Agenda and minutes

            Apologies for inability to attend were recorded on behalf of Alderman McCoubrey and Councillors McReynolds and Mulholland. 

            The Chairperson, on behalf of the Committee, extended his condolences to Councillor Mulholland on the recent death of her father. 

            The minutes of the meeting of 8th February were taken as read and signed as correct.

            It was reported that the minutes had been adopted by the Council at its meeting on 1st March.

            Councillor Corr declared an interest in item 2 (c) Belfast Citywide Tribunal Service in that he was an employee of Falls Community Council who were in receipt of funding.

            The following Members declared an interest in item 2 (e) in relation to the Community Provision Grant Funding Update, as they either worked for or were associated with an organisation in receipt of funding from the DfC. All Members left the meeting whilst the matter was being discussed. 

·        Councillor Black, on the basis that she managed the Grosvenor Community Centre; 

·        Councillor Verner, in that she was an employee of the Greater Shankill Partnership (Spectrum Centre);

·        Councillor Corr, in that he was an employee of Falls Community Council; and

·        Alderman Copeland as her daughter was chair of the GVRT.

            Councillor Smyth declared an interest in item 5 (a) Partners Agreements Update and Rosario Youth Centre request, in that he was a Member of Ulidia Playing Fields Steering Committee. As there was no discussion on the report he was not required to leave the meeting.

Mr. R. Black

            The Members were informed that this would be the last meeting of the People and Communities Committee which would be attended by Mr. Ryan Black, Director of Neighbourhood Services, as he would be leaving the Council at the end of the week to take up the post of Strategic Director of Communities and Place with Mid Ulster District Council.

            The Chairperson and several other Members thanked the Director for his valuable contribution during his time with the Council and wished him well in his new role.

            The Director thanked the Members for their kind remarks.

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

      Resolved – That the Committee agrees to exclude the Members of the Press and public from the Committee meeting during discussion on the following 5 items as, due to their nature, 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 noted the contents of a report which summarised the Quarter 3financial position for the People and Communities Committee, which had an under-spend of £3.26m (5.1%), with the forecast year end position being an under spend of £1.95m (2.3%) which was within the acceptable variance limit of 3%.

            The Committee noted that the main reasons for the quarter 3 Committee under-spend related to vacant posts across a number of services, the receipt of additional income and the timing of grants and programmes.

            The Committee noted the Quarter 3 financial position and the associated financial reporting pack.

            The Director of Neighbourhood Services referred the Members to the preliminary findings of the review of the recent Bright Lights event that had been delivered by Wonderland Promotions Ltd. during November, December 2021 and January 2022.

            The report highlighted that ticket sales had been much lower than predicted and also referred to a number of complaints that had been received in regard to ticket pricing, the length of time the park was disrupted and the lack of value for money for the experience.  It also noted that the Council’s Environmental Health Section had dealt with several complaints around the environmental impact of the event in the area.

            The Director advised that the organiser had acknowledged that there were areas that needed to be improved before the proposed December 2022 event and he drew the Members’ attention to draft proposals that had been submitted by the promoter.  He also detailed that the promoter had indicated that he would be willing to attend a future meeting to address the issues raised directly. 

            Discussion ensued regarding the number of complaints received, the lack of community engagement undertaken by the promoter and the overall environmental impact on the park. 

            It was subsequently,

Moved by Councillor Smyth,

Seconded by Councillor Flynn,

      “That the Committee agrees to revoke the licence to Wonderland Promotions Ltd. for all future ‘Bright Light Events’ at Botanic Gardens.”

Amendment

            Moved by Councillor Cobain,

            Seconded by Councillor Garrett,

      “That any decision regarding future events be deferred to enable the promoter to attend a future meeting of the Committee, where the concerns highlighted and proposed areas for change to the event scheduled for 2022 could be considered.”

            On a vote, fourteen Members voted for the amendment and 2 against, and it was declared carried.  The amendment was put as the substantive motion and passed.

            The Director of Neighbourhood Services took the Committee through the details of a request received from the Belfast Citywide Tribunal Service (BCTS) seeking financial support for the 2022/23 financial year at a total cost of £342,278.

            He provided an overview of the work of the BCTS and reminded the Members that it also comprised the following 5 area consortia which received financial support from the Council for the provision of generalist advice services:

ŸNorthBelfast Advice Consortium;

ŸEastBelfast Advice Partnership;

ŸWestBelfast Advice Consortium;

ŸSouthBelfast IndependentAdvice Group; and

ŸCentralBelfast Advice Consortium.

