Agenda and minutes

An apology was recorded on behalf of Alderman McCoubrey.  

            The minutes of the meeting held on  5th and 12th January were signed as correct, subject to the addition of Councillor Black having removed herself from the room at the meeting on 12th January during discussions in respect of item 2 (a) Community Development Grants Programme 2019/20 under the heading ‘Declarations of Interest’.

Alderman Rodgers declared an interest in respect of agenda item 4 (b), King George V Playing Fields Preferential Use, in that he was a Shareholder of Glentoran Football Club and he removed himself from the room while the matter was under consideration.

            Councillor McAteer declared an interest in respect of agenda item 6 (b), Connswater Community Greenway Trust Animation Plan, as it referred to the West Belfast Partnership Board of which she was a member but as the matter did not become the subject of debate, the Member did not get an opportunity to leave the meeting.

The information contained in the report associated with the following item 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 on the following item as, due to the nature of the item, there would be a disclosure of exempt information as described in Section 42(4) and Section 6 of the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 2014.

            The Committee considered a report which, as previously requested, detailed options and the potential impact of removing the entrance fee for the Adventurous Playground.  The Committee was asked to consider the following four options and to note that, if it choose to adopt either options two, three or four, the corresponding loss of budget needed to be found from with the agreed budgets set for 2019/20:

1.      Option 1 – to do nothing;

2.      Option 2 – to reduce the entrance cost to £1.50 (budget to be found £9,000);

3.      Option 3 – to reduce the entrance cost to £1.00 (budget to be found £13,500); and

4.      Option 4 – to remove the entrance cost (budget to be found £22,500).

            Following consideration of the options, the Committee agreed:

·          to defer the matter to enable a report to be submitted to the April meeting which would contain suggestions as to how options three and four could be progressed; and

·          that the report would include a detailed budget breakdown of the 2019/20 Parks budget and detail specific possible options as to where the loss of income associated with the two options could be found. 

            The Committee was advised that at the meeting of the Strategic Cemetery and Crematorium Working Group held on 25th February, the following key items had been considered:

·        update in respect of revisions to the Memorial Management Policy;

·        update on the Memorial Safety Inspections Programme; and

·        update in respect of New Commonwealth War Graves.

            The Committee approved and adopted the minutes of the meeting of the Strategic Cemeteries and Crematorium Working Group held on 25thFebruary 2019.

The Committee considered a report which detailed a request that had been received from Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council seeking permission to enter into negotiations in respect of a portion of land at the City of Belfast Playing Fields, Mallusk for the installation of a play park. 

            The Director of Neighbourhood Services advised that the section of land that Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council had identified was located just off the front car park and it had detailed a number of reasons as it why it felt that this potential site would be suitable. 

            Following a query regarding the location of the proposed site, the Director confirmed that officers from Belfast City Council were of the view that a play park at this location would provide an enhanced level of service at the site.  In addition, it was noted that Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council would be responsible for all costs associated with the construction of the play park and all ongoing management and maintenance expenses. 

            The Committee granted officers permission to formally commence negotiations with Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council in respect of the installation of a play park, subject to a further report being submitted to the People and Communities Committee.

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 recent engagement with Glentoran Football Club and seek approval to enter into a preferential use agreement with respect to King George V (KGV) Playing Fields.

2.0      Recommendations

2.1      Members are asked to:

§     Note the request for a preferential use agreement from Glentoran FC and the work required to provide suitable pitch facilities at King George V Playing Fields for the club’s Youth Academy.

§     Agree to Belfast City Council entering into a preferential use agreement based on the terms and conditions as outlined in this report.

3.0      Main report

 3.1     Key Issues

Members will be aware that, at its meeting in March 2018, the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee endorsed the recommendation of the East AWG to replace the KGV 3G pitch proposal on the capital programme with a new 3G pitch at Blanchflower Playing Fields.

3.2       In addition, Members requested that officers undertake research into the provision of suitable and convenient pitch facilities for Glentoran Football Club, including its youth academy with an update to be reported back to Committee in due course.

3.3       Following the Strategic Policy and Resources decision in March 2018, officers have investigated the potential for carrying out minor works to KGV, which would bring the existing grass pitches up to a standard suitable for Glentoran or any other groups who may wish to book them.

