Agenda and minutes

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

            The minutes of the meetings of 20th and 27th April 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 May

            No declarations of interest were reported.

            The information contained in the following five 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 (NI) 2014.

            The City Solicitor reported that he had, the previous evening, received information from one of the trade unions in relation to the above mentioned report and requested that the Committee consider deferring the matter for a period of one month to enable him to address the matter.

            The Committee agreed to this course of action.

            The Committee considered a report which provided an update on the current situation regarding the Community Development Grants Programme 2018/19 and which included a range of options relating to the funding allocations. 

            The Committee:

·        agreed to the allocation of £33,333 from non-recurrent resources to fund the shortfall in the Department for Communities’ contribution towards the Community Development Grants Programme for 2018/19;

·        agreed the allocation of £23,444 from non-recurrent resources to the Belfast City Wide Tribunal Service for 2018/19;

·        agreed the preferred option in relation to the additional allocation of £67,892 for Advice, that is Option one, with the total amount being allocated to the five Advice Consortia based on the Council’s agreed allocation model.  All five consortia would receive an increase in their allocation for the provision for generalist advice services across the city;

·        agreed to receive a presentation from Department for Communities Officials in relation to funding of Advice Provision; and

·        agreed to receive a further paper on Advice Provision in relation to the Evason Report.

            The Director of Finance and Resources reported that the Council currently spent approximately £70million each year on the goods and services needed to deliver its own services.  As part of the Council’s efficiency programme, the operating model for Council procurement had been reviewed by the Westminster Procurement Services with the aim of identifying opportunities to become more commercial and to better support inclusive economic growth in the city.  He submitted a report which set out the rationale for the review, highlighted the urgent nature of the review and set out the broad recommendations.

            The Committee:

·        agreed to the organisation structure as set out in the report; and

·        noted the recommendations of the Westminster Procurement Services (WPS) review as summarised in Appendix 1 to the report.

Renewal of Car Park Licence Agreements at

Cromac Street, Kent Street and Station Street

            The Committee approved the renewal of licence agreements for Council operated off street car parks at Cromac Street, for a further 12-month agreement commencing on 1st April 2018 at an annual rent of £52,700; at Kent Street, a 3-year licence agreement from 1st July, 2016 at an annual fee of £20,340; and for Station Street a 3-year licence agreement from 1st July 2016 at an annual fee of £48,900.

            Balmoral Business Park –

            Outstanding Rental Agreement

            The Committee granted authority for the outstanding rental account in respect of a site within Balmoral Business Park, as detailed in the report, to be written off in accordance with Section M12 of the Council’s Financial Regulations.

            Grant of Easement, 17 Saintfield Road –

            Knockbreda Cemetery

            The Committee approved the regularisation of title boundaries and easement with the owner of a private dwelling situated within the grounds of Knockbreda Cemetery.

            The Committee was reminded that, at its meeting on 27th April, it had been advised that correspondence had been received indicating that discussions had been taking place between various community organisations and some Members regarding the possibility of developing a number of larger scale area-based diversionary and educational activities associated with July and August bonfires this year by way of proof of concept.  It had been reported that, at that stage, the proposals were not sufficiently worked up to present to the Committee for agreement.  The Committee had agreed that the groups be requested to submit a proposal, which provided a balanced cross-city programme, in time for today’s meeting.

            The Committee considered an update on the available details submitted in relation to the original proposals which had been discussed on 27th April and a list of additional financial requests which had been received in the last number of days.  The Committee was advised that requests were still being submitted and hence it had not been possible to carry out due diligence of any kind.  In addition, the submissions had a wide variation in detail.  Whilst the original Committee discussion focused on diversionary and educational activities associated with July and August bonfires, the additional proposals covered a wide range of activities.  The Committee was reminded further that there was no budget to allocate to the requests at this point and that no firm recommendation was being put in front of the Committee.  If the Committee was minded to provide any funding then legal funding agreements would be required. 

