Agenda and minutes

            Apologies for inability to attend were reported from Councillors Keenan, Kelly, McVeigh and McNamee.

            (Mr. J. Walsh, Legal Services Manager, attended in connection with this item.)

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1        Relevant Background Information

1.1       Members will be aware that, at the February meeting of the Development Committee, a paper was presented to make Members aware of a number of projects which were seeking match funding for their European Social Fund (ESF) applications.  Members agreed that they would defer a decision on whether or not to provide the match funding as requested until the projects had undergone economic appraisal by Department for Employment and Learning (DEL).  These appraisals are now complete. 

1.2       Members will also be aware that, at the March meeting of the Development Committee, requests for support from the Employment Services Board (ESB) and Employers’ Forum (EF) were received.  Following legal opinion as to whether these requests could be considered, the Committee agreed as an interim gesture, to grant funding to the Employment

            Services Board, up to a maximum of £15,000, over a period of three months commencing 1 April, under the special expenditure powers as set out in Section 115 of the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1972, it being the opinion of the Committee that the expenditure would be in the interest of, and would bring direct benefit to, the District and the inhabitants of the District, with the Committee being satisfied that the direct benefit so accruing would be commensurate with the payment to be made.

1.3       At that meeting, Members asked that a report be presented to the June Committee outlining the wider issue of the Council’s future involvement in employability and skills issues, and recommending a proposed approach for this work. 

2          Key Issues

2.1       European Social Fund applications

            Members are reminded that, at the August 2010 meeting of the Development Committee, agreement was reached on a set of criteria to be used to guide the development of any potential applications under ESF.  These criteria included:

-     Degree of fit with Belfast Employability and Skills strategy

-     City wide/strategic impact

-     Degree of duplication with other services

-     Focus on agreed priority sector

-     Expected job outputs against investment.

2.2       At that meeting, Members also agreed that requests for match funding received after the application process closed would not be considered.

2.3       In total, 10 projects made match funding requests to the council (including one council-led initiative).  These projects have a total match funding requirement of more than £245,000.  Details of the projects including a brief description of planned activity and match funding required from Belfast City Council are attached as Appendix 1.

2.4       The projects submitted by North Belfast Partnership and Training for Women Network (TWN) were not among the 84 applications approved by DEL.  Both organisations appealed this decision but were not successful in their appeals.

2.5       Representatives from TWN, Upper Springfield Development Co Ltd and Women in Business did not meet with council officers to discuss their ESF funding applications ahead of the submission deadline.  However  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.

            The Director outlined the principal aspects of the report and clarified the criteria which had been utilised in assessing the applications received for match funding.  He emphasised also the fact that Council funding was subject to the applicants being able to demonstrate that the additional match funding required was available from other public sources.

            After discussion, it was

            Moved by Councillor Robinson,

            Seconded by Alderman Campbell,

      That the Committee agrees, based on the assessments of the applications, to provide match funding up to a value of £68,112, for the top four scoring applications for European Social Funding, that is:

Amendment

            Moved by Councillor Ó Muilleoir,

            Seconded by Councillor Austin,

      That the Committee agrees, based on the assessments, to provide match funding up to a value of £93,112, for the top five scoring applications for European Social Funding, that is:

            On a vote by show of hands seven Members voted for the amendment and five against.

            The amendment was thereupon put as the substantive motion, when seven Members voted for and five against and it was accordingly declared carried.

            The Director reminded the Members that, at its meeting on 28th March, it had agreed to provide funding to the Employment Services Board for a period of three months under the special expenditure powers as set out in Section 115 of the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1972.  He pointed out that this three month period was due to end on 30th June, and subsequent to the meeting of the Committee on 15th June, a formal request had been received from the Employment Services Board for the Council to extend, for a further period of six months, at a cost of £30,000, its support to the organisation.

