Agenda and minutes

            Apologies were reported on behalf of Councillors McCabe and McDonough-Brown.

            The minutes of the meeting of the 12th June were taken as read and signed as correct.  It was reported that those minutes had been adopted by the Council at its meeting on 1st July.

            No Declarations of Interest were reported.

            The information contained in the report associated with the following five items was 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 meeting during discussion of the following items as, due to the nature of the items, 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.

            Members were also reminded that the content of ‘restricted’ reports and any discussion which took place during closed session must be treated as ‘confidential information’ and that no such information should be disclosed to the public as per Paragraph 4.15 of the Code of Conduct.  

The Committee was provided with an update on a number of strands of the Housing Led Regeneration programme of work as agreed within the Committee Plan.

The Committee:

                           I.          Noted the update in respect of the submissions now received from Housing Associations in respect of the Inner North West Development Brief, comprising BCC and DfC lands at Little Donegal St, Library St and Kent St and that, following a joint evaluation with the Department for Communities (DfC), a future report would be submitted to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee with recommendations in respect of the Development Brief, in line also with the DfC governance processes;

                          II.          Noted the update in respect of Phase 2 City Wide Strategic Site Assessments, including updates to Area Working Groups, and that further detailed reports and recommendations on next steps would be brought back to the Committee and the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee over the coming months in respect of specific Council lands identified through this process and, as appropriate, wider public sector assets identified as part of the ongoing work of the Housing Led Regeneration Group;

                        III.          Notedthe update in respect of the Private Sector Partner (PSP) Procurement and that a further detailed report and recommendations for appointment of the preferred PSP would be brought back to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee in October 2024; and

                        IV.          Noted the revised date of the All Party Housing Led Regeneration Round Table had been scheduled for Wednesday, 4thSeptember 2024, with representation from Party Group Leaders or their nominees.

            The Committee was provided with an update in respect of 2 Royal Avenue which focused on the outcome of the initial Expression of Interest / soft market testing exercise

undertaken in respect of the future use of the ground floor of the building.

            The Committee:

                         I.           Noted the update on the initial Expression of Interest / Soft Market Testing Exercise in respect of the Ground Foor of 2 Royal Avenue;

                       II.          Noted the next steps which included commencing detailed discussions with parties from the formal interest list who would be asked to develop detailed proposals under agreed categories which would be reported back to Committee in Autumn 2024 and which would be subject to agreement by the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee around financial and asset management aspects; and

                      III.          Noted that as part of the future report to Committee in Autumn 2024, detail on the propositions put forward from the interested parties would be set out against the categories as referenced in 4.5 of the report. 

The Committee considered a report regarding its Quarter 4 financial position.

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

            The Committee was informed of the opportunity and proposed approach to support Belfast-based rural micro businesses to access funding as part of a collaborative bid to DAERA along with the 10 other councils.

            The Committee:

·        Noted and endorsed the opportunity to participate in the Rural Business Development Grant Scheme in 2024-25 funded from the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) through the Tackling Rural Poverty and Social Isolation Programme to support rural businesses in Belfast;

·        Noted that DAERA had confirmed the total capital funding would be £1.5million to support the sustainability and growth of rural micro-businesses and this would be available to all 11 local authorities; and

·        Agreed to Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council (LCCC) undertaking the administrative function for the Grant Scheme on behalf of Belfast City Council as per agreed process for 2024/25.

            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 update Members on the Artist Studios Organisational Grants 2024-2025 and seek approval for the recommended grants.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is requested to:  

·        note the contents of this report and agree the recommendations for artist studio grants, as set out in Appendix 1 of this report.

3.0       Main report

3.1       Members will be aware that at a meeting of City Growth and Regeneration Committee in February 2022, members agreed to open a new funding scheme for artist led organisations to provide financial and development support for this sector. In May 2024, members agreed to continue this support for the third consecutive year and £100,000 has been allocated to support Artist Studios Organisational Grants in 2024/25. 

