Agenda and minutes

            No apologies were reported.

            The minutes of the meeting of 10th and 18th December, omitting those matters in respect of which the Council had delegated its powers to the Committee, were taken as read and signed as correct.  It was reported that those minutes had been adopted by the Council at its meeting on 7th January.

            Alderman Kingston declared an interest in respect of item 4b – Update on Covid-19 Community Response, in that he worked on a part-time basis for the Forward South Partnership, which had received funding under the response initiative, and left the meeting whilst the item was being considered.

            The Chairperson (Councillor Black) declared an interest in relation to item 5a – Update on Physical Programme, on the basis that she managed the Grosvenor Community Centre, which had secured match funding for pitch and playground improvements. As the report was presented for noting only, she was not, therefore, required to leave the meeting.

            Councillor McDonough-Brown declared an interest in respect of item 5b – Asset Management, on the basis that his mother was on the Board of the Local Government Staff Commission, which was seeking to lease Commission House from the Council, and left the meeting whilst the item was being considered.

            Councillors Beattie and Lyons declared an interest in relation to item 5b – Asset Management, in that they were members of the Board of the Belfast Harbour Commissioners. However, as the mattered related to a licence agreement and did not conflict with their role on the Board, they were not required to leave the meeting whilst the report was being considered. 

            The information contained in the reports associated with the following seven items is restricted in accordance with Part 1 of Schedule 6 of the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 2014.

      Resolved – That the Committee agrees to exclude the members of the Press and public from the meeting during discussion of these items as, due to the nature of the items, there would be a disclosure of exempt information as described in Section 42(4) and Section 6 of the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 2014.

            The Director of Finance and Resources reminded the Committee that, at its meeting on 18th December, it had been provided with an update on the Council’s Medium Term Financial Plan. The Committee had, after due consideration of business-as-usual cost pressures, growth proposals and efficiencies, agreed, in principle, to a District Rate increase of 1.98% for 2021/22. That increase had been based upon the assumption that there would be no change to the 2020/21 Estimated Penny Product and that the Government would guarantee rates income based on 2020/21 levels and provide funding for Covid-19 related additional expenditure and income losses.

            The Director reported that the final Estimated Penny Product, which had now been received from Land and Property Services, had seen an increase of 0.02% on the 2020/21 position, giving a revised Estimated Penny Product of £6,253,110. That meant that the required increase in the District Rate had been reduced to 1.92%. However, that did not take into consideration the potential impact of Covid-19 upon the Council’s district rates income for 2021/22.

            With that in mind, the University of Ulster’s Economic Policy Centre had been commissioned to develop a rates impact economic model. He confirmed that that work, which had entailed a detailed analysis of key economic factors across all non-domestic property types against the level of rates debt and vacant rate losses, had now been completed. He provided an overview of the Centre’s findings and confirmed that they had since been forwarded to the Department of Finance. The Northern Ireland Local Government Association and the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives had written to the Ministers for Finance and Communities requesting that the Northern Ireland Executive guarantee rates incomes at 2021/22 levels. As yet, there was no indication as to whether the request would or would not be met.

            The Director explained that, in order to set the District Rate within the legal timeframe, which had now been extended till 1st March, the Committee was required to agree a course of action in the event that rates support from the Government was not forthcoming. He presented the Members with two options, the first of which was based on the worst case scenario presented within the Economic Policy Centre’s model and would leave a budget deficit of £4.65m. The second option, which he recommended for approval, would base the Estimated Penny Product on the Land and Property Services calculation, that is, a rates increase of 1.92% and would require the establishment of a specified reserve of £4.65m to cover rates losses, in the event that Government support was not forthcoming. That reserve would be financed through a combination of 2020/21 year-end savings, in-year savings for 2021/22 and general reserves, if required.

            He informed the Committee that, as part of the 2021/22 revenue estimates process, officers had assessed the levels of income which the Council was likely to receive in the context of the ongoing pandemic. The loss of income had been forecast to be in the region of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2a

            The Director of Finance drew the Members’ attention to a report which provided an update on the revised financial position which had been presented to the Committee on 18th December. The report indicated that the Council had since moved from a forecast deficit to a surplus of £3,656,516, due to a forecast capital financing budget underspend.

