Agenda and minutes

            In the absence of the Chairman and the Deputy Chairman, it was agreed that Councillor Stoker take the Chair.

            Apologies for inability to attend were reported from Councillors Campbell and O’Reilly.

            The minutes of the meetings of 8th and 22nd October 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 November.

            The Committee was advised that a request had been received from the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure for the Council to nominate two Members to the Board of a Special Purpose Vehicle Company to be formed to oversee the delivery of the World Police and Fire Games in 2013.

            The Democratic Services Manager reminded the Members that the Council, following the Local Government Elections on 5th May, 2005, had determined through the application of the d’Hondt system of proportionality its representation on 90 Outside Bodies.  Those nominations had been approved formally at the Annual Council meeting on 26th May.  He reminded the Committee further that, at its meeting on 19th August, 2005, in considering the nomination of a Member to make application to represent the Council on the Drainage Council for Northern Ireland, it had agreed to continue the application of the original d’Hondt process to determine the Party Groupings which would be entitled to appoint nominees to any subsequent invitations of a similar nature which might be received during the current Council term.  Accordingly, that system had again been applied at the Committee’s meeting on 23rd April, 2010, when appointments had been made to the Lyric Theatre Education Advisory Panel.  He pointed out that, under the current system for determining appointments to Outside Bodies, the next two choices fell to the Sinn Féin and the Democratic Unionist Party Groupings.

            The Committee approved the appointment of one Member from each of the Sinn Féin and the Democratic Unionist Party Groupings as the Council’s two representatives on the Board of the Special Purpose Vehicle Company to be formed to oversee the delivery of the World Police and Fire Games in 2013.

            The Committee was reminded that the issue of the appointment of elected Members to the Transitional Belfast Education and Library Board remained unresolved after almost a year of correspondence between the Council and the Minister for Education.  In essence, the disagreement was centred on who should be entitled to nominate the elected representatives to be appointed to serve on the transitional Board.

            The Democratic Services Managere reminded the Committee further that, in December, 2009, it had first considered a request from the Minister to nominate eight Members from whom four would be chosen to serve on the Board.  The Committee, at its meeting on 11th December, had agreed to nominate only four Members, with the representatives being selected using a one-off d’Hondt process.  That had resulted in the nominations falling to the Sinn Féin, Democratic Unionist, Ulster Unionist and Social Democratic and Labour Party Groupings.  Throughout the subsequent correspondence, the Council had maintained the position that the four elected representatives should be appointed from the largest four political parties on the Council, thus reflecting on the transitional Board the wishes of the people of the City as expressed at the Local Council elections in 2005.  However, the Minister’s position was different in that she insisted that the Council submit eight names so that the principle of Ministerial choice was upheld.

            The Democratic Services Manager explained that, at its meeting on 24th September, the Committee had again considered the matter and had agreed that it be left to each of the four main Party Groupings to decide whether to submit one or two names to the Minister.  The Sinn Féin and Social Democratic and Labour Party Groupings had submitted two names each while the Democratic Unionist and Ulster Unionist Party Groupings had submitted one name only.  A letter had been sent to the Department of Education on 11th October explaining the Council’s position and urging the Minister to proceed to appoint the four elected Member representatives from that list of six names whilst ensuring that one elected Member from each of the four main Party Groupings was appointed.

            He informed the Committee that a further letter had been received from the Department indicating that “conversations with a purpose” had been held with the Council’s six nominees but that they could not proceed to appoint Councillors to the transitional Belfast Board until the nomination and application process had been completed.  The Department had made the points that Belfast was the only Council which had not submitted the requisite number of nominees to the Minister, that it had proceeded to make appointments of elected Members to several of the other Boards and that it could not proceed in Belfast until the Council submitted the names of an additional two candidates.  The current situation meant that that there was no political representation on the transitional Board in Belfast and the Committee was asked to consider the matter and take whatever action it considered to be appropriate.

            In response to a question from a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3a

            The Committee was informed that the undernoted requests for the use of the City Hall and the provision of hospitality had been received:

            The Committee was advised that the Northern Ireland Local Government Association was holding its Annual Conference in the La Mon Hotel and Country Club, Castlereagh on 10th and 11th February, 2011.  The theme of the conference was “Energising Local Government”, the main focus of which would be how Local Government could become energised to plan strategically for the delivery of services in the future.  Debates at the Conference would focus on the current spending review, the economic crisis and an overview of how the Northern Ireland Local Government Association could move forward over the coming year.  The cost per delegate of attending would be £210.