            It was

Moved by Councillor Reynolds,

Seconded by Councillor Craig,

      That the Committee:

·        Agrees to fund the following summer diversionary events and programmes:

o   Féile (Féile -  £100,000; Northern Ireland Alternatives Community Festivals Summary – East Belfast Community Festival - £50,000; New Lodge - £40,000; Market - £10,000; Belfast South Community Resources - £26,521);

·        That the funding be allocated from General Reserves - £226,521; and

·        £180,000 to be taken from the European City of Culture (ECoC)  Budget to fund a new July festival:

o   £100,000 – Twaddell Woodvale Residents’ Association – major event on 11th July in Woodvale Park

o   £80,000 – Ulster-Scotch Heirskip Cooncil/Ulster-Scots Community Network – community education programme, community visualisation programme and 3 year strategic planning process for new festival;

·        That the General Reserves  be replenished  in full and the ECoC reserve be replenished as much as possible from the year-end underspend which is due to be considered by the Committee in June;

·        That the funding applications be subject to due diligence, appropriate legal agreements and to evaluations being undertaken;

·        To ensure transparency in future years, to establish an open call diversionary programme with an agreed budget; and

·        That Council officers engage with the groups that were not allocated support to discuss alternative funding opportunities.

·        That, due to the urgency of the matter, the above decisions would not be subject to call-in.

            On a vote by show of hands thirteen Members voted for the proposal and six against and it  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2e

            The Committee was reminded that, at its meeting on 20th April, it had agreed to defer consideration of a report on the designation of Belfast District (or the city centre) as a ‘holiday resort’ providing large shops with the option to extend Sunday trading hours between the months of March and October to enable further information to be received.  Subsequently, at its at its special meeting on 27th April, it had again deferred the matter to enable a Summit to be hosted by the Council that would include key stakeholders including the Trade Unions, business organisations such as the Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce, Retail NI and the tourism sector and representatives of those shops who wished to have extended Sunday opening. 

            The Committee considered further the reports of 20th and 27th April, together with the supplementary report which had been prepared following the holding of the Summit.  A copy of the three reports in this regard are set out hereunder

            Report to the Strategic Policy and

            Resources Committee on 20th April

“1.0      Purpose of the Report 

1.1       The purpose of this report is to:

-       update the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee on the updated findings from the public consultation as to whether Belfast City Council should designate the Belfast district (or the city centre) as a ‘holiday resort’ under Article 6 of the Shops (Sunday Trading &c.) (Northern Ireland) Order 1997

-       to seek a decision from Members on whether to proceed with a ‘holiday resort’ designation

            The effect of such a designation would be to provide large shops with an option to extend their Sunday trading hours in the city centre on up to 18 Sundays (other than Easter Sunday) between 1 March and 30 September in any calendar year.  

            Such a designation may not come into effect until at least one month after the resolution of the Council. 

1.2       Deputations

            Members will wish to note that officers have received requests from both the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (Usdaw) and the Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce to give short presentations to the Committee on this issue.  It will be a matter for the Committee to decide at the start of the meeting whether or not to receive the deputations from the aforementioned organisations (or indeed any other organisation who may make a similar request prior to the meeting).

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to:

                                             (i)     advise whether to receive the deputations indicated at para 1.2

                                           (ii)     note the contents of the report including the findings from the original public consultation which concluded on 5 May 2017 and the supplementary public consultation which ended on 2 April 2018.

                                         (iii)     make a decision as to whether to provide approval for the Council to make a ‘holiday resort’ designation under Article 6 of the Shops (Sunday Trading &c.) (Northern Ireland) Order 1997

                                         (iv)     if it is decided to make a designation, to then decide as to whether to apply the designation to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

            The Committee was reminded that, at the meeting of the Council on 1st May, the following motion, which had been proposed by Councillor Collins and seconded by Alderman Browne, had, in accordance with Standing Order 13(f), be referred to the Committee for consideration:

"This Council notes that on 7th April, 2018 hundreds of leisure workers and their supporters marched along the Falls and Shankill roads to highlight concerns about job losses.  The Council also notes the trade union demonstration today, which called for the protection of our leisure services and raised the demand to bring leisure services back fully under Belfast City Council control.  The Council recognises that since the outsourcing of leisure services some years ago serious concerns have emerged about the running of leisure in Belfast.  The Council is opposed to any job losses, erosion of workers terms and conditions or price hikes as part of the leisure transformation programme.  The Council tasks the Chief Executive and the officer team to explore the options in relation to the future provision of leisure services, including the feasibility of bringing the service back under council control at some time in the future.”

            With the permission of the Chairperson, Councillor Collins, in whose name the motion stood, addressed the Committee.