3.4       Several meetings have taken place with Glentoran in respect of this issue, most recently in November 2018 and February 2019. This has resulted in a request for a preferential use agreement based on the following terms:

1.     Glentoran will have block bookings on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings and also on Saturday mornings for 45 weeks per year throughout a 5 year preferential use agreement – other groups will be able to book the pitches at all other times;

2.     The agreement will cover 2 pitches for a period of 5 years and 1 pitch for a period of 3 years;

3.     Belfast City Council will reserve the right, as with all Council owned playing fields in the city, to determine when pitches are playable;

4.     Bookings will be paid in line with the Council’s agreed city-wide pricing policy for grass pitch bookings. Please note that the prices quoted below are for the 2018/19 financial year and will be subject to inflationary price increases that will be reflected in the citywide pricing structure, which is agreed by Council;

            The Strategic Director of City and Neighbourhood Services summarised the contents of a report which presented a Quarter 3 financial position for the People and Communities Committee, including a forecast of the year end outturn. He advised that the detail included the Quarter 3 position for the Committee which showed an overspend of £171,000 or (0.3%) of the budget, with the forecast year-end position being an under-spend of £335,000 (0.4%) which was well within the acceptable variance limit of 3%.

            The Director advised that the forecast year-end position for the Council was an underspend of £1.689m (1.2%) of the budgeted net expenditure.  He reminded the Members that, as part of the Revenue Estimate setting process for 2019/20, the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, at its meeting held on 22nd February 2019, had agreed that, given the shortfall in available balances to meet the Primark commitments , the rates clawback of 1.2m and holiday back pay, it had agreed to maintain its position that no further reallocations or cash flow payments would be considered until the year end  positions had been presented to the Committee in June 2019.  

            The Committee noted the report, the associated financial reporting pack and the update in respect of the Council’s corporate position.

The Committee was reminded that, at its meeting held on 6th November 2018, it had reserved the right to introduce a ‘social clause’ into legal agreements for use of Council parks and open spaces and agreed that the Council would investigate the introduction of such a clause.

            Subsequently, Legal Services had investigated the request and it had proposed that the best way to integrate ‘social clauses’ into agreements was by adding a percentage levy onto the fee charged to the Promoter, with the money then to be used for social/community purposes in the local areas.

            Promoters and others wishing to run commercial events in the Council’s parks would only be permitted to hold an event on the basis that they agreed to pay a levy on their Licence fee from the Council.  It would be a requirement that the payment of the levy would be made by the promoter in advance of setting up an event.  The levy would be used by the Council for the purposes of funding socially focused projects in the area local to the concert venue. 

            The Committee noted that further work was required to establish a mechanism to allocate the accumulated funds.

            The Committee endorsed that at events:

·        where the venue capacity was between 5,000 and 20,000 persons, a 5% levy would be charged on the Licence fee; and

·        where the venue capacity exceeded 20,000 persons, that a 10% levy would be charged on the Licence fee.

The Committee approved the naming in respect of Gardenmore Way, off Gardenmore Road, BT17 and Windsor Way, off Boucher Road, BT12.

            The Director of Neighbourhood Services drew the Members’ attention to the proposed Connswater Community Greenway (CCG) Animation Plan for 2019/20. 

            She advised that the programme had important regeneration outcomes in relation to health, volunteering and reducing anti-social behaviour.  The Committee noted that the plan had been developed to support the strategic direction of the EastSide Partnership ‘to make Belfast a Better Place’, the Belfast Agenda and the Programme for Government.

            The Committee was advised that the Connswater Community Greenway Trust planned to explore income generation methods which would help with the long term sustainability of the project.  This would include charging for some event activities to cover costs and charging traders who attended ‘fayre’ type events.  She reported that the details of such events would be confirmed and approved in conjunction with the Council’s Events Unit.

            The Committee noted:

·        that under the scheme of delegation the Strategic Director of City and Neighbourhood Services had authority to approve event and activity requests for the use of the parks and open spaces along the Connswater Community Greenway in 2019/20, delivered by the Connswater Community Greenway Trust in partnership with Belfast City Council;

·        noted that under the scheme of delegation, the Strategic Director of City and Neighbourhood Services had authority to approve event and activity requests which might include licensing arrangements such as trading or the selling of alcohol at the main event spaces along the Connswater Community Greenway, including the C.S. Lewis Square, Orangefield Park and Victoria Park; and

·        noted that, whilst an entertainment license was already in place for the C.S. Lewis Square, this agreement would be subject to Connswater Community Greenway Trust meeting all statutory Health and Safety regulations and Licensing requirements.