Background and context

3.2       The ten-year cultural strategy for Belfast, A City Imagining, committed to a broader investment model that considered the diversity of the city’s cultural landscape. In response to detailed consultation with the sector, Committee agreed in February 2022 to bring forward a specific funding programme for studios and artist-led organisations, with the latest audit identifying 17 studios/ artist-led organisations in Belfast directly supporting an estimated 450 artists. This in part is due to the value of artist-led spaces not being effectively captured through traditional metrics such as income generated through ticket sales or audience figures and it was agreed that an alternative form of funding would be developed for artist-led spaces. Belfast City Council’s current support programmes do not include any of these organisations as annual or multi-annual clients.

Organisational funding

3.3       The “Artist Studios Organisational Grants 2024/25” programme was opened on 4th June 2024 and closed on 4th July 2024. The purpose of this strand of work is to provide financial and developmental support to organisations similar to the support offered under cultural multi-annual grants (CMAG).

3.4       The Artist Studios Organisational Grants 2024/25 scheme was advertised widely. The information and application details were emailed directly to a GDPR compliant mailing list representing over 370 organisations from across the cultural and creative sectors alongside associated social media marketing.  An online information session was held in advance of the deadline, as well as organisations availing of one-to-one support sessions with the Culture Development team.

Criteria for Decision making 

3.5       The criteria and guidance for Artist Studios Organisational Grants 2024/25 applicants are included in Appendices 1 and 2. Assessments were made, and scoring applied under four key areas of criteria: 

·             Fit with our investment aims, & themes 3 & 4, of cultural strategy “A City Imagining”

·             Need and potential impact

·             Value for money

·             High quality organisational development plan

3.6       Assessments were made only based on information supplied by the applicant within their submission.  This included the application form and supporting documentation such as business plans and strategies.  

3.7       Organisations or groups operating artist studios were able to apply for up to £10,000 to use towards specified developmental needs within a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

The Committee was reminded that the Council, at its meeting in May, had agreed to write to the Department for Infrastructure to request that consideration be given to the funding of the provision of public transport nighttime services.

            It was reported that a response had been received from the office of the Minister for Infrastructure John O’Dowd MLA, in relation to the matters raised.

            During discussion, the Committee highlighted the need and priority to provide night-time services for the city and economy and requested that officers explore further options, such as festival and events.

            After discussion, the Committee noted the correspondence as set out in Appendix one to the report and that officers would investigate potential options with Translink and event organisers in relation to providing night-time services during festivals and event seasons in the city.

            The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0      Purpose of Report/Summary of Main Issues

1.1       The purpose of this report is to:

·        Update members on outcomes from the Belfast City & Region Place Partnership (BCRPP) 2023 / 2024 Programme including attendance at MIPIM as requested at the meeting of the Committee in June 2024.

2.0       Recommendation

2.1       The Committee is asked to:

                                          I.          Note the update on outcomes from the Belfast City & Region Place Partnership (BCRPP) 2023 / 2024 Programme, including attendance at MIPIM as requested at the meeting of the Committee in June 2024.

                                         II.          Approve attendance by senior officers at MIPIM 2025 as part of the BCRPP 2024 / 2025 programme, noting that the BCRPP presence at MIPIM will be funded from the wider public-private sector BCRPP programme budget.

3.0       Background

3.1       Members will recall that this Committee received an update on the Belfast City & Region Place Partnership (BCRPP) in June 2024. This Committee noted the presentation from representatives from the BRCPP; approved that officers continued to support the delivery of the BCRPP 2024 / 2025 programme including governance processes, administering programme funded expenditure and entering into associated contracts on behalf of and with oversight from the BCRPP and in line with Council’s procurement processes; and approved the Council investment (from existing and approved City Regeneration and Development Budget) as part of the wider public private sector partnership contribution towards the delivery of the BCRPP 2024 / 2025 programme. They also agreed to write to the BCRPP to request that they consider establishing a sub-group of the partnership for community engagement with a focus on social value; and Members deferred consideration of attendance by senior officers at MIPIM 2025 as part of the BCRPP 2024 / 2025 programme until a report was submitted to the Committee in August to outline the tangible benefits of the conference.

