Agenda and minutes

            No apologies were reported.

            The minutes of the meeting of 17th December, omitting those matters in respect of which the Council had delegated its powers to the Committee, were taken as read and signed as correct.  It was reported that those minutes had been adopted by the Council at its meeting on 6th January.

            Councillor McDonough-Brown declared an interest in relation to item 8d – Response to the Liquor Licensing Laws in Northern Ireland Consultation Document in that he was associated with a brewing company and left the meeting whilst this item was under discussion.

            The information contained in the reports associated with the following 5 items is restricted in accordance with Part 1 of Schedule 6 of the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 2014.

      Resolved – That the Committee agrees to exclude the members of the Press and public from the 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 Committee was reminded that, at its meeting on 17th December, 2019, it had agreed the cash limit for the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee for 2020/21 and the recommended cash limits for the People and Communities, City Growth and Regeneration and Planning Committees, subject to consultation with the other Committees prior to this meeting.

            The Deputy Chief Executive/Director of Finance and Resources reported that those Committees had now agreed their cash limits and accordingly he was seeking the Committee to confirm those and to agree the district rate for 2020/21.

            The Committee:

1.      Agreed that the following decisions should not be subject to call-in because it would cause an unreasonable delay which would be prejudicial to the Council’s and the public’s interests in striking the rate by the legislative deadline of 15 February 2020.

2.      Confirmed the cash limits agreed by the Committee at its meeting on the 17th December 2019 as follows:

a.     A cash limit of £44,136,840 for the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee for 2020/21, including £3,270,000 for Belfast Investment Fund and £2,000,000 for City Deal.

b.      A cash limit of £82,852,276 for the People and Communities Committee for 2020/21.

c.      A cash limit of £17,267,724 for the City Growth and Regeneration Committee for 2020/21.

d.      A cash limit of £1,289,467 for the Planning Committee for 2020/21.

e.      A Capital Financing Budget of £21,774,021 for 2020/21

3.      Agreed that the increase in the district rate for 2020/21 should be 1.99%, based on an estimated penny product of £6,456,100 meaning a non-domestic rate of 25.9166 and a domestic rate of 0.3394 and that the amount raised through the district rate in 2020/21 will be £162,028,153.

4.      Noted the Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Finance and Resources statement on the adequacy of the Council’s reserves position and the robustness of the revenue estimates as required by the Local Government Finance Act (NI) 2011.

5.      Noted the Minimum Revenue Provision (MRP) Statement as required by the Local Government (Capital Finance and Accounting) Regulations (NI) 2011.

The Committee considered a report in relation to the disposal of a land strip to Choice and Radius Housing Association and an associated acquisition of Northern Ireland Housing Executive freehold land and accordingly the Committee:

·        Glen Road – Approved the disposal of a 1 metre wide strip of Council land to Choice Housing Association and Radius Housing Association as tenants in common to facilitate the construction of 225 housing units on third party lands at Glen Road Heights. In order to ensure clear title to facilitate the disposal, the Committee noted that it would be necessary for the Council to acquire the freehold of the adjacent NIHE land at Glen Road which included the 1 metre wide strip which was held by the Council by way of 10,000 year lease; and

·        Agreed that a report on capital receipts be submitted to a future meeting.

            The Committee was advised that the Department for Communities (DfC) had launched a consultation on the Regulation of Gambling in Northern Ireland, in December, 2019.  The closing date for responses was 20th February, 2020.  The legislation principally concerned with the regulation of gaming was of some vintage, that is, Betting, Gaming and Lotteries (NI) Order 1985.  The betting and gaming industry had moved on significantly with the development of technology and web-based online gaming platforms.  With those significant changes and the passage of time, the consultation represented a very comprehensive document looking at all types of gaming/gambling.  It also asked if some independent/government controlled regulator needed to be established rather than the current court based process that looked at regulation through a narrow legal lens of formulaic approvals.

            After discussion the Committee:

·        agreed to a corporate response being made to the DfC Consultation on the Regulation of Gambling; and

·        that each of the Party Group Leaders nominate a Member to engage with officers to draw up the response.

            The Committee was reminded that, at its meeting on 22nd November, 2019, as part of the update on the Strategic Site Assessment (SSA) works, it had agreed that the Council should explore the feasibility of taking ownership of a site in Corporation Street which was currently owned by the Department of Finance (DoF) given its proximity to the Council-owned Exchange Street car park site.

            The Committee was reminded that this had been identified as being a site with the potential to provide mixed tenure, residential-led development opportunities.  Accordingly, the Director of Physical Programmes summited a report in relation to a proposed mechanism to facilitate the acquisition of the Corporation Street site.

            After discussion, the Committee:

·        noted the significant regeneration opportunity of aligning the Department of Finance Corporation Street site with the Council’s existing Exchange Street site as part of the Dunbar link Strategic Site Assessment to provide an enhanced mixed tenure, residential-led development opportunity; and

·        approved the acquisition of a site at 24/42 Corporation Street from the Department of Finance at a consideration of a sum not greater than £5.0 million to be financed through the capital receipt from the disposal of the head leasehold at James House within the Gasworks Estate to the Department of Finance, which was the current owners and occupiers of the building, at a consideration of not less than £3.75 million, with the remaining gap to be secured from the City Centre Investment Fund on terms to be agreed by the Estates Team and Legal Services.

