Agenda and minutes

            aApologies for inability to attend were reported from Councillors Howard and Kyle.

            The minutes of the meetings of 9th and 23rd August were taken as read and signed as correct.  It was reported that those minutes had been adopted by the Council at its meeting on 4th September.

            No declarations of interest were reported.

            A Member expressed concerns with the performance of the new device which had replaced the iPads.  A number of Members explained that they had been unable to access the Committee papers on the device, which was unsatisfactory in terms of preparing for the meeting.

            The Chief Executive confirmed to the Committee that she would speak to the Head of Digital Services about the concerns which had been raised. 

            The Information contained in the following three 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, that there would be a disclosure of exempt information as described in Section 42 (4) and Schedule 6 of the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 2014.

            The Director of City Centre Development reminded the Committee that the City Centre Investment Fund had been launched on 15th June, 2017, seeking applications from developers with planning permission for significant office development within the Belfast BMAP boundary.

            She advised the Members that a number of applications had been received by the deadline of 18th August.

            The Committee was advised that Stage 1 of the process entailed the internal Investment Panel reviewing the eligibility of each project to determine if it should proceed to Stage 2.

            She explained to the Members that Stage 2 consisted of the Evaluation Partner performing High Level Due Diligence of each project, scoring against agreed criteria and recommending to the Investment Panel the projects which should proceed to Stage 3, Detailed Due Diligence.

            The Committee was advised that those applications which were recommended for progression to Stages 2 and 3 would be notified to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, in line with the CCIF process, with that Committee required to approve recommended investments before they would progress to legal contracts.

            The Director advised the Members that an Evaluation Partner had been identified and would be appointed in due course.

            The Committee noted the update which had been provided.

            The Director of City Centre Development outlined to the Members that she was seeking approval to commission specialist support to develop the Belfast Infrastructure Plan and to establish a cross-agency working group to oversee the production of the Plan.

            She explained that the proposed Infrastructure Plan would provide a holistic assessment of what would be required in terms of infrastructure requirements to deliver the targets of the Belfast Agenda by 2035 and would focus on key deliverables such as the economic narrative, infrastructure needs and delivery costs, transportation and connectivity, the utility infrastructure and a costed delivery plan.

            During discussion, the Director confirmed that she would be working closely with the Director of Property and Projects and his team in relation to a number of city-wide issues, such as flood prevention.

            After discussion, the Committee agreed:

1.     to commit funding to commission an external consultant to produce the Infrastructure Plan; and

2.     that the City Centre Development Team would establish a cross-agency working group to co-client the funding and production of the Belfast Infrastructure Plan.

            (Ms. A. Doherty, Planning and Transport Officer, attended in connection with this item)

            The Planning and Transport Officer provided the Committee with an update on the initial stages of the strategic review of the Belfast Bikes scheme and on the actions which had been approved at its meeting on 9th August, 2017.

            She provided the Members with an update on the business case, subscriptions and usage levels and sponsorship options.

            A number of Members expressed concerns at the level of vandalism of the bikes across the city.

            The Planning and Transport Officer reminded the Committee that, at the Members’ Workshop, it had been suggested that the docking stations with the lowest usage figures were to be relocated. 

            A further Member stated that docking stations should be installed in residential areas to encourage use of the bikes, with an associated marketing campaign promoting the health and cost benefits, and that it should not be a scheme for the city centre.

            After discussion, the Committee noted the update on the business case and the ongoing promotional activities. The Committee also agreed to the proposed actions as set out in the report.

            The Committee acceded to a request to present at a future meeting from the Active Communities Network and Sport Changes Life on the work which was being undertaken across the city to support the positive engagement and employability of young people.

            The Director of City Centre Development reminded the Committee that, at its meeting on 8th March, it had received an update on the work which was underway to identify the key issues around liveability and increasing the residential population in the city centre.  She highlighted to the Members that it was a key policy in the Belfast City Centre Investment Strategy and was further reinforced in the Belfast Agenda and the Local Development Plan.

            During discussion, a Member referred to a recent planning decision on a site within the Gasworks Northern Fringe and stated that the Council should focus on actions and not words when it came to promoting city centre living.

            The Director provided the Members with details of the upcoming study visit to London, which would provide an opportunity to examine examples of mixed tenure and density, as well as highlighting the quality design and wider liveability elements such as public realm, the provision of social infrastructure and models of sustainable development.