            He outlined the factors which had contributed to that underspend and reminded the Committee that, at its meeting on 18th September, it had requested that consideration be given during the rate setting process to allocating £500k to Phase 5 of the alleygating scheme as a priority growth proposal. Should the Committee still be of a mind to support that proposal, there would, he pointed out, be an opportunity to fund the scheme from the current underspend.

            He reminded the Committee that it had, earlier in the meeting, agreed to establish two specified reserves of £4.65m and £5.2m, in the event that the Government did not provide funding to cover potential losses in rates income and Covid-19 related income losses and additional expenditure. For that reason, he recommended that no further allocations of the current underspend be made at this time.

            The Director then highlighted the high degree of uncertainty around the Quarter 4 financial position and confirmed that Council Departments were working currently on the Quarter 3 year-end forecast, which would include the impact of the most recent restrictions announced by the Northern Ireland Executive. He outlined the extent of the financial support which had been provided by the Executive to date and stressed that the Council’s cash flow continued to be reviewed on a daily basis.

            After discussion, the Committee agreed:

                            i.      that £500k of the reported capital financing budget underspend be allocated to a specified reserve in order to support the delivery of Phase 5 of the Council’s  alleygating scheme; and

                          ii.      that no further allocations of the surplus be made at this stage, as that may be required to support the financing of specified reserves to support potential rates and income losses in 2021/22.    

            The Committee noted the contents of a report which highlighted the ongoing need to monitor the Council’s critical and vital services, confirmed that appropriate measures had been put in place to ensure that the most critical services could be delivered, outlined the activities associated with the ongoing management of Covid-19 and, finally, the response to changing restrictions and the resulting impact across the Council.

            The Committee was reminded that, at its meeting on 10th December, it had agreed to set aside up to a maximum of £100,000, in the form of rent relief, to support any business across the Council estate which, in line with criteria drawn up by officers, could demonstrate that it required financial assistance as a direct result of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

            The Director of Physical Programmes drew the Members’ attention to the following criteria which would govern the funding process. Applicants seeking support:

                       i.        must have been a Council business tenant on or before 23rd March 2020, with no sub-tenants or licensees;

                     ii.        must have been required to close due to the COVID-19 lock down requirements or must be able to demonstrate a significant decline in their trading position due to the impact of COVID-19;

                    iii.        must be able to demonstrate that they have exhausted other means of emergency financial support that is currently available; and

                    iv.        must not have been in breach of their lease terms as at 23rd March 2020 e.g. must have paid all rent etc. due to the Council at that date.

            She reported that further work was being undertaken around the process for dealing with applications received, in terms of assessment/due diligence, and that officers from the Physical Programmes Department and the Corporate Communications Unit were working to formulate a communications plan in advance of the Fund opening potentially in February. The Committee would, she confirmed, be provided with regular updates on the uptake of the Fund.

            The Director reported further that, since the Committee meeting on 10th December, officers had been requested to examine the potential for extending the Fund to include other businesses, such as street traders. She explained that street traders operated differently, in that they did not have a lease with the Council but applied for a Street Trading Licence, which was approved by the Licensing Committee and managed through the Building Control Service. The Council also administered a range of other licences for, for example, amusement arcades, cinemas and entertainment venues. She highlighted the fact that a number of requests for financial support had been received from various licence holders and confirmed that the implications of those were being examined by Council officers and would be presented to the Committee in February.

            In response to a number of issues which had been raised by Members, the Director pointed out that applicants would, in line with the criteria, be required to provide evidence that any financial difficulties, such as rent arrears, were related directly to the impact of Covid-19. She added that applications would be assessed on a case-by-case basis and that every effort would be made to simplify the application process.   

            The Committee noted the information which had been provided.

            The Committee:

i.        approved the creation and recruitment of a post of Operational Director - City and Neighbourhood Services Department; and

ii.      agreed that the selection panel comprise the Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson of the Committee (or their nominees), an Elected Member from the SDLP, the Chief Executive (or her nominee) and a Director.

            (Mr. J. Greer, Director of Development attended in connection with this item.)

