Agenda and minutes

Apologies for inability to attend were reported from Councillors Carson, McNamee, Ó Muilleoir and Robinson.

            The minutes of the meeting of 29th August were taken as read and signed as correct.  It was reported that those minutes had been adopted by the Council at its meeting on 9th September.

            No declarations of interest were reported.

            The Committee was advised that the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, at its meeting on 26th August, had approved a draft policy on social clauses.  The report had provided Members with an update on the progress to date with the inclusion of social clauses in Council contracts using the interim policy position of the Construction Industry Forum for Northern Ireland criterion; sought the Committee’s agreement to the extent of data capture for compliance verification; and agreement to a partnership approach to the development of a third party delivery model for social clauses associated with employment.  That Committee had agreed to that approach.

            The Committee endorsed the decisions of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee and noted that a copy of the policy was available on the Council’s website.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0  Purpose of report

1.1    Members will be aware that there are a range of projects under the Investment Programme which are subject to EU funding via either ERDF or Peace III.  It was agreed last month that a report on these projects and the potential implications for the Council is brought to Committee in September.  Members will appreciate that this is a detailed report given the complexity of these issues, however it should also be noted that the situation in relation to these projects continues to evolve and Members will be verbally updated at Committee on any related developments.

2.0    Relevant Background Information

2.1    7 projects are subject to EU funding - the £29.5m Waterfront Exhibition and Conference facility; the £430k Adventurers Learning Centre at the Zoo; the £1.86m relocation of the Visit Belfast Centre; the £9.1m Innovation Centre; the £4.1m Creative Hub and the £8m infrastructure at the North Foreshore which are funded via ERDF and managed via Invest NI/NITB and the £9.7m Girdwood Community Hub which is Peace III funded and managed via SEUPB. Together these 7 projects account for approximately £44million in external funding.

2.2    As EU funded projects these are all subject to an immovable deadline of 31st Dec 2015 for expenditure meaning that all monies have to be committed and spent by this date.  The Council is required to self-finance the full cost of any expenditure post this date.  There are two key issues arising in relation to these projects which present a serious financial and reputational risk for the Council which Members now need to consider.  

1.     Ongoing delay in letters of offer (LOOs) for projects being received– we are now just over 15months from the 31st Dec deadline however final LOOs are still outstanding for the Innovation Centre and the Creative Hub.  The implications of these ongoing delays are outlined in Section 3 and Members direction is sought over the next steps in relation to these projects. 

2.     Grant claims and lack of flexibility over spend profiles - Correspondence has also been received from the sponsoring organisations in relation to holding the Council to the spend profiles submitted as part of the application process.  The implications of this are outlined in Section 4. 

2.5    Members will appreciate that the Council has put significant resources into assuring that these projects are delivered within the tight timescales however the cumulative impact of the above issues now needs to be looked at a programme level. Discussions have been ongoing between the Chief Executive/Directors and senior officials in the DFP, DETI and the managing authorities and the urgency of these issues have been highlighted. Some key progress has been made however all the outstanding issues have not yet been resolved.

3.0    Key Issues

         Ongoing delays in receiving letters of offer

3.1    Final LOOs still have not been received for the Innovation Centre, the Creative Hub and the North Foreshore, however, there has been significant movement in the last  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8b

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.       Relevant Background Information

1.1       The following report was presented to the Strategic Policy and Resources committee on 19 September 2014.

1.2       The Super-connected Belfast programme of work comprises three strands:

1.     Belfast Connection Voucher scheme

2.     Public Sector Wi-Fi Hotspots

3.     Metro-Wireless project

1.3       This report provides updates on the first two strands of the programme and outlines recent significant developments relating to the Metro-Wireless project.

2.         Key Issues

2.1       Belfast Connection Voucher Scheme

            The Belfast Connection Voucher Scheme (BCVS) allows small businesses and social enterprises within the new Belfast City Council boundary area to apply for grants of up to £3,000, to obtain high-speed broadband connections. 

2.1       The Belfast Connection Voucher team is well established in Digital Services and supports the administration of the Voucher scheme for both Belfast and Derry City councils. An update of the current project status is outlined in the table below.