            She reminded the Members that a follow-up workshop on City Centre Living had been scheduled to take place on Tuesday, 23rd October.

            The Committee was advised that representatives from Planning and Place would take part in both the study visit and the workshop to ensure shared learning and a collective approach.

            After discussion, the Committee agreed that representatives from the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, the Department for Communities and the Housing Associations be invited to attend a future meeting to discuss the issue of city centre living in Belfast.

            The Committee:

1.     noted the purpose of the study visit to London on 12th-13th October;

2.     noted the follow-up workshop on 23rd October; and

3.     agreed that representatives from the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, the Department for Communities and representatives from Housing Associations be invited to attend a future meeting in order to discuss city centre living.

            aThe Chief Executive explained to the Committee that the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee had agreed, at its meeting on 23rd June, that the City Growth and Regeneration Committee should determine the composition of the two selection panels for the recruitment of the posts of the Director for City Regeneration (Operational) and the Director for Economic Development (Operational) within the new Place and Economy Department.

            The Committee was advised that the recommended Panel should comprise the Chairperson and the Deputy Chairperson (or their nominees) plus a third elected panel member from a political party not already represented, who, along with Council Directors, would balance the two panels in terms of gender and community background.

            She explained that all Panel members would be required to attend four selection panel meetings per post as part of the recruitment exercises and would also be required to attend prior training on non-discriminatory Recruitment and Selection techniques.  The Committee noted that the timeframe for the recruitment exercises was likely to commence in October 2017.

            The Members were reminded that the recruitment exercise for the new Strategic Director of the Place and Economy Department was ongoing.

            After discussion, the Committee agreed:

1.      that each selection panel would comprise theChairperson and Deputy Chairperson (or their nominees) and a third elected panel member from a political party not already represented by the Chairperson or Deputy Chairperson;

2.      that a DUP Member would sit on the Panel for the recruitment of the Director of Economic Development;

3.      that an Alliance Party Member would sit on the Panel for the recruitment of the Director for City Regeneration; and

4.      that the Council would deploy suitable professional and technical expertise from other Councils, if required, to be voting members on the selection panels for these new posts, in line with the Local Government Staff Commission (LGSC) Code of Procedures on Recruitment and Selection.     

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

            The Assistant Director reminded the Committee that, at its meeting on 14th June, it had requested that information be submitted detailing the income which had been generated by each Council-owned car park in the city

            She advised the Members that, on 1st April 2015, the Department for Infrastructure (formerly known as the Department for Regional Development) had transferred its off-street car parks (excluding Park and Ride/Park and Share car parks) to local councils.  As a result, Belfast City Council had initially become responsible for the operation of 30 of those car parks, although this had since reduced to 29, due to the expiration of a short term lease for the car park at Frederick Street.  The Committee was advised that 16 of those car parks were chargeable.

            She outlined that, for the financial year April 2016 to March 2017, the car parks within the Council’s portfolio had generated a total of £1,878,044.  The Members were advised that the costs associated with operating the 29 car parks during the same period totalled £863,599 but that this did not include internal charges such as business administration, legal and digital services.

            She explained that, in its first year of operation, off-street car parking had generated an operating surplus of £1,014,444 but pointed out that off-street car parking had transferred to councils together with the Planning function, on a rates neutral basis, whereby the surplus generated by parking was off-set against the cost of the Planning function to ensure no overall financial gain or increased cost to the Council or its ratepayers.

            The Committee noted the contents of the report.

         (Mr. G. Copeland, City Events Manager, attended in connection with this item)

            The City Events Manager explained that he was seeking the Committee’s approval for operational amendments to the Christmas Lights Switch-On and to St. Patrick’s Day.

            It was

      Moved by Councillor Beattie,

      Seconded by Councillor Walsh and

      Resolved - That the Committee agrees to defer consideration of the 2018 St. Patrick’s Day element of the report, for one month, to allow a presentation from Fáilte Feirste Thiar at the next meeting, following publication of its report on St.Patrick’s Day 2017.

            The Committee considered the undernoted section of the report in relation to the Christmas Lights Switch-On 2017 at the City Hall:

“3.2     Members may be aware that the switching on of the city’s festive lighting dates back to the early 1970s.  Over the years, the staging of the Belfast Christmas Lights Switch-on has become a bye-word for the start of the Belfast Christmas Festive period. Hundreds of thousands have attended the event over the years, with an annual audience of over 10,000.  As the event has grown additional elements have been added in order to cope with crowd numbers and in doing so provide a safe and welcoming space. 