            The Committee was reminded that, in the 2021/22 financial year, the Council and the Department for Communities (DFC) had provided a total amount of £198,900 towards the costs of delivering the Belfast Citywide Tribunal Service.  This funding had been in response to a total funding request for the service of £257,000 and had included £128,500 of direct Council funding and £70,400 received from DfC towards Welfare Reform Mitigations - Tribunal Representation.

            The Director detailed that, in addition to this financial support towards running costs, the service had also received £15,000 to develop a 3–5-year business plan.  He advised that it was anticipated that this plan would help enable the BCTS to secure sustainable medium-term funding and to avoid the pattern where the service sought funding from the Council on an annual short-term basis.  The plan was currently still being development in conjunction with Council officers and he drew the Members’ attention to a draft that had been circulated with the agenda. Currently there was insufficient information in the draft plan to assess the level of investment that would bring maximum benefit to the residents of Belfast.

            The Director advised that the Council currently had an available 2022/23 budget of £90,000 which it could contribute towards the running of the Tribunal Service. In addition, the DfC had confirmed it would be making another allocation, in line with the 2021/22 award, towards Welfare Reform Mitigations - Tribunal Representation (£70,400). This would represent a total available budget of £160,400 to support the operation of BCTS in 2022/23.  He continued that use of the total available budget would leave a shortfall of £181,878 to meet the full BCTS request for support.

            The Members noted that a Notice of Motion was due to be considered at the March meeting of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee that directly related to the funding of the BCTS in 2022/23.

            The Director continued that, to assess other potential sources of funding for the BCTS, Council officers had contacted the DfC to explore whether it could offer any direct support. The DfC officers had advised that they did not anticipate that there would be any open funding streams to which BCTS could apply.  In addition, there was no funds over and above what had been currently allocated (including the 2022/23 welfare reform allocations and framework). The DfC had scheduled a strategic planning day for regional advice services in March and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

            The Director of Neighbourhood Services drew the Members’ attention to a report which provided an overview of the ongoing societal issues in the Wider University and Lower Ormeau area, along with the proposed approach to try and address these areas of concern through a ‘Wider University Intervention Proposal’.

            He provided a timeline of the positive suggestions put forward by the various stakeholder groups, one of which was the creation of a delivery group for the area that would lead on the development of a long-term vision as well as helping to address the immediate challenges more efficiently.

            The Director referred specifically to the ‘Wider University Intervention Proposal’, that had been developed in collaboration with government departments, and sought to take on board learning from previous studies and recommendations. The Members were advised that the proposal included the provision of a dedicated Intervention Manager, that would be jointly funded by government departments, and employed via the Council, to co-ordinate a programme of activities that would be agreed by the Community Planning Partners.  He reported that it was anticipated that recruitment for this position would commence in early March, subject to funding agreements being secured in advance of formal appointment. The Members noted that the funding contribution of the Partners was as follows:

·        DfC - £25,000

·        DfI - £10,000

·        PHA - £15,000

·        DPSCP - £15,000

            The Director took the Members through the specific details of the Wider University and Lower Ormeau proposed Intervention along with the details of both the short- and medium-term objectives.  He advised that it was felt that the proposed area-based approach offered a real opportunity to make a sustained impact in the Wider University area as it focused on how agencies and city and community partners could work together to tailor resources, projects and/or interventions where it was believed that opportunities existed to collaborate and improve outcomes at a local level.  It was anticipated that by adopting this approach sustainable and positive relationships could be built between community stakeholders and key agencies and that service delivery and provision of resources could be better integrated and aligned. 

            He then drew the Members’ attention to responses that had been received from the NI Executive, QUB and the Ulster University following issues raised by the Council in the Holylands Tsar Notice of Motion which had been passed at the October 2021 Council meeting.  He advised that it was felt that this role and the entire intervention proposal would achieve the objectives that had been set out in the Motion.

            The Committee noted the update in respect of the Wider University and Lower Ormeau Intervention, and agreed that the proposal also satisfied the objective of the NOM relating to the Holyland Tsar, which could now be formally closed.

            (Mrs. M. Higgins, Lead Officer, attended in connection with this item.)

            The Director of Neighbourhood Services advised that, as the Members would be aware, the Department for Communities (DfC) provided an annual grant to the Councils to help with the delivery of the Community Support Programme (CSP).

