Agenda and minutes

            Apologies for inability to attend were reported from the Deputy Lord Mayor (Councillor Lavery) and Councillors Campbell and Mullaghan.

            The minutes of the meetings of 8th and 10th February were taken as read and signed as correct.  It was reported that those minutes had been adopted by the Council at its meeting on 1st March.

            The Chairman welcomed Mr. McGrillen to his first meeting as Director of Development and, on behalf of the Committee, wished him well in his new post.

            (Mr. P. McNaney, Chief Executive, attended in connection with this item.)

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“Relevant Background Information

      At a meeting of the Strategic Policy & Resources Committee on 14 December 2007 Members agreed to provide £1.25m of funding from the City Investment Fund to the Lyric Theatre, subject to ‘detailed negotiations and final approval by the Council on the schedule of payments, full recognition being given to the Council in respect of its contribution, the Lyric Theatre being requested to consider Council representation on its Board and a commitment from the Lyric Theatre to undertake an outreach programme in the wider Belfast community’.

      The Development Department has taken forward discussions with the Lyric Theatre on the funding conditions and briefed Legal Services which has completed the draft legal agreements which are now ready for signature.

      The purpose of this report is to brief Members on the progress which has been made and to receive a presentation from Ciaran McAuley, the Chief Executive of the Lyric Theatre, on its education and outreach work, the progress with fundraising and the present state of construction work.

      The Committee will then be requested to make a recommendation to the Strategic Policy & Resources Committee, which will have to be briefed by the Director of Finance & Resources in relation to the schedule of payments and the release of funding.

      Currently, BCC provides funding to the Lyric through the multi?annual funding scheme to the value of £37,971 for the financial year 2010-2011 to cover programming costs.

Key Issues

      The total cost of the Lyric project is £18m.  Funding support is coming from a number of sources including:

-     Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure £9.4m

-     Lottery Funding sourced through the Arts Council £2.4m

-     BelfastCity Council contribution of £1.25m. 

      This is 73% of the total funding of the project.

      The remaining 27% of funding is being raised by the Lyric themselves.

      This 27% amounts to almost £5m.  The Lyric have now confirmed that £4.75m of this amount has now been sourced from private donations and philanthropic trusts.

      A schedule of payments has been agreed through Legal Services and the Director of Finance and Resources and the first Council payment would be due in April 2010 subject to final Council approval.  This money is required to maintain the cash flow required for the construction project.

      CONDITIONS – Full recognition for

      Council contributions

      The Lyric Theatre has provided full recognition of the Council’s contribution to the project in all its promotional material since the Council funding decision in January 2008.  Since that time the Council has been recognised as one of the foundation supporters of the rebuild project and the Council’s logo has been prominently displayed on promotional material produced by the Lyric Theatre in relation to the project.  The Council was represented by the Lord Mayor at the unveiling of the foundation stone of the new Theatre in September 2009 and the Lord Mayor wrote the foreword to the event  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

            The Committee noted the contents of a report which provided information on the current status of projects and initiatives which had been carried out by the Department during the period from 1st October till 31st December, 2009.

            The Committee deferred consideration of a report regarding the preparation of a Belfast Employability and Skills Strategy and Action Plan to enable those Party Groupings which so wished to receive briefings on the matter.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“Relevant Background Information

      This report comprises a request for funding under the following programmes:

1.   Smarter Procurement Programme

2.   Northern Ireland Rural Development Programme (NIRDP)

      1.  Smarter Procurement Programme

      Members will be aware, at the Development Committee of 13 May 2009, approval was given to develop and deliver initiatives to support enhanced access to public and private sector procurement opportunities.  This was to be delivered through a number of activities, including the Smarter Procurement Programme.

      Match-funding of these initiatives was sought from DETI to deliver 2 waves of the Smarter Procurement Programme over a 2 year period and this was subsequently approved.

      In January 2010 wave 1 of the Smarter Procurement Programme was launched, targeting 10 small businesses and social enterprises in the Council area which wanted to look at how they could improve their chances of winning new business through tendering opportunities from both the public and private sectors.