      However, since the introduction and growth of the city’s very successful Christmas Market it has become apparent that the complexity of setting up for two major events, the Christmas Market and Switch-on, requires a change in approach to increase the level of safety for all. 

      Therefore, Members are asked to note that Officers, with the endorsement of the Council’s Events Advisory Panel (non-statuary advisory group made of a range of Council Officers, PSNI, BCCM, Department for Infrastructure (Roads), NI Ambulance Service, NI Fire & Rescue, etc.) would intend to apply for road closures along: Wellington Place; Donegall Square North and Chichester Street from 21:00 hours, on Friday 17 November to Sunday 19 November, at 07:00 and restrictions to traffic in Donegall Square East.   This arrangement would restrict vehicular movement to contractors (involved in the Christmas Lights and Christmas Market build) and require the Council to work with partners such as Belfast City Centre Management, PSNI, Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce, Translink and the Department of Infrastructure (Roads) to enforce such road closures. 

      The intended outcome would be to reduce the level of pedestrian and vehicle interaction in an area that is heavily congested even before the Christmas Market and Lights Switch-on construction has started. This interaction has become an area of grave concern with many pedestrians taking risks at road junctions where temporary layouts are in place, often ignoring directional signage, advice of stewards and breaking through directional barriers.

      Given these issues, Officers, and members of the Events Advisory Panel are now of the opinion that the current traffic/pedestrian management arrangements present an unacceptable level of risk to the many pedestrians, motorists and other road users during the final set-up for both the Christmas Market and Switch-on.  These amendments have been notified to Belfast City Centre Management and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6c

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report

1.1       The purpose of the report is to update Committee on MIPIM 2018 and on-going marketing activities to promote Belfast to the investment and development community.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to;

·        Note the approach to MIPIM 2018 including activities currently being undertaken to promote Belfast to the investment and development community;

·        agree to the attendance of the Deputy Lord Mayor at the European Waterfront Cities Network at the EXPO Real in Munich, from 4th - 6th October 2017; and

·        agree to the attendance of either the Chairperson or the Deputy Chairperson (or their nominee) at the MIPIM UK event in London, from 18th - 19th October, 2017.

3.0       Main report

3.1       The Belfast Agenda highlights the Council’s ambition to attract 1 billion of investment into the city, along with medium term goals to develop 1.5m sq of Grade A Offices, and 2,500 hotel bed spaces by 2021. Delivering this ambitious agenda requires a further step change in how we position and promote the city. Belfast continues to grow in global awareness and popularity as a place to do business. In order to capitalise on this growing awareness, Belfast needs to remain visible to the international investment and development community and ensure our city narrative and messaging are clearly articulated to this target audience.

3.2       Belfast at MIPIM 2018 will build on the success of the Belfast delegations to MIPIM in 2016 and 2017.  Following our participation at the European Cities Event at MIPIM 2017 the Council has been invited to participate at the European Waterfront Cities Network at EXPO Real in October 2017.   Estates Gazette will also host a Belfast Question Time in October. To support these activities, a marketing pack is being developed which incorporates the new Belfast brand tailored to the business community. This pack will include a brochure, sector factsheets, presentation pack and standalone investment website.

3.3       An update on marketing activities currently being undertaken to promote Belfast as a destination for investment, development and regeneration is outlined below.

            MIPIM 2018

3.4       MIPIM is the international market for real estate professionals. The next exhibition will be held at the Palais de Festivals, Cannes, France from the 13–16 March 2018.

3.5       Belfast at MIPIM 2018 will build on the success of the Belfast delegations to MIPIM in 2016 and 2017. These put Belfast firmly on the radar of investors and developers who had not previously considered the city as a location for doing business.

3.6       CGR Committee in April 2017 provided:

·        Approval for officers to scope out options for re-positioning the Belfast stand at MIPIM 2018 to an area of higher footfall;

·        In principle approval that the existing £60,000 investment be enhanced, subject to officers presenting more detailed proposals at later Committee and;

·        Authorisation for officers to commence procurement for consultancy support for programming, event management, communications, and design.