            The Director of Development informed the Members that the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions had necessitated a review of the options which had, in December, been presented to the City Growth and Regeneration Committee around the delivery of events in the first half of 2021.  Accordingly, he submitted for the Committee’s consideration a report which set out revised proposals for delivering events in 2021, together with details of a phased approach for the funding of the cultural sector in the 2021/22 financial year.

            After discussion, the Committee:

                    i.        agreed to suspend the delivery of live events from January to August 2021 and noted that a quality and higher impact programme of events was being planned for September 2021 till March 2022, to mark the beginning of City recovery;

                   ii.        agreed, in relation to St. Patrick’s Day, to adopt option 4 within the report, that is, to commission new creative ideas for the future delivery of the event, through an expression of interest and assessment process, and to produce a 2021 digital online showcase, in partnership with organisations, artists and producers;

                  iii.        agreed not to proceed with the Spring Continental Market, which was due to be held in the grounds of the City Hall between 27th and 31st May, 2021;

                 iv.        agreed that an alternative option be developed to deliver an appropriate event or exhibition in the first half of 2021 to mark the Centenary of Northern Ireland, to include the use of online platforms, and noted that other more public events were being planned for the second half of the year, Covid-19 restrictions permitting;

                   v.        agreed, in order to ensure the ongoing survival of the cultural sector and the viability of core organisations, that, for 2021/22, levels of funding for these organisations should be maintained, as set out within their multi-annual agreements and be included in Departmental budgets; and

                 vi.        noted the ongoing strategic work to support the re-opening and recovery of the City and the need to progress with plans for the delivery of a Cultural Strategy, including 2023. 

(Mrs. S. Toland, Director of City Services, attended in connection with this item.)

The Director of City Services submitted for the Committee’s consideration a report which set out the findings to date of the options appraisal which had been undertaken by the Association for Public Service Excellence on arrangements for future kerbside sort collections in inner City areas. Those arrangements would be implemented in the context of the Council’s overall Waste Framework Strategy and the wider challenges which the organisation was likely to encounter around waste collection and waste management in the period leading up to 2035.

            Accordingly, she recommended that the Committee:

i.       note that the Council had agreed, in principle, to move to a city-wide recycling collection scheme, involving wheeled stacker boxes, to improve recycling rates and the quality of material to support the circular economy, and to reduce residual black bins to 180l and collect food waste separately;

ii.      note that a very long lead-in period would be required to enable the above changes to be made alongside an appropriate phasing strategy;

iii.     agree to commission a full economic appraisal on the two key strategic options set out within the report, namely:

a.     the insourcing of the collection and processing of recycling activities, to include a full cost appraisal of the construction of a suitable processing facility; and

b.     the continued outsourcing of recycling waste collections and processing for the inner city;

iv.  agree an extension of up to 24 months on the current inner city recycling contract delivered by Bryson Recycling, to allow for the economic appraisal to be conducted and, thereafter, allow for a proper procurement exercise to be carried out on any future contract which results from the economic appraisal; and

v.   agree that, as a first phase, officers scope up proposals for the roll-out of the Wheelie-box scheme, plus food waste and 180l residual bin, for the inner city collections, with the intention of submitting a funding request to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to support this scheme. This was in line with the Waste Framework and would be the direction of travel, irrespective of the model used to deliver the service.

            After discussion, the Committee adopted the recommendations, subject to point iii. being amended to the effect that the economic appraisal examine also the insourcing of waste collection and the outsourcing of the processing of that waste.

            The Committee was reminded that the Council, at its meeting on 2nd November, had passed the following motion on the Implementation of Care Partner Arrangements in Nursing and Care Homes, which had been proposed by Councillor McAteer and seconded by Councillor Groves:

“This Council recognises the distress, confusion, physical and cognitive deterioration experienced by residents with dementia living in nursing homes, due to the lockdown in Spring 2020 and the subsequent curtailment of visits with relatives to one visit per week.

The Council also recognises the pain experienced by relatives of nursing home residents with dementia, many of whom, pre-Covid-19, cared daily for their loved ones in nursing homes, assisting them with washing, dressing, eating, drinking and exercise and provided them with love and cognitive stimulation.