            The Committee authorised the attendance at the Northern Ireland Local Government Association Annual Conference of the Chairman and the Deputy Chairman of the Committee, the Democratic Services Manager (or their nominees) and the Council’s representatives on the Association.

            (Mr. J.McGrillen, Director of Development, attended in connection with this item.)

            The Committee was advised that the Development Committee, at its meeting on 10th November, had accepted an invitation to attend the official opening of the Northern Ireland Executive’s new office in Brussels in December and had agreed that the Chairman and the Deputy Chairman of that Committee (or their nominees) be authorised to attend in order to begin building political networks as part of the lobbying effort in advance of the development of the 2014/20 European Structural Funding Programmes.

            It was reported that, subsequent to the invitation having been accepted, it had come to light that the most senior representative of the Commission, the European Commission President, would be in attendance and, given that fact, it was felt that it would be appropriate for the Lord Mayor to be in attendance also at the opening.  The approximate cost for an additional person to attend would be £600.

            The Committee approved the attendance of the Lord Mayor at the opening of the Northern Ireland Executive’s office in Brussels.

(The Chairman, Councillor Crozier, to raise.)

            In accordance with notice on the agenda, the Chairman referred to the commencement time of the meetings of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee.  He pointed out that at present the Committee held two scheduled meetings per month, the first of which started at 12.30 p.m. and the second at 10.00 a.m.  He made the point that it might be more appropriate for both meetings to commence at the same time, that is, 10.00 a.m. and he sought the Committee’s direction in this regard.

            The Committee agreed that in future both the monthly scheduled meetings of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee be held at 10.00 a.m.

            The Director of Finance and Resources submitted for the Committee’s consideration the undernoted report:

“Relevant Background Information

1.1       An update on the revenue estimates for 2011/12 was presented to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee at its meeting on 22 October 2010. As advised within that report, the rates bill received by ratepayers contains two principal elements – the district rate received by local Councils and the regional rate which is set and received by the Northern Ireland Executive.

1.2       For information, over the last ten years, the district rate increases have ranged from 2.83% to 7.81%, with an average increase of 5.6%. It is important to note that the setting of the rate for 2011/12 reflects two unique circumstances:

(a)     the recession means that the rates base is no longer growing. This represents a significant risk for the future finances of the Council, given that the district rate provides approximately 74% of the total funding for the Council’s activities; and

(b)    on the positive side, there is a one off opportunity to reallocate money that was needed in 2010/11 to boost reserves.

1.3       The October report to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee on rates setting presented information on three scenarios, as requested by Members – 0%, 1% and 2.5% increases in the rates. This was a preliminary assessment of the overall position and there were a range of internal and external variables which were still uncertain at that stage. In addition, at the October meeting, Members agreed to action a number of proposals which would utilise some £1.1m of the 2010/11 underspend. These proposals will produce savings of some £700k for 2011/12 which now need to be factored into the rates setting process.

1.4       This report provides an update on our assessment of the revenue estimates for 2011/12, reflecting our current analysis of both the internal position and the external variables and providing more information on what can be achieved within the various scenarios.

Key Issues

2.0       Updated analysis of zero growth in rates

2.1       The scenario for zero growth in the rates has been updated from the October position to reflect:

(a)     the £700k savings arising from implementation of the agreed proposals for the use of the 2010/11 underspend; and

(b)    the current indication of the industrial derating grant for 2011/12 from DOE which is a reduction of £210k from the 2010/11 budget.

Table 1

2.2       Departmental Estimates – This is the money required by departments to deliver services and typically covers expenditure on headings such as salaries, supplies and services. Based on current estimates, this scenario would mean that net expenditure is budgeted to rise by £1.5m which equates to some 1.3% of an increase from 2010/11.  Given that inflation  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“Relevant background information

      The Strategic Policy and Resources Committee agreed at its meeting on 18 June 2010 that:

·         the Council would produce financial reporting packs for the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee and each Standing Committee on a quarterly basis

·         the Budget and Transformation Panel would also receive monthly financial updates if there were any significant issues to report.

      The reporting pack (a copy of which has been circulated) contains a summary dashboard of the financial indicators and an executive summary explaining the financial performance. It also provides a more detailed explanation of each of the relevant indicators covering the year to date and forecast financial position, progress in year on the capital programme, implications for reserves, payments to creditors and recovery of debt.