            The Committee agreed that a further report be submitted to a future meeting which looked at the proposal in the motion in relation to the future provision of leisure services and the feasibility options open to the Council.

            The Committee was reminded that the Council, at its meeting on 9th April, had passed the following motion on Special Schools, which had been proposed by the Deputy Lord Mayor, Councillor Copeland, and seconded by Alderman Rodgers:

“This Council expresses its grave concerns at the plans by the Education Authority in Northern Ireland to close a number of special schools and also to amalgamate others in the city of Belfast.

The Council believes that if the plans go ahead they will have a devastating effect on staff and on pupils and their families, many of whom have serious physical and mental health problems.

Accordingly, the Council agrees to request the Chief Executive and members of the Board of the Education Authority to meet with an all-party delegation from the Council to discuss this as a matter of urgency.

This Council calls on the Education Authority to call a halt to this consultation process until they engage fully with the schools, parents, pupils and all the stakeholders involved.”

            It was reported that a response had now been received from Mr Gavin Boyd, Chief Executive of the Education Authority.  Mr. Boyd stated that the Education Authority had not commenced a formal consultation process around the future of special schools. He had pointed out that, during more than twenty-three engagement sessions, the Authority had made it clear to parents, school representatives, Boards of Governors and Elected Representatives that it wished to invest in the special schools’ estate, to redress the significant accommodation issues which had been identified in schools in the Belfast area and to create the resources and facilities required to meet the complex needs of children and young people.

            Mr. Boyd pointed out also that the Education Authority had been engaging with Elected Representatives to address misconceptions which had been reflected in the media and that it would continue to engage with them as the work outlined in the aforementioned sessions was progressed.  He concluded by confirming that he would be happy to meet with Members if they considered that to be beneficial.

            The Committee agreed that an all-party deputation meet with the Chief Executive of the Education Authority, in conjunction with the meeting previously agreed by the People and Communities Committee regarding the funding of Youth Services.

            The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0      Purpose of the Report 

1.1       The purpose of this report is to seek the Committee’s approval on a number of actions required to establish the new Brexit Committee as previously agreed by the SP&R Committee at its meeting on 23 March 2018 and ratified by the Council on 9 April 2018.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to:

                                          (i)   note the Party allocation of Members to the Committee using the Quota Greatest Remainder methodology as set out at para 3.1

                                        (ii)   note the order of choice for the Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson Positions of Responsibility using the D’Hondt methodology as set out at para 3.2

                                       (iii)   agree the reallocation of the Special Responsibility Allowance as outlined at para 3.3

                                       (iv)   agree amendments to the Standing Orders to accommodate the new Committee as set out at para 3.4

                                        (v)   agree the remit for the new Brexit Committee (including the terms of reference and operating protocol) as set out at para 3.5

3.0       Main Report

3.1       Allocation of Members to Committee via Quota Greatest Remainder methodology

            The Committee had previously agreed that the Brexit Committee would have 20 Members whose positions would be allocated by applying the Quota Greatest Remainder methodology.  This approach would result in the following party representation on the Committee:

            Sinn Féin        7

            DUP                5

            Alliance          3

            SDLP              2

            UUP                2

            PUP                 1

3.2       Appointment of additional Positions of Responsibility via the D’Hondt methodology

            The Committee has previously agreed that Positions of Responsibility would be appointed using the D’Hondt methodology.  This approach results in the following parties having first and second choice for the two positions of responsibility:

            Choice 1         Sinn Féin

            Choice 2         DUP

            As there remains less than one year of the current council term, it is proposed that the Nominating Officers of Sinn Féin and the DUP nominate a Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson to fulfil these roles for the remainder of the council term.

3.3       Reallocation of the Special Responsibility Allowance

            The establishment of an additional standing committee will require a reallocation of the £108,000 Special Responsibility Allowance for the remainder of this term. 

            Appendix 1 provides a proposed reallocation based on the inclusion of an additional Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson for the Brexit Committee.

3.4       Amendment to Standing Orders

            The Councils Standing Orders are required to be amended with the insertion of a new Standing Order 37(g) which sets out the duties of the new Brexit Committee. 

            Members will note that amendments to Standing Orders requires two full Council meetings before they can come into effect.  If the amended Standing Orders are presented to the June Council meeting and ratified then they would need to be confirmed at the July Council meeting, the earliest timeframe for the inaugural meeting of the newly established Brexit Committee would be August 2018.