            The Committee was reminded that, at the special meeting of the Council on Friday, 11th October, 2019, it had been agreed to engage in the citywide consultation in respect of bilingual and/or multilingual naming and the type of signage to be used in the centres designed to have a citywide catchment, together with local consultation.  Subsequently, it had been agreed that the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee would be given delegated authority to approve the consultation framework.  The consultation had been carried out under considerable time constraints in order to meet the deadline for ordering the signage for Andersonstown Leisure Centre, which was due to open to the public in April, 2020.

            The public consultation had been undertaken from 5th November, 2019 to 10th January, 2020 on the Council decision to erect bilingual multilingual external naming and internal directional signage in the four citywide leisure centres which were being delivered as part of the first three phases of the Council’s £105m Leisure Transformation Programme, that is, Andersonstown, Lisnasharragh, Olympia and Templemore.  Each of those centres had been designed to provide state-of-the-art, specialised facilities for the benefit of users across the city and beyond.

            The results of the consultation had been prepared by an independent consultant, Mr. John Kremer, and he was in attendance to provide the Committee with further information.

            Mr. Kremer outlined the consultation methodology and provided details on a  number of responses which had been received.  He then proceeded to outline the findings and the conclusions arising from the consultation.

            After discussion, the Committee:

·        agreed to proceed to erect bilingual external naming and internal directional signage in Andersonstown Leisure Centre;

·        agreed to defer, until its next monthly meeting, consideration of bilingual / multilingual signage at Lisnasharragh, Olympia andTemplemore and, in the meantime, agreed to hold discussions with relevant stakeholders to seek to get a resolution; and

·        agreed that the decision in relation to the Andersonstown Leisure Centre should not be subject to call-in because it would cause an unreasonable delay which would be prejudicial to the Council’s and the public’s interests.

            The Committee was reminded that, at its meeting on 2nd December, it had passed the following motion on Support for Health and Social Care Workers which had been proposed by Councillor McAteer and seconded by Councillor Groves:

“This Council supports the overwhelming result of the Royal College of Nurses’ ballot in favour of industrial action, supports the industrial action already being undertaken by UNISON and the decision of the other Health and Social Care (HSC) Trade Union, NIPSA, to ballot members on industrial action.

Health and social care workers are the system’s greatest assets and are entitled to fair pay and conditions, safe staffing levels and parity of pay with NHS colleagues.

Health and social care workers are taking action as they are no longer willing to see patients being denied the care to which they are entitled. There are currently over 7,000 non-medical vacancies, including 3,000 nursing posts, within the HSC system in the north of Ireland. These frontline vacancies are having a detrimental impact upon patient care and staffing, compromise the safety of staff and patients alike, contribute to long waiting lists and add enormous pressure to the existing HSC workforce, who are doing everything they can to care for patients.

This Council calls upon the Permanent Secretary, Department of Health, to engage respectfully and meaningfully with Trades Union representatives on a pay deal. It calls also upon the Permanent Secretary, alongside his colleagues in the Department of Finance and the Head of the Civil Service, to secure the fu0nding that is needed to achieve pay parity for health workers.

Furthermore, the Council agrees to convene an all-Party meeting with those Trades Unions representing health and social care staff to hear directly the challenges which they are facing and to take such action thereon to support staff and patient care at this time.”

            It was reported that responses had since been received from Ms. S. Gray, Permanent Secretary, Department of Finance, and Mr. R. Pengelly, Permanent Secretary, Department of Health.  A response had yet to be received from the Head of the Civil Service. It was pointed out that the responses had been written prior to the recent restoration of the Northern Ireland Assembly and the ensuing discussions between the Health Minister and Health Unions.

            In her response, Ms. Gray had pointed out that Health and Social Care staff were central to the delivery of a vital public service and that she understood the deep sense of frustration felt by them at this time.  She concluded by highlighting the challenging budgetary position being faced currently across the public sector by stressing her commitment to working with colleagues in the Department of Health and with the Head of the Civil Service and other parties to find a way forward. 

            Mr. Pengelly had referred to the work which the Department of Health had undertaken to date, in partnership with trade unions, to progress pay discussions and highlighted the significant constraints in terms of affordability and the inability in the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

            The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0      Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1       At the meeting of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee on 22 November 2019, the following issue was raised by Councillor Long:

·        To actively promote a public awareness campaign on the responsible use of fireworks –including specific information on the legal consequence of misuse; the impact of fireworks on vulnerable people and animal welfare; and precautions that can be taken to mitigate risks.

·        To write to the UK Government urging them to introduce legislation to limit the maximum noise level of fireworks to 90dB for those sold to the public for private displays

·        To encourage local suppliers of fireworks to stock ‘quieter’ fireworks for public display

1.2       The Committee agreed that a report would be brought back before the Committee regarding a public awareness campaign on the responsible use of fireworks and how this could be facilitated, resourced and managed.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to approve the following actions:

·        Council officers to request a meeting with the Department of Justice with a view to asking it to lead on a high profile public awareness campaign in 2020 highlighting the impact of fireworks on vulnerable people and animals and promoting the use of low noise fireworks.

·        Council to write to the Office for Product Safety and Standards at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, requesting it to consider amending the current legislation to limit the noise level emitted by fireworks to 90db.

3.0       Main report

            Key Issues

3.1       The House of Commons Petitions Committee recently published a report on fireworks (Appendix 1). The report highlighted evidence that petitions calling for greater restrictions on sales and use of fireworks had been motivated by justified concerns. It suggested in many cases there were substantial adverse effects, for example on people with a wide range of health conditions and disabilities. Also distressing effects on people with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and the report suggested animals could suffer serious and long-term effects.

3.2       The Petitions Committee looked closely at the proposal to ban sales and use of fireworks by the public but was not persuaded to recommend this course of action at this time. The Committee expressed concern that a ban could have consequences for competently-run, voluntary, community displays, which use fireworks to raise funds for local good causes. In many cases these community displays have widespread local support and increase community cohesion.

3.3       Some of the recommendations in the report are already in place in Northern Ireland as it has the strictest controls on fireworks in the UK. The Department of Justice Firearms and Explosives Branch oversees the legislation. Currently in Northern Ireland possession of fireworks without a license (with the exception of indoor fireworks or sparklers) is an offence and the supply of licensed fireworks is age restricted to those over 18 years of age.

3.4       Council officers work on an agency basis with the Department of Justice to regulate the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

            The Committee considered the undernoted:

“1.0      Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1       At the meeting of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee on 23rd August 2019, a Motion regarding Domestic Violence was passed. The Motion noted:

            ‘This Council is saddened at the levels of domestic violence in Belfast and recognises that this manifests in many different forms, including emotional and economic abuse.

            Belfast needs to become a city that has zero tolerance towards domestic violence or abuse – a ‘Safe City’ which is proactive in supporting victims of domestic violence and challenging perpetrators. A Safe City recognises that domestic violence impacts upon many residents, regardless of age, religion, ethnic or cultural background. 

            This Council pledges to build on the work already achieved by engaging with relevant partners to support victims of domestic abuse and challenge perpetrators and to update the Belfast City Council Domestic Violence Strategy.’

            This report outlines action being taken by the Council and its partners to support victims of domestic violence and identifies the next steps in Belfast being designated as a Safe Borough / City, for Members consideration.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The committee is asked to:

·        Note the content of the report;

·        Agree to the Council progressing action to attain the Safe Borough / City accreditation; and

·        Agree to support the White Pledge Charter, as set out within the requirements for a Safe City / Borough Accreditation.

3.0       Main report

            Key Issues

            Domestic Violence and Abuse in the Workplace Policy

3.1       Members approved a revised policy on Domestic Violence and Abuse in the Workplace at the meeting of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee on 23^rd August 2019 and this was ratified by the Council on 2^nd September 2019.

3.2       The Domestic Violence and Abuse in the Workplace policy applies to all Council employees (including casual and temporary staff) with the aim to support and assist employees experiencing domestic violence and abuse as well as providing guidance on managing situations where employees are perpetrators of domestic violence and abuse.

3.3       Following the revision to the Domestic Violence and Abuse in the Workplace policy, an additional 16 employees and 1 elected member have attended training with a further 7 employees completing the Trusted Colleague training, taking the total number of Trusted Colleagues within Council to 35. Further communication and awareness raising is planned to ensure all staff are fully aware of the Domestic Violence and Abuse in the Workplace policy. 

3.4       The revised policy and subsequent rollout of related communication and training were key to Council’s re-accreditation of the ONUS (a social enterprise organisation offering best practice advice and specialist training on domestic violence and abuse) Workplace Charter (Safe Place) at Platinum level. Accreditation for the ONUS Workplace Charter is on an annual basis with Council first being awarded at Platinum level in 2018. In October 2019, Council was successfully re-accredited at Platinum level.

            Safe Borough / City Accreditation

3.5       Additional to the Workplace Charter, officers have engaged with ONUS regarding the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

            The Committee was reminded that the Council, at its meeting on 2nd September, had passed the following motion on Soft Opt Out Organ Donation, which had been proposed by Councillor Donnelly and seconded by former Councillor Hargey:

“This Council will support the introduction of soft opt-out organ donation legislation here in the North which will follow the example led by the introduction of the same legislation in Wales (2015), Scotland and England (2020) and the calls from the Minister of Health in the South of Ireland, Simon Harris TD, for the same to be introduced there.”

            It was reported that a response had been received from Mr. R. Pengelly, Permanent Secretary of the Department of Health.

            Mr. Pengelly had advised that, following a detailed examination of all aspects of opt out systems, the Northern Ireland Assembly had decided, in 2016, not to proceed with specific legislation to introduce an opt out system.  He explained that, however, the Assembly, in recognition of the importance of promoting organ donation, had passed legislation that placed a statutory duty on the Department of Health to promote transplantation and to increase awareness about transplantation and the donation of human organs.