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 inform Members on the ongoing work between Belfast City Council and the ‘Live Here Love Here’ Campaign (LHLH) and Eco Schools Programme and to seek Committee support for continuation of this work. 

2.0      Recommendations

2.1      The Committee is asked to;

·       Consider proposed option 2, continue with the planned annual funding of £41,000 for LHLH in 2019/20

·       To approve the continuation of the Eco Schools programme at a cost of £14,000 for 2019/20

·        To approve the commencement of an outcomes and value for money review of both LHLH and Eco Schools Programme during the 2019/2020 financial year.

3.0      Main report

3.1      Key Issues

‘Live Here, Love Here’ Campaign

3.2       Members will recall People and Communities Committee (and previously Health and Environmental Services Committee) approved ongoing partnership working and associated financial support for the ‘Live Here, Love Here’ (LHLH) Campaign and the Eco School Programme.

3.3       LHLH (managed by Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful) and has been developed by a partnership of organisations including Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, the Department of Agriculture, Environment, and Rural Affairs and local Councils. Additional supporters; Northern Ireland Housing Executive, Choice Housing, McDonalds, Coca Cola and Tourism NI have contributed to the project.  In year 5 of the campaign (2018/2019) ten councils in Northern Ireland supported the programme, an increase of one on the previous year.  The level of council support for the programme has been calculated by population.

3.4       The programme consists of three elements: a media campaign; a volunteering support programme and; a small grants scheme.  The aims of the LHLH programme are:

·     To create a movement in the Northern Ireland community focused around the concept of civic pride;

·        To effect behavioural change in the public and business community through the promotion of civic pride;

·        To improve the quality of the built and natural environments in Northern Ireland;

·    To continuously improve street and beach cleanliness in Northern Ireland;

·        To promote and support local volunteers and volunteer networks to lead environmental improvement initiatives in their local areas;

·    To encouraging a sense of “active communities” / local activism;

·        To create a sense of ownership among local communities and individuals in waste reduction, waste management and recycling, use of green space;

·    To promote public health through increased community engagement and community involvement in local and regional communities; and

·    To encourage tourism through increasing the aesthetic appeal of the landscape.

3.5       In addition to its anti-littering message, the campaign also aims to improve the local environment by encouraging people to take action in their local communities through volunteering activities.  The campaign consisted of local outdoor, bus and press advertising as well as Northern Ireland wide TV advertising and digital activity.

3.6       Community and other groups within Belfast have benefited directly through the LHLH small grants scheme, with £28,350 allocated for projects in local communities in Belfast in 2018/2019 to encourage civic pride  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6c

The Committee was reminded that, at its meeting held on 4th December 2018, it had approved the development of a new nomination and selection process for participation in the 2019 Pride of Place Competition and agreed that a further report would be submitted to the Committee in due course which would detail the proposed approach.

            The Director of Neighbourhood Services then drew the Members’ attention to the proposed new nomination process, criteria and the estimated costs.  She explained that this year Pride of Place was seeking nominations for the following six award categories under two overarching areas, to which the Council could nominate a maximum of five groups:

            Population

1.      Urban Neighbourhood – population under 1,000;

2.      Urban Neighbourhoods – population1,000 – 2,000; and

3.      Urban Neighbourhoods – population over 2,000.

            Thematic

1.      Creative Places;

2.      Community Well-Being; and

3.      Communities Reaching Out.

She then outlined the proposed nomination process, as follows:

·        list of potential nominees to be compiled by officers;

·        potential nominee to receive, complete and return a short application based on the selection criteria;

·        an assessment panel to consider and score applications and compile a shortlist;

·        recommendations to be presented to the Committee for approval;

·        Pride of Place Application to be completed and returned to Co-operation Ireland; and

·        nominees to be assessed by Pride of Place Judges.

            The Director provided the Committee with a detailed overview of the estimated cost for participation in the competition.  She detailed that the total approximate cost was £3,975 and advised that this could be met from the existing budget.  

