Agenda item

            The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1       The purpose of this report is to update Committee on the progress of all Notices of Motion and Issues Raised in Advance for which SP&R Committee is responsible for.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       It is recommended that SP&R Committee:

·        Note the updates to all Notices of Motion and Issues Raised in Advance that SP&R Committee is responsible for and

·        Agree to the closure of Notice of Motion and Issues Raised in Advance 49, 74, 167, 189, 197, 264, 341, 342, 351, 366 and 367 as referenced in Appendix 1 and paragraph 3.4 below.

3.0       Main report

            Background

3.1       At SP&R Committee on 25th October 2019, the following Notice of Motion was agreed:

            ‘That this Council notes that other Councils produce a monthly status report in relation to Notices of Motion; and agrees Belfast City Council adopts a similar practice and produces a monthly Notice of Motion Update which will be brought to each full Council Meeting, detailing the following:

1.     Date received

2.     Notice of motion title

3.     Submitted by which Councillor

4.     Council meeting date

5.     Committee motion is referred to

6.     Outcome of committee where Notice of Motion will be debated

7.     Month it will be reported back to committee

8.     Other action to be taken.’

3.2 Following a review exercise, a new database containing all Notices of Motion and Issues Raised in Advance at Committee was created and quarterly reporting to Committee commenced in March 2021.  Appendix 1 is the latest quarterly update showing all active Notices of Motion and Issues Raised in Advance which SP&R Committee is responsible for.

3.3 Closure of Notices of Motion and Issues Raised in Advance

      At SP&R Committee on 20^th November 2020, it was agreed that Notices of Motion could be closed for one of two reasons:

·        Notices of Motion which contained an action(s) that has been completed; and

·        Notices of Motion have become Council policy.

3.4 SP&R Committee are asked to agree that the following Notice of Motions and Issues Raised in Advance are now closed:

      Category 1 Recommended Closure:

·        Childcare provision (341) – This Notice of Motion called on the Council to explore ways to support childcare provision, including considering whether council supported schemes during school holidays could be expanded. Whilst Council host a number of summer and play schemes, childcare is a specific function regulated by the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust. As such Council does not provide registered childcare schemes. However £80,000 was committed to support the enhancement of the provision of summer schemes for children with additional needs during the summer of 2024. It is recommended that this Notice of Motion is now closed.

·        Mental health accessibility audit (342) – This Notice of Motion called on the Council to work with MindWise to conduct an online survey across the council district to gather information around accessibility to mental health support. Following exploratory work it is evident that there are other organisations who are fulfilling this obligation. It is recommended that this Notice of Motion is now closed.

      Category 2 Recommended Closure

·        Market gardens and urban farming (49) – This Notice of Motion called on the Council to establish an urban farm for community use and market garden development on an existing site within the Belfast City Council land bank. A draft Sustainable Food Strategy for the city has been developed through engagement with area working groups and includes the consideration of the potential for market gardens and urban farming in the city. The UPSURGE and UP2030 projects are also looking at the use of green space and nature based solutions and will include community and urban food growing opportunities. It is recommended that this Notice of Motion is now closed.

·        Disabled people and older people (74) – This Issue Raised in Advance called on the Council to commit to a number of actions around ensuring access and inclusion for disabled people, older people and carers. These actions are now being taken forward through the Disability Working Group and recommendations are being progressed in relation to delivering an accessible city for all by 2035. It is recommended that this Notice of Motion is now closed.

·        Violence against women and girls (167) – This Notice of Motion called on the Council to support the Executive’s Strategic Framework to End Violence Against Women and Girls and commit to a number of actions to make Belfast more safe for all women and girls. At the December meeting of the People and Communities Committee, a series of actions were agreed to support the delivery of this strategy and the Strategic Director of Place and Economy was appointed as an internal champion. It is recommended that this Notice of Motion is now closed.

·        PEACE IV to PEACEPLUS Programme (189) – This Notice of Motion called on the Council to write to the Executive Office and SEUPB to ensure the seamless transition of the current PEACE IV to PEACEPLUS programmes. As the PEACEPLUS programmes are well underway, it is recommended that this Notice of Motion is now closed.

·        The rights of nature (197) – This Notice of Motion called on the Council to explore how the rights of nature could be expressed and embedded in community plans, corporate plans, improvement objectives and other strategic frameworks. This has been considered within the Council’s Climate Action Plan, which was brought for approval in May 2025. It is recommended that this Notice of Motion is now closed.

·        Electric vehicle charging points strategy (264) – This Issue Raised in Advance called on the Council to examine the potential for increasing the number of electric vehicle charging points on council properties. Work is continuing on the implementation of Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the Low Emission Vehicle Strategy. This includes a commercial assessment and market testing of council land assets to assess the feasibility of locations for low emissions infrastructure investment. It is recommended that this Issue Raised in Advance is now closed.

·        Right to grow on Council owned land (351) – This Notice of Motion called on the Council to adopt a right to grow on council owned land identified as suitable for cultivation. Following a mapping exercise, this initiative is being considered as part of the development of a Sustainable Food Strategy. It is recommended that this Notice of Motion is now closed.

·        Gender pay gap recording and reporting (366) – This Notice of Motion called on the Council to commence gender pay gap reporting, alongside a commitment to explore the further reporting of pay gap information in relation to disability and ethnicity. Gender pay gap reporting has been incorporated into the human resources programme of work and is due to be completed by December 2025. It is recommended that this Notice of Motion is now closed.

·        Housing Crisis (367) – This Notice of Motion called on the Council to support co-housing schemes by identifying suitable sites within its own land that could be used for co-housing and include provision for co-housing within any development site it brings forward that is appropriate for housing. The housing led regeneration programme provides the basis to actively seek to identify suitable sites that could be used for co-housing. The strategic site assessments, supported by the Council’s private sector partner for the delivery of housing led mixed use regeneration development, will look at sites through the lens of mixed tenure, which comprises all housing product types. It is recommended that this Notice of Motion is now closed. 

3.5 Financial & Resource Implications

      There are no additional financial implications required to implement these recommendations.

3.6 Equality or Good Relations Implications/Rural Needs Assessment

      There are no equality, good relations or rural needs implications contained in this report.”

            At the request of Members, the Committee agreed not close off number 49 – Market gardens and urban farming; and number 264 Electric vehicle charging points strategy.

            Accordingly, the Committee:

·       noted the updates to all Notices of Motion and Issues Raised in Advance that the Committee was responsible for; and

·       agreed to the closure of Notice of Motion and Issues Raised in Advance numbers 74, 167, 189, 197, 341, 342, 351, 366 and 367 as referenced in Appendix 1 and paragraph 3.4 of the report.