Minutes:
The Committee considered the undernoted report:
“1.0 Purpose of Report/Summary of Main Issues
1.1 This report provides a draft People & Communities Committee Plan summarising the Committee’s key priorities for 2023-24.
The Committee is asked to consider further this report which was deferred from the People and Communities Committee meeting of 12 September 2023.
2.0 Recommendation
2.1 The Committee is asked to:
· Approve the draft People and Communities Committee Plan priorities for 2023-24.
3.0 Main Report
3.1 The 2023-24 draft P&C Committee Plan has been developed in the context of the Council’s Corporate Plan and the Belfast Agenda and considering the Belfast Agenda Refresh. Consequently, the new Committee Plan contains the commitments within the Corporate Delivery Plan, which fall under the remit of this Committee, plus additional deliverables that have been agreed by the P&C Committee throughout 2022-23 and are relevant to the Standing Orders. The draft Plan sets out the main priorities and programmes of work that the Committee oversees to maximise the Council’s contribution the Belfast Agenda.
3.2 At the SP&R Committee on 18th August 2023 the Corporate Annual Delivery Plan 2023-24, setting out the in-year deliverables against the priorities, was agreed as part of the four-year corporate plan.
3.3 The structure of the delivery plan is themed under the following groupings:
· Our services
· Economic recovery
· Community recovery
· Environmental recovery
· Strategic Planning frameworks, and
· Organisational Foundations.
3.4 A series of priorities fall under each theme, each with a number of committed deliverables for 2023-24.
3.5 Members will recall that the People and Communities Committee is responsible for the development and implementation of strategies, policies, programmes and projects aimed at improving life at a local level in the context of the outcomes agreed in the community and corporate plans and other corporate strategy. This includes:
· Developing and delivering programmes, events and activities to promote health, safety and well-being at a local level
· Administering and enforcing the Council’s powers and duties under the Public Health Acts and all environmental health and building related legislation and regulations
· Securing and providing adequate provision for the recycling, treatment and disposal of commercial and domestic waste including bulky waste and the collection and disposal of abandoned motor vehicles.
· Exercising the Council's powers for improving local environmental quality in relation to housing legislation, managing controlled waste, emergency planning and community safety and anti-social behaviour, clean neighbourhoods and other environmental or regulatory issues not falling within the remit of any other Committee
· Managing, maintaining and maximising the benefit of the Council’s parks, pitches, playgrounds and other public spaces as well as community centres and other indoor facilities
· Developing and implementing activities to ensure the delivery of corporate strategies and initiatives in respect of the promotion of health and physical activity, environmental protection, community safety and other such areas under the domain of this Committee
· Overseeing the delivery of the Council’s frontline services and associated community assets including: Environmental Services; Cleansing; Waste Management; Parks and Cemeteries service, Neighbourhood and Development Services; Community Services, Community Safety and Emergency Planning
3.6 Summary of Committee Plan Priorities
The draft Committee Plan priorities have been summarised into a ‘plan on page’ (see Appendix 1) to identify key areas of focus for the Committee in 2023-24. The plan locates priorities within the framework of the relevant Belfast Agenda themes (Our Services; Economic Recovery; Community Recovery; Environmental Recovery; Strategic Planning Frameworks; and Organisational Foundations) and the CNS Departmental key priority areas (Open Spaces & Streetscene; Community Provision; City Protection and Bereavement; and Resources & Fleet). The plan identifies the following key areas of focus:
· Neighbourhood working & regeneration
· Improve our open spaces
· Implementation of Biodiversity duty
· Improve our community provision
· Work in partnership to address health priorities
· Enhance the delivery of council's sport & leisure provision
· Supporting Children & Young People
· Good relations & Community Safety
· Enhance the management & utilisation of CNS assets
· Improve our City Protection services
· Improve urban air quality
· Port Health improvements
· Improve and extend recycling opportunities
· Improve our Resources & Fleet service
3.7 It is likely many of these areas of focus will take several years to deliver. The draft plan includes and outlines the key deliverables for 2023-24 that we are working towards achieving.
3.8 It is proposed that Committee receive a 6 monthly progress update regarding the priorities. This will be in addition to usual reports that will be brought to Committee regarding individual priorities & deliverables.
3.9 The departmental Business Plan on which the committee plan is based reflects that the department is continuing to focus on the delivery of business-as-usual services while progressing the transformation and improvement agenda.
3.10 Financial and Resource Implications
The Committee Plan and annual programme of work aligns with the budget agreed by Strategic Policy & Resources Committee on 20 January 2023, for 2023-24 for the People and Communities Committee, of £98.901m.
3.11 Equality or Good Relations Implications/
Rural Needs Assessment
There are no implications directly relating to this report however individual strategies, programmes and actions will be subject to the council’s equality, good relations and rural needs requirements.”
The Committee approved the draft People and Communities Committee Plan priorities for 2023-24.
Supporting documents: