Agenda and minutes

            An apology for inability to attend was reported from Councillor Reynolds.

The minutes of the meeting of 20th October were taken as read and signed as correct.  It was reported that those minutes had been adopted by the Council at its meeting on 1st November.

No declarations of interest were reported.

The information contained in the following eight reports 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 Committee 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 Committee considered a report which provided an update on the development of the revenue estimates for 2018/19 and the key issues which Members needed to consider as part of the rates settlement process.

            The Committee noted:

1.     The update on the development of the revenue estimates and the setting of the district rate; and

2.     That party group briefings had been arranged for the week beginning 27th November, 2017, with a further report on the setting of the district rate being submitted to the Committee at its meeting of 15th December, 2017.

            The Committee agreed that the Quarter 2 Finance report be considered in conjunction with the following reports insofar as it related to the financial implications and proposed reallocations contained therein:

            2c    European Capital of Culture 2023 – Phase 2

            2g    The MAC (Metropolitan Arts Centre) Update

            5a    City Region Growth Deal – Update

            5b    Update on the Smart Belfast Programme

            5c    Corporate Approach to Customer Focus

         The Committee was advised that the year-end forecast was a net year end underspend of £662k which represented a variance of 0.5% of the annual net expenditure budget.  The District Rate forecast by Land and Property Services (LPS) was a favourable outturn of £1,139k, which was a slight increase on the Quarter 1 forecast.  Slippage in the capital programme meant that the capital finance budget was forecast to be underspent by £2,090k.

         The Director of Finance and Resources reported that, given that the year-end department underspend was within 0.5% of the approved budget, it was not proposed that that should be considered for re-allocation.  However, the forecast rates finalisation of £1,139k and the forecast capital financing underspend of £2,090k might be considered for re-allocation to non-recurrent expenditure by the Committee.  After discussion the Committee:

·        Agreed the forecast departmental underspend should not be considered for re-allocation given that that represented only 0.5% of net expenditure;

·        Noted that the previously approved re-allocation for the Decade of Centenaries (£16,000) and The Mac (£40,000) would be funded from the half year re-allocations; and

·        Agreed the following re-allocation from the forecast positive rates finalisation and capital financing underspend:

Items Referred from the City and Growth Committee:    

·        Féile                                                                                        £180,000

·        Other Voices                                                                           £40,000

·        Gradam Caoil                                                                          £50,000

·        Eastside Arts Festival                                                             £40,000

·        CS Lewis Festival                                                                   £40,000

·        Belfast Tattoo                                                                          £25,000

·        First World War Centenary Event                                          £35,000

·        Every Day Remembered                                                        £138,840

Additional Funding Request:                                             

·        The Mac (2017/18 and 2018/19)                                            £75,000

Corporate Plan Priorities

·        Corporate Customer Focus Project                                        £500,000

·        General Data Protection Regulations                                     £51,000

Belfast Agenda Priorities

·        European Capital of Culture Bid (Stage 2)                            £797,790

·        Smart Cities                                                                            £455,000

·        City Deal                                                                                 £500,000

            The Chief Executive submitted a report providing an update on the development of the bid for UK designated city for European Culture in 2023 (ECoC 2023), which outlined the key focus of activity in stage two and associated resource considerations.

            The Chief Executive advised the Committee that she would address, later in the meeting, the announcement by the European Commission on the eligibility of the UK as a host region after it leaves the EU and requested the Committee to consider the report outside of that process. 

            After discussion, the Committee

·        noted that it had agreed earlier in the meeting that £797,790 be allocated on a non-recurring basis to support the development of the stage two programme as part of the half year finance report, and, following the announcement by the European Commission which shed doubt on the eligibility of the UK as a host region after it leaves the EU, agreed that, if the second stage of the process does not proceed as originally planned, a further report be submitted to a future meeting to consider the application of these finances; and

·        noted that the Committee would consider, as part of the 2018/19 rate setting process, a potential growth proposal of 0.25% for the European Capital of Culture 2023.

         Announcement by the European Commission

         The Chief Executive referred to the announcement by the European Commission in relation to the eligibility of the UK as a host region after it leaves the EU.  She outlined what actions had been taken since the announcement and a proposed series of next steps.

         After discussion, the Committee agreed, following the Commission’s announcement, to approve the next steps, that is, to engage with Northern Ireland’s three MEPs and the four Belfast MPs; to seek a meeting with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport; and seek a meeting with the European Commission.

         The Committee considered a report which provided details of the findings of a recent threat and risk assessment which had been carried out under the auspices of the National Counter-Terrorism Strategy Office (NaCTSO) in respect of the City Hall and other principle city centre Council buildings.

         The Committee:

(a)   Endorsed the findings of the recent NaCTSO review as set out at paragraph 3.3 of the report and agreed that Party briefings be held on the details of the review;

(b)   Approved the series of recommended actions as set out at paragraph 3.6, and the creation of a capital fund to defray the costs of doing so; and

(c)   Endorsed the application of the general principles set out in Appendix 1 to the report for all council event organisers.

         The Committee deferred again for a period of one month consideration of a report in relation to changes to the current catering arrangements.

         The Committee considered a report which sought approval to create a new Reception area on the main marble area of the City Hall entrance hall.  The Committee was reminded that a report had been tabled at the Committee’s meeting on 20th October, 2017.  However, the report had been deferred in order to permit the various Parties to receive briefings on the issues raised.  Those briefings had occurred during late October, 2017 for those who had requested them and a report was being presented for the Committee’s final decision.

         The Committee:

(a)   agreed to proceed with the creation of a new Reception facility on the main marble floor area in the same location as previously proposed;

(b)   agreed that such a facility would be a single, integrated facility; and

(c)   granted approval to begin a consultative dialogue with affected staff.

         The Committee considered a report which provided an update on the current situation with regards to The MAC and advised of a further funding proposal which had been received from the The MAC in order to support that organisation’s short-term sustainability.

         The Committee:

·        noted the current position of The MAC

·        noted that a contribution of £75,000 towards The MAC’s operating budget for 2017 – 18/2018 -19, subject to The Arts Council for Northern Ireland/Department for Communities confirming their financial contribution, in line with the detailed business case, had been considered and approved earlier in the meeting; and

·        agreed that an urgent meeting with the Permanent Secretary of the Department of Communities and the Arts Council NI be held with Party Group Leaders.

         The Committee approved the arrangements to celebrate the conferment of the Freedom of the City on Sir Kenneth Brannagh and the budget of to up to £30,000.

         The Committee noted the information which had been provided and agreed to defer consideration of the matter until the Commissioner for Resilience had been appointed.

            The Committee was reminded that the Council, at its meeting on 4th September, had considered the following notice of motion which had been proposed by Councillor Long and seconded by Councillor O’Neill.

“This Council calls upon the Chief Executive to submit a report to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee on how to ensure openness and transparency with regard to decisions taken by the Party Leaders’ Forum.”

            In accordance with Standing Order 13(f), the motion had been referred to the Committee for consideration.

            In order to assist the Committee considered the matter, the following information in relation to the background to the establishment of the Party Leaders’ Forum was submitted:

·        In the previous Council, prior to the local elections in 2014, the Council had agreed to establish a Party Leaders’ Forum to allow space for Party leaders to discuss difficult or contentious issues without Council officers routinely being present.  As such, those meetings were facilitated by Jonathon Huish and officers were asked to attend parts of the meeting when specific issues pertinent to their remit were to be discussed.  A short note of those meetings was reported to the Committee for information.

·        The Committee, at its meeting on 22nd August, 2014, had agreed to re-establish a number of Working Groups for the new Council and these included the Party Leaders’ Forum and the Budget and Transformation Panel.  The rationale for appointing the two Groups was that the Budget and Transformation Panel was exclusively a business meeting when Chief Officers would bring draft reports to the Panel’s attention prior to them being submitted to the Committee, whereas the Party Leaders Forum was to provide a space for Party leaders to discuss more contentious matters and seek to come to accommodations where there was disagreement.

·        It was always understood, as with all Working Groups, that neither the Budget and Transformation Panel nor the Party Leaders’ Forum were decision-making bodies and all decisions were required to be taken by a Standing Committee and (except where the Committee had full delegated authority) ratified by full Council.

            Currently, there were officers present at meetings of the Budget and Transformation Panel and a minute was taken of the meeting and presented to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee for approval.  Since Jonathon Huish no longer provided the administrative support to the Party Leaders’ Forum, there was not any officer tasked with attending those meetings and taking a minute of the discussions.  Therefore, there was not any report of those discussions included on the agenda of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee. 

            The Committee was advised that it would appear that there were essentially two options open to it in deciding how best to proceed:

1.     Accept that the Party Leaders’ Forum was primarily established to allow Party Leaders’ to discuss issues in confidence without any officers present.  The meetings would therefore continue without a minute being taken and there would not be any report on the discussions submitted to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee; or  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3b

         The Committee was reminded that the Council, at its meeting on 2nd October, had passed the following motion on the Primary Schools Curriculum Sports Programme which had been proposed by Councillor Mullan and seconded by Councillor Boyle:

“This Council opposes the proposed ending of the Primary School Curriculum Sports Programme by the Department of Education, from 31st October 2017, and expresses deep concern at the impact which the potential loss of this award winning cross community programme will have for primary school pupils, primary schools and the sporting coaches involved. The Council notes with great concern the cut made to the extended schools budget of 14% and the further cut of £56 for each child attending primary or nursery school.

The Council agrees to write to and seek an urgent meeting with the Permanent Secretary of the Department of Education to highlight this concern.”

         The Committee was advised that a response had now been received from Mr. Derek Baker, Permanent Secretary, Department of Education.  The Permanent Secretary had confirmed that, in July, the Department of Education had informed the Gaelic Athletic Association and the Irish Football Association that funding for the Primary Schools Curriculum Sports Programme would cease on 31st October.  He pointed out that the Department had since secured an additional £10 million in the latest Monitoring Round, which would allow the programme to be delivered until the end of 2017/2018 financial year.  However, he stressed that due to budgetary pressure, it might not be in a position to fund the initiative in future years.

         He had highlighted the fact that a key objective of the Curriculum Sports Programme was to provide support to primary school teachers in delivering Physical Education.  Those schools which had participated in the initiative had been allocated coaches, on the understanding that the class teacher would be present, primarily to assist in delivering the sessions and to support their own knowledge and development.  Overall, teachers had benefited from their involvement in the programme over ten years and their skills and confidence should have improved significantly.

         The Permanent Secretary had concluded by suggesting that, since the funding from the Curriculum Sports Programme had been restored for the current financial year, the rationale for holding the meeting, as requested with the motion, no longer existed and he sought the Council’s view in that regard.

         With the permission of the Chairperson, Councillor Mullan, in whose name the motion had been submitted, addressed the Committee.  She pointed out that the Permanent Secretary had not addressed the second part of the motion in relation to concern about the cut being made to the extended schools budget of 14% and the further cut off £56 for each child attending primary or nursery school and requested that the Committee proceed with seeking a meeting with the Permanent Secretary.

         The Committee agreed to this course of action.

         The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0     Purpose of The Report

1.1        The purpose of this report is to provide an update to the Committee on a Notice of Motion, moved by Councillor McVeigh, regarding the importance of tourism to the City’s economy and the need to modernise the current licensing regimes.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1      The Committee is asked to:

·        Note the contents of the draft consultation document which outlines the purpose of the engagement exercise and a proposed questionnaire.

·        Provide approval for officers to carry out an engagement exercise with representatives from the local tourism and hospitality sector, licensing industry, statutory bodies and the general public over the twelve-week period on the basis set out in Appendix 2.

2.2       Feedback from this engagement exercise will be used to inform and finalise a corporate position on the potential development of an entertainment complex (including a casino) in Belfast and extended opening hours for pubs and clubs in the city.

3.0       Background

3.1       Councillor McVeigh moved this Motion at Council on 1 November 2016. After discussion at the City Growth and Regeneration committee on 9 November 2016 it was agreed that a report would be submitted to a future meeting to include information on:

·        the proposal of undertaking a public consultation to ascertain whether the citizens of Belfast wish to see the modernisation of licensing laws and opening hours in Northern Ireland, and the development of an Entertainment and Casino Complex within Belfast, with associated costings;

·        the suggested parameters and mechanisms which would be used for such a public consultation; and

·        related issues which have already been subject to public consultation by other government departments, including timescales and any conclusions arising from them.

3.2       In the Motion Councillor McVeigh suggests a modernised licensing system and the development of an Entertainment and Casino Complex would provide stimulus and support to the tourism sector and City’s economy, with a potential investment of £150 million and the creation of 900 new jobs.

3.3       This work is being taken forward in partnership between the Development Department, Planning and Place and Legal Services with informative reports to be taken to the City Growth and Regeneration and Licensing committees, once the engagement exercise has taken place.

3.4       The outcome of the public consultation will be presented to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee for consideration to determine a corporate position in relation to the development of an entertainment and casino complex and extended licensing hours in Belfast. Any outcome may then be provided to the Department for Communities (DfC) for consideration.

            Key Issues

            Modernising Licensing Legislation

3.5       The current legislation relating to gambling, entertainment and liquor licensing is the responsibility of the DfC.

3.6       In recent years, the DfC has conducted several reviews in relation to the need for modernisation of the law in areas such as gambling, liquor licensing and entertainments licensing. However, these reviews have not yet resulted in new primary legislation in any of these areas. The current licensing system in Northern Ireland is  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3d

         The Committee approved the following schedule of meetings for the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee during 2018 at a commencement time of 9.30am:

            Friday, 5th January * and Friday 19th January

            *Please note: That the first meeting of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee on 5th January is to discuss the District Rate for 2017/18

Friday, 16th February

Friday, 23rd March

            Friday, 20th April

Friday, 18th May

Friday, 22nd June

No meeting in July

Friday, 17th August

            Friday, 21st September

Friday, 19th October

Friday, 16th November

Friday, 14th December

         The Committee agreed, due to the Christmas and Easter holiday periods, that:

·        The date of the January meeting of the Council move from Tuesday, 2nd January to Wednesday, 3rd January; and

·        The date of the April meeting of the Council move from Wednesday, 4th April to Monday, 9th April.

         The Committee was reminded that, in May, 2015, the Council had appointed eight representatives from the Balmoral and Botanic District Electoral Areas using the Quota Greatest Remainder method of proportionality to the South Belfast Partnership Board.  That had resulted in a representation of 2 Sinn Fein, 2 DUP, 2 Alliance, 1 SDLP and 1 UUP representative.

         Correspondence had been received from the South Belfast Partnership Board indicating that it has recently reviewed its Strategic Plan resulting in a decision to reduce the number of Board members from the current level of 20 (8 Community, 8 Political and 4 Private Sector) to 15 (5 Community, 5 Political and 5 Private Sector).  Accordingly, the Board had requested that the Council reduce its current representation from 8 to 5.

         In accordance with the agreed mechanism established in 2015 of using the Quota Greatest Remainder method for appointment to the Board, this would give the following representation:

         The Committee agreed to appoint the five Members to the Board as set out above.

         The Committee considered a report which sought authority for the establishment of a deadline by which the Nominating Officer of the Political Party entitled to nominate a person for consideration for appointment to the office of High Sheriff must make the nomination.

         The Committee was reminded that, at its meeting in September, it had adopted a policy to apply the D’hondt proportionality method in order to identify the Parties that would be entitled to nominate a person to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for consideration for appointment to the office of High Sheriff.

         The D’hondt methodology was simply a mathematical formula used to allocate places between Parties based upon their strength on an organisation.  One of the features of the D’hondt system was that a deadline was established by which a Party entitled to a place must nominate or else a choice falls to the Party with the next highest score on the D’hondt table.  The Local Government Act (NI) 2014 at part 1 of Schedule 1 deals with the allocation of Positions of Responsibility using the D’Hondt method.  At sub-paragraph 3 of that Part of the Schedule it states that:

         “If –

(a)      The nominated officer does not exercise any function conferred by sub-paragraph (1) or (2) within a period specified in Standing Orders; or

(b)      The person nominated under sub-paragraph (2) does not take up the selected position of responsibility with that period;

            That function becomes exercisable by the nominating officer of the party for which the formula in paragraph 3 gives the next highest total”

            The Council’s Standing Orders, at Standing Order 34, does establish time limits for Nominating Officers to nominate a Member of their Party when allocating Positions of Responsibility at the first annual Council meeting following a local election.  That limit is 15 minutes.

            The office of High Sheriff is not a Position of responsibility and therefore the provisions set out above do not automatically apply.  However, it was considered that it would be necessary for the Committee to establish its own deadline in order for the D’hondt process to operate properly.

            The Committee was advised that the Council was normally written to by the Northern Ireland Office in October asking it to submit the names of the persons for consideration for appointment.  Therefore, in order to allow Parties sufficient time to consider who they wished to nominate when it was their turn under the D’Hondt system, it was recommended that the deadline be set at 6.00pm on the day of the November Council meeting.  For this year, given that the Committee decision would not be ratified until the Council meeting on 4th December, it was recommended that the deadline be set at 6.00pm on 5th December.

            The Committee adopted the recommendations.

         The Committee was reminded that it had eight Members on the National Association of Councillors – Northern Ireland Region.  Alderman Sandford had been appointed to represent the Northern Ireland Region on the National Executive, which would require attendance at a number of meetings in 2018.  The meetings were scheduled to be held on 15th January, 21st May and 10th September in London and 24th November in a venue to be confirmed.

         The Committee approved the attendance of Alderman Sandford at the meetings of the National Executive of the National Association of Councillors and authorised the payment of the appropriate travel and subsistence allowances.

         The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1       To update Committee on next steps on the development of a Belfast Region City Deal including the allocation of resources and a proposed visit from Sajid Javid Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to;

·        note the next steps in the development of the Belfast City Region Deal

·        note that committee will consider as part of the revenue estimates report for 2018-19 a growth proposal of £1,000,000 of capital financing to support the delivery of BCC city region deal projects.

·        Recommend that £500,000 is allocated on a non recurrent basis to support the development of the city region deal and considered as part of the half year finance report 2017 -18.

·        Agree to the attendance of Party Group Leaders and the chair of SP&R at the meeting with SoS for Communities and Local Government on 7th December 2017.

3.0       Main report

3.1       Key Issues

            At its meeting in September, members the proposed geography for the Belfast City Region Deal, the overall objective of ‘more and better jobs; inclusive growth; improved skills and and growth of domestic business and FDI’; and the key themes of Infrastructure, Innovation and Skills.

3.2       The other five councils that make up the city region have also received approval for the above and work is continuing on the development of an overall programme of work to ensure the region has the evidence base, information and emerging projects to make the best possible case for an overall programme that will support the city region’s economy.  Given the ambition for the deal is to secure between £700 k - £1b it is important that the overall ask is comprehensive and has sufficient level of detail to demonstrate the economic benefits.  Learning from other councils has shown that this will build confidence with both central and regional government and secure a better overall deal.  All the city region councils will therefore need to allocate a budget to help develop the proposition and in particular to support the areas outlined below.

3.3       Policy Context

            Through the community planning process each council has developed a wealth of evidence for their own areas and the plans themselves outline key projects and programmes that focus on their specific needs.  It is important that this evidence base is built up at a city region level so that we can identify those areas that will benefit most from collaborative working and will have the greatest impact on delivering the city region deal objective.  It is also important to identify the regions contribution to the Programme for Government and the UK and NI Industrial Strategies and as a first step towards this the City Region has commissioned the development of an Industrial Strategy.  The out workings of this strategy will help focus on our emerging growth sectors and may lead to more specific detailed research.  It will also complement work  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5a

         The Director of Finance and Resources submitted for the Committee’s consideration the following report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1       The first year of the Smart Belfast programme focused on successfully demonstrating the benefits of ‘smart’ technologies for both the Council and the wider city. The work resulted in a jointly agreed framework for urban innovation with our business and university partners; and the delivery of scalable projects that applied the concepts of the framework to real-world problems (one of which – the Business Rates Identification tool – has already generated substantial new recurring income for the Council).

1.2       This paper sets out recommendations for Members that aim to embed the Smart Belfast approach into mainstream programmes in order to generate innovative solutions to economic growth, city planning, and the Council’s commitment to service transformation.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to:

1.     Approve the proposed Smart Belfast programme for 2018/2019 and the associated costs.

2.     To note the update on the current work of 2017/2018 including the following individual items:

3.     The closing of the Smart Belfast Collaborative Challenge and the plan to bring an update on successful applications to Members in December 2017.

4.     Note the opportunity to contribute to service or city challenge proposals for the LPWAN project. A draft challenge programme will be presented to Members in early 2018.

5.     Note the planned opening date for the Immersive Tech hub of 28 November.

6.     Agree that Belfast sign TM Forum’s 'City as a Platform' manifesto

7.     Note the development work on an all-island SBRI fund for 2018/2019 and to agree in principle to a £30,000 contribution from Belfast City Council. Proposals will be presented to Members for approval.

8.     To agree to Council participation in the DIT trade mission to Dublin

9.     Agree to the acceptance of a Maynooth University Phd placement with the Smart Belfast team.

10.  Agree to the development of a proposal with BT on a local air quality monitoring pilot.

11.  Agree to the development of Smart Belfast infrastructure pilot(s).

3.0       Main report

            The Council’s decision to invest in a Smart Cities programme is driven by three imperatives:

-       Rapid technological change: Very low-cost cloud computing; ubiquitous mobile phone use; high speed internet; WiFi and Internet of Things networks; and advances in data modelling, analytics and artificial intelligence systems – together offer vastly different ways to effectively address the city’s problems and the efficiently manage its services. However, to make the most of these advances the Council needs to co-opt the knowledge and creativity of our universities and local digital sector.

-       City Growth Deal ambition: The economic growth and the productivity challenge at the heart of the City Region Deal, the emerging sub-regional industrial strategy and the Belfast Agenda, are all predicated on Belfast’s ability to inculcate an innovation culture and to exploit data science and technologies. This will be true not only in terms of attracting inward investment and growing the indigenous digital  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5b

         The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1       The City and Neighbourhood Services Department working alongside Corporate Organisational Development (OD) and Digital Services, have been working with Deloitte to develop an outline business case (OBC) to provide recommendations on implementing a new approach to customer focus.

1.2       This report outlines some of the critical challenges and key benefits of adopting a corporate customer focussed business strategy and summarises the key recommendations contained within the Deloitte OBC.

2.0       Recommendations

            The Committee is asked to agree the following recommendations:

1.     That a corporate approach to customer management should be a key driver for on-going organisational change.

2.     A new blueprint for customer services should be based on the following principles outlined in the Deloitte OBC (See Appendix 1):

a.     Corporate approach, consistent and joined up and underpinned by standards,

b.     Deliver greater insight and analysis on customer behaviour,

c.     Improve the efficiency of processes,

d.     Ensure inclusivity and channel choice (digital first where possible),

e.     Improved customer experience (customer first),

f.       Provide access to the right information at the right time and from anywhere.

3.     A Customer Focus delivery team should be resourced to design and implement the best approach for the Council to deliver the recommendations contained in the Deloitte OBC.

4.     A discovery/design exercise should be procured to determine the key tasks, costs and resources that will be required to deliver a corporate approach to Customer Focus.

5.     On-going engagement with Trade Unions should continue due to the corporate nature of the customer focus programme. 

6.     Agree to allocate £500,000 to support the further development and implementation of this work.

3.0       Main report

3.1       One of the key ambitions of the Belfast Agenda is, ‘to deliver services differently, in a more integrated way that is focused on the needs of people.’ However, the current approach to customer management does not avail of the latest technologies which can drive better customer service and improve service delivery for the variety of customers which

3.2       The OBC has shown that our current approach is inefficient as outlined below:

·        130 different numbers are returned in a search for ‘Belfast City Council’ from www.ukphonebook.com,

·        We support over 700 Direct Dial-in (DDI) telephone numbers,

·        Multiple customer contact options (email and phone) are available on our website. See http://www.belfastcity.gov.uk/A-Z/AtoZListing.aspx?atoz=A,

·        We have 12 core CRM systems installed across the council and we have recently implemented an additional interim CRM for Planning,

·        We support an ICT inventory of over 90 different applications with customer information recorded across a significant number of these applications.

3.3       Also, given the scale of customer contact received by BCC (see Appendix 2), it is obvious that a customer focussed business strategy has the potential to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide, while substantially reducing the costs of service delivery. This will help us to:

·        Enhance our customer focus,

·        Join up the fragmented nature  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5c

         The Committee was reminded that the Building Control Service had been working in partnership with Land and Property Services (LPS) in a number of areas for over 15 years.  Since April 2005, the Service had been providing Property Surveys for LPS under a contract signed at that time. 

         The Director of Finance and Resources reported that, as Building Control Surveyors were on site during construction, they could carry out their survey at the time the properties were ready for occupation without the need for LPS staff to visit the site, to gather the information and allowing them to value the properties from the desktop.  That ensured an efficient method of timely and equitable maintenance of the valuation list.  He reported that LPS had been reviewing the contractual arrangement and, in consultation with officers from the Council, had amended the previous contract to reflect changes that had been made to working practices.  LPS had made the request for the Council to enter into this new contact.

         The main changes to the contract from the current arrangements were:

·        The rate LPS would pay per survey be reduced from £65 to £55 from 1st April, 2018.  That reflected the changes in the process which reduced the amount of time surveyors would spend on site gathering the information and increased the use of AutoCAD technicians;

·        Full survey provision of extensions to commercial properties were now included;

·        With the priority of getting new build properties on to the valuation list, the target to provide a survey within 20 working days from the date the property was fit for occupation had been retained.  The target time to provide extended domestic surveys and extended commercial surveys had been set at 30 days.

            The Legal Services Section had been consulted with regard to the contract and were satisfied with the content.

            The Committee agreed to enter into the new contract which would run until 31st March, 2019.

         The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report

1.1       The purpose of this report is to:

·        Seek approval from Members to the allow advancement and award of tenders as outlined in Appendix 1 (Tables 1-3) in accordance with the Scheme of Delegation.

·        Inform Members that procurement is undergoing a review of the current operating model with the potential of restructuring.

2.0       Recommendations  

2.1       It is recommended that Members:

·        Approve the public advertisement and acceptance of tenders as listed in Appendix 1 -Table 1 through the Council’s electronic procurement system and grant delegated authority to the appropriate Director using pre-agreed criteria to the most economically advantageous tender

·        Allow month by month extensions where contracts are under review as outlined in Appendix 1 - Table 2

·        Agree to accede to Standing Orders 55(a) exceptions in relation to contracts by direction of the council acting on recommendations of a Chief officer that the exception is justified in special circumstances for the contracts as laid out in 3.7 below and Appendix 1 – Table 3 (ICT projects)

·        Note the contracts which have been awarded in the last quarter as listed in Appendix 1 -Table 4

3.0       Main report

            Key Issues

3.1       Section 2.5 of the Council’s Scheme of Delegation outlines that under Standing Order 60(a) any contract that exceeds the statutory amount (currently £30,000) needs to be made under the Corporate Seal. Under Standing Order 51(b) the Corporate Seal can only be affixed when there is a resolution of the Council.

3.2       The tenders submitted for approval in Appendix 1 - Table 1, have been forwarded by Departments for approval. Departments have been required to provide assurance that provision for the expenditure has either been made within their departmental budgets or approval has been sought from the Director of Finance and Resources that this expenditure has been provided for within a corporate budget.

3.3       Members should note that they are being asked to approve tenders in principal, after which the internal governance process demonstrating strategic alignment with the Belfast Agenda, will be applied. As part of this process, Departments have also provided assurance that appropriate resources are available within their departments in order to effectively administer and management any contract(s).

3.4       In accordance with Standing Orders these tenders shall comply with the relevant requirements of national legislation and European directives and be overseen by Corporate Procurement Services.

3.5       This report relates to corporate as well as departmental supplies and services only. The procurement of services and works contracts relating to the capital procurement is dealt with under the Capital Programme reports in accordance with the approved stage approval process.

3.6       Direct Award Contracts 

            Members are asked to note that Corporate Procurement Services is currently under resourced and awaiting a report on the current procurement operating model.  This position has resulted in an increase in the number of single tender actions and the requirement to accede to Standing Order 55(a).  It should be understood this is a temporary situation which will be rectified  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5e

            The Committee endorsed the application of Standing Order 55(a) – exemptions from Standing Orders relating to contracts by direction of the Council acting on a recommendation of the Chief Officer that the exception is justified in special circumstances – for the replacement of the current heating system as part of the 2017/18 planned maintenance programme at Smithfield Market.