            That legislation also required that the Department would provide an annual report about transplantation each year, and every five years the report must include the Department’s opinion, as to whether the legislation had been effective in promoting transplantation and any recommendations that it considered appropriate in amending the law so as to further promote transplantation.

            In December 2018, the Department had also launched a Policy Statement giving effect to the requirement to promote organ donation and transplantation.  He reported that work on implementing the Policy Statement had recently gotten underway, with the establishment of an Organ Donation Steering Group to oversee its implementation, with arrangements also being made to recruit a Regional Organ Donation Promotion Manager/Co-Ordinator, whose role would include working with local councils and to establish a sub-group for charities to further help to implement the Policy Statement.

            The Committee noted the response.

            The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0      Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1       The Smart Belfast programme established by the Council in 2017 fosters collaborative innovation between our universities, industry and the public sector. In doing so the Council seeks to develop innovative solutions to urban challenges, while at the same time supporting local business to prepare for the disruption that new technologies are expected to make across our economy.

1.2       The approach has informed the Digital Pillar of the Belfast Region City Deal and has been an important factor in securing these investments for the city.

1.3       In order to maximise the opportunities that digital investments represent, and to continue to grow Belfast’s reputation as a globally significant location for technological innovation, Smart Belfast has identified a number of critical foundations that the city needs to have in place going forward. This report seeks Members approval to proceed on these strands of work.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked:

1.      To approve the development of an urban data framework for Belfast City Council which would be informed by an initial internal Data Maturity exercise, the recommendations from which would be presented to Members later in 2020.

2.      To approve a contribution to support a doctoral student to work with Belfast City Council and its partners on the ethical and legal implications of a data-driven Smart Belfast.

3.      To approve the commissioning of expert support for digital infrastructure ‘barrier-busting’.

3.0       Main report

3.1       The ‘Smart Belfast’ framework fosters the conditions in which city partners can work together to exploit leading-edge technologies (such as AI, robotics, wireless networks, data science and industrial service design practices) to address urban challenges in more innovative ways. These conditions also provide a rich environment in which researchers, start-ups, business, and public sector agencies, can innovate in the development of new products and services.

3.2       The value of the ‘smart cities’ market is estimated to be worth over £2 trillion within the next five years and Belfast is well-placed to position itself as a global location for digital innovation. The city has already begun to prove the value of the approach – successfully attracting co-investments and delivering joint projects with our universities and industry. The proposed £350 million of digital innovation pillar investments from the Belfast Region City Deal will be an important element in accelerating this success.

3.3       Each place has its own unique approach; however, there are a number of common foundations that a successful smart city needs to have in place and which Belfast’s partners need to focus on:

3.4       A data-enabled city

            Data lies at the core of most modern urban services, whether public or private. This is a trend that is only likely to accelerate over the coming decade as technology continues to permeate most aspects of city life. This has implications for Belfast City Council not only as an organisation that designs and delivers its own data-driven services, but also in terms of our role and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14.

            The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0      Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1       Members are reminded that in March 2019 the Committee considered proposals for the Customer Focus Programme following the Discovery phase and agreed the implementation approach, key milestones of the implementation plan, the programme workstreams and the resource requirements necessary to successfully take forward the programme of work.

1.2       Since March 2019 the programme team has worked with our Strategic Delivery Partner, PA Consulting, progressing through Discover and Develop phases of the programme, conducting a number of workshops with elected members and staff to develop a future blueprint for a customer hub and improved delivery of council services.

1.3       The Discover and Develop phases have endorsed our initial outline business case and draft blueprint approved in March 2019 which explained the need to improve our service to all our customers. This report provides an update on activity during the Develop phase providing an overview of the future blueprint for customer service and high level implementation plan for delivery.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to: 

1.      Note the Service design approach adopted as outlined at Appendix 1.

2.      Note progress to date and the draft future blueprint at Appendix 2 and high level implementation plan attached at Appendix 3.

3.      Note the update on services for Elected Members which have been progressed to outline design stage as part of the future blueprint.

4.      Note that staff and Trade Unions have been engaged as part of the service design approach undertaken and will continue to be consulted as we move to delivery phase.

3.0       Main report

3.1       Service design approach

            Since March 2019 a new service design approach for service reviews has been developed comprising 3 phases – Discover, Develop and Deliver. This approach has been used as the service design framework for the Customer Focus programme and has been adopted as the Council’s approach to service design. The approach is outlined in more detail at Appendix 1.

            The Discover and Develop phases included staff, resident and member engagement to understand current customer relationships and to highlight areas for improvement. The activity included ride-alongs with waste collection teams, shadowing calls, and focussed workshops with elected members and staff.

            This new approach will ensure that we deliver:

·        Optimised customer contact – professionalising resources and providing modern digital and telephony systems with access to real time data on contact performance

·        Channel shift – moving where possible to digitally enabled self-serve solutions

·        Customer centricity – designing our services around the needs of our customers.