      2.  Northern Ireland Rural Development Programme (NIRDP)

      Members will be aware that, at the Development Committee of 14 November 2007, approval was given for Belfast City Council to cluster with Lisburn City Council and Castlereagh Borough Council for the delivery of Axis 3 of the Northern Ireland Rural Development Programme (NIRDP).

      Axis 3 of the NIRDP contains a funding allocation (£1,240,000) for the delivery of a programme of Village Renewal for rural settlements across the eligible cluster area of Belfast, Castlereagh and Lisburn.  The purpose of the measure is to support animation and capacity building within and between villages and their surrounding rural areas. 

Key Issues

      1.  Smarter Procurement Programme

      A total of 24 applications were received and, following a selection process, 11 businesses were awarded a place on the Programme with a further 6 businesses placed on a reserve list.  An additional 6 businesses have also indicated an interest in participating on a future programme.

      A Meet the Buyer event held in the Waterfront Hall in June 2009 has generated £300,000 worth of business to date for participating companies.

      The December 2009 Belfast City Council survey of 500 businesses in the Council area highlights the demand for procurement initiatives, with 44% of respondents requesting support to improve their procurement processes.  This, coupled with the demand already experienced for wave one of the Smarter Procurement Programme, supports the need to launch a second wave of the programme in May 2010 – earlier than initially planned.

      Resource Implications

      Each wave of the programme will cost £15,000 to run.  The participating companies make a contribution of £100 towards the costs (10 companies = £1000 income) and the remainder is match-funded at a level of 50% by DETI.  A contribution of £7,000 from Belfast City Council is therefore required to match-fund the second wave of the Smarter Procurement Programme, scheduled to commence in May 2010.

      Recommendation

      It is recommended that Members approve the additional amount of £7,000 to match-fund wave 2 of the Smarter Procurement Programme, scheduled to start in May 2010, money for  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

            (Mrs. P. Davison, Estates Surveyor, attended in connection with this item.)

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“Relevant Background Information

      The Belfast Visitor and Connection Bureau occupies premises currently leased to Belfast City Council in Donegall Place. BVCB has been approached by Failte Ireland to consider moving their operation into the Belfast Welcome Centre premises in Donegall Place. Failte Ireland requested a meeting with BVCB on 14 January to discuss the possibility of a shared working space.

      Failte Ireland has operated a walk in enquiry office in Belfast for over 42 years.  They closed their premises in Castle Street just after Christmas 2009 as their lease was due to terminate and the building was unfit for purpose and presented significant health and safety issues for staff continuing to work there.

      The service Failte Ireland currently operates is purely information provision and accommodation booking for the Republic of Ireland. After 42 years with a base in Belfast they have a loyal local customer base of regular customers who call in to pick up information and book short breaks, with an annual footfall of just over 20,000 visitors. This service is provided Monday – Friday during core office hours by three members of staff, sharing two full time posts.

      BVCB have identified a space that could accommodate Failte Ireland. This space was used as an extra card sales point, however a new main counter was installed last year and extra tills and credit card machines behind the new counter mean the space is now redundant.

Key Issues

      BVCB point out that the concept of shared space in Tourist Information Centres and visitor attractions is not new. Failte Ireland has shared office space in the Derry/Londonderry T.I.C. since it opened and more recently NITB have moved into Dublin Tourism Offices.

      BVCB have identified the benefits to this shared space approach:

      Financial Benefit:

      BVCB has proposed a licence fee of £25,000 per annum plus vat. The only additional payments by Failte Ireland would be for separate phone and broadband lines.

      In the current economic climate, additional income to BVCB is welcomed when funding is decreasing and generating commercial income is more challenging.

      Customer Focused:

      The shared space further promotes the ‘one stop’ approach – Belfast Welcome Centre regularly gets enquiries from customers requesting information on the Republic of Ireland and BWC refer them to the Castle Street premises.

      New customer base:

      In facilitating Failte Ireland customers in the BWC, the BWC can avail of a new market. The current price differential between the euro and the pound means Belfast will benefit with the local customer base attracted by deals in Northern Ireland as opposed to the Republic of Ireland.