3.7       Unfortunately, Reed MIPIM, the MIPIM event organisers, have been unable to offer an  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7a

            The Director of Development advised the Members that the Lord Mayor of the City of London, the Right Honourable Dr Andrew Parmley, would visit Belfast from the 10th – 11th October.

            He advised the Committee that the role of the Lord Mayor of the City of London was to support and promote the United Kingdom’s financial and professional services. 

            He explained to the Members that officers had been working closely with Invest NI to maximise the opportunities of the visit and highlighted the following elements of the Belfast programme:

·        a business roundtable in the Citi Headquarters building on the morning of 10th October, focusing on positioning Belfast as an investment location for financial and professional services;

·        a civic reception and dinner hosted by the Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Nuala McAllister, in the Titanic Hotel on 10th October, to which all Members would be invited to attend; and

·        a visit to the Centre for Secure Information technology (CSIT) to showcase the research and technology excellence available at the centre, which had helped make Belfast the number one location globally for US-based cyber investment.

            The Director also reminded the Committee that, at its meeting on 12th April, it had agreed to sponsor the London-based business network Belfast Partners which supported business development connections between the two cities.  He informed the Members of an upcoming business mission to London in November which would involve a number of local technology businesses.  He explained that the mission would include a networking reception and showcase event which would provide an opportunity to follow up on some of the relationships established during Dr Parmley’s visit to Belfast.

            The Committee:

1.     noted the planned visit to Belfast by the Lord Mayor of the ‘City of London and the opportunities presented by it, in promoting Belfast as an investment location; and

2.     agreed the draft programme for the Lord Mayor’s visit, including the civic reception and dinner in the Titanic Hotel, to which all Members of the Committee would be invited to attend.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report or Summary of Main Issues

1.1      The purpose of this report is to update Members on the growth of conference tourism over recent years and the potential for future growth, as a key element of tourism development in the City.

2.0      Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to:

-       Note the importance and economic value of conference tourism to the city and the projected growth of this sector

-       Note the importance of Conference support mechanisms such as the Subvention Scheme in attracting events

-       Agree to extend the scheme end date to 2025, subject to agreement with Tourism NI and subject to resource availability.

3.0       Main Report

            Background

3.1       Business and conference tourism is a key priority of the Integrated Tourism Strategy which was approved by the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee in May 2015. The Strategy was developed in tandem with the City Centre Regeneration Strategy and Investment Plan and the proposals are aligned to support the future development, economic growth and profile of the city.

3.2       Belfast City Council and Tourism NI both provide financial support towards a Conference Subvention Scheme which is administered by Visit Belfast.  This provides financial incentives to encourage Conference organisers to choose Belfast as a destination for their event.  An independent review of the scheme was conducted at the end of 2016 and, as a result, new guidelines have been developed in order to streamline the process and ensure that the fund meets the changing needs of the Conference sector. 

3.3       The Scheme has been a critical element of Belfast’s ability to attract conferences to the City.  Last year, conference tourism contributed over £35million to the City’s economy in terms of spend on venues, accommodation, hospitality and leisure activities.

3.4       Key Issues

            The investment in the new Conference and Exhibition facilities at Belfast Waterfront has been a ‘game-changer’ in terms of the City’s activity to host large-scale Conferences and events as well as associated exhibitions.  Working with local Ambassadors (principally aligned to the local universities) and with local venues, the Business Tourism team at Visit Belfast has been working to raise awareness of the enhanced facilities as well as the wider positioning of Belfast as a cost-competitive, business-friendly Conference location.

3.4       Over the course of the last financial year, the continued efforts of those involved helped secure the following conference tourism deliverables:

-       69 major conferences

-       25,000 delegates

-       75,000 bed nights

-       Economic value of £35 million to the city.

3.5       Some of the events recently secured by Visit Belfast for the coming years include:

-       European Conference on Personalised Medicine:

-       1,250 delegates, 5,000 bed nights worth £1.9m in 2017

-       IDF World Dairy Summit:

-       1,200 delegates, 6,250 bed nights worth £2.4m 2017

-       WHO Healthy Cities Conference:

-       1,000 delegates, 5,000 bed nights worth £1.9m in 2018.

