusker; The High Sheriff (Councillor Long); Councillors Matt Collins, Michael Collins, De Faoite, Ferguson, Flynn, Groogan, Hanvey, Heading, Howard, Lyons, McAllister, McDonough-Brown, McKeown, McMullan, Mulholland, O’Hara, Smyth and Whyte.	The Lord Mayor (Alderman McCoubrey); Aldermen Copeland, Dorrian, Haire, Kingston and Rodgers, Sandford; and Councillors Baker, Beattie, Black, Bradley, Brooks, Bunting, Canavan, Carson, Corr, Donnelly, Garrett, Gormley, Hussey, Hutchinson, T. Kelly, Kyle, Magee, Magennis, Maskey, McAteer, McCabe, McCullough, McLaughlin, Murphy, Newton, Pankhurst, Spratt, Verner and Walsh.

 

Amendment 1

 

Malone House – Options Paper

 

Moved by Councillor McLaughlin,

Seconded by Councillor McAteer,

 

            That the decision of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee of 23rd April, under the heading “Malone House – Options Paper”, be rejected and, accordingly, the Council agrees to opt for option 4, which will include an investment plan, business case and economic appraisal to retain Malone House in house and invest in the assist to bring Malone House to a sustainable model.

 

            The proposer agreed, at the request of Councillor Matt Collins, to amend his proposal to provide for the following addition to end of the proposal: “Furthermore this Council will bring in/retain the catering services as an in house model.”

 

            After discussion, the following proposal, as amended, was put to the meeting:

 

            That the decision of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee of 23rd April, under the heading “Malone House – Options Paper”, be rejected and, accordingly, the Council agrees to opt for option 4, which will include an investment plan, business case and economic appraisal to retain Malone House in house and invest in the assist to bring Malone House to a sustainable model. Furthermore this Council will bring in/retain the catering services as in house model.

 

            On a recorded vote, 25 Members voted for the amendment and 33 against and it was declared lost.

 

For 25

Against 33

Councillors Baker, Beattie, Black, Bradley, Canavan, Carson, Matt Collins, Michael Collins, Corr, Donnelly, Ferguson, Flynn, Garrett, Gormley, Groogan, Magee, Magennis, Maskey, McAteer, McCabe, McLaughlin, Murphy, O’Hara, Smyth, and Walsh.

The Lord Mayor (Alderman McCoubrey); The Deputy Lord Mayor, Councillor McCusker; The High Sheriff (Councillor Long); Aldermen Copeland, Dorrian, Haire, Kingston, Rodgers and Sandford; and Councillors Brooks, Bunting, De Faoite, Hanvey, Heading, Howard, Hussey, Hutchinson, T. Kelly, Kyle, Lyons, McAllister, McCullough, McDonough-Brown, McKeown, McMullan, McReynolds, Mulholland, Newton, Nicholl, Pankhurst, Spratt and Verner and Whyte.

 

Amendment 2

 

Malone House – Options Paper

 

Moved by Councillor Matt Collins,

Seconded by Councillor Ferguson,

 

            That the decision of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee of 23rd April, under the heading “Malone House – Options Paper”, be rejected and, accordingly, the Council agrees to opt for option 2 as outlined in the report.

 

            On a recorded vote, 25 Members voted for the amendment and 33 against and it was declared lost.

 

For 25

Against 33

Councillors Baker, Beattie, Black, Bradley, Canavan, Carson, Matt Collins, Michael Collins, Corr, Donnelly, Ferguson, Flynn, Garrett, Gormley, Groogan, Magee, Magennis, Maskey, McAteer, McCabe, McLaughlin, Murphy, O’Hara, Smyth, and Walsh.

The Lord Mayor (Alderman McCoubrey); The Deputy Lord Mayor, Councillor McCusker; The High Sheriff (Councillor Long); Aldermen Copeland, Dorrian, Haire, Kingston, Rodgers and Sandford; and Councillors Brooks, Bunting, De Faoite, Hanvey, Heading, Howard, Hussey, Hutchinson, T. Kelly, Kyle, Lyons, McAllister, McCullough, McDonough-Brown, McKeown, McMullan, McReynolds, Mulholland, Newton, Nicholl, Pankhurst, Spratt and Verner and Whyte.

 

Malone House – Options Paper

 

            At the request of Councillor Beattie, the Council agreed that a report be submitted to a future meeting of the Committee to provide an update on the Trade Union engagement in relation to the matter.

 

Peace Plus 2021-2027 Consultation

(Content/Administration)

 

            At the request of Councillor Kyle, the Council agreed to amend the minute of the meeting of 23rd April, under the above mentioned heading, to provide that the Council’s draft consultation response (appendix 2) be amended under Theme 2 - Delivering Economic Regeneration and Transformation, in that the answer to “To what extent do you agree or disagree with the Investment Areas Programme Areas Skills Development”? be affirmed that the Council agrees with the proposal for support.

 

Amendment

 

Revised Dual Language Street Signs Policy

 

Moved by Alderman Kingston,

Seconded by Councillor McCullough,

 

            That the decision of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee of 23rd April, under the heading “Revised Dual Language Street Signs Policy”, be rejected and, accordingly, the Council agrees not to approve the draft policy so that the Committee can reconsider the threshold before consultation takes place.

 

            On a vote, 18 Members voted for the amendment and 40 against and it was declared lost.

 

Update on Smart Belfast

 

            At the request of Councillor Gormley, the Deputy Chief Executive confirmed that the intended programme outlined in the report to reduce digital exclusion would be used for digital infrastructure only. However, other funds were available to improve digital skills or assist with hardware provision.