2.3      

2.4       Voucher recipients have indicated that they expect to create 600 jobs and grow their businesses by over £30million in the next 3 years. Examples of two major applications in progress include:

·        Townsend Business Park – 39 applications at a

                                           value of £115,000

·        Conway Mill – 15-20 businesses

2.5       Following a comprehensive review of the Voucher scheme across all participating cities, the Department of Culture Media & Sport (DCMS) are now projecting that whilst there is strong evidence to show the vouchers concept is gaining momentum, voucher take-up will not reach initial predictions.

2.6       To ensure maximum take-up DCMS is now undertaking further work to streamline the scheme to enable suppliers and SMEs in all 22 cities to maximise the number of businesses benefitting, with changes expected to be put in place in September. DCMS are also launching a marketing campaign across all cities which will support our own demand stimulation activities.

2.7       The experience of the Voucher team suggests that direct engagement with businesses is the most successful way of driving up voucher applications. Feedback from early engagement with local companies also suggests that businesses require support to help them maximise the potential of the infrastructure. To this end 15 demand stimulation seminars are to take place across the city. The  schedule is  as follows:

2.8

2.9       The schedule of seminars has been carefully planned with telecoms suppliers to ensure they correspond with, supplier roll out plans, areas of current demand and to minimise  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8c

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0        BACKGROUND

1.1          As Members will be aware, the initial one year ‘shadow period’ of the new Council will come to an end on 31 March 2015 with the new Council assuming full powers and responsibilities from 1 April 2015 onwards. 

               As the planning and regeneration authority for the city and with the new convening power of Community Planning, the Council and elected Members will play a more strategic leadership role within the city and will be a more outward facing organisation, working in partnership to deliver against identified city outcomes.  Developing strategic relationships with key stakeholders at a city, thematic and area-level will be a cornerstone of the Council’s approach to community and strategic planning for the city and will be a key lever to stimulating continued investment and supporting the social, economic, environmental and physical renewal of the city and its neighbourhoods.

               It will therefore be necessary for the new Council to agree upon a preferred set of governance arrangements (including a suitable form of governance and a new committee structure) for the four year term beginning in April 2015 and ending with the local government elections in May 2019.

               The Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 2014 provides for the new Council to hold a second Annual General Meeting (AGM) during the “shadow period”, in order to allow the Council to fill the Positions of Responsibility and to appoint Councillors to Committees in advance of 1 April 2015. 

               However, there are a number of key governance decisions which must be taken in advance of this AGM in order to ensure that the new Council is ready to function from the 1 April 2015 onwards.  These include:

-       agreement on the permitted form of governance (executive, traditional committee or prescribed)

-       agreement on the committee structure (including the number, size and role of committees)

-       agreement on the method for filling positions of responsibility

-       agreement on the method for appointing Councillors to committees

-       the remuneration of Councillors (including the allocation of Special Responsibility Allowances)

1.2          The purpose of this paper is to provide Members with an initial overview of the key decisions which will be required over the next number of months and to outline an indicative plan of work to ensure that the new Council has time to discuss and agree upon its preferred governance arrangements in advance of April 2015. (Appendix 1 provides a timeline of key decisions and associated papers which will be brought through the Committee decision making process)

               Members will note that, commencing in October 2014, a series of Party Group briefings will be held in order to discuss the process with Members and to take direction on the proposed way forward.

1.3          The governance arrangements will also be informed by work with Members to develop the future strategic direction of the organisation and its organisational design.

2.0          KEY DECISIONS REQUIRED

2.1          The following section provides Members with a summary of each of the decisions which  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9a

            The Committee was advised that the Department of the Environment was seeking comments in relation to a consultation on the Apportionment of Costs Associated with the Ethical Standards Framework between Councils.  The deadline for the response had been extended recently until 31st October.

            The Committee was advised that the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 2014 had put in place a new ethical standards regime for Local Government, including a mandatory Code of Conduct for Councillors.  The Northern Ireland Commissioner for Complaints would be responsible for handling any allegations made against Councillors in relation to breaches of the Code.  Part 9, Section 64 of the Local Government Act set out that before the commencement of each financial year the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Complaints’ office must prepare an estimate of the expenses of the Commissioner for dealing with complaints.  The Department must then apportion the amount estimated between all councils in Northern Ireland in such a manner as the Department, after consultation, considered appropriate.

