Agenda and minutes

            The Chief Executive submitted the summons convening the meeting.

            Apologies were reported on behalf of Alderman McGimpsey and Councillors Bunting and McReynolds.

            No declarations of interest were reported.

Moved by the Lord Mayor (Councillor McAllister),

Seconded by the Deputy Lord Mayor (Councillor Copeland) and

      Resolved - That the minutes of the proceedings of the monthly meeting of the Council of 1st May and the special meeting of the Council of 18th May be taken as read and signed as correct.

            The Lord Mayor, on behalf of the Council, welcomed Mr. Alistair Reid, Strategic Director of Place and Economy, and Mr. Aidan Thatcher, Director of Planning and Building Control, to their first meeting.

            Councillor Long welcomed the employment opportunities which would be created by the opening in the City of a renowned Canadian coffee chain.

            The Chief Executive reported that requests had been received from a number of broadcasting companies to film the installation of the Lord Mayor and the Deputy Lord Mayor.

            The Council approved the requests.

(report to follow)

Expressions of thank              The Chief Executive drew the Council’s attention to a report which identified the persons who had been selected by the Nominating Officer of each Political Party to hold the following Positions of Responsibility in Year 4 of the current Council term:

            The Council agreed to appoint the Members to the positions of responsibility for 2018/2019, as set out above, and noted the Chief Executive’s comment that a pre-action protocol letter relating to a potential Judicial Review which had been received earlier that day, challenging the legal opinion relevant to the Party Nominating Officer’s decision to replace Councillor Boyle with Councillor Lyons on the City Growth and Regeneration Committee, was being reviewed and would be responded to in due course. 

Tributes

            Representatives of a number of Political Parties paid tribute to the Lord Mayor and the Deputy Lord Mayor for the way in which they had fulfilled their duties over the course of the past twelve months.

            The Chief Executive reminded the Council that it had, earlier in the meeting, approved the Positions of Responsibility for 2018/2019 and that Councillor Hargey had been nominated to serve as Lord Mayor and Councillor McDonough-Brown as Deputy Lord Mayor for the period to end on the date of the annual meeting of the Council in 2019.

            Accordingly, Councillors Hargey and McDonough-Brown were installed in Office and subscribed to the Declaration of Acceptance of Office.

            Councillor Hargey thanked her Political Party for nominating her to serve as Lord Mayor, outlined her main priorities for the forthcoming year and paid tribute to the previous Lord Mayor and Deputy Lord Mayor for the manner in which they had carried out their duties.

            Councillor McDonough-Brown paid tribute also to the previous Lord Mayor and Deputy Lord Mayor, thanked his Political Party for nominating him to serve as Deputy Lord Mayor and outlined his main objectives for his term in office.

(The Lord Mayor, Councillor Hargey, in the Chair.)

(Consequent upon the resignation of former Alderman McKee)

            The Chief Executive reminded the Council that, at its annual meeting on 24th March, 2015, it had agreed to appoint twelve Members to serve as Aldermen for the duration of the Council term.

            She pointed out that, following the resignation in December, 2017 of Alderman McKee, there existed a vacancy in the office of Alderman and requested that the Council decide if it wished to fill that position.

            Accordingly, it was 

Moved by Alderman Rodgers,

Seconded by Councillor Johnston and

      Resolved – That Councillor Copeland be appointed to the office of Alderman for the remainder of the Council term.

            The Chief Executive reported that notification had been received from a number of Political Parties of the following changes to Committees and Outside Bodies:      

            Alliance

·        Councillor O’Neill to replace Councillor McDonough-Brown on the City Growth and Regeneration Committee;

·        Councillor Nicholl to replace Councillor McDonough-Brown on the Planning Committee;

·        Councillor McAllister to replace Councillor O’Neill on the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee; and

·        Councillor Armitage to replace Councillor Howard on the George Best City Airport Forum.

DUP

·        Councillor Craig to replace Councillor Reynolds on the Board of Active Belfast Limited.

            SDLP

·        Councillor Lyons to replace Councillor Boyle on the City Growth and Regeneration Committee.

            Sinn Féin

·        Councillors Carson, Clarke, McConville and Nic Biorna to replace Councillors Campbell, Hargey, O’Donnell and Walsh on the Belfast Waterfront and Ulster Hall Shareholders’ Committee;

·        Councillors Baker, Corr and Murphy to replace Councillors Hargey, Magee and McAteer on the City Growth and Regeneration Committee;

·        Councillors Nic Biorna and Magennis to replace Councillors Campbell and Canavan on the Licensing Committee;

·        Councillors Canavan, Magee and O’Donnell to replace CouncillorsCarson, Murphy and Nic Biorna on the People and Communities Committee; and

·        Councillors McAteer and O’Donnell to replace Councillors Corr and Hargey on the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee.

            Councillor Boyle expressed his opposition to his replacement on the City Growth and Regeneration Committee with Councillor Lyons, as had been alluded to earlier in the meeting.

            The Council approved the changes.

Moved by Alderman Rodgers,

Seconded by Councillor O’Neill,

      That the minutes of the proceedings of the Strategic and Policy and Resources Committee of 18th May be approved and adopted.