      The request for shared space was discussed at the BVCB Board.  While there was general support for the proposal, there was concern from Board members that a Failte Ireland section within the BWC  could dissuade visitors from visiting areas in and around Belfast, drawing their  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

            The Head of Economic Initiatives reminded the Committee that the most important element of the Forum for an Alternative Belfast’s proposals for the redevelopment of Bank Square was a commitment from Westfield Shoppingtowns Limited, the owners of Castlecourt, to permit development on part of its service yard.  The Committee was reminded further that it had been invited to a presentation by RPS, the consultants appointed by the Department for Social Development to produce designs for the redevelopment of Bank Square.  The Members who had attended that presentation had made the point that it would be preferable for the development scheme to complement the plans of the adjoining landowners and to resolve the blight on the area caused by the Castlecourt service yard.  They had also been of the view that a meeting involving representatives from the Department for Social Development, Westfield, the Council and the Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce should be held as soon as possible in order to ascertain Westfield’s commitment to the regeneration of Bank Square.

            The Head of Economic Initiatives advised the Committee that the Department for Social Development’s proposals for the area would be ready for submission to the Planning Service by 31st March.  The Department had therefore indicated that, whilst it was willing to be involved in such a round table discussion, the meeting would need to be held before 23rd March.  Accordingly, she recommended that an All-Party deputation from the Development Committee meet with the Department for Social Development, Westfield and the Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce to discuss the regeneration of Bank Square in the context of the proposals prepared by the Forum for an Alternative Belfast and RPS.

            The Committee adopted the recommendation.

            The Head of Economic Initiatives reminded the Committee that, at its meeting on 16th November, 2009, it had received a presentation from William Ewart Properties Limited regarding its proposals for the Royal Exchange scheme and that the developer was required to submit a planning application by 31st October, 2010.

            She reported that Mr. Nick Reid of Ewarts had suggested that, in order to continue the engagement between the Council and the developers, the Committee should visit the site of the project.  She also pointed out that the Minister for Social Development had agreed to meet with the deputation from the Committee to discuss the Scheme.  However, on two occasions this meeting had been cancelled by the Minister and no new date had yet been arranged.

            The Committee noted the information provided by the Head of Economic Initiatives and agreed to undertake a visit to the location of the Royal Exchange scheme.

            The Head of Economic Initiatives advised the Committee that, following the failure of the applicant, Sprucefield Centre Limited, to submit information regarding the Environmental Impact Assessment of the scheme within the required period in connection with its proposed retail development at Sprucefield, the Planning Appeals Commission had announced in October, 2009 the postponement of the associated Public Inquiry.  She reported that Sprucefield Centre Limited had subsequently resubmitted an application for the significant retail development which was unchanged from the previous application.  The Department of the Environment had applied Article 31 of the Planning (Northern Ireland) Order 1991 to the resubmitted application and had written to all objectors and consultees.  Accordingly, the Council had resubmitted in November, 2009, its original letter of objection.

            She reported that the Council’s objection reiterated the previously articulated position that the application would be considered contrary to both the current Regional Development Strategy and the proposed Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan by virtue of the adverse implications for existing retail centres and the future regeneration of Belfast and other adjoining locations.

            In February, the Planning Appeals Commission had notified objectors of the intention to conduct an Article 31 Public Inquiry for the purposes of considering the implications which arose from the Sprucefield Centre Limited application.  The Inquiry was scheduled to commence on 7th June.  However, in advance of the Public Inquiry, the Planning Appeals Commission would require objectors to resubmit by 1st April a statement of case which outlined the basis of the objections.  Following the exchange of statements, the Council would have the opportunity up to 7th May to comment through the rebuttal process on the opposing statements.

            The Head of Economic Initiatives pointed out that the Council’s previous statement of case and rebuttal statement remained relevant as the details of the application remained unchanged.  However, minor clarifications or updates might be required to take account of any changes in the information provided.  Preparation for, and participation in, the Public Inquiry would be co-ordinated by the Legal Services Department using internal resources supported by Dr. Tony Quinn, the Retail Planning Expert who had previously been commissioned by the Council to provide specialist evidence.