            The Legal Services Manager outlined the Committee’s options to provide funding under the special powers set out under Section 115 of the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1972, a summary of which is set out hereunder:

1.   the Council has the power to incur expenditure, subject to it being satisfied that a direct benefit will accrue and that the benefit will be commensurate with the payment made;

2.   the Council must objectively assess that there will be a direct benefit in terms of the objectives of the organisations as opposed to contributing to the running costs;

3.   incurring expenditure to the extent that other projects or other agreed corporate objectives were compromised or prejudiced could leave the Council vulnerable to legal challenge; and

4.   whilst there was an existing policy on Section 115 payments, the scale of the payment in this case required careful consideration in the context of the current climate of economic retrenchment and potential equality impact.

            The Legal Services Manager pointed out that, should the Committee agree to extend funding to the Employment Services Board, it must be satisfied that any existing commitments of the Department would not be compromised and that direct, measurable and commensurate benefit would be accrued.  He indicated also that it would be advisable for the Council to insert a caveat into any further agreement with the Employment Services Board which would ensure that payments from the Council would cease immediately should alternative funding be secured by the organisation.

            A number of Members expressed concern that, in agreeing to extend funding to the Employment Services Board, the Council might encourage other organisations to submit similar requests for assistance.  A Member referred to the fact that the Employment Services Board operated primarily in the west Belfast and the Greater Shankill areas and that, by providing funding to that organisation, agencies which provided similar services in other parts of the City could argue that the Council was giving preferential treatment to one area of the City to the detriment of other areas where similar needs existed.  A further Member stressed that, should the Council extend the funding, there would be an obligation on the Employment Services Board to demonstrate emphatically that it had utilised the resources in a manner which was beneficial to the City overall.

            In response, the Director assured Members that any  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1        Relevant Background Information

1.1       The existing York Street Interchange is a key junction on the Strategic Road Network which links three of the busiest roads in Northern Ireland, the Westlink and the M2 and M3 motorways. It is the main gateway to Belfast from the North, provides access to the port of Belfast and well as faciltates local traffic movement.

1.2       It is considered that the existing traffic signal control at the York Street junction causes delays and congestion particularly at peak times, therefore DRD Roads Service have identifed a number of options to remove the bottleneck. They are currently carrying out consultation on four options in order to identify a preferred option for the scheme.

2          Key Issues

2.1       Road Service has developed four options (A, B, C and D) aimed to improve traffic flow on the strategic road network. The options will provide direct links between the Westlink and the M2 and M3 motorways by creating new flyovers over and underpasses below the existing Lagan Road and Dargan Rail bridges. Details on the four options are outlined below.

2.2              The key features of Option A are:

·         Movement between M2 and Westlink via underpasses below ground level underneath new York Street bridge and existing Lagan Road and Dargan Rail bridges

·         Westlink to M3 movement via underpass below existing ground level and new York Street bridge

·         M3 to Westlink movement controlled by traffic signals similar to existing

·         All slip roads at Clifton Street remain open

·         Cost approximately £72m.

2.3       The key features of Option B are:

·         Movement between M2 and Westlink (southbound) via new bridge over existing Lagan Road and Dargan Rail bridges, approximately 18 metres above existing ground level

·         Movement between Westlink and M2 (northbound) via underpass below existing ground level under new York Street bridge and existing Dargan Rail bridge

·         Westlink to M3 (eastbound) movement via underpass below existing ground level and under new York Street bridge

·         M3 to Westlink (westbound) movement via new bridge over York Street

·         All slip roads at Clifton Street remain open

·         Cost approximately £100m

2.4       The key features of Option C are:

·         Movements between M2 and Westlink via underpasses below existing ground level underneath new York Street bridge and existing Lagan Road and Dargan Rail Bridges

·         Westlink to M3 movement via underpass below existing ground level and new York Street bridge

·         All slip roads at Clifton Street remain open

·         Cost approximately £98m

2.5       The key features of Option D are:

·         Movements between M2 and Westlink via new bridges over existing Lagan Road and Dargan Rail bridges, approximately 18metres above existing ground level