            He then specifically referred to a statement by the Minister for Communities in December 2021, when it had been announced that changes were being introduced for organisations directly funded by the Department to offer funding at a level that would allow employer organisations in the Sector to offer ‘fair pay’ and associated conditions.

            The Members noted the changes, as follows: 

·             allocations to allow employing organisations to ensure Real Living Wage (RLW);

·             a consolidated 2% increase on current level of support provided by the Department for salaried posts (which had been calculated after ensuring the level of support to meet RLW rates);

·             a 7% non-consolidated payment (which had been calculated following application of steps I. and II above); and

·             an increase in support to allow for an increase in employer’s pension contributions from the Governments recommended minimum level of 3% to 5%.

            The Director proceeded to outline the proposed approach for allocation of the uplift which would be applied to organisations supported under the Community Support Programme with funded staffing costs during 2021/22.  The uplift payment, equal to 9% of the funded staffing costs, would be issued to these organisations for the 2021/22 financial year. He advised that the Council would request organisations to ensure that this funding was used in line with DfC guidance around the use of the ‘Fair Funding’ uplift and offer “fair pay” and associated conditions for those employed in the Voluntary and Community Sector to enable those employed in the Voluntary and Community Sector to receive RLW rates.

The Director advised that the allocations provided by the DfC provided the total budget for applying this uplift and there was no need for additional funding from the Council to implement this change.

            Following a query from a Member regarding also applying this uplift to Independently Managed Community Centres, the Director advised that the uplift could only be applied to those organisations that had been directly supported under the Community Support Programme.  He undertook to report back outlining which grant programmes staff could apply for staff costs under and whether the current framework for these could be changed and to provide clarity if the funding could provide support for increased costs for fuel/utilities.

            The Lead Officer advised that a report regarding the Framework for Capacity and Community Grants was being submitted to the April meeting of the Committee for consideration. 

            The DfC had stated that they would apply a 2% uplift to wage costs on an ongoing basis for directly funded posts, however, there was no indication from the DfC whether it would make an additional allocation to the CSP to support a similar increase for staff funded through the CSP. Based on current costs, an increase  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

The Director of Neighbourhood Services informed the Members that the Standards and Business Committee, at its meeting on 22nd February, had referred the following motion, which had been proposed by Councillor Smyth and seconded by Councillor O’Hara, to the People and Communities Committee for consideration:

“This Council notes the spiralling cost of energy bills and the increased pressure on households across the City particularly the most vulnerable. In order to provide long-term solutions to escalating energy prices this Council will:

·             Commit to civic leadership on the development of community energy projects across the City. These projects will focus on developing renewable energy in partnership with communities and expert organisations, including the provision of electric vehicle charging infrastructure and sourcing financing for these community energy projects;

·             Engage with the Department for the Economy for support in developing community energy schemes; and 

·             Write to the UK Government Treasury stating our support for a Windfall Tax on the Energy Companies who have recorded record profits.

For the purpose of this motion, the use of the term ‘community energy’ to mean community projects or initiatives focused on the four strands of reducing energy use, managing energy better, generating energy or purchasing energy. This included communities of place and communities of interest. These projects or initiatives share an emphasis on community ownership, leadership or control where the community benefits”.

            The proposer of the motion, Councillor Smyth, addressed the Committee and suggested that, having discussed this with the Director of Neighbourhood Services, that the motion be referred to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee as it was not felt that it fell within the remit of the People and Communities Committee.

            The Committee agreed to refer the motion on the Energy Price Crises to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee.

The Director of Neighbourhood Services reported that responses had been received on behalf of the Minister for Infrastructure from her Private Secretary and from the Minister for Communities available here in response to the Motion – Street Tree Planting, which had been proposed by Councillor McMullan and seconded by Councillor Long and subsequently passed by the Committee at its meeting on 7th December.

            The Committee noted the responses and agreed to the closure of the motion.

The Director of Neighbourhood Services reported that responses had been received from the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs and the Committee responsible for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland Assembly available herein response to the Motion – End of Hunting of Mammals with Dogs, which had been proposed by Councillor McReynolds and seconded by Councillor McAllister and subsequently passed by the Council at its meeting on 10th January.

            The Committee noted the responses and agreed to the closure of the motion.

The Director of Neighbourhood Services drew the Members’ attention to a response that had been received from the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs available herein response to correspondence that had been issued by the Committee following its meeting on 8th February.