         The Director of Development submitted for the Committees consideration the undernoted report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report

1.1       Oxford Innovation is the appointed Service Provider in respect of the management and operation of Innovation Factory (IF) in accordance with the contract agreed between Oxford Innovation (OI) and Belfast City Council dated 27 April 2017.

1.2       In light of the first contractual Annual Performance Review this Committee Report recommends a proposed legal amendment to the contract. The proposed amendment has been agreed in principle between both contract representatives and the Project Board.

1.3       The report also seeks Delegated Authority to be granted to the Director of Development who is Senior Responsible Officer for the project.  Delegated Authority is for the approval of incentives at the centre which can help to attract more investment to the Innovation Factoryand contribute towards the Council’s job creation and skills development objectives.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to:

·        Approve the contract amendment to the OI and BCC contract for the Annual Performance Review Methodology for the Innovation Factory;

·        Agree to assign Delegated Authority to the Director of Development for the approval of incentives to tenants for locating at the centre.  Performance of incentives will be reported back to Committee via the Annual Service Plan and Performance Review.

3.0       Main report

3.1      Contract Amendment:

3.2       The Innovation Factory (IF) is located at Forthriver Business Park and offers Grade A-standard workspace for small businesses.  The building is 55,000 sq. ft. and is the first development on the wider 14-acre business park site which was previously the site of James Mackie and Sons Engineering Works. The project is part funded by Belfast City Council, Invest Northern Ireland and the European Regional Development Fund under the European Sustainable Competitiveness Programme for Northern Ireland.

3.3       The Centre will accommodate 382 workstations across 111 business units when at full capacity.  It will support at least 145 jobs by December 2018 and 187 by December 2020.  It will provide support annually to over 100 businesses and create 5 collaborative networks. It will promote and encourage social and economic regeneration, encourage local and foreign direct investment and act as a catalyst for further development of Forthriver Business Park.

3.4       The Innovation Factory has been performing well to date. Current occupancy stands at 22% and is expected to increase to 24% over the next month. IF currently supports 85 jobs with 5 support staff. The centre has facilitated 26 work placements to date, engaged with 4 local schools and engaged 18 students in research projects. 11 IF clients have been referred to Invest NI (INI) and are now full INI clients.

3.5       The Annual Performance Review 16/17 was carried out in close dialogue with both the service provider as well as a wider Council multi-disciplinary team and professional advisors KPMG.  During this dialogue the service provider requested reconsideration of clause 5.2.2 of Schedule 6 Part 2 of the contract which relates to the annual performance and payment mechanism. The clause stipulates how  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5g

The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1       This report updates Members on the development and implementation of the £105m leisure assets capital programme.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to note the contents of this report and

            Programme level – note the programme level update in respect of the new facilities under the leisure programme as outlined at 3.1-3.7 below:

            Project level

·        Whiterock – note the proposed closure of the pool during the month of December in order to facilitate urgent repair works and that a full continuity plan is underway (see 3.8-3.10)

·        Church Lane – note that the new state of the art city centre gym at Church Lane is due to officially open on 12th December 2017 and that all Members have been invited to a pre-opening event on Wednesday 29th November (see 3.11-3.12)

3.0       Main report

            Programme level

3.1       Members will recall that they have agreed the design cost limits and the citywide USP strategy for the Council’s £105m leisure programme which will ensure that the city has a unique offering in terms of its leisure provision and minimises any duplication of provision ensuring both balanced investment and value for money.  A high level summary of the current status of all the projects is outlined below –

3.2       Andersonstown and Robinson

            Members are asked to note that demolition works are continuing at Andersonstown and are due to be completed early next year while site preparation works are currently underway at Robinson. ‘Cutting the sod’ ceremonies for both sites were held in early November and were extensively picked up by local media.  Photos of both projects are attached at Appendix 1.

            Members are asked to note that the temporary car park at Andersonstown is due for completion by the end of November.

3.3       Templemore and Avoniel – Stage 2 consultation

            Regular communication and engagement is central to the success of the leisure programme. In June 2015 Members agreed that a three stage approach to consultation and engagement would be used for the capital redevelopment element of the LTP. In keeping with the approach to date it is now proposed that the Stage 2 consultation for Avoniel and Templemore is undertaken.  Given the interdependencies between these projects it is proposed that this consultation is undertaken in tandem. 

3.4       Members are asked to note that a series of consultation events, as detailed below, have now been arranged  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6a

         The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1       The Council’s Capital Programme is a rolling programme of investment which either improves existing Council facilities or provides new Council facilities. This report outlines highlights of current status of projects under the Programme; projects recommended to be moved/added to the Capital Programme and a number of project updates.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to;

            General

·        Note the update in relation to the Capital Programme as outlined in 3.1 and that the Property & Projects Department is happy to arrange site visits for Members/ Party Groups to any capital project (section 3.1)

            Proposed movements on/additions to the Capital Programme

·        Agree that the HLF – City Cemetery project is moved to Stage 3- Committed on the Capital Programme with a maximum budget of £620,000 to be allocated (see section 3.3-3.5) – the Director of Finance & Resources has confirmed that this is within the affordability limits of the Council. It is recommended that this is held at Tier 0 – Schemes at Risk pending confirmation of funding from the HLF.  Members are further asked to agree that the necessary procurement processes (including the invitation of tenders and/or the use of appropriate ‘framework’ arrangements) be initiated as required with contracts to be awarded on the basis of most economically advantageous tenders received and full commitment to deliver.