3.5       Remit of the Brexit Committee

            The original notice of motion stated that ‘the Council immediately establish a formal Brexit Standing Committee, made up of Elected  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5a

            The Committee was advised that correspondence had been received from the Northern Ireland Local Government Association (NILGA) to ascertain whether the Council was corporately willing to support a regional review of Chief Executives’ pay, conditions of service and performance mechanisms.  It was pointed out that the review was for all eleven Councils.

            Accordingly, the Committee was being asked to consider, firstly, if it wished to appoint a Member to the review body.  Secondly, if it was minded to appoint, given that there would only be a few meetings of the group, the first of which was scheduled provisionally for 4th June, to consider appointing the new Chairperson of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee.

            The Committee agreed that the incoming Chairperson of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee be appointed to the body which was undertaking a regional review of the Chief Executive’s pay and conditions.

            The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1       To update Committee on the ongoing development of a Belfast City Region Deal Proposition including engagement and negotiation with Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS), Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and Treasury on emerging projects and next steps.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to note;

·        Ongoing work to develop the next proposition document for the Belfast City Region Deal

·        The next steps in the development of the deal including detailed project requirements and robust costings and financing options

3.0       Main report

3.1       Background

            Members will be aware that a major programme to enable the development of the Belfast Region City Deal (BRCD), in accordance with the requirements of the Department for Communities and Local Government, is now in full operation.

            The programme is being developed to fulfil the agreed objective for the BRCD of ‘more and better jobs; inclusive growth; improved skills and and growth of domestic business and FDI’.  

3.2       Programme Update

            At the last meeting members were provided with an update on the work completed to define the key strands of the Belfast city Region deal in relation to Innovation, Digital, Infrastructure, Tourism and Employability and Skills

3.3       Innovation

            This included a number of outline innovation proposals from the two Universities relating

·        A Digital Innovation Centre

·        A Financial (and Legal) Technology Centre

·        Academic Medical Research Institute

·        Creative Industries Centre of Excellence

·        A Global Innovation Institute

3.4       Employability and Skills

·        An Employability and Skills framework with three principal strands:

·        Targeting economic inactivity

·        Addressing skill supply issues

·        Meeting the skills needs of our growth sectors

·        Specific priority areas and programmes are being developed to support the key strands in areas such as;

·        Careers Enhancement,

·        Apprenticeship Hub,

·        Graduate Development,

·        Employability for All,

·        Economic Activation,

·        Business Productivity.

3.6       Digital

            A digital proposition led by Future  Cities Catapult which has now identified significant digital innovation projects including;

            A 5G Smart District

            A Regional Connectivity Fund

            A Digital Innovation Platform

            Makers Network

3.7       Tourism

            Work has commenced on the development of an OBC for the Belfast Story gallery and film Centre which is due to be completed by the end of June 2018.  Work is also continuing on Tourism product in other areas such as the Gobbins II and Carrickfergus Castle.

3.8       Other Infrastructure

            Key infrastructure projects linked to the priorities identified in a number of council strategies including the Belfast Agenda, the City Centre Regeneration Strategy and the Local Development Plan.  These include, Belfast Rapid Transit phase 2- Linking the north & south of the city, Lagan Bridges and Links, Transport Hub phase 2 (Weavers Cross), York Street Interchange and Living with Water.  It should be noted that all of the ‘suggested’ projects will now undergo a costing and prioritisation process and there will inevitably be a number which will not be delivered under city deal

3.9       Consultation and Engagement with Partners

            Over the past four  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6a

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1       The Strategic Policy & Resources Committee at its meeting on the 24th November 2017 agreed the recommendations contained in the outline business case for an enhanced and innovative approach to customer focus across the council.

1.2       A further report was presented to Strategic Policy & Resources Committee on the 16th February 2018 at which time an overview of a blueprint for Customer Focus was presented to and accepted by the Committee. It was acknowledged that this would represent a major programme of work, which would require careful planning and significant resources to deliver. For this reason, the Council subsequently agreed to adopt a three-phase approach starting with mobilisation, then discovery and ending with a design and implementation phase.

1.3       Phase one has already been completed which culminated in the production of the Blueprint for Customer Focus (Appendix 1) and an Outline Business Case.