            The Committee noted the Minister’s response.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0      Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1       This report is to provide an update on progress on implementation of Belfast Boxing Strategy for October to December 2021 (Quarter 3).

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to:

·        Note the Quarter 3 progress report and the impacts of Covid-19 restrictions on agreed KPIs

·        Approve the 2022-2023 action plan and budget

3.0       Main report

            Background

3.1       Council agreed, through the January 2018 Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, to provide £200,000 to the Irish Athletic Boxing Association Ulster Branch (IABA) for delivery of an agreed annual action plan supporting the Belfast Boxing Strategy.

3.2       The IABA provided SP&R with a detailed breakdown of programmes to be delivered under six main areas. Salary – Development Officer and Coaches, Pathways, Events, Coach Education, Club Support, Governance.

3.3       Following this decision the Belfast Boxing Strategy Steering Group has met quarterly, with the most recent meetings held online due to Covid-19 and associated regulations. This Steering Group is chaired by the Director of Neighbourhood Services with Council Officers, IABA Officers and Officials and Co. Antrim Board Officials attending. Small variations to the budget across the six areas have been agreed to assist prioritisation in line with the agreed annual action plan.

            Monitoring

3.4       The Leisure Development Unit works directly with IABA officials to verify reporting on performance and finance and provides detailed reports for discussion at the Steering Group.

            Performance

3.5       Council agreed a total of 37 Indicators with IABA to monitor delivery of the programmes. IABA have complied with reporting requirements and their performance report for 20/21 Quarter 3 is at Appendix 1. As can be noted, achievement of targets in-year to date have continued to be significantly impacted by Covid-19 regulations and restrictions as imposed by NI Executive. However as Covid Restrictions have been eased many previously deferred programmes will now take place within Quarter 4. IABA have provided narrative against each of the KPIs to describe progress against each indicator and have advised that Covid restrictions to date will prevent some of the targets from being achieved at year end.

3.6       Much of the focus in terms of method of delivery has changed and a large number of participants  have been able to  avail of online training and workshops for both committee members and coaches, as well as delivering online workout sessions, supporting clubs with accreditation or reaccreditation, as well as with funding applications and providing ongoing advice and support.

            22/23 Action Plan

3.7       In line with normal process the IABA have developed their programme action plan relating to 22/23 (copy attached at Appendix 2 which outlines the key programmes, initiatives and planned targets for the next year.

            Financial & Resource Implications

3.8       A total of £200,000 is available within the current financial year to support the Action Plan. It is likely that the full budget will be expended for 2021 – 2022 .  For the 2022 – 2023 action plan, an amount of £200,000  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15.

            The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0      Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1       To advise Committee of progress with the Stadia Community Benefits Initiative (SCBI) and update on the action plan.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to

·        Note progress to date.

3.0       Main report

3.1      The Council has been undertaking the Leisure Transformation Programme to renew its Leisure facilities across the City. This Programme has been influenced by the Partnership opportunities presented by the NI Executive Stadia Programme.

3.2      The Council, Department for Communities (DfC) and the Irish Football Association (IFA) have recognised the opportunities presented by the Stadia Programme, have committed to work together to maximise these benefits, and have agreed to establish a Stadium Community Benefits Initiative as part of the Belfast Community Benefits Initiative to implement and deliver agreed objectives including promoting equality, tackling poverty, and tackling social exclusion within the Belfast area.

3.3      In March 2016 the Council, DfC and IFA signed an agreement which sets out their respective commitments to the project. As other major stadia are developed in Belfast it is anticipated that other sports governing bodies shall become parties to the agreement. At its April 2018 meeting People and Communities committee agreed that Council would work with the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) within the Stadia Community Benefits Initiative and recognised their significant planned investment in Gaelic Games in the city to support their Gaelfast strategy. GAA activities became fully incorporated into the action plan at the start of financial year 2019-2020, with Gaelfast staff imbedded into the governance structure at Communications Board, Delivery Board, Policy and Performance Board.

3.4      The agreement is for a period of ten years with financial commitment from Council and IFA in place to the end of March 2026. Delivery is managed through monthly meetings of the Delivery Board, which reports quarterly to the Policy and Performance Board. Financial and performance reports will be presented to Council and other partners’ Boards as necessary. Formal review of the agreement will be carried out in this financial year in accordance with the requirements to review at years 5 and 10.