3.2       Future Blueprint – what it will look like

            The diagram attached at Appendix 2 sets outs the draft future blueprint for the Customer hub. The blueprint puts our customers at the heart of everything we do and will ensure we provide a consistent and professional service affording our customers choice and convenience. This means improving and aligning all our access to service channels – telephone, face to face, website, social media. Furthermore  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15.

            The Committee noted the contents of a report which provided details on the proposed agendas for the forthcoming meetings of the Area working Groups, which would primarily focus on the development of Belfast City Council’s approach to neighbourhood regeneration.

            The Committee was reminded that, in March 2019, it had approved the Council’s membership of the ESRI-funded Place Based Climate Action Network.  That decision had enabled the Council to work in partnership with Queen’s University, and alongside a range of other cities, to develop strategies and approaches to climate adaptation and mitigation.  It was a unique project, and Belfast had been chosen to be one of three cities, alongside Edinburgh and Leeds, to establish a Climate Commission.  It was reported that the Council was working to tackle climate breakdown and create a prosperous, inclusive and sustainable economy, with well-paid employment, innovation and creativity at its core and a thriving social economy and healthy communities.  While some progress had been made towards achieving city-wide carbon reduction targets, many carbon reduction and climate resilience opportunities remained unrealised at a citywide level.

            In the face of a challenging national policy context, the limitations on what the Council could achieve on its own, the declarations of a ‘Climate and Ecological Emergency’ by the UK and Irish parliaments, the value in bringing together key city partners to form a Commission to mirror the UK Committee on Climate Change, was recognised and the Belfast Climate Commission had been launched formally on 10th January, 2020.

            The Commission was based on the geographic area of Belfast City Council but also, where appropriate in its work, included the 5 adjacent local authority areas of the Belfast Region City Deal (Ards and North Down, Lisburn and Castlereagh, Mid and East Antrim, Newry Mourne and Down, and Antrim and Newtownabbey).

            The Commission aimed to foster collaboration by bringing together public, private and civic sectors to promote, guide, monitor and review on-going climate and energy transitions. The Commission would also act as a forum for organisations and individuals to exchange ideas, research findings, information and best practice to help Belfast make positive choices on carbon reduction, energy transition and climate resilience.

            The Commission would bring together different groups to develop a climate risk assessment and transition plan for the city/city region and for vulnerable communities and businesses within it.  It would strengthen networks, build capacities, transfer good practice and explore ways of raising the investment needed while monitoring the progress of the city towards meeting its carbon reduction targets and recommend options to keep the city on track.

            The Belfast Climate Commission had formally been established in November, 2019 and its first phase runs until December, 2020.  Progress would then be reviewed and the second phase will run from January, 2021 to December, 2021.  The key deliverables set for the Commission include:

·        The collation of existing carbon reduction targets and measures for organisations across the city using an agreed methodology.

·        Agreed strategic and shared priorities and opportunities for carbon reduction, low carbon energy transition and climate resilience across the city.

·        To support Belfast, and Belfast Region City Deal, based organisations’ understanding of the importance of energy and low carbon initiatives to their business. The aim was to facilitate the start of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0      Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1       The purpose of this report is provide an update on the development of a programme of work related to Social Value as part of the Inclusive Growth Strategy.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       It is recommended that Members:

·        Note the work in relation to social value that is currently being undertaken

·        Agree to the establishment of a task and finish Social Value Working Group for Members which would meet bi-monthly

3.0       Main report

            Background

3.1       Members agreed a Notice of Motion proposed by Councillor Beattie in January 2019 on the development of a social value strategy to further social, environmental and economic goals of Belfast City Council and will be aware that work is continuing on the development of an Inclusive Growth Strategy as part of the Belfast Agenda.

3.2       Social value is the additional benefit to the community from the commissioning or procurement process which is over and above the direct purchasing of goods, services and works, including economic, environmental and social well-being or community benefits that can be delivered to a local area. It is about maximising the impact of public expenditure to get the best possible social outcome.

3.3       This work builds on the approach taken by the Council since 2013 to integrate social clauses within relevant council procurements to provide ring-fenced employment and work placement opportunities and promote accessibility to small enterprises. Whilst these clauses represent a laudable effort to promote skills development and employment, impact has been limited by a narrow approach and outcomes difficult to discern in terms of measurement. In part it must be recognised that the current legal framework in N Ireland does not provide the same breadth of opportunity to promote social value as other jurisdictions. With the return of the Assembly one of the key actions will be to raise with ministers the issue of new enabling legislation and amendment or repeal of existing legislation which may inhibit the ambition held by the Council to use social value as a vehicle to drive inclusive growth.

3.4       Much work has already been undertaken in terms of contract analysis and looking at themes, outcomes and measures that would contribute to a new social value/inclusive growth framework with strategic alignment to the themes in the Belfast Agenda. In that context there is a nexus with an ethical trading framework that should sit snugly with the social value framework and which will be developed in tandem, albeit that the ethical trading framework incorporating a rights based approach to trading, in addition to promoting sustainability and the environment, should have its own platform.