      As we previously advised the Committee, we will continue to develop the style and contents of the reports in liaison with Members. In particular, the Members’ financial training at the end of September 2010 provided a good opportunity for discussion and feedback on the reports. It is therefore intended to make some amendments to style and layout for the quarter 3 financial reports.

Central finance and departmental management teams have worked together to develop the information within the financial reporting packs. 

Key Issues

      A. Current and Forecast Financial Position 2010/11 and Implications for Reserves

      The current year to date financial position for the Council is an underspend of some £1.4m (quarter 1: £1.1m) which is 3% of estimated net expenditure. There is a forecast end of year underspend of some £2.1m (quarter 1 : £2.9m) which is 2% less than budget.

      As in quarter 1, the reasons for this underspend relate mainly to the current unutilised pay rise budget, additional electricity generation income, fuel costs being lower than anticipated and the deferred rollout of food collection as part of waste management, as well as departmental underspends.

      The financial position now reflects the utilisation of £1.1m of the 2010/11 underspend, which was agreed at Strategic Policy and Resources Committee on 22 October 2010. In addition, whilst there have been increased savings in some departments (Health and Environmental Services, Chief Executive’s and Property and Projects) compared to the quarter 1 forecast, these have been partially offset by two concerning changes in external variables. These are:

 (a)    the latest rates income forecast for 2010/11 from the LPS which shows a reduction of £0.6m compared to our planned rates income. There are concerns about the number of vacant properties and the level of bad debt.

(b)    A reduction of £0.2m in the industrial de-rating grant received from DOE, which reflects an increase in the number of industrial vacant properties

      These issues reflect the downturn in the wider economy and are significant risk factors for 2010/11 and the 2011/12 rates setting process. Given that the district rate represents some 74% of the funding received for Council activities, any reduction in the rates base will significantly impact on our future financial planning.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

            The Committee approved the minutes of the meeting of the Budget and Transformation Panel of 11th November.

            The Committee granted authority for the commencement of tendering exercises and delegated authority to the Director of Property Projects, in accordance with the Scheme of Delegation, to accept the most advantageous tenders received in respect of the following:

(1)     the supply of vehicles; and

(2)     the supply and installation of air conditioning equipment on the Ground Floor, ISB Building, Gloucester Street, at an approximate cost of £55,000.

            The Town Solicitor submitted for the Committee’s consideration the undernoted report:

“1        Relevant Background Information

1.1       As part of the Review of the Centre the functions within Registration Services (also known as the Births, Deaths, Marriages and Civil Partnerships Service), were transferred from the former Corporate Services Department to the Chief Executive’s Department.

1.2       The purpose of this report is to: -

·         inform Members on revised resource requirements as directed by the General Register Office (GRO)

·         inform Members on registration fee increases proposed by the General Register Office

·         propose an increase in charges levied by BelfastCity Council for use of the ceremony room in City Hall

·         propose an increase in charges for the attendance of the Registrar at ceremonies in approved venues.

1.3       The General Register Office is part of the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA), which is an agency of the Department of Finance and Personnel (‘the Department’) and is responsible for the administration and control of civil registration of births, adoptions, deaths, marriages and civil partnerships.

1.4       The registration function is regulated and governed by three pieces of legislation, namely:

The Births and Death Registration (NI) Order 1976

The Marriage (NI) Order 2003, and

The Civil Partnership Act 2004

1.5       The legislation provides that each local government district shall be a registration district.  In the exercise of the functions conferred on it as a local registration authority, Belfast City Council acts as an agent for the Department and in accordance with such directions as the Department may give to the Council.

1.6       Expenditure incurred in the exercise of these functions is reimbursed by the Department, subject to the approval of the Registrar General.  The majority of costs relate to employees and, whilst all staff within Registration Services are employed directly by Belfast City Council, the staffing complement of the Service is determined by the GRO and all salaries and associated costs are recouped by quarterly invoice to GRO.

2          Key Issues

2.1       Staffing Complement for Registration Services

            GRO has, over the last couple of months, been involved in an exercise to explore ways of reducing expenditure both within the GRO and in relation to the provision of the Registration Services in all district council areas, this being in the light of the present climate of financial challenge

2.2       GRO commissioned consultants (KPMG) to examine the resources required for each District Registration Office and in 2006 KPMG developed a series of timings and formulae for measuring resource requirements.  On 29 October 2010, the GRO wrote to Belfast City Council advising that it had applied the KPMG timings and formulae in its current annual review of resource requirements, and that as a result of this methodology, financial approval would not be given for costs exceeding a staffing complement of 7.76 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) for Belfast City Council.  This is in the context where the present approved establishment is 9.7 FTE, although the position at present is that the current complement is 8.41 FTE (the difference being due  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.