            The set up costs and any costs relating to casework of the ethical standards framework this year were being met by the Executive.  The consultation, therefore, sought views on the proposed method for apportioning costs from April, 2015 onwards.  Four options for appointing costs had been identified and are set out as follows:

·        Option A - number of councils(11).  This option would result in an equal split in costs between the councils which would put an inequitable pressure burden on the budgets of those less wealthy council clusters.  This option is the easiest to administer.

·        Option B - number of councillors (462).  This method would give a more accurate representation as it includes the councillors in each cluster and has a clear link to the work and costs of the Commissioner.  This option requires minimal calculation to apportion the cost and provides the most equitable solution. (Preferred Option)

·        Option C - total population (1,823,600).  This option gives an accurate representation of the total population, as it includes groups such as children and those not registered to vote.  However, this could be interpreted as the more urban areas subsidising the more rural areas irrespective of the number of councillors in that cluster.

·        Option D - gross penny rate product (22,459,998).  This method represents the biggest disparity between the four apportionment methods.  This method assumes that the only method of paying for reform is through the rates, and this is not the case.  It also bears no relationship to the work and associated costs of the Commissioner.

            The Finance Working Group, which consisted of senior Local Government officials, had assessed the options and considered that Option B was the preferred option to be consulted upon with councils and bodies representative of councils.  The consultation had also recommended that the method of apportionment should be reviewed in 2017/18 when the actual costs and the impact of casework on the Commission had become available.

            The proposed Council response is set out below for the Members’ consideration:  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9b

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1     Relevant Background Information

1.1   As Members are aware, the transfer of regeneration and community development powers from DSD to Councils is one of the most important and transformative aspects of local government reform.  Whilst local government reform is being delivered through the Local Government Act, the legal instrument for the transfer of regeneration and community development powers is intended to be through a Regeneration and Housing Bill.   The NI Executive has yet to consider this Bill. 

         In answer to an oral Assembly Question on the 9th September, the Minister for Social Development, Nelson McCausland  MLA,  indicated that he has ‘sought Executive approval to introduce the Regeneration and Housing Bill in the Assembly on a number of occasions’  but that Executive approval has not yet been given for the Bill to proceed.   The timescale for the Bill to make its way through the necessary Assembly stages in time for the transfer of regeneration powers to take place in April 2015 is now extremely challenging. 

2       Key Issues

2.1   Delay in the passage of the Regeneration and Housing Bill has the potential to impact a wide range of functions, budgets and assets including:

o   Transfer of  211 assets & liabilities, to include the Lagan Weir, Custom House Square; development sites; and public art;

o   £14.7m of grants;

o   Masterplans and strategic projects;

o   Public realm and environmental improvement schemes;

o   Operational responsibility for regulating HMOs; and

o   Staff and Staffing budgets

         In particular, the delay in the passage of the Bill and consequent delay in the  transfer of powers and resoures would have the following consequences:

·        Adverse impact on community planning – regeneration and community development are key to the successful implementation of community planning, particularly at a local level.  Members’ desire to see an integrated, outcomes-focused approach would be constrained, with policies, resources and governance remaining fragmented;

·        The continued separation of local development planning (spatial planning) and regeneration will work against the creation of truly strategic ‘one-city’ development and regeneration plans.  The Council will not have the opportunity to present a coherent ‘Belfast Agenda’ to drive growth, attract investment and improve quality of life.  Ability to implement the city centre regeneration and investment framework will be significantly constrained.

·        The development scheme and land assembly powers are essential to the Council playing a full role in and maximising the benefit of regeneration schemes;

·        The transfer of powers and resources in respect of neighbourhood renewal is essential to ensure the full transformation of this programme by 2017, as Members had intended;

·        The absence of a budget for physical projects will mean that programmes such as the Belfast Investment Fund, LIF, SIF and others will continue as separate programmes, thereby losing the opportunity to maximise the impact of these combined resources for local people and for city development.   The opportunity to create an integrated, strategic physical development programme for the city, linked to an agreed set out outcomes will be significantly constrained. 