3.5       Members should also note that it was agreed at People & Communities in December 2019 to broaden the remit of the officer social values working group to consider how to eradicate single-use items through more effective purchasing procedures, assessed against the waste hierarchy and the wider sustainable agenda. 

3.6       Officers have also looked at other cities to learn  ...  view the full minutes text for item 18.

            The Committee considered a report which sought approval to progress the secondment of a senior Police Officer (Chief Inspector level) to work alongside the City and Neighbourhood Services Department.

            The post holder would be aligned with the work of City and Neighbourhood Services, and contribute to more effective joint planning and working across a range of operational and community safety issues affecting the city.  The post holder would also enhance representation on a range of relevant public forums, including, for example, Community Planning, Shared City Partnership, City Centre ‘Clean, Green and Safe’ partnership, as well as attending relevant committees as an observer.  It was believed that the secondment would help to develop a greater understanding across both organisations of the key issues affecting local communities in Belfast, improve communication between the Council and PSNI, and contribute to more effective joint problem solving.

            The Committee approved the secondment of a senior Police Officer (Chief Inspector) to Belfast City Council, to be positioned within the City and Neighbourhood Services Department, and subject to review at six monthly intervals.

            In March 2019, the City Growth and Regeneration Committee had approved the International Relations Plan for the financial year 2019/2020.  A key element of that activity involved the development of jointly-agreed work programmes for each of the Council’s Sister Cities (Boston, Nashvile and Shenyang), focusing on areas of shared interest. 

            It was reported that, as part of the working relationship with Nashville, the Lord Mayor of Belfast had recently received an official invitation from the newly-appointed Mayor of Nashville, Councillor John Cooper, to travel to Nashville to attend the Music City Irish Festival which would take place from 15-17 March, 2020.  The Lord Mayor was unavailable to travel at this time and consequently the Deputy Lord Mayor had agreed to travel on behalf of the city, pending the Committee’s approval.

            This year marked the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Belfast-Nashville Sister Cities agreement.  This was the inaugural year of a new event for Nashville – the Music City Irish Festival – and the Council was keen to ensure Belfast’s involvement in the event, given the long-running ties between the cities and the importance of music as a common area of interest. 

            In addition to musical performances on each of the three days, Belfast had been asked to consider providing promotional materials for display at the event.  Council officers were currently working with Visit Belfast to secure relevant materials.  The event had a number of music-related sponsors and it was understood that Tourism Ireland were also considering involvement in the event. 

            While in Nashville, the Deputy Lord Mayor would undertake a programme of meetings with both universities, Vanderbilt and Belmont (linked to QUB and Ulster University), youth organisations linked to the Council’s Youth Forum and business organisations, including Invest NI, Nashville Chamber and the Nashville Healthcare Council.  The conversations with the business organisations would focus on scoping out in further detail the plans for the proposed Belfast City Council/Invest NI business mission to Nashville in August 2020.

            The cost of the proposed visit to Nashville would not exceed £6,000 and had been provided for within the agreed 2019/2020 International Relations budget. 

            The Committee approved the participation of the Deputy Lord Mayor and the Director of Economic Development (or nominee) on a civic mission to Nashville from 13th – 17th March 2020.

            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 the existing Council facilities or provides new Council facilities. This seek approval to move projects to the next stage of project development process, as provides an update on other projects on the capital programme.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is requested to –

            Movements under the Capital Programme

·        Customer Focus Programme – Customer Hub location: agree to add the creation of a new Customer Hub as a Stage 1 Emerging project, under the Capital Programme.

·        City Hall Statues Project – agree to add the creation of new statues within the grounds of City Hall as a Stage 1 Emerging project, under the Capital Programme.

            Further consideration and updates

·        Lord Mayor’s Car - note the outcome of further consideration of the replacement of the current car with a new hybrid model.

·        Leisure Transformation Programme - note key visitor and membership figures for Lisnasharragh and Brook now they have been formally opened.

3.0       Main report

            Proposed Movements – Capital Programme

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

3.2

            A Strategic Outline Caste (SOC) will now be worked up for both of above mentioned projects, and presented back through internal governance and Committee approval process.

            Fleet Replacement Programme - Replacement of the Lord Mayor’s Car

3.3       At SP&R Committee 17th December, members were advised that the current lease for the Lord Mayor’s vehicle was due to expire in February 2020 and that the replacement car - a hybrid model similar to size a model of current vehicle but with a combined 99mpg, and cleaner lower emission CO2 levels – would be sought under a 4 year lease arrangement. Following discussion it was agreed that further options including looking at sponsorship, other forms of transport and a full electric model and would be considered and brought back to Committee.

3.4       The key issue remains around acquiring a replacement vehicle that achieves value for money, offers reliability and fulfils the function of a civic vehicle for high profile Office (security of both Lord Mayor and Chain; wide  ...  view the full minutes text for item 22.