1.4       Digital Services has also recently procured external assistance to help deliver a new ICT Strategy and this work will be aligned with the Customer Focus Discovery phase. A combined approach has the potential to optimise, transform and improve the services we deliver and ensure information and technology are properly positioned to enable the delivery of the Council’s key priorities.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to note:

1.     The approach outlined in this report and that Deloitte has now been appointed to undertake the ‘Discovery Phase’ of the Customer Focus Corporate project. This phase of work is expected to be completed by mid-July 2018.

2.     Deloitte has also been appointed to assist with the delivery of a new ICT Strategy which will be aligned with the Discovery phase.

3.     Member engagement will begin with an initial Discovery workshop before further member engagement is arranged.

4.     Preliminary meetings with external customer groups across the city is also being planned to gain insight into customer needs.

5.     Deloitte will be holding a series of workshops across Departments. It is likely that the C&NS and Place & Economy departments will be targeted initially due to the higher levels of direct customer interaction that they experience.

6.     The content of the draft ‘Customer Charter’ in appendix 2, to ascertain if it is ‘fit for purpose’ and can be used to provide a corporate framework to support the development of service specific customer standards.

3.0       Main report

3.1       Following recent procurement exercises, Deloitte has been appointed to support the council to undertake both the ‘Discovery Phase’ of the Customer Focus programme and the delivery of a new ICT Strategy. Initial project commencement meetings have already taken place over the past week and this phase of the project is expected to take 12 weeks culminating in a further update report being brought back to SP&R in August 2018. 

3.2       Deloitte has identified that the proposed deliverables from the Customer Focus ‘Discovery’ phase include the following areas:

            The Committee noted the progress for the first stage of the Local Development Plan and the outline timetable for the production of the full plan.

Minutes of the Area Working Groups

            The committee approved and adopted the minutes of the meetings of the Area working Groups as follows:

·        South Area Working Group of 23rd April;

·        West Area Working Group of 26th April;

·        North Area working Group of 30th April; and

·        East Area working Group of 3rd May.

South Area Working Group

            The Committee agreed to the recommendation of the South Area Working Group that a web page be introduced on the Council’s website to display the minutes of each of the Area Working Groups which would correlate with the publication of the audio recordings.

            East Area Working Group

            The Committee:

·        noted that, in line with its previous decision, it would now be progressing option six as the future management option for the Templemore Baths, that is, to outsource the entire Templemore Baths to a single operator GLL;

·        agreed to work with the Templemore Users Trust, with the aim of preserving their access to the existing pool once the project was completed (potentially through a rental agreement) and to ensure that they played an active role in telling the story of the Bath’s vital role in the history of Belfast.

            The Committee:

·        approved the public advertisement and acceptance of tenders as listed in Appendix 1, Table 1through the Council’s electronic procurement system;

·        granted delegated authority to the appropriate Director using pre-agreed criteria to award the most economically advantageous tender;

·        allowed month by month extensions where contracts were under review as outlined in Appendix 1, Table 2;

·        agreed to accede to Standing order 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 laid out in Appendix 1, Table 3;

Appendix 1 - Schedule of tenders for consideration

Table 1 – New tenders

Table 2 – Contracts for extension of contract period

Table 3 Direct Award Contracts (Single Tender Action)

            The Committee noted the contents of the Reval2020 fact Sheet which included information that would be requested from business rate payers during 2018.

            The Committee agreed not to increase the allowances payable to the Lord Mayor, Deputy Lord Mayor and High Sheriff for the 2018/19 year.

            The Committee approved and adopted the minutes of the meeting of the Shared City Partnership of 18th May.

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 give consideration to hosting Shrouds of the Somme Exhibition in the Garden of Remembrance, City Hall to mark the 100th Anniversary of the Battle of the Somme.  It is proposed that the exhibition take place from Thursday 23 August to Sunday 16 September 2018.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to:

·        Consider the proposal to host the Shrouds of the Somme Exhibition in the Garden of Remembrance City Hall from Thursday 23 August to Friday 16 September.  A commemorative installation to mark the centenary of the end of the First World War, an event of international importance which will resonate around the world

·        Agree a revenue budget of approximately £32,350 to host the Shrouds of the Somme Exhibition (breakdown provided in main report)

·        Note that if agreed, further details on the launch event will be brought to Members in due course for consideration

3.0       Main report

            Key Issues

            Shrouds of the Somme

3.1       Shrouds of the Somme is an extraordinarily powerful piece of commemorative art which marks the centenary of the end of the First World Ward in 2018.  The enormous scale of the Shrouds of the Somme brings a genuine sense of the true cost of the conflict, whilst remembering those who gave their all as individual men. 