3.5      The Policy & Performance Group is responsible for agreeing the Benefits Realisation Plan and associated annual targets. Work was undertaken to ensure the end benefits/outcomes are aligned to partners’ strategies. To measure the progress of this the Council and the IFA have developed a range of indicators/intermediate benefits which are monitored through programme delivery:

a.      Number of coaching sessions provided

b.     Number of coaches engaged in delivering coaching

c.      Number of sessions improving club governance

d.     Number of volunteering opportunities

e.      Participation opportunities for under 16s

f.       Female participation rates

g.     Number of people completing skills development programme

h.     Number of sessions for under-represented groups

i.       Number of sessions for school and youth groups

j.       Community group usage of stadia

k.      Number of clubs attaining club-mark

l.       Educational opportunities

m.    Number of programmes targeting ASB

n.     Improved collaborative working

o.     Number of disabled participants  ...  view the full minutes text for item 16.

            The Committee noted the quarterly progress report in relation to Partner Agreements at seven sites and that all Partners had been compliant on reporting matters and financial checks for October– December 2021.

            The Director of Neighbourhood Services then referred to a request from Rosario YC seeking an extension of the existing management arrangements for Ulidia Playing Fields that had been previously agreed in January 2019.  At that time, the Committee had agreed to provide an additional monthly amount of £2,000 to support Rosario in creating part-time posts to operate the site to the Council’s standards to be effective until the end of March 2020.  He reported that subsequent requests had been approved by the Committee to extend this arrangement until 31st March 2022.

            Subsequently, a request had been received in January 2022 advising that the Community Assets Transfer process had commenced and requesting that the £2,000 per month payment be continued until the process had been completed.

            The Committee noted the progress to date at the Partner Agreement sites and agreed to continue to provide a maximum financial payment of up to £2,000 per month up to a maximum of £24,000 for staff costs, subject to the vouching of fully evidenced expenditure. 

The Committee was reminded that, at its meeting on 7thDecember 2021, it had agreed to consult on two options for the name of the new park and sports zone at the Divis Back Path.

            The Members were advised that a full public consultation had been undertaken using the Council’s Your Say webpage between 11th January and 15thFebruary 2022.  A total of 495 responses had been received, with the breakdown as follows:

- Divis Back Path Park: 80 in favour (16%)

- Páirc an Lonnáin: 415 in favour (84%)

            The Committee approved the name, Páirc an Lonnáin for the new park and sports zone at the Divis Back Path.

            (Mr. I. Harper, Building Control Manager, attended in connection with this item.)

            The Committee approved the application for naming a new street in the City as set out below:

The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0      Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1      All Councils act as agents for the Drinking Water Inspectorate for Northern Ireland (DWI) by undertaking a monitoring and sampling regime of private water supplies under The Private Water Supplies Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009 (as amended).  The purpose of this report is to ask the Committee to note the updated SLA to enable Councils to provide its services in respect of private drinking water regime.

2.0      Recommendations

2.1      The Committee is invited to:

·        Consider and endorse the updated draft Service Level Agreement and authorise the Director of City and Neighbourhood Services to sign the agreement on the Council’s behalf.

3.0      Main report

3.1      The Drinking Water Inspectorate for Northern Ireland (DWI) have reviewed and updated the current service level agreement.  This agreement outlines the arrangement between the Drinking Water Inspectorate for Northern Ireland (DWI) and the City and Neighbourhood Service Department of Belfast City Council (CNS), appointed as a competent person, for the purposes of undertaking on behalf of the DWI risk assessments and sampling of private water supplies under The Private Water Supplies Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009 (as amended).

3.2      The objectives of the Agreement are to continue the administrative provision under which the Council provides the professional services of council staff in roles where they are acting as agents of the DWI.  This arrangement has been in place since 2015 and it enables the Council to provide sampling, risk assessment, and investigatory services, including staff and resources to DWI and to define each party’s role, responsibilities and obligations. It also enables the DWI to individually authorise the Council to carry out duties on their behalf. The agreement will be in place for 2 years and then bi-annually subject to a review process.

3.3      The DWI expect each of the 11 district Councils to have a service level agreement in place to provide this service on their behalf.

3.4      The updated service level agreement sets out the contractual arrangements for the delivery of this activity includes a new data processing contract between the Council and the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA).

3.5      Belfast City Council staff currently sample and risk assess 11 private water supplies in Belfast on the DWI’s behalf.  An annual programme of sampling is issued by 31 December each year and the sampling programme frequency is determined risk assessment process.