3.2       In terms of context setting, Belfast City Council has been working with public and private sector organisations to proactively promote Belfast to local, national and international audiences to attract capital investment to support realising the growth ambitions as set out in the Belfast Agenda, and this has included attendance at various national and international conferences, exhibitions and showcase events, including MIPIM, since 2016. More recently, attendance at MIPIM has been through participation in the BCRPP annual programme of activity, as reported to this Committee in June 2024, and aligned to our wider Positioning the City to Compete proposition, a key programme of work within this Committee’s work plan as agreed at a special meeting of CGR Committee in May.

3.3       Members should note that delivering on our Belfast Agenda ambitions requires a £7.5bn investment. This quantum of investment will require significant private sector funding and institutional investment, highlighting the importance of continued engagement and promotional activities with capital investment markets to positively position Belfast as an attractive investment location.

3.4       Members will also be aware that work has commenced on a ten year stocktake of the Belfast City Centre Regeneration & Investment Strategy (BCCRIS),  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report and associated appendices:

“1.0      Purpose of Report or Summary of Main Issues

1.1       The purpose of this report is to update members on the work relating to the UNESCO City of Music plan and seek approval to the allocation of funding to several important strands of the music strategy.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to:

·        Note the contents of this report and the progress made against areas of the music strategy, ‘Music Matters: A Roadmap for Belfast’

·        Agree the actions for remainder of 2024/25 as set out in the report and in Appendix 1 including budget implications to be met from existing departmental budgets

3.0       Main Report

3.1       At a meeting of City Growth and Regeneration Committee in December 2022, members agreed the final ‘Music Matters: A Roadmap for Belfast’. Mirroring A City Imagining cultural strategy the music strategy has 4 strategic themes, each having 4 strategic priorities. There are several actions and recommendations given for each priority catering to many areas of need across the music sector.

3.2       UNESCO Music delivery is funded from existing recurring and non-recurring departmental funds. At the meeting of the Special Policy and Resources Committee in April 2021, members agreed an allocation of resources to the delivery of the music strategy.  £900k has been allocated towards City of Music and the Music Strategy for delivery on key developmental activities across 2023/24 and 2024/25 respectively.  Members received updates and approved allocations of spend against various initiatives in April, June, August and September 2023.  There has been substantive progress against each of these initiatives, including:

3.3

            The Committee received a presentation from the Creative Programme Manager in relation to the Belfast 2024 Events Programme, which included a range of dance and theatre events, family fun days, outdoor spectacles, a celebratory concert, and the City Hall Immersive Rooms.

The Committee noted the contents of the presentation and the Belfast 2024 programme of events for the coming months.

            The Committee was reminded that, at its meeting in August 2023, an update had been provided on the progress to operationalise and deliver the Enterprise Support Service which had been branded as Go Succeed.

            Since the last update, the service was successfully launched and had now been operational for around eight months.

            It was reported that the new service aimed to be the go-to source for expert business advice across the region. It represented the councils’ collective response to our statutory responsibility and offers a set of connected enterprise support services where individuals, entrepreneurs or businesses could access a continuum of support to meet their needs, depending on their stage of development.

            The key objectives of the model were to:

·        Nurture a strong entrepreneurial culture, recognising enterprise as a viable career option and/or a route out of economic inactivity;

·        Enable a vibrant and productive business base across Northern Ireland;

·        Increase the proportion of ‘innovation-active’ businesses in NI and embed this more firmly with enterprise/ start-up agenda;

·        Diversify the representation amongst those supported by the enterprise and innovation ecosystem;

·        Delivery a service designed with the user in mind;

·        Focus on adding value to existing support available in the ecosystem; and

·        Providing regional coverage while ensuring that delivery reflects local differences/nuances.