Whilst the Council acknowledges the spread of the Covid-19 virus and adheres to the Executive guidelines on Council on public health, it also supports the “Regional Principles for Nursing and Residential Care homes in N Ireland” (published by the Department of Health on 23rd September, 2020), which establishes the designation of relatives or close friends as “Care Partners” and stipulates that care and nursing homes should facilitate Care Partner arrangements to enable relatives to assist with the communication, physical and emotional needs of their loved ones in care and nursing homes.

The Council calls upon the Minister of Health to provide the necessary human, financial and technical resources to nursing and care homes to ensure the immediate practical implementation of safe and secure Care Partner arrangements which will underpin the rights of dementia patients in nursing homes and deliver improved health and wellbeing outcomes for them and their families.”

            The City Solicitor informed the Committee that a response had now been received from the Minister of Health.

            The Minister had begun by pointing out that the most recent visiting guidance relating to care homes, including information on the care partner concept, could be accessedhere.

            He explained that, in November, the Department of Health had published on its website additional guidance on the Care Partner concept, including a Frequently Asked Questions document here and an Information Leaflet for Care Home Residents and their Families here.

In addition, the Chief Nursing Officer and the Chief Social Work Officer had issued the following joint letter to residential and nursing care home providers regarding the implementation of care partners in care homes in Northern Ireland here.

            The Minister had gone on to explain that care homes were actively encouraged to adhere to all aspects of the revised visiting guidelines, including the introduction of care partners. The expectation was that care homes would continue to work to facilitate a range of visiting options, in accordance with the detail of the visiting guidance aligned with the Alert Level relevant at the particular time and the care home’s individual circumstances. All decisions would be based on a risk assessment of the environment and would rely on the ability to ensure social distancing and the safety of residents,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3a

            (Mr. J. Greer, Director of Development attended in connection with this item.)

            The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0      Purpose of Report

1.1      At the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee meeting on 18th December, it was agreed that a report be submitted to a future meeting outlining the legal and other implications associated with restructuring the current Employment Academy framework.  The framework opened for applications in November 2020 and closed on 15th January, 2021.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to:

                                     i.          note the update on the current procurement exercise to appoint delivery agents for the council’s Employment Academies; and

                                    ii.          agree to continue with awarding the contracts as planned, with a review of impacts to be carried out and reported back to the Committee within 6 months, so that any adjustments to future plans can be made.

3.0       Main Report

3.1       Members will be familiar with the increasing importance of the Council’s engagement in employability and skills activity.  In the last financial year, engagement in council-supported employability activity included:

·        around 2,400 participants on ESF match-funded programmes, with around 580 moving into employment (average 24% into-employment rate)

·        530 participating in Employment Academies with 398 finding a job at the end of the programme (75% into-employment rate);

·        over 1,500 young people supported through youth initiatives including 200 receiving additional revision support at GCSE, 90 young people undertaking work placements, and 100 accessing 1-2-1 mentor support through our Youth Support Programme; and

·        almost 7500 participants engaged through career events and job fairs.

3.2       Whilst the current financial year has been particularly challenging operationally, officers have maintained a focus on working with employers that continue to have employment opportunities.  This includes the health and social care sector and transport and logistics sector.  There has also been significant development work undertaken with public sector employers – including Belfast City Council – to create ring-fenced employment opportunities for those from specific target groups (those identified through the Inclusive Growth Framework).  The other major area of development work has been to establish new pathways into digital and tech roles – given that these sectors have remained relatively resilient in the current climate and are likely to see further growth in the future.  The investment in City Deal and initiatives such as the Innovation District present significant opportunities for long-term employment growth.  However, it is clear that many individuals either don’t have the required technical skills or don’t have the confidence to pursue employment opportunities in this sector.  It is essential that we develop these supported pathways to ensure that these developments move forward in a way that supports our commitments to inclusive growth.

3.3       As outlined above, Employment Academies are just one mechanism through which the Council is investing to support employability and skills development.  However, they have, arguably, been the most successful, not only in terms of employment outcomes but also in terms of providing a mechanism for engaging with the key government departments to demonstrate the added-value role that councils can provide in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4a

            (Mr. R. Black, Director of Neighbourhood Services, attended in connection with this 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 Members further on the continuing planning, partner engagement, support mechanisms and services in place to support vulnerable people during the COVID-19 pandemic.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is requested to note the report and to also note that this approach is based on extensive partner engagement (including ongoing engagement with strategic community partners).

