Agenda item

      Moved by Councillor Brennan,

      Seconded by Councillor Beattie,

      That the minutes of the proceedings of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee of 24th October, 2025, omitting matters in respect of which the Council has delegated its powers to the Committee, be approved and adopted, subject to the following amendment of the minute under the heading “Requests for Funding”, to provide that:

      “It is proposed that there would be a one-week expression of interest including project details forms which would be released for North, South, East and West Belfast which would include:

·        Organisation would have to demonstrate support from a minimum of four neighbourhoods within one quadrant of the city.

·        The fund would cover either one large or a range of mini winter programmes.

·        There would need to be a minimum of 2,000 participants across all events.

·        The activities must be inclusive for the entire community.

·        The events would not be at the same time as Belfast City Councils main Christmas event.

·        Governance and spend would be aligned to current grants programmes.

      Officers will assess the returned expression of interest and project details forms to appoint the appropriate organisation. The process will follow all due diligence and governance arrangements, with delegated authority being granted to the Director of Neighbourhood Services to appoint the appropriate organisation and allocate the funding.”

Request to Adjourn

Moved by Councillor Long

Seconded by Councillor Nelson

      That the Council resolves to adjourn proceedings.

            On a vote, nineteen Members voted for the proposal and fifteen against and it was accordingly declared carried.

(The Council stood adjourned for a period.)

            After discussion, and in response to a Member’s suggestion, the Council agreed to adopt the amendment moved by Councillor Brennan to the Strategic Policy and Resources minutes of 24th October regarding the “Requests for Funding”, with the addition that officers would also engage with smaller community organisations to advise them of the funding.

Amendment

Moved by Councillor Murphy

Seconded by Councillor Beattie,

      That the minute under the heading “Human Rights Day 2025 - Flag Requests” be amended to also provide that, in recognition of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, that the Council agrees to erect the National Flag of Palestine above the City Hall on 29th November, 2025.

            On a vote, forty-one voted for the amendment and fifteen against and it was accordingly declared carried.

Exclusion of the Press and Public from the Meeting

            The Council agreed, in accordance with Section 42(4) of the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 2014, to exclude the press and public from the meeting to allow consideration of confidential information in relation to the minutes of the meeting of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee of 24th October, under the heading “Belfast Stories Update”.

            In accordance with the aforementioned Act, the press and public were excluded from the meeting to enable the matter to be discussed in private.

Amendment

Moved by Councillor Smyth

Seconded by Councillor de Faoite and

      Resolved – That, under the heading “Belfast Stories Update”, that the decision be amended to provide that the Council approves the recommendations (points 1-7) as outlined within the report and that recommendations 8 and 9 be referred back to the next meeting of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee for further discussion, supported by additional information in relation to potential additional market demand for the use of a media production studio.

(The press and the public were re-admitted to the Chamber at this point in proceedings and the Chief Executive informed the meeting of the decision which had been taken whilst the Council had met in Committee.)

Correspondence - Translink – Belfast Grand Central Station Update

            At the request of Councillor de Faoite, the Council agreed to write to the Belfast Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), the Belfast and Northern Ireland Chambers of Commerce and the hospitality sector’s Trade Unions to ask them to join with the Council in requesting that Translink lowers its bus fares over the Christmas period to encourage more footfall in the city centre and to lower traffic congestion.

Amendment

            Moved by Councillor Long,

            Seconded by Councillor Murray,

       That the minute under the heading “EV Update - EV Charging Network on Council sites and Depot Charging Scheme” be amended to provided that the Council agrees that officers begin the tender process based on a Concession Operating model as outlined in the report and defers consideration of the specific locations of the proposed Phase One sites so that a broader list could be submitted to the Committee.

            On a vote, twenty-eight Members voted for the amendment and twenty-eight against. There being an equality of votes, the Lord Mayor exercised her second and casting vote for the amendment and it was subsequently declared carried.

Supporting Area-based Community Planning and

Community Wealth Building

            At the request of a Member, the Council agreed that the recommendations would go straight to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee for its consideration, removing the requirement for Area Working Groups to consider them initially.

Adoption of Minutes

            Subject to the aforementioned amendments, the minutes of the proceedings of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee of 24th October 2025, were thereupon approved and adopted.