Amendment

Area-Based Festivals

Moved by Councillor Long,

Seconded by Councillor Attwood,

      That the decision of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee of 18th May, under the heading “Area-Based Festivals”, be rejected and, accordingly, no funding be provided.

                  On a recorded vote, twenty Members voted for the amendment and thirty-four against and it was declared lost.

Amendment

Designation of Belfast District (or the

City Centre) as a ‘Holiday Resort’

Moved by Councillor Nicholl,

Seconded by Councillor O’Neill,

      That the decision of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee of 18th May, under the heading “Designation of Belfast District (or the

City Centre) as a ‘Holiday Resort’” be rejected and, accordingly, the Council agrees to designate the City Centre as a ‘Holiday Resort’, under Article 6 of the Shops (Sunday Trading &c.) (Northern Ireland) Order 1997.

              On a recorded vote, thirteen Members voted for the amendment and forty-two against and it was declared lost.

Motion – Leisure Provision

                  At the request of Councillor Corr, the Chief Executive confirmed that the report to be submitted to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, in response to Councillor Collins’ motion on Leisure Provision, would highlight the financial implications for the Council and rate payers, alongside the analysis of all the future options including the implications of bringing leisure services back in house.

City Region Growth Deal

            At the request of Councillor McAteer, the Council agreed that a report be submitted to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee examining the potential for including public housing provision within the City Region Growth Deal.

Adoption of Minutes

            Subject to the foregoing additions, the minutes of the proceedings of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee of 18th May were thereupon approved and adopted.

Moved by Councillor Nicholl,

Seconded by Councillor Armitage and  

      Resolved - That the minutes of the proceedings of the People and Communities Committee of 8th May be approved and adopted.

Moved by Councillor Lyons,

Seconded by Alderman Haire and  

      Resolved - That the minutes of the proceedings of the City Growth and Regeneration Committee of 25th April and 9th May be approved and adopted.

Moved by Councillor O’Hara,

Seconded by Alderman Spence and

      Resolved - That the minutes of the proceedings of the Licensing Committee of 2nd and 16th May, omitting matters in respect of which the Council has delegated its powers to the Committee, be approved and adopted.

Moved by Councillor Garrett,

Seconded by Councillor McAteer,

      That the minutes of the proceedings of the Planning Committee of 15th and 17th May, omitting matters in respect of which the Council has delegated its powers to the Committee, be approved and adopted.

Committee Site Visits

            At the request of Councillor Armitage, the Council agreed to amend the minute of the meeting of 15th May, under the heading “Committee Site Visits”, to the effect that two separate site visits to the former Sirocco Works would be organised, one for the Planning Committee and the other for Members representing the Titanic District Electoral Area and any other Member who wished to attend.

Adoption of Minutes

            Subject to the foregoing amendment, the minutes of the proceedings of the Planning Committee of 15th and 17th May were thereupon approved and adopted.

(The Deputy Lord Mayor, Councillor McDonough-Brown, in the Chair.)

Moved by Alderman Haire,

Seconded by Councillor Walsh and

      Resolved - That the minutes of the proceedings of the Belfast Waterfront and Ulster Hall Ltd. Shareholders’ Committee of 21st May, omitting matters in respect of which the Council has delegated its powers to the Committee, be approved and adopted.

Proposed by Councillor Armitage,

Seconded by Councillor Dorrian,

“This Council:

• notes that 2018 is the twenty-third anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which saw over 8,000 Muslim men and boys killed in a matter of days;

• notes that in 2009 the European Parliament passed a resolution that 11th July should be recognised as the day of commemoration of the Srebrenica genocide all over the EU; and in 2015 urged the development of educational and cultural programmes that promote an understanding of the causes of such atrocities and raise awareness about the need to nurture peace and to promote human rights and inter-faith tolerance. All Northern Ireland political parties have supported the work of Remembering Srebrenica in this regard; 

• applauds the work of those involved in the pursuit of justice for the victims and their surviving relatives, including the International Commission of Missing People (ICMP) and the Mothers of Srebrenica, whose courage and humility in the face of unthinkable horror is an inspiration to us all; and

• commends the work of the charity, Remembering Srebrenica, in raising awareness of this tragic and preventable genocide and working in communities across the UK and Ireland to help them learn the lessons of Srebrenica.”

(To be debated by the Council)

            In accordance with notice on the agenda, Councillor Armitage proposed:

“This Council:

·        notes that 2018 is the twenty-third anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which saw over 8,000 Muslim men and boys killed in a matter of days;

·        notes that in 2009 the European Parliament passed a resolution that 11th July should be recognised as the day of commemoration of the Srebrenica genocide all over the EU; and in 2015 urged the development of educational and cultural programmes that promote an understanding of the causes of such atrocities and raise awareness about the need to nurture peace and to promote human rights and inter-faith tolerance. All Northern Ireland political parties have supported the work of Remembering Srebrenica in this regard; 

·        applauds the work of those involved in the pursuit of justice for the victims and their surviving relatives, including the International Commission of Missing People (ICMP) and the Mothers of Srebrenica, whose courage and humility in the face of unthinkable horror is an inspiration to us all; and

·        commends the work of the charity, Remembering Srebrenica, in raising awareness of this tragic and preventable genocide and working in communities across the UK and Ireland to help them learn the lessons of Srebrenica.”