Noted.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“Relevant Background Information

      The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure wrote to Belfast City Council on 18 January 2010, regarding the transfer of local arts to the new councils under RPA.  In summary, their proposal is as follows:

-     Funding for local arts to be transferred to the new district council by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland

-     Allocations for Belfast and Derry to be weighted to take account of their strategic positions; however, it is also the intention to disburse funding for local arts more equitably across the new councils

-     A potential requirement from new councils to match allocation of funding for local arts as per the Community Festivals Fund

-     ACNI current allocation in 2009–2010 for local arts in Belfast is £628,024 and the proposed allocation under RPA is £322,372 (a 50% reduction). This figure is based on allocation by population with a 10% deprivation weighting to Belfast and Londonderry/Strabane.

      DCAL’s proposed definitions for local, regional and national arts are as follows:

-     Local arts is operating within its own boundary

-     Regional is operating beyond its own council boundary but within Northern Ireland

-     National is operating within Northern Ireland and touring/offering programmes to the rest of the United Kingdom and/or Republic of Ireland

      DCAL is recommending that the Arts Council of Northern Ireland will lead on regional and national arts.

Key Issues

      Belfast’s unique position is not addressed in this proposal.

      Belfast City Council plays a unique role in Northern Ireland’s culture and arts infrastructure as many of the regional and national arts are based in the City and are currently supported by both Belfast City Council and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

      BelfastCity Council invests £1.3 million per annum into approximately 73 culture and arts organisations. This funding sustains 295 full-time jobs; 134 part-time jobs; 1278 freelance; and 553 voluntary posts. The Council’s subvention accounts for an average 11.7% of the organisations’ annual income which represents a return on investment of 1:7.  The total audience and participation figure for funded organisations is 6,184,305.  Most other councils across Northern Ireland invest in the arts through purpose-built council-owned venues – the majority do not tend to operate culture and arts funding programmes.

      Whilst Belfast-based arts organisations run programmes in Belfast, they also extend these across Northern Ireland (in the case of theatre productions and other performances, this means that they often pay other councils for the use of their local arts centre). In many instances, the audience attracted to Belfast-based events are from outside of the Belfast area.  This is reflected in the annual audience/participant figures of over 6million. A list of organisations that we support through Annual and Multi-annual Funding is available on Modern.gov. This highlights which organisations are local, regional or national based on the definitions provided by DCAL.

      In relation to local arts, while the move to assign this responsibility to Belfast City Council is welcome, the level  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“Relevant Background Information

      Tourism, Culture and Arts – Music Tourism

      Members will be aware that the final draft Integrated Strategic Framework for Belfast Tourism 2010-2015 identifies high profile events as a development lever to establish a strong reputation as a vibrant capital city with unique and exciting experiences that, once visited and enjoyed, will compel return visits time and time again.  The Strategy’s new product development highlights that music tourism should be developed, packaged and promoted as an authentic experience to ensure that Belfast has a competitive edge. 

      At a Development Committee Meeting held on 10 December 2008, Members noted that Visit Britain’s research shows that 21% of potential visitors are inspired to choose a destination because of the music or bands of that country and approved a Music Tourism Action Plan in order to celebrate Belfast’s rich musical heritage.  Belfast’s music receives high international praise and our latest generation of musicians are playing a crucial role in revitalising the City.  The series of products included the Belfast Music Coach Tour, the Belfast Music Exhibition at the Oh Yeah Centre, a new music listings website Belfastmusic.org, the first ever i-phone application for music, and international showcasing and marketing of Belfast’s musicians in Nashville and SxSW (South by South West).  The Plan has been significantly enhanced through the successful application to NITB’s (Northern Ireland Tourist Board) Tourism Innovation Fund which contributed a further £138,750 and new partnerships that have been formed with ACNI (Arts Council of Northern Ireland), BBC and Tourism Ireland. 

      A recent report ‘Exploring the Music Festival Tourism Market’, commissioned by NITB using Mintel, highlighted that music is a key part of our cultural offering, and foreign and domestic tourists now spend in excess of £100 million on cultural and recreational events in NI each year.  