·        Transfer of resources would have provided  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9c

            The Committee was informed that the City Council’s Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, at its meeting on 21st September, 2012, had considered a business case for the introduction of iPads for Members.  At that meeting, the Committee had agreed:

·        to the provision of iPads and associated software to Members;

·        to the “Terms of use” for the allocation of iPads;

·        that Digital Services schedule a procurement programme, training and distribution of iPads to Members and a demonstration of the technology; and

·        to continue with a dual system of paper reports and iPads from November, 2012 till the end of March, 2013

            The Democratic Services Manager reported that, during that period, the programme had been successfully rolled out, with Members being provided with iPads and appropriate training.  At that time, a number of Members had indicated that they were content to rely on the iPad for the provision of electronic papers and to cease to receive paper copies of reports from 1st April, 2013.  However, due to a number of technical difficulties, it had been decided to continue with the dual issue of papers to ensure that the iPad “Modern.gov” app had been fully tested for resilience and robustness.  During the intervening period, the app had proved to be effective and the Council was now in a position to cease the printing and issue of paper copies of Committee reports.  Further training would be provided on the operation of the iPad generally and on the app specifically for any Member who requested that.

            The Committee agreed that, for those Members of the Shadow Council who had received an iPad from the Council, the printing of paper copies of Shadow Committee reports should cease with effect from 1st November, 2014; and for the Shadow Council Minute Book with effect from 1st January, 2015.

            The Committee was reminded that at the meeting of the Belfast City Council on 1st September, 2014, the Council had considered a Notice of Motion which acknowledged the investment which had been made by the New York State Comptroller, Tom diNapoli, in Northern Ireland investment funds and that he be invited to visit the City to explore further opportunities for investment.

            The Committee was advised that Comptroller diNapoli was the Chief Financial Officer of New York State.  In that role, he controlled $172 billion (£101 billion) of investments, including substantial stock holdings in multi-national corporations with operations in Belfast.  His portfolio included the pension funds from a range of New York public servants, including police officers, teachers and fire fighters.

            It was reported that there was a possibility that the Comptroller might be in a position to visit the City in mid/late October, 2014, subject to final confirmation and subject to formal invitation.  Accordingly, it was recommended, should the Comptroller accept the invitation, that a special meeting be organised as part of the visit programme with Elected Members from the Shadow Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, to which the Council’s Development Committee would be invited. 

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1        Relevant Background Information

1.1       Two of the key tasks for the Shadow SP&R Committee will be setting the district rate and agreeing the revenue and capital budgets for 2015/16.

1.2       This report provides an update for Members on the key strands of the rate setting process as agreed by the Committee in June 2014 which will support the financial decision-making and the setting of the District rate in February 2015.

2          Key Issues

2.1       Table 1 below summarises the key issues relating to the rate setting process for 2015/16. The top half of the table deals with the revenue and capital estimates and the bottom half addresses the factors which will determine how much income will be raised through the rates base.

2.2       Table 2 summarises the rate setting process agreed by the Shadow Strategic Policy and Resources Committee on the 23 June 2014. The following paragraphs provide an update on the key strands of work within the rate setting process which will support the financial decision-making and the setting of the District rate in February 2015.

2.3       Service Convergence Estimates: This element of the rate setting process focuses on the impact of the boundary change on existing Council services and the provision of services to residents across the new Council area.

2.4       Departments have prepared a first cut of their estimates based on the new boundary area and as part of Phase 2 of this process, the estimates and the proposed service delivery model assumptions are currently being challenged by central Finance.

2.5       Detailed analysis of the estimates is also being undertaken to clearly identify the recurring revenue costs, non recurring revenue and capital transition costs and efficiency savings associated with service convergence.

2.6       This will process will validate the baseline and business case for the service convergence estimates and enable an affordability assessment against the new rate base. Further iteration of the convergence estimates will be undertaken before detailed budget proposals are presented to the Shadow Strategic Policy and Resources Committee in November 2014.

            Table One:

2.7      Leisure Transformation Programme (LTP):

            Detailed work is being undertaken to ensure that the £2m of efficiency savings in leisure, through the LTP are delivered by 2016/17. This work will be validated by Deloitte as part of the LTP Due Diligence review.

2.8      Capital Programme: As part of the rate setting process the capital programme and capital financing implications for 2015/16 – 2017/18 will be presented to the Shadow Strategic Policy and Resources Committee. The revised capital programme will include existing projects, the leisure investment programme, capital implications of transferring assets and emerging projects relating to the new boundary areas and transferring functions.