-       British Ecological Society Annual Meeting:

-       1,500 delegates, 4,500 bed nights worth £2.2m in 2019

-       College of Occupational  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7c

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1       The purpose of this report is to update Members on the development of a bid with Derry City and Strabane District Council to become the UK designated city for European Capital of Culture in 2023.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to:

-       Note the contents of this report including ongoing progress against targets and critical timelines

3.0       Main report

3.1       Background

            Members will be aware that an update was provided to Committee in August 2017 with a follow up workshop at the Seamus Heaney Centre scheduled for 12 September 2017.

3.2       The purpose of this workshop was to:

-       provide a detailed update on the engagement process and the associated themes for the bid

-       provide an overview of programme content

-       discuss the level of financial commitment required and the associated funding strategy

3.3       Invites were extended to all Members of the City Growth and Regeneration Committee as well as the Chair and Deputy Chair of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee and the Party Group Leaders (or nominees).

3.4       Engagement

            To date the bid has engaged with over 7,000 people across both cities. This has been achieved through attendance at events throughout the summer alongside a programme of tailored workshops. Extensive engagement has also taken place through Council’s existing schemes. An online platform has also been established.

3.5       The engagement during stage one has largely focussed on three strands:

-       One to one engagement with local citizens

-       Facilitated workshops with interest groups

-       Sessions with representative and voluntary organisations

3.6       The responses to this engagement will directly shape the overall theme and brand of the bid. This theme needs to be authentic to the cities as well as having strong relevance for Europe. The bid is on target to have engaged with 10,000 citizens by the submission date of 27 October 2017.  

3.7       Should the bid be shortlisted to stage 2 this engagement will continue with opportunities for direct participation through a series of pilot projects. A report will be taken to Committee outlining the proposed approach for the allocation of any funding to these projects.

3.8       Further awareness of the bid has also been achieved through marketing and communications activities. This activity will continue to increase in the coming months to help build momentum in the run up to the submission deadline. 

3.9       Cultural Programme

            As well as the civic engagement outlined above the bid team has also delivered a series of events targeting the wider cultural and creative sector. This has included:

-       Information session

-       6 thematic workshops

-       4 Big Ideas sessions

3.10     These sessions have engaged with over 300 people working across the arts, heritage, sport, science and the creative industries.

3.11     A creative reference group has been established to include 4 local representatives. These members were selected following a nomination and application process. This group also includes three international programmers who have previous  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7d

         (Ms. L. Leonard, European and International Relations Manager, attended in connection with this item)

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report

1.1        The purpose of the report is to:

·        Update Members on the delivery of the International Relations Framework, focusing on activity over the last six months since April 2017

·        Seek approval for the delivery of further activity within the 2017 – 2018 Action Plan until the end of the current financial year.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to:

-       Note the range of activities and associated outputs of a range of International Relations actions over the course of the first half of this financial year as well as the plans for the period September 2017 - March 2018

-       Agree to the attendance of the Chair and Deputy Chair of Committee (or nominees) and the Lord Mayor at the business mission and business networking event in the City of London on 22-23 November 2017.

-       Agree to the attendance of the Chair of Committee (or her nominee) and one officer at the 2017 Commonwealth Local Government conference in Malta on 21 – 24 November, 2017, at a cost not to exceed £1,500;

-       Agree to the attendance of the Lord Mayor and Director of Development (or their nominees) at the launch of the 2018 Friendship Four Tournament in Boston in January 2018, at a cost not to exceed £3,500.

-       Agree to provide financial support of up to £5,000 towards the annual Chinese New Year event in Belfast.

3.0       Main Report

3.1       Members will recall the November 2016 approval of a new International Relations Framework for the period 2016 - 2021.

3.2       The aim of this Framework is to continue to promote Belfast on the international stage with other stakeholders as a place to visit, study, work and do business. The Framework will deliver primarily on the formal relationships already in existence through the Sister City Agreements with Shenyang, Boston and Nashville, the Memorandum of Understanding with Dublin, and developing relationships with London. New areas of opportunity will be considered on their merits and relevance to Belfast.

3.3       Members will be aware that, at the 8 March 2017 meeting of the City Growth and Regeneration Committee, an update report on International Relations activity for the previous six months was presented and the outline plans for the coming period were set out for endorsement.  This report provides an update on the activities and associated outcomes over the six-month period from April to September 2017 and identifies a number of priority actions for the coming six months, until the end of the current financial year.  These activities have, in the most part, been led by Belfast City Council working in partnership with stakeholders in government, education, tourism, business, culture and sport.