      This includes domestic tourists spend of over £32 million on tickets to concerts and music festivals.   Tourism Ireland launched their 2010 Marketing Plans in Belfast in December 2009 and identified Music Tourism as a key driver for Belfast.

      Creative Industries – Music Development

      Members will be aware that BCC’s current Local Economic Development Plan includes the following key themes: Business Competitiveness, Talent and Community Economic Regeneration.  The new Local Economic Development Plan states that, in order for Belfast to stay competitive, it must nurture those sectors which can create high value-added products and bring new wealth to the City. The Creative Industries is one of major significance for Belfast as it is one of the most rapidly growing sectors. After extensive consultation from the private sector, BCC identified that there needs to be increased emphasis placed on the key sectors of Film & Television, Digital Media, Music and Design. Priority areas for BCC include the provision of tailored information, guidance and mentoring with regard to business start-up and business development. Other key areas identified include access to finance, sales and international marketing, infrastructure and export development.

      The music sector in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.

            The Committee agreed to defer for one month consideration of a report regarding Culture Night 2010 to enable the officers to discuss with the organisers the Council’s position that the event should be delivered across the City and in particular on the arterial routes rather than being restricted to the City centre.

            The Committee agreed, under the terms of the Council’s Subvention Policy, that £1,000 be allocated to assist with the costs of the foregoing Conference which would be held within the City during the period from 5th till 7th May.

            The Committee agreed, under the terms of the Conference Subvention Policy, to award funding of £500 towards the costs of the Private Equity Conference due to be held in Belfast on 26th May.

            The Committee agreed, under the terms of the Council’s Subvention Policy, not to provide funding to the above-mentioned event due to the small number of delegates who would be attending, the majority of which would be from Northern Ireland.

            The Head of Economic Initiatives reminded the Committee that officers had been liaising with the Northern Ireland Tourist Board and Invest Northern Ireland regarding the development of a new Conference Subvention Scheme for Belfast and Northern Ireland.  She pointed out that an amount of £70,000 had been included within the Department’s budget for this initiative.  The Northern Ireland Tourist Board had indicated that it would provide a similar amount.  It was intended that, when an agreement had been reached with both the Tourist Board and Invest Northern Ireland, a new Conference Subvention Scheme would be developed and the Council’s existing scheme would cease to operate.  She pointed out that it was proposed that the new Scheme would commence in June and that the current one would close on 31st May, although commitments made previously for events to be held after that date would be honoured.

            The Committee noted the information which had been provided by the Head of Economic Initiatives and agreed that the existing Conference Subvention Scheme be closed on 31st May and that a new system, which would involve funding from both the Northern Ireland Tourist Board and Invest Northern Ireland operate from 1st June.

            Arising from discussion in this matter, a Member pointed out that, unlike reports received at other Council Committees, those presented to the Development Committee frequently dealt with more than one item, which, he believed, caused confusion for Members.  He pointed out that the report which had just been considered involved the awarding of funding for two conferences, asked the Committee not to provide funding to another conference and provided information regarding the closure of the existing Conference Subvention Scheme and the introduction of a new one.  He expressed concern at this and suggested that each of these topics should have been the subject of a separate report.  Accordingly, he requested that, in future, reports presented to the Development Committee deal with only one item so that Members could be clear regarding the matters to be considered and the decisions to be taken.

            The Head of Economic Initiatives indicated that she would take these comments into consideration for future Committee reports.

            The Head of City Events and Venues advised the Committee that an extremely large number of applications had been received for events due to be held between April and September.  These had been assessed using the criteria which had been agreed by the Committee at its meeting on 7th March, 2008.  Due to the number of applications, he recommended that the funding to be awarded to the events be subjected to a 30% reduction in order to ensure that an adequate amount of money would be available for those events due to be held between October, 2010 and March, 2011.

            He reminded the Committee that it had considered applications for event funding at its meeting on 10th February and recommended that, on the basis of fairness, they be subjected also to the 30% reduction.  He pointed out that one of these applications had been withdrawn by the event organisers subsequent to the February meeting.

            During discussion in the matter, a Member enquired as to whether or not checks were undertaken to validate claims made by organisations regarding previous year’s events when a subsequent application was made.  He pointed out that, since organisers sought funding from both the Development and the Parks and Leisure Committees for assistance towards the holding of events, it was important that staff within each Department discussed the applications which were submitted.