·         Westlink to M3 movement via traffic signal controlled junctions at York Street and Nelson Street

·         M3 to Westlink movement via new bridge over York Street

·         M2/M3 bound on-slip from Clifton Street closed

·         All other slip roads at Clifton Street remain open

·         Cost approximately £95m

2.6       Roads Service are currently carrying out a public consultation exercise on the options for strategic road improvements at  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0     Relevant Background Information

1.1       Members will recall that the Committee, at its meeting on 15th June, agreed to defer consideration of the establishment of Working and Steering Groups to enable a revised report to be submitted. This was due to concerns

            raised regarding the demands that the membership of such Groups would make on Elected Members. It should be borne in mind that, since the Committee has agreed to meet on a twice monthly basis, there now exists an opportunity for it to examine matters in detail which previously would have been considered the Working Groups. In revising the previous report, it is evident that Working Groups should only be re-established if they adhere strictly to the following principles:

·         Working Groups should be established only if they are considered to be essential for the achievement of effective and efficient decision?making;

·         such Working Groups should be appointed only for a fixed-term and for a specific purpose;

·         the Groups would not have decision-making powers but rather would produce a report with recommendations for consideration by the appointing Committee;

·         after the Working Group has fulfilled its remit it would cease to exist; and

·         Working Groups should be formed on the basis of All?Party representation with nominees sought from the Party Group leaders.

2.0       Key Issues

2.1       The range of Working and Steering Groups which had been established during the previous Council term ceased to exist on 5th May, coinciding with the Local Government Elections.

            Should the principles for the establishment of Groups be applied, then the numbers can be downsized accordingly. A re-assessment is set out hereunder:

2.2       2012 Events Working Group 

            The remit of this Working Group is to formulate and oversee a programme of activities to mark 2012 as an international year of significance for the city. Next year will see the Council host a series of keynote events which will provide an opportunity to showcase Belfast as a premier tourist destination. These events will coincide with the London 2012 Olympic Games and the centenary of the sinking of the Titanic. All these activities will provide a significant level of

            international profile and cultural focus for the City and Northern Ireland. Previous membership consisted of the Chairman and the Deputy Chairman (or their nominees), together with one representative from each of the Political Party Groupings on the Council.

2.3       Recommendation

            Given that the year 2012 will be of specific importance to the City, it is recommended that this Group be re-established and that it meet on an ad hoc basis, until the end of 2012, under the guidance of the Director of Development.

2.4       Digital NI 2020 Strategy Working Group

            This Group was established in April, 2011 to manage and explore the opportunities and challenges for the Council arising from the Digital NI 2020 Strategy. Its remit is to engage with a number of key stakeholders and bodies in the development of new initiatives which would be of benefit to the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

            The Committee was reminded that, on 16th March, the then Minister for Regional Development, Mr. Conor Murphy, M.L.A., had launched a consultation document on a revised Regional Transportation Strategy, which was due to conclude on 28th June. The Director reported that the revised Strategy sought to establish the high level aims and objectives for future transport policy within the region and would form the basis for decision-making and funding priorities.

            The Committee then received a presentation from Mr. T. Robinson, AECOM Consultants, on the aims and objectives of the Department’s revised strategy and he clarified a number of issues raised by Members in this regard. Accordingly, the Committee endorsed the undernoted response as the Council’s position on the Department’s Regional Transportation Strategy consultation document:

“COUNCIL RESPONSE

Consultation on the Regional Transportation Strategy 2011

1.0       Introduction and Context

            The Minister for Regional Development launched the Public Consultation of the revised Regional Transportation Strategy for a 15 week period on the 16th March until 28 June 2011.