            The Committee authorised the Council’s participation in this year’s Pride of Place competition, which would conclude with a Gala Awards Ceremony in Kilkenny on 30th November, and granted authority to officers to implement the selection/nomination process as outlined.

The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0    Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1       To respond to the motion raised at the Council meeting of 4 December 2018, namely;

1.2       The Council recognises that more than a third of marine litter comes directly from the public and half the plastic we use is single use.  In an attempt to address this problem, the Council agrees to work collaboratively with the Harbour Commissioner’s Port of Belfast and the Rivers Agency in establishing and procuring Sea bins, to be placed strategically at points along the River Lagan and Belfast Lough.

2.0      Recommendations

2.1      The Committee is asked to;

·     Note the contents of the report and that the current pilot is underway in the Harbour area and also to note the fact that Seabins are less suitable on rivers.

3.0       Main Report

            Background

3.1       Marine and waterways litter is a major global issue.  The BBC’s Blue Planet opened the public’s eyes to the impact of litter and, specifically, plastics within the marine environment.  Aquatic wildlife are at risk from the floating and submerged debris, often mistaking the plastic as food, leading to digestive difficulties and often resulting in a slow, painful death.

3.2       The sheer scale of this issue can sometimes be daunting and difficult for the public to translate into steps they can take to tackle the matter.  Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful (KNIB), through its “Marine Litter Report 2017”, aims to educate and inform the public in this regard through infographics and research.  Their survey found that on local beaches, 82% of all marine litter was plastic and 30% of all litter was single use plastics (plastic bags, coffee cups, soft drinks cups, plastic bottles, and cutlery).  The most regular offenders are highlighted in a Terrible Top Ten graphic.

3.3       The primary actions to mitigate plastics within waterways are based on avoiding single use plastics, seeking alternatives to plastic packaging where practicable and correctly disposing of waste.  This requires a combination of public behaviour change combined with legislative instruments to drive change within the manufacturing and retail sectors.

3.4       Notable progress has been made in recent years on several preventative measures;

·    discount schemes for refillable coffee cups at a number of high street coffee outlets,

·       refillable water stations – aimed at reducing single use plastic water bottles

·       UK government ban on the use of plastic micro-beads in cosmetic and personal care products (Jan 2018)

·       EU proposed ban on single use plastic products such as, plastic cotton buds, cutlery, plates, straws, drink stirrers and sticks for balloons and plans to make producers cover more of the costs of waste management and clean-up.  Further awareness raising measures are proposed for food containers, packets and wrappers (such as for crisps and sweets), drinks containers and cups, tobacco products with filters (such as cigarette butts), wet wipes, balloons, and lightweight plastic bags (this is called extended producer responsibility – EPR).

3.5       The Council has also been taking strides to minimise single  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6e

The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0    Purpose of Report or Summary of Main Issues

1.1      It is estimated that around two million people living in the UK have a food allergy.Recent cases of severe allergic reactions, including the death of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse after eating a Pret a Manger sandwich, have highlighted issues with food that is prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) i.e. food that has been packed on the same premises from which it is being sold. Currently PPDS foods are not required to carry labels on the packaging. The allergen information must be readily available, including through indications to ask a member of staff and information on allergens can be given in person by the food business operator when asked.

1.2       The Food Standards Agency (FSA) wants to make the rules clearer so consumers are more aware of any allergenic ingredients in the PPDS food they purchase and are consulting on 4 possible options:

1.3       Option 1 – Promote best practice

This would not require a legislative change. Instead, it would require additional activity to promote best practice around communicating allergen information.

1.4       Option 2 – Mandate ‘Ask the Staff’ labels on packaging of PPDS foods, with supporting information for consumers in writing

This would require ‘Ask the Staff’ about allergens labels on all PPDS products. When asked about allergenic ingredients, staff would have to provide supporting information in writing upon request, before the food is purchased.

1.5       Option 3 – Mandate name of the food and allergen labelling on packaging of PPDS foods

This would require PPDS foods to have a label on the packaging to tell the consumer the name of the food and which of the 14 allergenic ingredients specified in law the product intentionally contains.

1.6       Option 4 – Mandate name of the food and full ingredient list labelling, with allergens emphasised, on packaging of PPDS foods

This mandates PPDS foods to have a label naming the food and listing the full ingredients with allergens emphasised on the packaging.