2.9       Transferring Functions Potential Funding Settlements and Issues: Council officers are continuing to engage with the relevant government departments to challenge the level of funding proposed at a regional and at a Belfast level to support the transfer of functions and this work is the subject ongoing reporting to Members.

2.10  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10a

            The Committee was advised that this year would see unique pressures on the Council’s resources as it coped with service convergence and the transfer of new functions as a result of the Local Government Reform.  This would place a high demand for ICT resources and a number of ICT-related service convergence costs had been identified, the contracts for which exceeded £30,000 and therefore required Committee approval.  The procurement of those services was essential to either facilitate data transfer from IT systems in Lisburn and Castlereagh or to provide additional capacity to cope with the requirements of service convergence and transferring functions.  The expenditure which required approval was as follows:

            The Committee approved the procurement of the services as listed.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0  Background Information

1.1    Members are aware under the Local Government Reform Programme planning powers will transfer from DOE to Council on 1st April 2015.  As part of the ongoing process to plan for the transfer the DoE have issued a consultation paper on the proposed resources and associated budget for the transfer of the planning function. The consultation document and covering letter was issued with closing date for comments of 3rd October 2014.

1.2    The Council is continuing to work with DoE to clarify the direct operation and associated costs of transferring planning functions.  To assist this work the Regional Transition Operational Board (RTOB) commissioned Deloitte to conduct a due diligence to inform the transfer of functions process focussing on the current position and provisions. This due diligence assessment took account of the following principles:

·        The transfer of functions and powers will be rates neutral to local government as a whole, at the point of transfer.

·        Funding will be provided by Central Government for notional costs where it is anticipated these will become fixed charges for the new Councils.

1.3    Internal consultation and engagement with the local Belfast Planning Office has been carried out as part of the process to develop the response to this consultation.

2.0    Key Issues

2.1    There are a number of issues raised in the detail within the consultation documents that require clarification and areas for which there is insufficient information on which to assess the potential implications for the Council from a resource and finance perspective. The draft response set out in Appendix 2 details proposed comments for submission to the DoE.

2.2    The main issues relate to:

a)     requirements for further detail in respect of the tabulated information and the basis for the projected figures in order that the Council can complete an effective due diligence process as the basis for future estimating and budget setting.

b)     concerns that some of the proposed resource provisions, particularly to support aspects such as Development Planning and Legal Services, are insufficient for the reformed system the new Council will have to operate. Development planning is likely to be a costly process for the city of Belfast in the development phases.

c)     approaches to the allocation of resources and some costs does not reflect the particular complexities likely to be experienced by Belfast. 

d)     proposals for a significant staffing team to be retained by the Department have not been explained or justified in the context of significantly decreased provision of staffing resources for the Council based offices.

e)     forecast of the longer-term resource implications associated with the transferring function do not appear to reflects need for growth .

f)      how specialised activities such as habitats and environmental assessments are to be dealt with and the financial implications of these.

2.3    The detailed Draft response is set out in Appendix 2 for consideration as the basis for a response to the Department.

3.0    Resource Implications

3.1    The attached paper, in combination with  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10c

            The Committee was reminded that, in May 2014, the Department of the Environment had issued, to all councils, a Departmental Direction and Guidance in relation to the introduction of expenditure controls for the period during which the eleven new councils would operate in shadow form.  The Departmental Direction, which had been made under Section 10 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act (Northern Ireland) 2010, stated that existing councils may not, without the written consent of the new council:

(a)     make any disposal of land, if consideration for disposal exceeded £100,000;

(b)     enter into any casual contracts:

(i)    under which the consideration payable exceeded £250,000;

(ii)    which included a term allowing the consideration payable to be varied.

(c)  enter into any non-capital contracts where consideration exceeded £100,000.  Such contracts may include:

(i)    employment contracts (for example, individual employment contracts over £100,000 per annum and fixed-term contracts of employment exceeding £100,000 in total over the fixed-term period);

(ii)    service contracts (for example, asset maintenance contracts);

(iii)   revenue contracts (for example, accountancy or legal services).

            It was pointed out that similar expenditure controls had been introduced by the Department during the operation of the Statutory Transition period and the release of the guidance did not preclude the necessity to follow Belfast City Council Standing Orders and the associated process for entering into contracts and land disposals requiring approval through the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee and the full Council.