            Financial & Resource Implications

3.7      The DWI have set the following fees for all District Councils:

            Schedule of fees         

            Equality or Good Relations Implications/Rural Needs Implications

3.8      There are no relevant equality considerations associated with the delivery of the service level agreement.”

            Following a query from Councillor Smyth  ...  view the full minutes text for item 22.

The Committee approved the appointment of the following suitably qualified persons as Public Analyst to the Council under Article 27(1) of the food Safety Order (Northern Ireland) Order 1991:

·          Duncan Kenelm Arthur BSc, MChemA, CChem, MRSC

·          Nigel Kenneth Payne MSc, MChemA, CChem, MRSC

·          Lilian Emma Jane Downie MChem, MChemA, CChem, MRSC

·          Michelle Evans BSc, MChemA, CChem, MRSC

·          Donna Hanks BSc, MChemA, MRSC

·          Mary Butts MSc, MChemA, MRSC

            The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0      Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1      That the Committee confirm support for a 2-year extension to the current contract for the partnership liaison officer (PLO) post until the end of the 2023/2024 financial year to enhance collaborative working between the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland and district councils.

2.0      Recommendations

2.1      The Committee is asked to:

·        Approve the continued funding for the H&S PLO post until the end of the 2023/2024 financial year.

3.0      Main report

3.1      The Committee will be aware that the post of Partnership Liaison Officer (PLO) is a joint resource created to ensure the effective partnership working relationships and operational delivery of the joint Health and Safety strategy between the local authorities across Northern Ireland and the HSENI. Please see Appendix 1 for H&ES Committee minutes of 3rd March 2010 providing background to necessity for the post.

3.2      A letter has been received from Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council seeking support from Belfast City Council to continue funding the post (Appendix 2).

            Key Issues

3.3      The post has been of significant benefit to Councils by providing a point of contact between The Executive Office and other statutory agencies dealing with the global pandemic. It has afforded Officers from the 11 Councils to filter information, co-ordinate advice in relation to the Covid regulations, share data, best practice and statistics. This post provided a role in terms of influencing the content of the regulations on behalf of Councils with the Executive Office which eased the burden for Councils as the Covid regulations were changing at pace bringing new challenges with each update in terms of interpretation and enforcement.

3.4      Now that the Covid restrictions are easing, the PLO will continue to build on the partnerships between HSENI and Councils to deliver the required Health and Safety needs across the Province in a co-ordinated manner.

3.5      The main purpose of the Partnership Liaison Officer is to:

·        Assist in the continuing development and implementation of the Strategic Framework for Partnership Working by building effective working relationships and processes.

·        Co-ordinate the delivery of specific aspects of partnership arrangements such as joint planning, joint enforcement initiatives and campaigns, joint training and innovative ways of targeting resources more effectively.

·        Monitor the output of these defined areas of joint work.

·        Liaise with district councils and their representative bodies and partners on issues relating to workplace health and safety and provide a district council perspective on the Partnership Team.

·        Support district councils in meeting their partnership commitments, particularly when developing business plans etc.

·        Act as an effective communication channel between District Councils and HSENI.

·        Ensure that district council interests are fed into the joint planning processes.

3.6      All 12 partners (11 Councils and HSENI) are committed to the post;

·        Costs associated with the post must be divided equally amongst the 12 partners.

·        HSENI will continue to host the PLO in Ladas Drive and give day-to-day management support.

·        Lisburn  ...  view the full minutes text for item 24.

The Committee considered a report seeking financial assistance towards a year-long series of events to mark the 50th Anniversary of Mary Peters winning Olympic Gold and breaking the World Record in the Pentathlon at the Munich Olympics in 1972. 

            The Members noted that Athletics Northern Ireland and the Mary Peters Track were joining forces to promote and enhance the Annual Belfast Athletics International Meeting, renaming it the Mary Peters 50th Gold Medal Anniversary Games.

            Following a query, the Committee was advised that, in normal circumstances, Athletics NI would have been directed to apply to the Support for Sport Fund or the Sport Events Grant. However, given the timing of the grant application release and its subsequent assessment, the application would not be considered in time to support this one-off event.

            The Committee agreed a funding contribution of £3,000 to Athletics NI to assist with the event running costs for the 50thAnniversary Lady Mary Peters Gold Medal Games.

Councillor M Kelly

            The Committee agreed that representatives from the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens be invited to present to a future meeting of the Committee.