2.0      Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to:

·                 consider and agree the consultation response and recommend option 3 as the preferred option as stated in paragraph 3, point 3.4.

·         note the request that if option 3 is considered to be the appropriate regional option,  that the Food Standards Agency is asked to consider identifying additional resources to support business to implement this and in particular for those that are small, medium enterprises.

3.0       Main Report

Key Issues

3.1       The Food Standards Agency is consulting on amending allergen information provisions contained within domestic food information legislation for food prepacked for direct sale. The full consultation package is available at:

https://consult.defra.gov.uk/agri-food-chain-directorate/consultation-on-amending-allergen-information/

3.2       The Food Information Regulations (NI) 2014 introduced legal requirements to ensure consumers are made aware of the 14 most significant allergenic ingredients in foods. The council is the enforcement authority for these regulations and the Food Safety Unit provides guidance and support to all our local food businesses, including those within  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6f

The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0    Purpose of Report or Summary of Main Issues

1.1       The new legislative control, the Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) Act NI 2016 completed Final Stage on 15th March 2016 and received Royal Assent on 12th May 2016. On commencement of this Act HMO regulation will transfer to local Councils.

1.2       The Committee will recall an update paper presented at the meeting on 4th December 2018, and the papers of 10th April, 8th May and 4th September 2018.

1.3       Two papers were presented to the Licensing Committee on 20th February 2019, which provided further detail regarding the fees, Fixed Penalty Notices, the management of Antisocial Behaviour and the Standard Conditions for the new scheme. 

1.4       This paper provides a summary of the detail taken to the Licensing Committee in 20th February 2019, regarding the fees, Fixed Penalty Notices, the management of Antisocial Behaviour and the Standard Conditions for the new scheme.

2.0      Recommendations

2.1      The Committee is asked to:

·       Note the report and that the Licensing Committee, at their meeting of 20th February 2019, agreed the recommendations regarding the fees, Fixed Penalty Notices, the management of Antisocial Behaviour and the Standard Conditions for the new scheme which takes effect from 1st April 2019.

3.0      Main report

Key Issues

Fees

3.1       The Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) Act NI 2016 received Royal Assent on 12th May 2016 and is due to be commenced on 1st April 2019.  The Department of Communities (DfC) will also be laying some subordinate Regulations at the same time, one of which is the Houses of Multiple Occupation (Fees) Regulations (NI) 2019. This sets the maximum level of fee for an application for a HMO licence at £45 per person per annum.

3.2       DfC has carried out a stakeholder engagement in relation to the subordinate legislation and the feedback from stakeholders had been fully reviewed. No concerns were raised in that engagement in relation to the maximum fee which is being proposed in the Regulations. 

3.3       Whilst the Regulations set a maximum fee level of £45,following the preparation of a draft budget, and a subsequent detailed review by external consultants,it is proposed to set the fee at £37 per person per annum which, it is estimated, will allow the service to be provided on a cost neutral basis. The fee will be subject to review after two years by both council officers and DfC. 

3.4       In preparing the draft budget, the estimated expenditure includes full staff costs, non-staff costs and overhead costs.  Overhead costs include the costs of a solicitor who will be recruited to provide the additional legal support that will be needed to support the new licensing regime.

3.5       The estimated income includes deferred income from the old Registration Scheme which will be received from the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) and income from new applications. 

3.6       Members should note that while the costs of the new scheme are anticipated to remain relatively constant, apart from planned  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6g

            The Committee was advised that a request had been received from the Mary Peters Trust seeking the Council’s financial assistance to help support the work of the Trust for the 2019/20 financial year. 

            The Director of Neighbourhood Services detailed that an agreement was in place to co-ordinate funding allocations between the Mary Peters Trust, GLL Sports Foundation and Support for Sport individual grants in order to avoid duplication.  She stated that it was suggested that a contribution of £5,000 be made to the Trust, which was in line with contributions from previous years.  

            The Committee agreed funding of £5,000 to the Mary Peters Trust which provided significant financial support for developing talented athletes from Belfast.

The Director of City Services referred to the following Motion which had been proposed by Councillor Mullan and seconded by Alderman Spence at the January meeting of the Council:

“This Council notes with concern the impact that inter-generational loneliness and social isolation is having across the City.