            Accordingly, the Committee was recommended to give its consent to the following non-capital contracts which had already been presented to the Council’s Strategic Policy and Resources Committee:

            The Committee adopted the recommendations.

            The Committee was advised that the City Council’s Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, at its meeting on 19th September, considered reports in relation to the Lord Mayor’s Vehicle and the Fleet Livery and agreed the following:

            Lord Mayor’s Vehicle

            The Committee had agreed:

·        that the tender for the lease/purchase include all civic vehicles;

·        that the options in relation to the replacement of the vehicles include the possibility of purchasing/leasing second hand vehicles; and

·        that officers investigate the possibility of sponsorship for the replacement of the vehicle

            After discussion, during which several Members expressed concern at the high level of the specification of the replacement vehicle, the Committee noted the decision of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee.

            Fleet Livery

            The Committee was advised that the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee had agreed the following:

·        to procure all future assets in one colour and apply the Belfast City Council decal estimated savings of which, whilst phasing out the older two-tone livery as vehicles ended their life cycle, would be £338,000; and

·        granted approval to explore the benefits of advertising on the fleet assets with the potential to generate additional income and to promote key community messages of benefit to the Council and that a more detailed specific report be submitted to Members in due course.

            The Committee endorsed the decision of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee in relation to the fleet livery.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1     Relevant Background Information

1.1    This purpose of this report is to update Members on work to ensure the organisation and its decision making processes are fit for purpose for its new roles and responsibilities. In particular, the report is intended to:

·        Update Members on the outcomes based approach to city and Council strategy;

·        Outline how this approach can inform Members’ considerations of the type of organisation they want the Council to be and consequently the type of governance and organisational design required;

·        Outline the processes which will help to develop options for the new organisation structure;

·        Update Members on the immediate HR and organisational development issues and in particular agree to establish and recruit a lead Planner post. 

2       Key Issues

2.1    Developing the Strategic Direction – a prerequisite for governance and organisational design

         In the past, Members have led the strategic (or long-term) planning process in the Council through the corporate planning process or through the development of other major policies and strategies such as the Investment Programme.  The new duty of community planning now broadens the scope of Members’ role in strategic planning in that it is not limited to the role of the council but includes the long term future of the city and the strategic contribution of our partners.

         Members have consistently said that the starting point for consideration of issues such as investment, governance and organisational development and design should be the outcomes that these are intended to achieve for both the city and its neighbourhoods, whether those be economic growth, reducing inequalities, improving skills levels or investing in physical infrastructure and facilities. 

         The process for the development of a ‘Belfast Agenda’ (working title) with clear outcomes will take place over the next 6 months.  We intend to start this in the next few weeks by engaging an expert who will work with Members and other city stakeholders to establish agreed city outcomes which relate to both the city as a whole and its neighbourhoods.  We will then use an approach known as outcomes based accountability (which Members of the Transformation Committee received training on) to identify what we need to do to achieve these outcomes and how we will measure success.

         It is intended that the expert engaged to assist in this process is familiar with the system we currently use for corporate planning.

         Members have already agreed a budget for supporting this work and are therefore asked to agree that it is now progressed as a matter of urgency.  Members are asked to note that there will be significant engagement with them over the coming months so that progress in establishing a high level strategic direction can be made as quickly as possible.

         The agreed priorities will then have an impact on the committee structures and organisational design.

2.2    Taking forward Organisation Development and Design

         As outlined, alongside consideration of the Council’s strategy and priorities, it will be necessary to re-design the organisation, to ensure  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12a

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1     Relevant Background Information

1.1    World Café Europe is a non profit organisation that works to provide opportunities for individuals and organisations to come together to exchange knowledge and to work collectively to address the issues that matter.  

1.2    World Café Europe is planning to submit a proposal to the European Commission to use engagement to give citizens an authentic voice in the development of the Age-friendly City in which they live.

1.3    The project aims through various forms of engagement to gather insights that will help shape EU policy making on Age-friendly Cities and Communities as well as providing inspiration and support to others.

1.4    World Café Europe, with the support of the World Health Organisation, has identified five European cities that they believe can bring a unique perspective to this project from their efforts to create their own Age-friendly City. Belfast has been identified as one of these cities and invited to become a project partner together with Kristianstad (Sweden); Györ (Hungary); Ljubljana (Slovenia) and Udine (Italy). 