·        Agree that the following projects at are added as Stage 1 – Emerging Projects –

-       Destination Hub/Belfast Story – further detail to be brought back to Committee (section 3.6)

-       Waste Plan – New citywide kerbside collection system – SOC to be worked up and brought back to Committee for further consideration (section 3.7)

-       Waste Plan – Waste Transfer Station Upgrade - SOC to be worked up and brought back to Committee for further consideration (section 3.8)

-       Waterfront – New PA system – SOC to be worked up and brought back to Committee for further consideration (section 3.9)

            Project Updates

·        Capital Programme - Fleet Programme 2018/2019 – note the Fleet Programme for 18/19 (Appendix 1) and agree that the necessary procurement processes are initiated with the delegation of subsequent evaluation and award processes to the Director of Property & Projects (see 3.10)   

·        BIF – Colin Glen Trust – approval the submission of the second stage application for a Rural Tourism Project under the Rural Development programme 2014-2020 for an Alpine Coaster in the Colin Glen Forest Park.  This follows a successful initial Expression of Interest which was previously agreed by Committee in March 2016. £2.5m has been ringfenced under BIF for the Colin Glen project (see 3.11)

3.0       Main report

3.1       Key Issues

            The Council’s rolling Capital Programme is a significant programme with over £185m of projects recently completed or currently underway. Members are asked to note the updates under the Capital Programme since the last update report.

            Projects recently completed/in final stages of completion

·        the £3.7m upgrade of the Tropical Ravine which has been handed over to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6b

Area Working Group (AWG) Minutes

            The Committee approved and adopted the minutes of the meetings of the South Area Working Group of 25th October; the West Area Working Group of 26th October; the North Area Working Group of 31st October; and the East Area Working Group of 15th November.

         Local Investment Fund

            The Committee approved the recommendations from the South Area Working Group as set out below in respect of the £20,000 underspend of the previous SLIF2 – 12 project:

         The Committee agreed to the recommendation from the East Area working Group in respect of the previous ELIF2 – 10, that is, that the award to Dundela F.C. of £135,000 towards the development of a new 3G pitch, including floodlighting and spectator stand, be used for the floodlighting element of the project.

         Belfast Investment Fund

            The Committee approved the recommendation from the North Area Working Group as set out below:

Clarendon Development Association - Licence

         The Committee approved the recommendation of the People and Communities Committee of 9th May, 2017 to the Council entering into a 10 year licence agreement with Clarendon Development Association to permit the locating of a modular building on Council land adjacent to the existing pitches and include with it access and key holding arrangements.

            Proposed Surrender of Lease and Sub Lease at

            19 Greenway, Cregagh Road

            The Committee approved:

     (i)          The surrender of the 99 year lease from NIHE to the council for premises at No. 19 Greenway, Cregagh Road; and

    (ii)          Approved the termination of the 15 year sub-lease from the Council to the Greenway Women’s Group for the premises at No. 19 Greenway, Cregagh Road.

            Belfast Transport Hub – Transfer of Lands

            The Committee approved:

     (i)          The grant of a licence on lands as outlined in the report for periods between one and three years, subject to a fee of £22,000 per annum.  These lands would be used for builder’s compounds for the duration of the works; and

    (ii)          The transfer of lands, as outlined at Appendix 2 to the report, to NITHCo, subject to a consideration of £10,000 to facilitate the construction of a 3rd railway line.

            Radius Housing Association – Grant of Licence

            and Easement Agreement

            The Committee agreed that the Council enter into a Licence and Easement Agreement with Radius House Association to facilitate the installation and subsequent maintenance of a mains water pipe supplying the new sports pavilion adjoining the Sally Gardens Community Centre.

            Park and Ride, Dargan Road

            The Committee approved the request from the Department for Infrastructure to construct and operate a temporary Park and Ride facility on Council-owned land at Dargan Road; and consented to further discussion with the Department for a short-term Lease.  The Committee noted that any discussions with the Department would be on a without prejudice basis and the terms of any proposed lease would be brought back to the Committee for approval.  This would include the suspension of the current site marketing exercise to facilitate the Department for Infrastructure requirement.

         The Committee approved and adopted the minutes and the recommendations from the Shared City Partnership meeting held on 6th November, 2017:

·        To note the update on Peace IV.

·        To note the list of 42 organisations as outlined, which had been approved for funding totalling £22,647.50 through the St Patrick’s Day Celebration Grants Scheme under the delegated authority of the Director of City and Neighbourhood Services.

·        To endorse the funding allocations and additional work under the Expression of Interest exercise regarding developing shared space at the local level and approve the cost outlined for the additional work in relation to the relocation of an artwork to the shared community space at the ABC Health and Leisure Trust (Ardoyne).

·        To invite the International Fund for Ireland to present its findings on the Peace Walls Programme Attitudinal Survey to a future meeting; and

·        That the relevant Council officers be asked to do an update presentation in respect of the Local Development Plan within the context of Good Relations to a future meeting. 

·        To note the update on the Decade of Centenaries Programme as agreed by Council in November 2017.

·        To approve the commissioning of research on the experience of the Muslim community in Belfast.

·        To approve the hosting of two events to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day as part of the Good Relations Unit’s Diversecity Programme and note that the Good Relations Unit had developed a small Holocaust Memorial Display which would be located in the City Hall.

·        To invite representatives from East Belfast Community Development Association and NICRAS to a future meeting of the Partnership to present on their work.

·        Through the Good Relations Action Plan, approve funding of up to £5,000.00 to reimage a mural at Bradbury Place (the men heading to the shipyard); and up to £2000.00 be allocated to the erection of a mental health mural on the upper Springfield Road at Whiterock to counter local graffiti.