3.0       Main Report

            Background

3.1       Members will be aware of the extensive work by community and voluntary sector partners, Council and other statutory partners as part of the initial COVID-19 emergency response and that this support has continued and developed in response to emerging need.

3.2       Members will also recall that an update was provided to People and Communities Committee in November 2020 and, from this, will aware the continuing support to vulnerable people has been designed throughout taking community/voluntary (local as well as thematic) partner feedback in to account and in the majority of circumstances, the community/voluntary sector are delivering services.

3.3       Members will also be aware that Officers previously engaged with partners, following the initial COVID emergency response, and captured a significant amount of learning. This learning has shaped how we have collectively developed the city wide approach to:

-        Better align services at a statutory and community/voluntary level and

-        Ensure we were collectively getting to those who most needed the support and recognising and utilising the community/voluntary sector networks.

3.4       Financial Investment

            Additionally, Members will be aware Council (supported in part with central government funding) has invested significantly in community/voluntary sector service delivery since the pandemic began in March 2020.  This continues to be the most effective method of reaching vulnerable people at present, particularly those people who may not meet the threshold for existing statutory services (and are therefore not known to statutory services at present) and those people who have never had need of support services before, but who need them now perhaps as a result of redundancy, reduced hours or the emotional and physical impacts of the ongoing restrictions.

3.5       A summary of the financial investment in community/voluntary sector delivery has been circulated to Members.

3.6       Members should also be aware the expected additional financial investment from DfC has been confirmed as £764,000 which needs to be spent before the end of March 21. 

3.7       As requested by Members at the SP and R meeting on 10th December, representation (including a formal letter) is being issued to the DfC Permanent Secretary (along with other central government funders) as given the ongoing impact of restrictions, many organisations have not been able to deliver planned activities.  Additionally, the significant additional financial investment from DfC of £764,000 to be spent by community/voluntary partners before the end of March 2021 is putting them under more unnecessary pressure when they are already struggling.

3.8       Members should be aware  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4b

            The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0      Purpose of Report or Summary of Main Issues

1.1       The Council’s Physical Programme covers over 180 capital projects under a range of internal and external funding streams together with the projects which the Council delivers on behalf of external agencies. The Council’s Capital Programme forms part of the Physical Programme and is a rolling programme of investment which either improves the existing Council facilities or provides new Council facilities. This report provides an update on requested movements on the Capital Programme.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to:

                                                  i.          Proposed Movements - Capital Programme – agree that Alleygating Phase 5 project is added as a Stage 1 – Emerging Project on to the Capital Programme and

                                                 ii.          DfC Joint Projects  – note the update is relation to match funding secured from DfC for existing projects in this financial year across a range of programmes

3.0       Main Report

3.1       Proposed Movements - Capital Programme 

            The Committee has previously agreed that all capital projects must go through a 3 Stage process where decisions on which projects progress are taken by SP and R. This provides assurance as to the level of financial control and will allow Members to properly consider the opportunity costs of approving one capital project over another capital project. Members are asked to agree to the following movement on the Capital Programme:

            At the SP and R meeting on 18th September 2020, Members asked that a further phase of alleygating be considered. Members have been advised in the Finance Update Committee Report which is also on the agenda for discussion today that the monies secured from DfC (see below) has contributed to a forecast capital financing budget underspend and resultant surplus and that it is proposed through this that a proportion of this (£500k) Is ring-fenced for a further phase of alleygating. It is anticipated that this will be agreed by Committee and Members are therefore asked to agree that this is added as a Stage 1- Emerging project onto the Capital Programme in order to allow the project to be developed. Members are asked to note that further detail will be brought back to Committee in due course in line with the agreed three stage approvals process.

3.2       Update on DfC/BCC Match funded projects 2020-21

            Following proactive engagement with the Department for Communities to identify opportunities for joint working in 2020-21, a total of £1,124,000 has been secured to support existing projects within the overall Physical Programme, a proportion of which is match funding for projects under the Capital Programme. Contracts for Funding are in place and work continues in order to achieve delivery this financial year.  The funding is for 14 projects in total including –

·        Upgrades to Vere Foster, Falls Park and Ohio Street playgrounds.