1.5    It is proposed as part of the project that Belfast would host a ‘World Café’ event for 200 invited participants including local older citizens and representatives from the four European project partners. The dialogue for this event with be agreed locally to address issues relevant to our City and planned with the support of World Café Europe. Similar World Café events will also be held in Gyor, Ljubljana and Udine.

1.6    During the World Café dialogue people will participate in intimate conversations at small tables in a relaxed atmosphere similar to a European coffee house. As the conversation unfolds, people move between tables, cross-pollinating their ideas around the questions that really matter to their lives or work. The innovative design of World Café fosters shared listening to everyone’s ideas and enables new perspectives to emerge, creating both mutual respect and innovative possibilities for action.

2       Key Issues

2.1    Belfast, together with four other leading Eurpean Cities has been invited by World Cafe Europe to apply to the European Commision for funding to deliver a programme to engage citizens to help create Age-friendly Cities for all Europeans.

2.2    It is anticipated that the World Cafe event will provide Belfast with a unique opportunity to:

·        identify an important local issue that effects older people in the city and to engage local citizens, with the support of World Cafe Europe, in an innovate way to share knowlege and action.

·        support the community planning process,

·        share learning with other leading European Age-friendly Cities,

·        influence European policy development on Age-friendly Cities,

·        train a number of older people in the City as dialogue facilitators,

·        assist dialogue on the development of intergenerational age-friendly neighbourhoods,

·        help us to expand involvement of isolated older people in the Age-friendly Belfast  approach –for example older carers and minority ethnic groups,

2.3    World Cafe Europe will lead and coordinate the application and delivery of the programme. It is anticipated the 18 month programme would commence April  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13a

            The Director of Development submitted for the Committee’s consideration the undernoted report:

“1.0  Purpose of report

1.1    The purpose of the report is to provide members with a draft response to the current review of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) and wider tourism structures which was launched by the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment in summer 2014.  

2.0    Relevant Background Information

2.1    The Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment commissioned an independent review of the Northern Ireland Tourist Board in December 2013.  The work was carried out by John Hunter.  The draft findings were issued for consultation in summer 2014.  The closing date for submissions is 30 September 2014. 

3.0    Key Issues

3.1    The document is wide-ranging and covers a range of issues from branding and marketing to governance, collaboration and skills development.  While NITB is the main focus of the report, it also includes a range of other organisations actively involved in business support for the tourism industry including local councils, Invest NI, Tourism Ireland and Department for Employment and Learning (DEL). 

3.2    It incorporates a range of key recommendations including:

-       Need for Northern Ireland Executive to publish an updated strategy for tourism

-       Need for NITB to continue its work with Invest NI to develop an economic development brand for Northern Ireland

-       Need for NITB should clarify roles and responsibilities with key partner organisations, including the new District Councils, through Memoranda of Understanding

-       Need for NITB and Tourism Ireland to deepen their relationship through improved communication and enhanced collaboration, with robust and clear targets for increasing tourism numbers based on the updated Strategy for Tourism

-       Proposal that NITB appoint ‘pillar managers’ for each of its five experience pillars, working alongside existing destination managers in order to coordinate its service provision more effectively

-       Proposal for Invest NI and DEL/People 1st should continue to provide business support services and training services respectively to the tourism industry, albeit with a call for greater clarity around roles as well as the need for improved communication to the industry in order to avoid duplication of activity

-       Call for an overall review of the skills needs of the tourism sector by DEL in order to ensure that future growth prospects are met

-       Proposal that internal re-structuring within NITB to ensure more coordinated delivery of its portfolio of services as well as ensuring that the service is more client focused

-       Suggestion that, in order to signal the scale of its envisaged transformation, NITB should be re-named.

3.3    The consultation document consists of a series of more than 30 specific questions that relate to these broad proposals and respondents are asked to make their comments against each of these.  The proposed Belfast City Council response is attached as Appendix 1. Some of the proposed key comments are:

-       Support for a Tourism Growth Fund with significant resources to meet the ambitions around future growth within the tourism sector

-       Suggestion that an MoU is developed between  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14.

            The Committee noted the minutes of the meetings of the Audit Panel of 16th September and the Budget and Transformation Panel of 11th September, 2014.