            (Mr. J. McGrillen, Director of Development, attended in connection with this item.)

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“Relevant Background Information

      Members will be aware that approval to develop and deliver a neighbourhood engagement programme as part of BCC’s approach to local area working was granted by the Development Committee in 2009. Following a competitive tendering process, Blueprint Development was appointed.

      The programme has been designed so that it directly relates to and follows on from the ‘BelfastCity Public Consultation 2010’ (Ipsos MORI) and is an integral part of the evidence gathering exercise to assist the corporate planning process. Members will be familiar with the results of the Ipsos MORI consultation through the corporate planning workshop held in September.  At this workshop and on other occasions, Members have expressed a desire to see more engagement with local communities. This programme of engagement will be designed to allow that to happen.

Key Issues

      As part of the corporate planning process Members have had workshops on a North, South, East and West basis Members where they have considered the recommendations arising from the Strategic Regeneration Frameworks for the North, South, East, West and Shankill areas of the city.  It is intended that the ‘My City, My Neighbourhood’ Programme will provide members with further evidence about local priorities across the city, to test further the priorities emerging from the Ipsos Mori consultation and help ensure that we meet our obligations under the new equality guidelines.  The programme will support the development of the Council’s approach to planning and integrating services at a local level, including, potentially, the NSEW Local Initiatives Pilot which Members are considering as part of allocation of the projected underspend for 2010/11.

      The following activities are being completed for presentation to Members as part of the corporate planning process:

·         Area assessments – statistical analysis and evaluation of key area plans to identify local issues and priorities.

·         Consultation with members on the content of the Strategic Regeneration Frameworks.

·         North, South, East, West analysis conducted to identify potential issues and priorities at a local level that would have particular significance for BCC.

·         'My city, my neighbourhood' survey in City Matters, which complements the Ipsos Mori survey, which also provides an opportunity for citizens to register if they are interested in participating in future engagement activities.

      Next steps for ‘My City, My Neighbourhood’

      It is anticipated that the area engagement element of the ‘My City, My Neighbourhood’ programme will roll out in the early new year. It is anticipated that this will be in the form of a range of workshops etc at a local level which will be facilitated by Blueprint.

      Role of elected representatives

      It is vital that Members are at the fore-front of the local engagement aspect of My City, My Neighbourhood.  The format of engagement may differ across the city depending on which method is best suited to the needs and demographic of an area.   Therefore it is proposed that roles are discussed with  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13a

            (Mrs. J. Minne, Head of Human Resources, attended in connection with this item.)

            The Committee was advised that absenteeism for the period from April till September was showing an average of 4.71 days lost per employee, which represented a decrease of 1.29 days per employee when compared to the same time period in the previous year, when the figure had been 6.00 days.  This meant that the Council was on target to reduce overall sickness absence to 11.0 days by April, 2011.  It was pointed out that 76.68% of staff had had no absences during quarter two, which showed an increase for the same period last year when 72.09% had no absence.  The number of staff on long-term sickness absence had decreased from 6.04% at the same time last year to 4.52% this year.

            The Head of Human Resources indicated that, in relation to the on-going management of attendance in the Council, the corporate Human Resources team would continue to report the Council’s performance in relation to attendance to the Committee on a bi-annual basis, audit the compliance of those sections which were not on target and report any ongoing compliance issues to the Audit Panel on a quarterly basis.

            After discussion, during which the Head of Human Resources answered a number of questions in relation to levels of sickness absence in other public authorities, the Committee noted the information which had been provided.

            Lease of Part of Stables Block

            at Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park

            The Committee was advised that, following the recent relocation of staff within the Parks and Leisure Department, the refurbished first floor office accommodation within the Stables block at the Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park was currently unoccupied.  The first floor office area comprised approximately 1,350 square feet.  Following discussions between officers from the Parks and Leisure Department and the Belfast Marathon Office, it was proposed that the Marathon Office be located on the first floor accommodation above the Stables Restaurant.  It was proposed also that that occupation be regulated by way of a formal lease from the Council.