The Council recognises the good work already being done in the Council to address these problems but acknowledges that more needs to be done.  Other agencies, such as Age NI, the Red Cross and the Campaign to End Loneliness are also recognising loneliness as a significant emerging issue.

Due to the Northern Ireland Assembly not currently functioning, we are now falling behind other administrations in addressing these problems at an Executive level.

Accordingly, the Council agrees to consider how best it can develop an inter-agency approach to address the problems, including working with partner agencies in the statutory, community and voluntary sectors.”

            She then proceeded to provide a detailed of overview of the ongoing work which the Council was currently involved with. 

            The Committee noted that through the following two work streams much was being done to increase the availability of support to older people in an attempt to reduce loneliness:

·        Age-friendly Belfast Plan 2018-2021; and

·        Citywide Group on Reducing Isolation and Loneliness.

            The Director advised that, through the Belfast Agenda, the Council was committed to ensuring an Age-friendly Belfast.  She reminded the Committee that the second Citywide Partnership Plan Age-friendly Belfast Plan 2019-2021 had been launched last year with the thematic areas Partnership, Infrastructure, Social Inclusion, Health and Wellbeing and Financial Security.

            She then referred to the Citywide group on reducing isolation and loneliness.  As part of the previous Age-friendly Plan, a sub-group of the Healthy Ageing Strategic Partnership had been established in March 2017 to look at isolation and loneliness and she detailed its membership.  The current actions for that group were as follows:

·        to increase the availability of befriending and other services to reduce loneliness in older people;

·        to carry out a needs analysis and pilot training for key staff and volunteers on reducing isolations and loneliness in older people;

·        to develop and test systematic referral pathways to connect older people to services that they needed; and

·        to map isolation and loneliness amongst older people in Belfast.

            The Committee noted that, whilst the work under the Age-friendly Belfast Plan mainly focused on older people, loneliness was an issue for all ages.  The Director reported that Linking Generations NI was a member of the Healthy Ageing Strategic Partnership and was working to establish a Belfast Intergenerational Network to support Integration Work across the City.

            The Director advised that the Citywide Group was hosting a ‘Morning of Action on Loneliness’ in the City Hall on Monday, 17th June, to highlight both the problems and indeed the many programmes and facilities that were available to help and encourage people to connect.  The event would strive to ensure negative stereotypes were not used and would actively assist in de-stigmatising loneliness.  She advised the Members  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6i

The Committee was reminded that it had previously endorsed the approach by Waste Management to provide a disposal outlet for waste collected by The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) on Department for Communities (DfC) lands in the Poleglass area of Belfast. 

            The Strategic Director of City and Neighbourhood Services advised that the DfC had retendered the service and TCV had been awarded the contract.  He explained that the contract was aimed at carrying out a range of environmental improvement initiatives and to ensure fly-tipped waste was collected and disposed of appropriately.

            The existing Service Level Agreement (SLA) between the Council and TCV was due to expire on 1st May, 2019.  The SLA permitted TCV to use Blackstaff Household Recycling Centre to deposit waste and recyclable materials collected from the Poleglass area.  In line with the Council’s current arrangements for charities, the collection/disposal of waste was charged at a discounted rate. 

            The Director advised that, to date, the SLA had worked well as it had contributed to a cleaner, greener City and, in addition, it supported a full-time team of five Community Project Officers within TCV.  He stated that, given the new contract between the DfC and TCV, it was proposed that the Council would enter into a new SLA to reflect the extended timescale and ensure continuity of service.

            The Committee approved the continuation of the Service Level Agreement approach used to accept waste collected by The Conservation Volunteers during daily clean-up operations in Poleglass, inherited as part of the Local Government Reform process in 2015.

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 Members for requests to host events in a number of parks, namely:

I.                 Request from the Northern Ireland Boys’ Football Association (NIBFA) to have free use of the facilities at the City of Belfast Playing Fields, Mallusk on Saturday 31st August 2019 and Saturday 7th September 2019, for its annual football festival.

II.               Request from Pieta House to have free use of Ormeau Park for its ‘Darkness Into Light’ charity fundraiser walk at on Saturday 11th May 2019. 

III.              Request from the Belfast City Marathon Ltd., for the free use of Ormeau Park for the Belfast City Marathon on Sunday 5th May 2019.