The Committee approved:

            I.   Ormeau Golf Club, Ormeau Park, Park Road – Lease Renewal

-       the renewal of the lease of c. 137 acres of land at Park Road to the Trustees of Ormeau Golf Club for a term of 25 years from 1 July 2020 at a rent of £14,500 per annum with rent reviews every 5 years

II.  Ballymacarrett Walkway

-       the acquisition for a nominal sum and to enter into licence agreements to carry out works on following strips of land which are currently owned by Connswater Homes Ltd to facilitate the Ballymacarrett Walkway project on terms to be agreed by the Estates Unit and Legal Services:

-       Land to the rear of 11-29 Severn Street

-       Land to the rear of 37-65 Severn Street

-       Land to the rear of 67-89 Severn Street

-       approve the completion of a Deed of Dedication to Urban Villages in respect of the works to be carried out as part of the Ballymacarrett Walkway project.

III.    The Entries – Environmental Improvement Project

-       agreements to be entered into between the Council and property owners within the Entries Environmental Improvement project area in the city centre for the purpose of erecting lighting, artwork and painting walls with terms to be agreed by the Estates Unit and Legal Services.

            The Committee:

·        Approved the public advertisement of tenders as per Standing Order 37a detailed in Appendix 1 (Table 1).

·        Approved the award of single tender actions in line with Standing Order 55 exceptions as detailed in Appendix 1 (Table 2).

·        Approved the estimated expenditure of permitted excluded contracts as detailed in Financial Regulations K11 Appendix 1 (Table 3)

Table 1 – Publically Advertised Tenders

Table 2 - Direct Award Contracts (Single Tender Action)

Table 3 – Excluded Service Contracts

* Supplier used may change depending on availability and business need.

            The Committee approved and adopted the minutes and the recommendations from the Shared City Partnership Meeting held on 13th January 2020.

            The Committee was reminded that a 12-month pilot using SignVideo, a remote video sign language interpreting service, had been launched in May, 2019.  The service had been available on the Council’s website, Cecil Ward Building, Belfast Zoo and Olympia Leisure Centre.

            The City Solicitor reported that a request for funding from the Department for Communities had been approved in December, 2019 for providing the SignVideo service at a further fourteen Council sites, including the Tropical Ravine, the City Hall and twelve leisure centres/community hubs.  The funding would be used to purchase 14 iPads valued at £5,600 to support Sign Language users and front-line staff in accessing the SignVideo service.

            Following an evaluation of the usage of the service during that period and the successful application for funding, he recommended that the service be continued and should become part of the Customer Focus Programme from May, 2020.

            The Committee adopted the recommendation.

            The Committee approved the recommendations made in respect of applications received up to 13th January, 2020, as set out in the undernoted appendix:

            The Committee was reminded that requests for the use of the City Hall were normally dealt with under the authority delegated by the Committee to the Director of Legal and Civic Services using criteria agreed for his purpose.  Occasionally, however, it was necessary to place such a request directly before the Committee, and the following request fell into that category. 

            The Committee was advised that Trans Pride NI, was a charity organisation which campaigned for Gender Equality in Northern Ireland, for transgender, intersex, non-binary, gender questioning and all other people.  The City Solicitor reported that Trans Pride NI  wished to hold their Trans Pride Festival in the City Hall grounds on 6th June, 2020.  The purpose of the festival was to celebrate gender diversity, raise awareness of transgender people and ensure gender equality.  The festival would be free to all participants and the organisers estimate up to 500 people attending.  The event would take place on the front lawn of the City Hall from  3.00 pm to 5.00 pm, although access would be required earlier and later in the day for set ups and strip downs.  Activities would be concentrated on the front lawns, as a consequence, areas such as the Titanic Memorial Garden and Cenotaph would remain open to the public.  Access to City Hall building for tours, visitor exhibition, the Bobbin, function rooms would not be affected.

            Activities at the festival would include a stage truck and sound system for rally and performers, inflatables, games, face painting, art exhibition and health fair stalls.  The final details would be planned and approved by the City Hall Function Management Unit to ensure that the event ran smoothly.  Trans Pride NI would provide all security, stewarding/marshalling staff, cleaners, first aiders and would comply with the usual conditions, including insurance, indemnities for damage and submission of a formal event-management plan for review and approval by the aforementioned Unit. 

            In terms of the main festival, there would be no costs to the Council as the organiser would bear any/all costs for stewarding/ equipment etc. themselves.  The utilities costs on the day were of a very minor nature.  There would be no concerns from an asset management point of view, although the organisers would be required to provide the usual insurances, indemnities and obligations.

            The Committee:

1.      authorised Trans Pride NI to use the City Hall grounds on 6th June 2020 for activities programmed as part of Trans Pride NI Festival; and

2.      authorised the festival in line with similar events previously approved by the Council.

            The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0      Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1       Members are requested to note the proposed BCC response to the DAERA Environment Strategy for Northern Ireland, as discussed and approved by the People and Communities Committee at its meeting on 14 January 2020.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to

·        Note the contents of the attached People and Communities Committee report of 14 January 2020, the draft BCC consultation response to the DAERA Environment Strategy for Northern Ireland, and to consider the inclusion of the amendments put forward by the Green Party, as well as factor in some developments as a result of restoration of the Executive referenced in 3.2-3.3 below.  The Green Party’s amendments are attached at Appendix 3.