            The Committee was advised that Belfast City Marathon Limited was a company limited by guarantee which had been formed for the purpose of organising and operating the Belfast Marathon.  The company received annual funding from the Council in the region of £40,000 out of a total annual budget in the region of £300,000.  The nine Company Board members was made up of representatives from Athletics Northern Ireland, Sport Northern Ireland, an independent Chairman and three representatives from the Council (two Councillors and one officer).  Council assistance was provided also for the staging of the event by the Council’s Events Team.

            The Committee approved the lease to the Belfast Marathon Office of first floor accommodation above the Stables Restaurant, Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park, on an annual renewable basis, at a rental of £11,000 per annum (subject to review after five years if the lease was continuing), with the appropriate terms being incorporated into a legal agreement to be prepared by the Legal Services Section.

            Annadale Embankment – Exchange of Land

            In accordance with Standing Order 60, the Committee was advised that the Parks and Leisure Committee, at its meeting on 14th October, had approved the disposal of approximately 541 square metres of land to and the acquisition of approximately 87 square metres of land from Northern Ireland Water at the Annadale Embankment for a sewerage pumping station for a net receipt to the Council of £24,500, subject to an appropriate legal agreement being drawn up by the Legal Services Section.

            The Committee approved the exchange of land on the terms outlined.

            Slievegallion Drive Open Space

            The Committee was advised that the Parks and Leisure Committee, at its meeting on 16th September, had approved the acquisition from the Northern Ireland Housing Executive of approximately 0.173 acres of land, on the basis of a long lease at a nominal rent, with use to be restricted to open space, subject to an appropriate legal agreement.

            In accordance with Standing Order 60, the Committee approved the acquisition.

            Grazing Licences

            The Committee was informed that the Council owned an 8.5 acre site at Glen Road which was located between St. Teresa’s Gaelic Athletic Club and the Glen Road Travellers Camp, and was held in the Corporate Landbank.  Part of the land had been used recently, without permission, by a person living  ...  view the full minutes text for item 16a

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“Relevant Background Information

      At it’s meeting on 24 September 2010 Committee deferred consideration of a report in relation to the disposal of land to the Ulster Museum to enable further information to be submitted.

      There had been a series of prior Committee decisions by the then Parks and Cemeteries Committee in relation to the proposed disposal of some 825 sq yards of land at Botanic Gardens to the Ulster Museum for use as a car park.  These culminated in a decision to dispose of the land at the Parks and Cemeteries Committee on 29 October 1970.  Subsequently the disposal price of £1,150 for the land, as recommended by the Commissioner of Valuation, was approved by the Parks and Cemeteries Committee without further debate, at is meeting on 13 May 1971.  A 999 year lease was subsequently prepared and signed by Lord Mayor and Town Clerk before being issued to the Museum for completion.  In March 1974 the Board of Trustees of the UlsterMuseum agreed to complete the lease on their part.  There followed exchanges of correspondence between the Museum’s solicitor and the Town Solicitor querying certain aspects of the lease.  In the end it appears the lease was not formally completed, despite the willingness and approval of Elected Members and the Board of Trustees to the arrangement.  It is not clear where any fault in relation to the non-completion may lie, although the current Museum management would be of the view that the available correspondence appears to place responsibility with the Council.

      In addition the same portion of land (approximately) had been occupied in connection with construction of the extension to the museum, by the Museum’s contractor, under Licence from Belfast Corporation since c.1967.  This contractor’s occupation was still continuing in 1971, however it appears to have been absorbed into the Museum’s occupation for car parking purposes by the erection of railings on or about November 1971 (i.e. after Council approval to dispose of the land).  The Museum’s occupation of the land has continued until the present time.

Key Issues

      There was an expressed political authority, subsequent agreement and legal intention, to dispose of land for a car park to the Ulster Museum in the period 1970/71 to 1974.  On the strength of this the Museum took (or were permitted to take/continue) occupation of the site in advance of completion of the proposed 999 year lease.  In the event the lease, for reasons unknown, was not satisfactorily completed by the parties.  The most likely reason for non-completion appears to be because of an oversight by either Council or the Museum or both bodies.

      While the Council could potentially re-cover possession of the car park it is likely the Museum will oppose this on legal and moral grounds.  Any recovery process is therefore likely to be lengthy with an uncertain outcome.

Resource Implications

      Financial

      Not known at this stage.  There could be a range of financial incomes dependant upon agreement of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17.