            In response, the Head of City Events and Venues informed the Committee that every attempt was made to verify information provided regarding events which had been held the previous year.

            Another Member expressed concern at the proposed 30% reduction and indicated that this would disadvantage those events which were to be held in the first half of the year and enquired as to whether or not this reduction would be applied to those events which would be seeking assistance later in the year.  He proposed that no reduction in the amount of funding to be awarded be made.  However, this proposal did not achieve a Seconder.

            In response to these comments, the Head of City Events and Venues indicated that twenty-five applications had been received for assistance for the first half of the financial year compared to eight in the same period the previous year.  He assured the Committee that a similar reduction would be applied to those events which sought funding in the second half of the year.  He pointed out that, given the large number of applications which had been received, the Department was considering having only one call for applications each year in order to ensure that the process was seen to be fair to all potential applicants.

            Following further discussion the Committee agreed to rescind its decision of 10th February regarding the awarding of event funding under the Support for Sport Scheme and agreed further that a 30% reduction be applied to those applications for events scheduled to be held between April and September.  Accordingly, the Committee agreed to adopt the undernoted recommendations for requests for assistance which had  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“Relevant Background Information

      Play Resource Warehouse was set up in 1983 by community workers from Belfast City Council working with other community activists involved in play development throughout the City. An initial grant from the Council, under the Belfast Areas of Need Scheme, enabled them to set up Play Resource’s first home in an old warehouse in Tomb Street.

      When this grant came to an end in 1986, Belfast City Council entered into a tri-partite agreement with the Department of Education and the DHSS to continue to fund Play Resource on a longer term basis through the Community Services Section.  In April 2009, funding moved to a service level agreement which covered initially the period from 1st April 2009 to 31st March 2010.  It was anticipated that, subject to satisfactory performance on the part of the organisation and with the approval of Council, the service level agreement would be renewed on an annual basis.

      The Play Resource Warehouse has grown over the years to the point where it is now the largest and most successful play resource centre of its kind in the UK and Ireland.  At the end of its first year of operation Play Resource had approximately 300 community groups as members. Today that figure is over 2,500 groups, with approximately 60% of those being in the Belfast City Council area.

      In operating as a successful social economy model, the organisation employs 12 staff (8 full time equivalents) as well as 20 artists on a freelance basis, and meets 50% of it costs through generated income.  Other major funders include the Arts Council and the Youth Council.

Key Issues

      Play Resource is a unique, City-wide, cross-community, organisation whose core purpose is to improve the quality of life for children and young people, particularly those experiencing disadvantage. It operates a successful social economy model and as such represents an effective organisational role model which is widely associated with the City Council through the latter’s support.  The organisation’s Mission Statement is set out below:

      ‘To create the opportunities to develop the creative potential of children and young people in Northern Ireland and thereby to enhance their quality of life and strengthen their ability to express themselves fully and freely.’

      In 2008/09 Play Resource had expenditure of £426,000 and income of £380,000.  Funding received from BCC in this period was £30,000.  This is equal to 7.9% of the total income.  Play Resource generated £191,000 income from membership fees, hire of a training room, training and gift aid from the art and play shop.  This is just over 50% of the total income. 

      At a time of recession Play Resource has seen its membership?derived income increase from £66,000 in 07/08 to £80,000 in 08/09. This is an increase of 21% and reflects the demand for Play Resource’s services to community and play organisations which are now looking for alternatives to reduce costs.  Play Resource also employs 20 artists on a freelance  ...  view the full minutes text for item 16.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“Relevant Background Information

      The BelfastCity Council Youth Forum was established in March 2006 and sits within the Community Services Section of the Development Department.  It was set up as a vehicle whereby the Council could consult with young people on their views of Council issues and policies, as well as offering a conduit through which young people could raise issues of importance to them.  In turn, each of the Political Parties within Council has a designated ‘Youth Champion’ who engages with the members of the Youth Forum.

