Agenda item

            The Committee considered the following report:

 

“1.0     Purpose of Report/Summary of Main Issues

 

1.1       To consider the appointment of Members to the five Building Successful Communities Forums operating in the City.

 

2.0       Recommendations

 

2.1       The Committee is recommended to:

 

1.     agree to the use of the Quota Greatest Remainder system of proportionality to allocate the available places on the five Forums amongst the political parties represented in the relevant DEAs; and

 

2.     agree to the allocation of the seats on the five Forums as follows:

 

·        Lower Oldpark and Hillview – 2 SF

·        Tiger’s Bay and Mountcollyer – 1 DUP and 1 SF

·        Lenadoon and Glencolin – 2 SF

·        Lower Shankill and Brown Square and  Falls – 2 DUP, 1 SF and 1 TUV

 

3.0       Main Report

 

3.1       Key Issues

 

3.1.1    In October, 2013 the Department for Social development launched five pilot schemes in Belfast under the Building Successful Communities Programme.  These were:

 

·        Lower Oldpark and Hillview

·        Tiger’s Bay and Mountcollyer

·        Lower Shankill and Brown Square

·        Lenadoon and Glencolin

·        Lower Falls

 

3.1.2    These Forums, up until 2015, had membership from elected representatives, local communities and statutory and voluntary agencies.  The Forums were tasked with identifying the particular housing and regeneration needs of their area and developing and implementing plans to reverse the decline in those areas and create more sustainable communities.

 

3.1.3    Elected member representation on the Forums had been identified by way of nomination from MLAs.  However, the Department in 2015 sought the formal nomination of up to two Council representatives on each of the five Forums.

 

3.1.4    In 2015 and 2019, the Council agreed, in order to ensure that the nominated Members were from the District Electoral Areas (DEAs) in which the Forums operated and that the nominations were proportional to the political party strengths in those DEAs, that a Quota Greatest remainder exercise should be undertaken.  It is recommended that the same approach is taken for the nomination of Members in 2023.

 

3.1.5    The five Forums and the relevant DEAs have been identified as:

 

·        Lower Oldpark and Hillview – Oldpark DEA

·        Tiger’s Bay and Mountcollyer – Castle DEA

·        Lenadoon and Glencolin – Collin and Black Mountain DEAs

·        Lower Shankill and Brown Square – Court DEA

·        Lower Falls – Court DEA

 

3.1.6    Accordingly, it is suggested that the two Forums for Lower Shankill and Brown Square and Lower Falls should be grouped together for the purpose of the proportionality exercise as the membership for both is being drawn from the Court DEA, as was the case in 2015 and 2019.

 

3.1.7    The outcome of the Quota Greatest Remainder exercise for each of the Forums is set out below:

 

3.1.8    Lower Oldpark and Hillview – Oldpark DEA

 

Party	Number of Members	Representation
SF	4	(1.33) 2
DUP	1	(0.33) 0
IND	1	(0.33) 0
	6	2

 

            The Quota Greatest Remainder system dictates that where two or more parties have the same remainder figure the available place should be allocated to that party which attracted the most first preference votes in the most recent local elections.  In this instance, SF, DUP and SDLP each have a remainder figure of 0.33.  Therefore, the second seat is allocated to SF.

 

            The two seats are allocated to SF.

 

3.1.9    Tiger’s Bay and Mountcollyer – Castle DEA

 

Party	Number of Members	Representation
DUP	2	(0.66) 1
SF	2	(0.66) 1
ALL	1	(0.33) 0
SDLP	1	(0.33) 0
	6	2

 

            The two available seats are therefore allocated to DUP and SF.

 

3.1.10  Lenadoon and Glencolin – Collin and Black Mountain DEAs

 

Party	Number of Members	Representation
SF	11	(1.69) 2
PBPA	1	(0.15) 0
SDLP	1	(0.15) 0
	13	2

 

            The two available seats are therefore allocated to SF.

 

3.1.11  Lower Shankill and Brown Square and Lower Falls – Court DEA

 

Party	Number of Members	Representation
DUP	3	(2.00) 2
SF	2	(1.33) 1
TUV	1	(0.67) 1
	6	4

 

            The four available seats across the two Forum areas are allocated to DUP (2), SF (1) and TUV (1).  As in previous years, it will be a matter for agreement between the three parties concerned as to which of the two Forums they wish to nominate to.  In the absence of such agreement, the order of choice should be in relation to the overall Party representation in the Court DEA.

 

3.2       Financial and Resource Implications

           

3.2.1    None associated with this report.

 

3.3       Equality or Good Relations Implications/Rural Needs Assessment

 

3.3.1    None associated with this report.”

 

The Committee adopted the recommendations.