            The Committee was informed that the ‘Go Succeed’ provided a continuum of support from early-stage enterprise awareness through to starting, growing, and scaling a business. The concept was that the service would help people get the right support at the right time – and would also help maximise other available funding streams by helping businesses to navigate the complex support ecosystem.

            The service had been established to deliver across three core areas – Start, Grow and Scale – with tailored support for clients aligned with their growth ambitions.

 Start: this element of the service aims to identify individuals with entrepreneurial intentions as well as reaching those individuals who do not have an intention to start a business but could be encouraged to do so. There is specific, targeted support for a range of underrepresented groups. The menu of support available included masterclasses, peer support networks and 1-1 mentoring;

 Grow: this element of the service provides support for existing businesses. 1-1 mentoring is allocated based on the business’ potential to grow and innovate. Masterclass and peer support network activity are also provided to support existing businesses to make key decisions on issues such as entering new markets or accessing finance for growth; and

 Scale: this part of the service is geared to supporting start-ups that have the potential to go on and generate at least £1m in revenue after 3 years. Support is delivered through 1-1 mentoring which aims to enable access to finance or further support through Invest NI, Catalyst or others.

            In addition to the tiered menu of support, small grants of up to £4,000 (and up to 70% of capital/revenue costs) are available to entrepreneurs or businesses accessing support through the service who demonstrate growth potential.

            The delivery was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14a

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0      Purpose of Report

1.1       The purpose of this report is to update members on work being led by the Department of the Economy (DfE) on sub-regional economic development, in line with the Minister’s Economic Vision set out in February 2024. 

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       Members are asked to:

·        Note the update on the work currently being led by DfE around sub-regional economic development.

·        Note the pending development of sub-regional economic development plans and the timelines for council engagement in this activity.

·        Agree to receive a future update on this work with a view to discussing the Belfast City Council priorities.

3.0       Main Report

3.1       Members will be aware that, for some time, the NI government departments – led by DfE – have been considering sub-regional approaches to economic development.  In June 2023, this committee agreed a response to a call for evidence issued by DfE in the context of ‘10X Place’.  That call for evidence sought to build an understanding of how policy could be effectively flexed to meet local economic needs – and also to understand relative strengths across the region.

3.2       The council response covered a range of issues in line with the questions asked.  A summary of the key points raised in that response included:

·        Simply creating a sub-regional tier without additional transfer of statutory authority does not equal sub-regional economic development

·        The critical issue is flexibility of approach to meet local needs

·        Local authority boundaries can be building blocks for building up or drilling down – depending on the issue

·        Concerns at creating another layer/partnership mechanism – propose that it would be more effective to use existing structures

·        Request to understand what elements were ‘in play’ – all of DfE portfolio?  Consideration that wider input/support was critical – particularly from DfC and DfI, given need for critical infrastructure investments to support any economic development activity. 

3.3       Following the restoration of the NI Executive in February 2024, Minister Murphy set out his economic mission. It comprises four key themes, namely:

·        Increase the proportion of the working-age population in ‘Good Jobs’

·        Promote Regional Balance

·        Raise Productivity

·        Reduce Carbon Emissions

3.4       It is our understanding that the 10X Place work has effectively been replaced by the work around ‘promoting regional balance’.  In our recent engagement with DfE and Invest NI regarding sub-regional economic development, we have continued to raise a number of key issues, namely:

·        Role of Belfast as regional driver – research clearly shows that cities play a key role in generating wealth and opportunity.  They need to be supported to play that role – and the benefits that accrue go beyond the city boundaries

·        Ongoing inequities in Belfast – particularly within communities that face multiple disadvantage: there is a £3,474 yearly earnings gap for Belfast based on place of work and place of residence; 6 of the top 10 most deprived wards are in Belfast and the top 15 most deprived wards for the Education, Skills and Training domain of the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15.