      The current membership of 36 young people will serve until June 2010.  Members are drawn from different areas of the City and reflect the diversity of the City in regard to religions, social backgrounds and cultures.  The vision and mission statement, as formulated by the members of the Youth Forum, are set out below.

      Youth Forum Vision

      'We are a changing City – this is recognised by Belfast City Council Youth Forum as we prioritise our Young Citizens and build a future together.'

      Youth Forum Mission Statement

      'Belfast City Council’s Youth Forum seeks to represent the issues of Young People in Belfast. It will consult young people and all stakeholders who are responsible for the needs of young people in the City.  The Youth Forum will seek out opportunities to inform Council policy and improve service provision so that Belfast becomes a better place for Young People to live.'

      The Youth Forum is divided into 3 sub-groups: each of these groups consists of members tasked with performing a piece of work and reporting to the political party Youth Champions and officers within the Community Services Section of the Development Department.  It is part of the responsibilities of a Children and Young People’s Co-ordinator to manage the Forum.

Key Issues

      Since being established, the Youth Forum has been involved in a wide range of developmental, participatory and representative activities.  In breaking new ground, the operation of the Youth Forum has served as a model of best practice and, as such, has brought significant recognition to the Council as well as attracting widespread interest, including that of the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister, in regard to the setting up of a NI Youth Parliament. 

      Previously, in 2008, the Council endorsed the findings of an independent review of the Youth Forum in regard to the need for such a mechanism, its operation and its value for money.  Since then, further political commitment has been given to the positioning of the Youth Forum as an integral aspect of a Children and Young People’s Unit within Community Services.  Key areas of work and major achievements since January 2009 are available on Modern.gov.

      The term of the current Youth Forum expires at the end of June 2010.  In planning for the future, several contextual issues should be noted.

1.   Belfast remains a young City, with approximately 24% of the population aged 18 and under. The importance  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“Relevant Background Information

      In 2009 The European Unit recognised the need to develop a series of seminars reflecting key issues affecting European cities. Climate change was deemed to be one of the most important issues both in terms of the environment and economics affecting cities across Europe.  

      From an EU Member State perspective, the 2006 Stern Review concluded that the scientific evidence for climate change is now overwhelming and climate change should be regarded as a serious global threat demanding urgent global action. Lord Stern’s views have been echoed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) whose Fourth Assessment Report concluded that global atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide have increased markedly as a result of human activities and now far exceed pre-industrial values.

      Recognising the Stern Review’s call for prompt action, Belfast City Council’s 2008-2011 Corporate Plan has identified reducing the City’s impact on climate change as a key priority within the strategic theme of ‘Better care for Belfast’s environment - a clean, green city now and for the future’. Moreover, the Council has as a key performance indicator the tonnage of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emitted from its premises.

      In terms of indicative actions supporting this key priority, the Council committed to the adoption of a European Declaration on Climate Change for the City and to the subsequent development of a prioritised action plan to address the causes and consequences of climate change within Belfast in collaboration with outside bodies and local communities.

      The Council formally subscribed to the Eurocities’ Declaration on Climate Change at the Eurocities’ Annual General Meeting in Stockholm on 28 November. 2009.

      On 22 January 2010, the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee endorsed a proposal to establish an inter-agency group working group on climate change for the City. This group will seek to address key climate change issues currently affecting Belfast, via the development of a Climate Change Action Plan.

      The Council’s anticipated role in the development of a Climate Change Action Plan will be to act initially as a convening body and to then function as a co-ordinating and managing organisation for implementation and monitoring. Accordingly, it is considered that a climate change educational event could serve as a suitable formal launch for the working group and help to prioritise its work programme.

Key Issues

      It is proposed that the Council agree to host a Climate Change Conference in Belfast. The conference would address political objectives agreed by the Council around the climate change agenda and inform on the key objectives of the Eurocities Declaration on Climate Change.   It is proposed that the conference take place in Autumn 2010, probably September. The programme is yet to be finalised due to the necessity to involve the inter-agency working group on Climate Change. There will, however, be a European element to the programme as well as central and local government.