 

Amendment

 

Heritage Trail Sign Policy – City Hall

 

Moved by Alderman Kingston,

Seconded by Councillor Bunting,

 

“That the Council provides a combined sign for Heritage Trails wishing to associate with the City Hall, and their QR codes, on the external railings of the City Hall. This will be an inclusive approach, accommodating between four and eight trails, and will ensure that the codes are always accessible, including when the City Hall grounds are closed, and avoid cluttering the view of the façade of the City Hall, which is a Grade A listed building.

 

On a recorded vote, 18 Members voted for the amendment and 40 against and it was declared lost.

 

For 18

Against 40

The Lord Mayor (Alderman McCoubrey); Aldermen Copeland, Dorrian, Haire, Kingston, Rodgers and Sandford; and Councillors Brooks, Bunting, Hussey, Hutchinson, T. Kelly, Kyle, McCullough, Newton, Pankhurst, Spratt and Verner.

The High Sheriff (Councillor Long); The Deputy Lord Mayor, Councillor McCusker; Councillors Baker, Beattie, Black, Bradley, Canavan, Carson, Matt Collins, Michael Collins, Corr, De Faoite, Donnelly, Hanvey, Heading, Howard, Ferguson, Flynn, Garrett, Gormley, Groogan, Lyons, Magee, Magennis, Maskey, McAllister, McAteer, McCabe, McDonough-Brown, McKeown, McLaughlin, McMullan, McReynolds, Mulholland, Murphy, Nicholl, O’Hara, Smyth, Walsh and Whyte.

 

 

 

Amendment

 

Council/Committee Meetings - Post 6th May, 2021

 

            The City Solicitor explained that the purposed arrangements for holding Council/Committee meetings could no longer continue following the expiry of the legislation permitting the hosting of remote meetings from 6th May.

 

            He reminded the Council that, the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, at its meeting in April, had agreed to change Standing Orders, as set out in the report, to enable the current arrangements for the hosting of remote meetings to continue. He explained, however, that this was no longer a viable option, as the legal proceedings undertaken by the ADSO and LLG, in conjunction with Hertfordshire County Council, seeking a declaration to allow for the continuation of local authority meetings beyond 6th May had, following the decision by the High Court in England on 28th April, been unsuccessful.

 

            He advised that the Council needed to provide direction on how it wished to undertake its decision-making process beyond 6th May and suggested an option to hold remote meetings and the use of Delegated Authority. He explained that the Council could continue to host remote meetings, with the Members of each Committee considering the issues within its remit and making recommendations to the Chief Executive or appropriate Chief Officer to exercise delegated authority to implement the recommendations.

 

            He circulated the following information which outlined the proposed temporary change in process arrangements for consideration:

 

1.               Up to one week in advance of the meeting an agenda will be issued as normal. 

 

2.               Each Committee will continue to meet, in a remote setting, with the public present for those items which do not have restricted information, to consider reports and recommendations as at present. 

 

3.               As the Committee will not be a ‘formal’ decision-making body, it will be convened as, for example, “a meeting of the Members of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee”.  The purpose of the meeting will be for the Members of that Committee to meet and make recommendations to the Chief Executive to use her delegated authority in accordance with Standing Order 41 to implement the recommendations. 

 

4.               The same rules of debate contained in Standing Orders will still apply to these meetings.

 

5.               All recommendations to the Chief Executive will be by unanimous or majority decision. 

 

6.         Following the meeting, Democratic Services will produce a “Recommendations Register”, similar to the current decision register.  This will be forwarded to the Chief Executive the day immediately following the committee meeting.  It will advise of any agenda items where votes were taken and also highlight any areas of concern or contentious matters that might have been raised.

 

 7.        The Chief Executive’s Decision Register, for those decisions taken under delegated authority, will be issued to all Members of the Council, in accordance with the call-in procedure. 
 

8.         A full minute of the meeting will also be produced by Democratic Services as per the usual procedures. 

 

9.         The full Council will also operate on the same principles. 

 

10.       Prior to the Council meeting, an agenda will be issued with the list of decisions from each of the Committee memberships, with the full minute of the meeting appended. 

 

11.       The Council will discuss each of the Chief Executive’s decisions, similar to how the minutes are presented at present and consider whether or not it wishes to ratify the decisions.

 

12.       Following the Council meeting, a register of decisions will be issued, which will be subject to the call-in procedure.

 

13.       No decisions will be implemented until the call-in period has expired. 

 

14.       For those decisions in respect of which the Chief Executive has a conflict of interest or which have a political sensitivity she may decline to exercise delegated authority. Such decisions will be deferred until governance arrangements can be resumed or if necessary due to urgency through a physically convened meeting.

 

15.       The delegated authority arrangement will exclude matters referred to at section 7 (3) of the Local Government (NI) Act 2014 which are reserved to Council.  

 

 

            The Chief Executive highlighted that, if agreed, these procedures would be put in place as a temporary measure and the ability to hold hybrid meetings, that is, a combination of remote and in-person meetings, would continue to be examined in line with Health and Safety guidelines.

 

            She pointed out that the Council would continue to advocate for the introduction of new legislation with the Executive Office to allow for remote attendance at Committee meetings on a permanent basis. 

 

            After discussion, the Council agreed the new governance process as set out and noted that the process would be kept under review.

 

Adoption of Minutes

 

            Subject to the foregoing amendment, the minutes of the proceedings of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee of 23rd April, omitting matters in respect of which the Council has delegated its powers to the Committee, were approved and adopted.