The motion was seconded by Councillor Dorrian.

After discussion, the motion was put to the meeting and passed.

(The Lord Mayor, Councillor Hargey, in the Chair.)

Proposed by Councillor McDonough-Brown,

Seconded by Councillor Long,

“This Council asserts the value of the arts in our everyday lives, including our wellbeing, education, inclusion as well as our creative and evening economy and our tourism offering.

Accordingly, the Council extends its formal support to the Arts Matter NI campaign for equal funding and agrees that an all Party delegation meet the Permanent Secretary at the Department for Communities to demand more funds for the arts.”

(To be debated by the Council)

            At the request of the Deputy Lord Mayor (Councillor McDonough-Brown), in whose name the motion had been submitted, Councillor Long, with the consent of the Council proposed:

“This Council asserts the value of the arts in our everyday lives, including our wellbeing, education, inclusion as well as our creative and evening economy and our tourism offering.

Accordingly, the Council extends its formal support to the Arts Matter NI campaign for equal funding and agrees that an all Party delegation meet the Permanent Secretary at the Department for Communities to demand more funds for the arts.”

The motion was seconded by Councillor McAllister.

            After discussion, the motion was put to the meeting and passed.

Proposed by Councillor O’Hara,

Seconded by Councillor Nic Biorna,

“This Council condemns the recent attacks by Israeli forces on protestors, including women and children, in Gaza.

The Council calls upon the United Nations to investigate and place those responsible for genocide before the International Criminal Court and asks that the International Community and the people of Belfast stand in solidarity with the people of Gaza.

With Dáil Éireann having recognised Palestine as a state, the Council calls on the Irish Government to expel the Israeli Ambassador to Ireland.”

(To be debated by the Council)

(The Deputy Lord Mayor, Councillor McDonough-Brown, replaced the Lord Mayor, Councillor Hargey, in the Chair whilst the following motion was being debated.)

            In accordance with notice on the agenda, Councillor O’Hara proposed:

“This Council condemns the recent attacks by Israeli forces on protestors, including women and children, in Gaza.

The Council calls upon the United Nations to investigate and place those responsible for genocide before the International Criminal Court and asks that the International Community and the people of Belfast stand in solidarity with the people of Gaza.

With Dáil Éireann having recognised Palestine as a state, the Council calls on the Irish Government to expel the Israeli Ambassador to Ireland.”

            The motion was seconded by Councillor Nic Biorna.

            The proposer agreed, with the consent of the Council, to the replacement of the second and third paragraphs of her motion with the following wording, as had been proposed by Councillor Long and seconded by Councillor O’Neill:

“The Council condemns also mortar and other attacks on Israel.

The Council calls for a de-escalation of tensions on all sides, for respect for human rights and the rule of law, a resumption of peace negotiations and a two-state solution, in line with the UN Security Council and international law.”

Amendment

Moved by Alderman Kingston,

Seconded by Councillor Craig,

      That the motion, as amended, be replaced with the following wording:

“This Council deeply regrets the recent unrest in the vicinity of the Israel/Gaza border and reaffirms its support for collaboration and efforts to reach accommodation between Israel and Palestinian authorities which will promote mutual tolerance, respect and opportunity to thrive.”

            On a vote by show of hands, nineteen Members voted for the amendment and thirty against and it was declared lost.

            The original motion, as proposed by Councillor O’Hara and seconded by Councillor Nic Biorna, as amended and set out below, was thereupon put to the meeting and carried, with thirty Members voting for and eighteen against:

“This Council condemns the recent attacks by Israeli forces on protestors, including women and children, in Gaza.

The Council condemns also mortar and other attacks on Israel.

The Council calls for a de-escalation of tensions on all sides, for respect for human rights and the rule of law, a resumption of peace negotiations and a two-state solution, in line with the UN Security Council and international law.”

Proposed by Councillor Canavan,

Seconded by Councillor Nic Biorna,

“This Council welcomes the progress being made to secure a Belfast Region City Deal which will deliver inclusive growth, create more and better jobs, have a positive impact on our most deprived communities, and provide a balanced spread of benefits across the region.

The city deal will strengthen Belfast’s role as the driver for the regional economy.  In supporting the case for regional growth that will benefit us all, the Council urges the British Government to formally commit to a deal for the North West.”

(To be debated by the Council)

            In accordance with notice on the agenda, Councillor Canavan proposed:

“This Council welcomes the progress being made to secure a Belfast Region City Deal which will deliver inclusive growth, create more and better jobs, have a positive impact on our most deprived communities, and provide a balanced spread of benefits across the region.

The city deal will strengthen Belfast’s role as the driver for the regional economy.  In supporting the case for regional growth that will benefit us all, the Council urges the British Government to formally commit to a deal for the North West.”

            The motion was seconded by Councillor McAteer.

            After discussion, the motion was put to the meeting and passed.