            As civic leader Belfast City Council seeks to be proactive in influencing transport policy for Belfast and the wider region. In recent years Belfast has become a competitive tourist destination, a desirable place to live and work and an attractive place to invest. With growth and prosperity however, there has been a continuing increase in the use of the car, which cannot be sustained. The Council is concerned about how the city will cope with the increasing demands on our transport infrastructure.

            The Regional Transportation Strategy (RTS) 2002-2012

            The Regional Transportation Strategy was originally published in 2002 with the following vision:

‘To have a modern, sustainable, safe transportation system which benefits society, the economy and the environment and which actively contributes to social inclusion and everyone’s quality of life’

            As stated in the original document The RTS, as a ‘daughter document’ of the Regional Development Strategy (RDS), identified strategic transportation investment priorities and considered potential funding sources and affordability of planned initiatives over the following 10 years.

            At the time, the Strategy provided a range of transportation initiatives across Northern Ireland to improve our transportation structure, promote sustainable travel and encourage the use of modes of travel other than the car, including:

·         Quality Bus Corridors (QBCs) on all main Belfast Commuter routes;

·         Commencement of a rapid transit system on the BMA;

·         Strategic highway improvements to provide, for example, up to 14 bypasses, approximately 85 kilometres of dual carriageway and 11 major junction improvement.

            In finalising the RTS it was recognised that demand management measures would be required in Belfast, both to optimise the contribution of the additional public transport investment and to reduce the possible negative impacts of additional car use.  The strategy noted, therefore, that following the planned improvements to public transport, parking charges could be raised and/or parking availability reduced for long-stay commuter parking.

            The 2002 RTS set a number of targets for 2012 for various modes of travel within the region.  In addition, the development of 3  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

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

            The Committee was reminded that Belfast would host the bi-annual World Police and Fire Games in 2013 and that approximately 25,000 competitors and visitors from throughout the world would be visiting the City for the event. It was reported that the 2011 Games would take place in New York from 26th August till 4th September, and it was customary for the First Citizen of the succeeding host city to attend to accept

formally, at the closing ceremony, responsibility for the hosting of the Games.  It was reported that, in attending the 2011 Games in New York, the Lord Mayor, who would be accompanied by the Events Manager, would undertake a series of engagements to promote the 2013 Games in Belfast, as well as discussing with the organisers the format and tourist potential which the event would bring to the City.  It was reported that the costs associated with the visit, including flights, accommodation and subsistence, would be in the region of £5,200.

            After discussion, the Committee authorised the attendance at the 2011 World Police and Fire Games of the Lord Mayor (Councillor Ó Donnghaile) and the Events Manager and agreed to the payment of the costs as set out.

            With the consent of the Committee, the Chairman (Alderman Stalford) informed the Members that, at the Board meeting of Belfast Visitor and Convention Bureau held on 23rd June, concern had been raised regarding the methods being used by certain bus tour operators to attract customers.  This issue had been of particular concern when cruise ships had visited the City and, as a result, Belfast City Centre Management had introduced a Code of Conduct which most bus tour operators had signed up to, on the understanding that there would be repercussions for those companies which did not adhere to the code.  Accordingly, a monitoring system had been established to manage the activity of the bus operators to ensure that the code was being adhered to and which the Belfast Visitor and Convention Bureau was proposing to reintroduce in 2011. A request for financial assistance in this regard had been made to the Council.

            After discussion, the Committee agreed:

·               to provide support up to maximum of £2,000 towards the re-establishment of the monitoring service in 2011; and

·               to request that the Northern Ireland Tourist Board contribute 50% towards the costs of the service.

            It was agreed also that a letter be forwarded to the Minister for the Environment, Mr. Alex Attwood M.L.A., requesting the he undertake to examine the issue of tour operators within the City. It was noted that the Director of Development would raise the matter with the Director of Health and Environmental Services to establish whether the Council had any powers under licensing legislation to regulate the activities of tour operators.

      Resolved – That, in accordance with Standing Order 12, the foregoing minutes be submitted to the Council for adoption at its meeting on 4th July.