3.2       The objectives of the Shrouds of the Somme Exhibition are detailed as:-

·        To prompt remembrance and give meaning to the scale of loss

·        Engage the next generation

·        Build a lasting legacy or those lost

·        Raise funds for charities

3.3       Artist Rob Heard is hand stitching and binding calico shrouds for 72,396 figures representing servicemen of the British Empire killed at the Somme who have no known grave, many of whose bodies were never recovered and whose names are engraved on the Thiepval Memorial.  Each figure is of a human form, individually shaped, shrouded and made to a name.  The main event will take place on Armistice Day at Queen Elizabeth Park where the figures will be laid out shoulder to shoulder in hundreds of rows filling an area of over 4,000 sqm.

3.4       Officers have been engaging with the Shrouds of the Somme team with a view to bring the exhibition to Belfast.  The exhibition has travelled to other parts of the United Kingdom but has not been to Northern Ireland.  The Shrouds of the Somme team would be very keen to work with Belfast City Council to display the exhibition in Belfast.

3.5       Outcome from previous installations – Exeter and Bristol 2016

·        145,000 visitors over 18 days

·        £52,000 raised for charities

·        Headline item on BBC National new

·        14 million film views (not just reach) on social media

            Belfast Proposal

3.6       Lay out of 3,762 shrouds to represent those from Ulster and Irish Regiments or from Belfast killed at the Somme with no known grave whose names are on the Thiepval Memorial.

            The Committee noted the contents of a report which provided an update on the preparations by the Council for the new Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which would come into force on 25th May, 2018 and noted also the details in relation to training for Members.

            The Committee considered a report which provided details in relation to plans to refurbish the Lavery and Conor Committee Rooms during 2018/19.  It was reported that some relatively minor redecoration of both areas took place back in 2009, however, no major refurbishment had taken place in either room for at least 20 years.  The major elements of the refurbishment included replacement of the carpets and curtains; redecoration of the walls and ceilings; upgrading of the existing lighting; upgrading of audio visual plasma screens in the Lavery room only; the provision of bespoke wooden catering service units; and repairs to and re-varnishing of the committee tables and chairs.

            The redecoration and some infrastructure works would be carried out in July during the summer recess.  It was anticipated that some of the other refurbishment elements, for example, new carpets and curtains would have to be phased in later in the year.  The refurbishment would not impact on the Committee meetings schedule, although there might be some minor disruption in relation to temporary finishes or a specific meeting might have to be moved to one of the function rooms in the City Hall.

            The overall cost of the refurbishment was estimated to be in the region of £35k for both rooms.  The majority of the costs had been allowed for in the Property Maintenance planned maintenance budget and the balance would be paid from the Facilities Management revenue budget.

            The Committee approved the refurbishment and associated timetable and costs.

            The Committee approved the recommendations made in respect of applications received for the use of the City Hall and the provision of hospitality up to 8th May as set out below:

            The Committee approved and adopted the minutes of the meeting of the Budget and Transformation Panel of 10th May, 2018

            The Committee noted the minutes of the meeting of the Active Belfast Limited Board of 19th April 2018.

            In accordance with notice on the agenda, Councillor Corr Johnston requested that the Committee consider the following proposal:

“The Council agrees to explore the feasibility  of and the costs associated with electronic voting and digital display at full council meetings.  Through the mechanism of electronic voting Members would be enabled to cast their votes immediately and the results of which returned in a fraction of the time it takes to carry out a traditional recorded vote.  Results would be displayed digitally through a large screen at the top of the chamber.  A screen that could also be used to display proposals and amendments.”

            The Committee agreed to explore the feasibility of and the costs associated with electronic voting and digital display at full Council meetings.

            In accordance with notice on the agenda, Councillor O’Neill requested the Committee to agree that a report on training in social media/digital resilience for officers and Members be submitted to a future meeting. 

            The Committee agreed to this course of action.