·        Replacement of the 3G pitch surface and upgrade of the playground at Grosvenor Community  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5a

            The Committee:

                                     i.          Whitla Street Car Park – Disposal of part to Translink

-        approved the disposal of a 0.36 acre portion of Whitla Street Car Park to Translink to facilitate the redevelopment of Yorkgate Train Station.

                                    ii.          Corporation Square and Corporation Street Car Parks – Licences to Belfast Harbour Commissioners for the Installation of Barriers

-        approved the entering into licence agreements with BHC to allow the installation of barriers to prevent access to both car parks from 19.00 till 06.00 each night.

                                  iii.          Lease to The Local Government Staff Commission, Commission House, 18-22 Gordon Street

-        agreed to the short term letting of Commission House from 1st April 2021 to its current occupier The Local Government Staff Commission at a rent of £55,500 per annum.

                                  iv.          Licence renewal regarding the use of lands at Bloomfield Walkway for multi-use games area and playground facility

-        approved the renewal of the licence agreement between the Council and DFI for use of lands at Bloomfield Walkway for multi-use games area and playground facility.

                                    v.          Licence to Belfast Metropolitan College - Girdwood

-        approved the renewal of a licence agreement to Belfast Metropolitan College for classrooms and ancillary office accommodation at Girdwood Community Hub

            The Committee approved and adopted the minutes of the meetings of each of the four Area Working Groups which had been convened during the month of January to receive a presentation on Living With Water’s Integrated Plan for Drainage and Wastewater Management consultation document.  

            The Committee:

·        approved the public advertisement of tenders, as per Standing Order 37a, detailed in Table 1 below; and

·        approved the award of Single Tender Actions, in line with Standing Order 55 exceptions, as detailed in Table 2 below.

Table 1 – Competitive Tenders

Table 2 - Retrospective Single Tender Actions

            The Committee approved and adopted the minutes of the meeting of the Shared City Partnership held on 11th January, including the recommendations:

            PEACE IV

      BPR3 – Transformational Leadership Project 

                                       i.           to agree, in principle, to pool the £4,000 resource allocation for community projects, in the event where Clusters have merged, and to delegate authority to the Good Relations Manager and the PEACE IV Programme Manager to consider the Resource Allocation requests on a case by case basis; and

                                      ii.          to invite NICVA to present at the Shared City Partnership meeting in March an update on the Leadership Transformation Programme (PEACE IV).

Good Relations

                                        i.          that the Council develops an action plan to frame delivery around 

the proposed actions set out within the minute relating to “Notice of Motion – Racism Free Zone”;

                                      ii.          that officers follow up with the Executive Office on the issues raised in relation to the Minority Ethnic Development Fund; and

                                     iii.          that an update report on sectarianism in the City be submitted to a future meeting to enable further discussion and consideration.

            With the permission of the Chairperson, Alderman Copeland drew the Committee’s attention to the minute of the meeting of the Party Group Leaders’ Consultative Forum relating to Covid-19 Implications. The minute had highlighted the significant impact which the pandemic was having upon the Council’s organisational capacity, due to the increasing number of staff who were having to self-isolate, and had stressed that sustaining and maintaining critical services remained the primary focus at present and for the immediate future.

            Alderman Copeland referred to the increasing number of motions which had been placed before the Council in recent years and reminded the Members that, on occasions, an additional meeting had been required to process them. Many of those motions had, she pointed out, fallen under the remit of the Northern Ireland Executive. Accordingly, she urged any Member who might be planning to submit a motion to the Council at this time to be mindful of the significant pressures which the organisation was facing currently in terms of service delivery and recovery.

            After discussion, the Committee noted Alderman Copeland’s comments and approved and adopted the minutes of the meeting of the Party Group Leaders’ Consultative Forum of 14th January.

            The Committee approved and adopted the minutes of the meeting of the Active Belfast Limited Board of 11th January.

            The Committee approved and adopted the minutes of the meeting of the Climate Crisis Working Group of 18th January.