3.4       The key deliverables for the period April-September 2017 are set out on modern.gov.  Highlights include:

·        City visit to Shenyang, focusing on educational linkage opportunities.  The Lord Mayor was accompanied by representation from Belfast  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7e

            The Director of Development provided the Committee with an update on the Other Voices event which was to be held in Belfast between 26th and 28th October.  He reminded the Members that, at its meeting on 14th June, it had approved financial support of £40,000 towards the event.

            He explained that planning work for the event was well underway, with the Duncairn Centre for Culture and Arts having been chosen as the hub for the concert and wraparound events.  The Members noted that it was intended that the 2017 event would be a precursor to a larger multi-annual project based in the city to help position Belfast as an attractive, smart and creative city region which was a great place to live, work, visit, invest and do business.

            The Committee was advised that the event was currently broadcast on RTE’s television and digital platforms and had more than 16million views and more than 7,000 followers on YouTube. 

            The Director informed the Members that the event included a significant outreach programme, providing a number of engagement opportunities for local residents, young people and those involved in the cultural and arts sector.  He outlined that four community engagement events targeted at young people would be held in venues in the North, South, East and West of the city, focusing on the opportunities for skills development and employment in the creative sector as well as demonstrating the impact of technology on all walks of life.  The Members were advised that organisers would work with the Council as well as local schools and youth groups to encourage participation from key target groups.

            The Committee noted the update which had been provided.

         (Mrs. L. Toland, Economic Initiatives and International Development Manager, attended in connection with this item)

         The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report or Summary of Main Issues

1.1        The purpose of this report is to:

·        Update Members on the upcoming European Social Fund (ESF) kl. call and to seek approval on the proposed Council approach, subject to funding availability in the coming financial years

·        Seek in-principle approval to continue development work with partners on a number of Employment Academies and additional skills development initiatives for economically inactive individuals, subject to funding availability in the coming financial year

·        Update Members on engagement with the sector to develop a Digital Skills support programme for young people and their teachers and youth leaders

·        Seek approval to invest in the expansion of Ulster University’s Legal Innovation Centre to support the growth of the legal services technologies sector.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to:

·        Note the update on the upcoming ESF funding call

·        Approve the recommended approach for Council with regard to the upcoming ESF funding call as outlined in 3.14-3.17, subject to funding availability in the coming financial years

·        Seek in-principle approval to continue development work with partners on a number of Employment Academies and additional skills development initiatives for economically inactive individuals, subject to funding availability in the coming financial year;

·        Approve the proposed approach for a Digital Skills Programme working in partnership with Makematic

·        Approve the proposal and associated budget to support the expansion of Ulster University’s Legal Innovation Centre to create a globally-recognised Centre of Excellence;

·        Note the approval of the activities listed above is dependent upon Legal Services agreeing a suitable form of Legal Agreement with the parties to be funded.

3.0       Main Report

            Key Issues

3.1       Members will be aware that the Council, with its key partners, developed an Employability and Skills Framework for the City.  This sets a number of targets around improvements in employment rates and skills levels for Belfast residents. 

3.2       The Framework notes the need for interventions across a range of areas including:

·        Economic Inactivity: deep-rooted challenge which has a disproportionate impact in some areas of the City.  Economically inactive individuals often face multiple challenges in finding work, including health problems, childcare, lack of relevant skills

·        Upskilling of people in low-level, low-paid work: in an increasingly flexible labour market, it is important to consider how people not only move into employment but also move up the skills ladder – and have the associated benefits in terms of increased income

·        High skills: research indicates that there will be a growing need for higher level skills in the workplace.  There is a need for greater focus to ensure greater alignment between growth areas and skills investment in order to ensure that the City remains globally competitive.

3.3       The Belfast Agenda also identifies the themes of ‘Growing the Economy’ and ‘Working and Learning’ as two of the fundamental pillars of future City development.  The Belfast Agenda includes a number of commitments including  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8b

            The Chief Executive presented the financial position of the City Growth and Regeneration Committee to the Members.  She advised them that the Quarter 1 (Q1) position for the Committee was an under spend of £128,000 (2.6%), with the forecast year end position being an underspend of £461,000 (2.9%) which was within the acceptable tolerance which was 3%. 

            The Committee was advised that the current position related to vacant posts across a number of services and receipt of additional income of Off Street Car Parking charges.

            The Committee noted the report and the associated financial reporting pack.