·        Note the request for an extension to the Response to DAERA  was agreed and is the 5^th February 2020 

3.0       Main Report

            Key Issues

3.1       Amendments to the consultation response were tabled by Councillor Smyth on behalf of the Green Party at the aforementioned meeting. Following discussion, it was agreed that the Committee would review the proposed changes put forward by Councillor Smyth, and submit any feedback to the City and Neighbourhood Services Department for compilation and onward submission to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee to approve the final consultation response to DAERA. No responses have been received.

3.2       However officers had advised at the People and  Communities committee they could also review the comments in light of the ‘The New Decade, New Approach Deal’ as a result of the restoration of the Assembly. In light of this, the executive have now agreed to include a Climate Change Strategy and Act, to address immediate and longer term impacts of climate change. They have also committed to introduce legislation and targets for reducing carbon emissions in line with the Paris Climate Change Accord and this will be addressed through the programme for Government. A new Energy Strategy is to be developed that will set ambitious targets and actions for a fair and just transition to a zero carbon society. It is also acknowledged that these actions and interventions will be required across a wide range of areas in order to address the impacts of climate change in a fair and just way. The executive has also committed to the establishment of an Independent Environmental Protection Agency to oversee this work and ensure targets are met.  Given that these are now Assembly positions, officers would propose adding into the formal response that these developments are strongly welcomed  and supported by this Council.

3.3       The key response for consideration is outlined in the attached People and Communities report, and this committee is asked to note the associated appendices. On the attached Appendix 3 officers have indicated where comments may be substantially covered off via the New Deal as referenced above. Members are also reminded that at the October meeting of this committee,  agreement was reached and wording  updated following a notice of motion  ...  view the full minutes text for item 32.

            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 seek approval from the SP&R Committee to a Council response to the Department for Communities Consultation Document on ‘Liquor Licencing Laws in Northern Ireland’.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       It is recommended that Members:

·        note and review the attached draft response to the Liquor Licensing Laws in Northern Ireland Consultation Document at Appendix 1.

·        approve the draft council response subject to any amendments.

3.0       Main report

3.1       Background

            The Department for Communities has produced a consultation document entitled ‘Liquor Licensing Laws in Northern Ireland’.  The Department is seeking views on the effectiveness of the current liquor licensing laws rather than putting forward any policy proposals.

            The last general review of Northern Ireland’s liquor licensing laws took place in 2012 resulting in the Licensing and Registration of Clubs (Amendment) Bill 2016. This Bill included measures aimed at contributing towards a reduction in alcohol related harm and making the licensed trade more sustainable and attractive to tourists.  The Bill was making its way through the Assembly’s legislative process and when the Assembly collapsed in January 2017, it could no longer be progressed.

            Given the passage of time since the last review, recent developments in other jurisdictions and growing public interest in licensing issues, the Department believes that it is appropriate to carry out a consultation on the current liquor licensing policy.  The aim of the exercise is to determine public opinion on current licensing laws and views on whether changes could be made in future to ensure Northern Ireland has a more flexible and modern licensing framework to respond to changing expectations and lifestyles.

3.2       Draft Corporate Response

            The consultation document seeks the views of interested parties across a number of general policy positions and principles.  The Committee are asked to review the suggested Council response to each of the policy positions contained in the draft response at Appendix 1.  A summary of the council response to each of the issues is included below.

            Categories of licence

            The Council agrees that local ‘Micro’ brewery type businesses should be allowed to sell their product directly to the public at markets or other special events.  One solution would be to introduce a license to permit the brewery to sell at their own premises and also to sell for consumption off the main premises.  Another would be to introduce an exemption scheme whereby such premises could apply for an exemption from the requirement to hold a license (restricted to those businesses which sell a certain amount of alcohol and only operating up to a certain time).  A district council should be able to acquire a licence to host events showcasing local product permitting the sale of such product for consumption on or off the premises.  Consideration should also be given to enable specific and streamlined  licensing of tourist facilities and artisan markets owned or controlled by district councils. 

            Permitted hours

            The Council believe  ...  view the full minutes text for item 33.

            The Committee approved and adopted the minutes of the meeting of the Party Group Leaders’ Consultative Forum of 16th January, 2020.

            The Committee noted the minutes of the meeting of the Active Belfast Ltd. Board of 20th January, 2020.

            The Committee approved and adopted the minutes of the meeting of the Working Group on the Climate Crisis of 13th January, 2020.

            The Committee approved and adopted the minutes of the meeting of the Customer Focus Working Group of 8th January, 2020.

            In accordance with notice on the agenda, Councillor Dorrian requested the Committee to consider the potential closing of the gates at the Girdwood Hub on a more permanent basis, when the Centre itself wasn’t open, due to ongoing anti-social behaviour in and around the site. 

            After discussion, it was agreed that a report in relation to the issues raised be submitted to the North Area Working Group for consideration.

            In the absence of Councillor Nicholl, Councillor Long requested the Committee to consider writing to the Minister for the Department of Communities requesting that she consider again the transfer of regeneration powers to local councils.

            The Committee agreed to this course of action.