IV.             Request from the A Bit Of  A Do, an Events and Corporate Entertainment organisation to host a ‘Big Picnic’ in Drumglass Park from 14.00 – 20.00 on Saturday 15th June 2019.

2.0      Recommendations

2.1      The Committee is asked to approve the:

§     Request from the Northern Ireland Boys’ Football Association (NIBFA) to have free use of the facilities at the City of Belfast Playing Fields, Mallusk on Saturday 31 August 2019 and Saturday 7 September 2019, for its annual football festival and all subsequent years, subject to conditions set out in 2.2.

§     Request from Pieta House to have free use of Ormeau Park for its ‘Darkness Into Light’ charity fundraiser walk on Saturday 11 May 2019subject to conditions set out in 2.2.

§     Request from the Belfast City Marathon Ltd., for the free use of Ormeau Park for the Belfast City Marathon on Sunday 5 May 2019subject to conditions set out in 2.2.

§     Request from the A Bit Of A Do, an Events and Corporate Entertainment organisation to host a ‘Big Picnic’ in Drumglass Park from 14.00 – 20.00 on Saturday 15 June 2019, with set up and take down before and afterwards,subject to conditions set out in 2.2 and 2.3.

2.2       The Committee is asked to grant authority to the Strategic Director of City and Neighbourhood Services, to approve future requests under delegated authority and subject to satisfactory terms being agreed and on condition that the Event Organiser:

   §       completes the appropriate Event Management Plan;

   §       resolves all operational issues to the Council’s satisfaction;

   §       meets all statutory requirements including Public Liability Insurance cover, Health and Safety, licensing responsibilities; and

   §            shall consult with adjoining public bodies and local communities, as necessary.

2.3       The Committee is asked that, in relation to the request from ‘A Bit of A Do’ to host a Big Picnic in Drumglass Park on 15 June 2019, that they grant authority to the Strategic Director of City and Neighbourhood Services subject to satisfactory terms being agreed and on condition that:

§   The event organiser completes an appropriate legal agreement, to be prepared by the City Solicitor;

§   The use of the site on this date will  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6k

"This Council notes the frustration caused by fly tipping across the city and the visual impact it has on local areas.

Councils are responsible for the enforcement and policing of fly tipping and currently we can only enforce this by checking through what has been dumped and getting names and addresses from that. This can carry a fine of up to £2,500.

We are asking for Council to review its current processes for dealing with fly tipping particularly around enforcement. In order to do this, we should look at models of best practice from elsewhere. 

This review should come back to committee for us to explore the findings and plan a new way forward that will see us tackle the issue of fly-tipping in a more efficient manner.”

            In accordance with notice on the agenda, Councillor Murphy raised the following matter:

"This Council notes the frustration caused by fly tipping across the city and the visual impact it has on local areas.

Councils are responsible for the enforcement and policing of fly tipping and currently we can only enforce this by checking through what has been dumped and getting names and addresses from that. This can carry a fine of up to £2,500.

We are asking for Council to review its current processes for dealing with fly tipping particularly around enforcement. In order to do this, we should look at models of best practice from elsewhere. 

This review should come back to committee for us to explore the findings and plan a new way forward that will see us tackle the issue of fly-tipping in a more efficient manner.”

            The Committee agreed that a report would be submitted to a future meeting which would review the Council’s current processes for dealing with flying tipping and suggest ways in which the Council might look at other areas of best practice.

The Committee was reminded that, at the meeting of Council on 4th March, the following motion, which had been proposed by Councillor Heading and seconded by Councillor Long, had been referred to the Committee for consideration:

“The importance of trees to the ambience, amenity and beauty of cities and to the wellbeing of their citizens is universally recognised, as is the role they play in promoting public health by combatting the air pollution that is linked to a range of medical conditions including asthma, heart and lung diseases, and early onset Alzheimer’s.

Cognisant of these benefits, and consistent with this Council’s commitment to transform the way in which post-conflict Belfast is perceived by its citizens, potential investors, and visitors from home and abroad, the Council agrees to position Belfast as a leading sustainable, green city, by facilitating the planting of at least a million trees in Belfast over the next fifteen years.”

            The Committee agreed that a report would be submitted to a future meeting which would investigate ways in which the Council could help facilitate the planting of at least a million trees in Belfast over the next fifteen years.