         The City Solicitor reminded the Committee that, at the time agreements had been made by Members in respect of the City Hall Exhibition, a paper had been tabled seeking agreement in terms of a process for future revisions to the exhibition.  He reported that the draft agreement as set out below reflected the principles shared between the parties in reaching agreement on establishing the exhibition and those principles were extended in respect of any proposals for any future changes.  The proposed arrangements for revision included proposals for mediation in respect of any revision to the exhibition which might be politically contentious.  It was pointed out that the agreement applied also to the East Lobby, a flexible exhibition space:

Appendix

Memorabilia Refresh Policy

The parties agree to the following principles on the display of memorabilia in the dedicated exhibition space and further agree that any decision on revising or amending the content of any display or narratives associated with the exhibition for the future will respect the principles so agreed-

1.     The display will reflect a fair balance of the traditions and history of the two predominant communities in N Ireland. This is without prejudice to any proposals to include material that might not have such an association or is otherwise uncontroversial.

2.     The display of material will have an association with the Citizens, City or district of Belfast.

3.     Material removed from any part of the exhibition with an association with a community must be replaced with material having the same community association, unless otherwise agreed between the parties.

4.     Narratives will be neutral reflecting a factual position and will not seek to promote or criticise any political party, view or tradition.

5.     Material relocated from the Rotunda and placed on display in the exhibition space will not be removed from the exhibition space unless otherwise agreed by the parties.

Without prejudice to the above principles, the parties agree to the following default arrangement with regard to decisions on revision and future content of the exhibition-

A.    Any proposals will be referred to the City Solicitor who will commission an assessment of the impact of such proposals in terms of equality and good relations impact.

B.    The proposals and report dealing with the impacts will be referred to the Shared City Partnership for comment.

C.    The matter will then be reported to SP&R. The parties agree to address issues within the spirit of this agreement and to work toward reformulating such proposals, if required, to take account of any identified impacts and the views expressed by the Shared City Partnership.

D.    In default of agreement the parties agree that the proposals will be subject to mediation.

Mediation will take place facilitated by an independent senior legally qualified member of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Service. Mediation will take no longer than 4 weeks. In the event that mediation has not been successful in formulating a proposal with which the parties agree, the proposal will be referred back to SP&R  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7b

         The Committee was advised that the Lord mayor had received an invitation, via the US Consul General, from the US Department of State and the British Embassy in London, to attend a Strong Cities Network international mayoral workshop on 24th January, 2018 in Washington.

         The Committee was advised that the international mayoral workshop, hosted by the US Department of State, would be held on the margins of the US Conference of Mayors’ 86th Winter Meeting.  Other attendees would include a high powered delegation of British mayors/city executives, potentially including London, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff and Glasgow.

         Since 2015, the Strong Cities Network had united city and community leaders in a global network with the mission of building social cohesion and community resilience to counter violent extremism in all its forms.  It was hoped that further engagement between American and UK mayors, municipal level policy makes, practitioners and Strong Cities Network counterparts would enhance the common efforts to make cities safer, become a more secure and more prosperous.

         The Committee authorised the attendance of the Lord Mayor and the Chief Executive (or nominee), at the Strong Cities Network International mayoral workshop in Washington DC on 24th January, 2018 and the expenditure in connection with the visit.

         The Committee noted the minutes of the meeting of the Active Belfast Limited Board but requested that it consider deferring implementing the new pricing structure until Parties had been made aware of the proposed changes.

         The Committee approved and adopted the minutes of the meeting of the Budget and Transformation Panel of 17th November.

         The Committee approved and adopted the minutes of the meeting of the Historic Working Group of 2nd November.

         The Committee was advised that, last month, the Lord Mayor had hosted a Parent and Toddler event in the Reception Room, City Hall.  In light of its success, she was proposing to hold further meetings during the remainder of her term in Office and was suggesting that they could be held in the Banqueting Hall, to allow for increased participation from across the city.  It was proposed that an event be held each month from December, 2017 until May, 2018, with the exact dates being dependent upon the availability of the room.  Each event would last for approximately 3 hours and would include time to set up and dismantle any equipment used.

         The Committee authorised the use by the Lord Mayor of the Banqueting Hall to hold a monthly Parent and Toddler event, with any hire fees of the hall to be waived and any additional expenditure for the event to be met from the Lord Mayor’s Entertainment Allowance.

         The Committee approved the recommendations in relation to the requests for the use of the City Hall and for the provision of hospitality as set out below:

         The Committee approved and adopted the minutes of the meeting of the North Foreshore Steering Group of 20th November.

(Extract of minute of the meeting of 20^th October under the heading “Féile an Phobail 30th Anniversary / Birthday Events” attached.)

            Councillor McVeigh referred to a previous decision of the Committee at its meeting on 20th October when it had rejected a request from Féile an Phobail for the Council to cash flow a proportion of up-front costs for its 30th anniversary birthday event.  He requested that the Committee rescind its previous decision in relation to the establishment of a cash flow facility for events and proposed the following:

(1)      The Council agrees to set up a pilot cash flow facility of up to £600k to support the delivery of one-off arts and festival events across the city with arts and cultural organisations the Council already funds through other grants schemes.  The facility will be published on the Council’s website.  Each request will be subject to appropriate due diligence including an assessment of the contribution, of the event to the artistic and cultural life of the city.  The facility will be managed in accordance with the Council’s Treasury Management Policy.

(2)      At any one time the total commitment of any such facilities will not exceed £600K.

(3)      The pilot scheme will be reviewed to see how it has impacted on artistic and cultural development, economic and tourist development in Belfast.

The proposal was seconded by Councillor Beattie. 

            The Director of Finance and Resources and the City Solicitor then answered a number of questions in relation to the proposal.

Amendment

Moved by Councillor Craig,

Seconded by Alderman Spence,

      That the Committee agrees to defer consideration of the matter to enable a report to be submitted setting out, in particular, the legal and financial issues, and the objective criteria on which any decision on whether the Council would give such a facility to a particular organisation would be based.

            On a recorded vote eight Members voted for the amendment and ten against and it was declared lost.

            The original proposer standing in the name of Councillor McVeigh and seconded by Councillor Beattie was put to the meeting.

            On a recorded vote, ten members voted for the proposal, seven against, with one no vote and the proposal was accordingly declared carried.