      It is anticipated that approximately 100 delegates  ...  view the full minutes text for item 18.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“Relevant Background Information

      Members will be aware that, in June 2003, the DSD published ‘People and Place: A Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal’, a document which aims to tackle the complex, multi-dimensional nature of Northern Ireland’s most disadvantaged urban neighbourhoods.  In order to progress this agenda, DSD progressed the establishment of 12 Neighbourhood Renewal Partnerships within the BCC area.  Each Partnership was tasked with producing a Vision Framework (7-10 years) and Action Plan (3 years) for the Neighbourhood Renewal area. The 12 Partnerships are:

-  Inner East  Belfast                    -  Inner South Belfast

-  South West Belfast                   -  Greater Shankill

-  Greater Falls                             -  Lenadoon

-  Upper Springfield                     -  Crumlin/Ardoyne

-  Inner North Belfast                   -  Andersonstown

-  Ligoniel                                      -  Upper Ardoyne/Ballysillan

      Each Partnership has developed its Action Plan which was submitted to DSD for consideration.  These Plans proposed thousands of actions that would need to be delivered by a range of organisations in key areas such as housing, health, education, community safety, good relations, employability, community development, culture, tourism, leisure, children and young people, older people and environmental and physical improvement.

Key Issues

      The Council has become a key participant in the neighbourhood renewal process and to date the following support has been provided:

-     overall coordination of the Council’s response to Neighbourhood Renewal facilitated through SNAP.

-     Neighbourhood Development Officers from the SNAP Team in place to co-ordinate the delivery of actions within each Plan.

-     officer participation provided on all 12 Neighbourhood Renewal Partnerships through Community Services.

-     Action Plan responses prepared for each of the 12 Neighbourhood Renewal Partnerships Action Plans.

-     establishment of a Neighbourhood Renewal Working Group comprising Council Neighbourhood Renewal representatives and representatives from Council Departments.

-     formal presentations and workshops delivered to the Neighbourhood Renewal Partnerships.

-     creation of a Neighbourhood Renewal Database detailing all key actions and implications for the Council in the Neighbourhood Renewal process.

-     commitment to deliver on Neighbourhood Renewal is embedded within the new Corporate Plan.

-     provision of SNAP area-based intelligence to support the Neighbourhood Renewal process.

-     development of the Neighbourhood Renewal section of the Council website, creating a central repository for all Action Plans and responses.

-     integration of Neighbourhood Renewal within the Council’s SNAP/Local Area Working agenda.

-     Neighbourhood Renewal resource directories prepared for the Partnerships detailing Council services and key staff working in the local area.

-     on-going work with BRO regarding the development of a pilot partnership approach to the implementation of the Neighbourhood Renewal Action Plan in Lenadoon.  An update will be presented to Committee in due course.

      Next steps

      Whilst work is on-going with regard to the implementation of the Council's response to the Neighbourhood Renewal Action Plans there are a number of pieces of work that are on-going that may have implications for future service delivery. These include the following:-

-     the NRP's are all currently reviewing and updating their Action Plans. These plans may have implications for BCC services. The  ...  view the full minutes text for item 19.

            The Head of Economic Initiatives reminded the Committee that, at its meeting on 13th January, it had approved the format for the Departmental Briefing Document.  The aim of the document was to enable the Department to keep Members informed on the progress of initiatives and projects within the Department, whilst reducing the number of items on the Development Committee agenda which were for notation purposes or which required no decision.

            She advised the Committee of the topics included within the first such Briefing Document which had been recently circulated to all Members of Council.

            The Principal Committee Administrator informed the Committee that, if Members found the Document to be beneficial, it was likely that the exercise would be extended across the Council, thereby reducing the number of items on agendas across the several Standing Committees.

            The Chairman informed the Committee that this would be the last meeting at which the Committee Administrator, Mr. Neil Malcolm, would be in attendance as he would be leaving the Council on 31st March.  He pointed out that Mr. Malcolm had acted as Clerk to the Development Committee for most of the time it had been operating and thanked him for the work which he had undertaken during his 34 years of service.  Members on behalf of their Party Groupings thanked Mr. Malcolm for the manner in which he had dealt with them and wished him well in the future.

            Mr. Malcolm thanked the Members for their kind remarks.