            The Director of Property and Projects submitted for the Committee’s consideration the undernoted report:

“Relevant Background Information

      Members will be aware that the issue formerly referred to as ‘global warming’ but now more usually referred to generically as ‘climate change’ is currently the subject of vigorous scientific and political debate internationally.

      Clearly, the generation and consumption of energy (e.g. electricity and gas) involves a significant amount of CO₂ production, and in fact, the council’s current estimated CO₂ output

from its existing property portfolio is around 17,000 tonnes per annum. It must first be pointed out that, in recent years, a number of significant energy-efficiency projects have been carried out which have reduced BCC’s CO₂ emissions by 17%, and in most cases we have been successful in obtaining 100% external grant aid in order to make the necessary changes at no cost to the rate-payer (e.g. installation of combined heat and power plant [CHP] at leisure centres, building insulation, swimming pool covers, conversions from oil to natural gas etc). It should, however, be noted that the likelihood of obtaining 100% (or even match-funded) grants in the future is remote, and consequently that any future initiatives will have to be funded by the council.

      The principal actions taken to date are illustrated below:

      In terms of procurement of energy, the council has also been able to achieve a level of 85% of its electricity from ‘green’ sources (100% in City Hall) and is currently seeking competitive tenders for the supply of natural gas. It should be noted that under the Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme, all electricity, irrespective of source, has to be reported at the ‘grid average’ emission rate.

      Consequently, under current Carbon Reduction Commitment  scheme conditions, the Council derives no benefit from purchasing green electricity, however it is understood that this is to be reconsidered, which may have implications for electricity generation at the North Foreshore site.   

      Background

      On foot of the Climate Change Act 2008 the Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) have introduced a statutory scheme designed to encourage improvements in energy management, in order to assist the government in delivering on its climate change obligations. This scheme is referred to as the CRC (Carbon Reduction Commitment) – Energy Efficiency Scheme and participation for organisations falling within the stated parameters became mandatory from April 2010.

      The target sector for the Carbon Reduction Commitment is the group of large public and private sector organisations, which together account for around 10% of the UK’s emissions. The scheme affects approximately 5,000 large organisations across the UK (although less than 100 in Northern Ireland), and includes Belfast City Council as a full participant. Although Belfast is the only local council to fall into this bracket there will be many other large public bodies in N.I. involved in the scheme. The council registered for the Carbon Reduction Commitment scheme as required in September 2010.

      The Carbon Reduction Commitment scheme seeks to encourage organisations to reduce CO  ...  view the full minutes text for item 18.

            Acquisition of Land

            The Committee was reminded that the Council, as part of City Investment Strategy, had agreed to co-ordinate the acquisition of lands to enable the Connswater Community Greenway Programme to proceed.  The Council would secure rights over the land needed for the Greenway and would be responsible for the management and maintenance of that land and any assets on it.  The Greenway would have to be accessible for 40 years to comply with the Big Lottery Fund letter of offer, although the intention was to secure rights for longer if possible.  Subsequently, the Big Lottery Fund had agreed to the Council becoming the employer and authority had been granted by the Committee, at its meeting on 24th September, for the Chief Executive to sign the transfer agreement on the Council’s behalf.  The contract for the construction of the Greenway had been awarded to SIAC/Galliford Try and construction of the first phase from Cregagh Glen to Montgomery Road was currently programmed to commence on 1st December, 2010. 

            It was reported that there was 0.052 acres of land at Park Avenue, near the subway access to Victoria Park, which had been identified as being required to complete the Greenway route and associated landscaping and Council officers had agreed, subject to the Committee’s approval, to purchase the land from Helm Housing for £1,000.

            The Committee approved the purchase of the area of land as outlined.

            Licence Agreements

            The Director reported that the Project Manager was in the process of finalising the programme of work with the contractor and the intention was to hand over the land required for the Greenway in phases linked to that programme of work.  The land assembly for all the phases of work was progressing well and it was intended that all acquisitions of land would be in place by the date on which the land was required to be handed over to the contractor.  However, there could be unforeseen difficulties with title to the land which took time to resolve despite a willingness by all parties to proceed.  In order to be sure that the land was available for handover to the contractor in good time, it was recommended that the Council take a licence for each of the following areas of land:

(1)     an area of land located at Cregagh Glen;

(2)     part of the land belonging to the Belfast Metropolitan College adjacent to the Loop River from Alexander Road to Montgomery Road;

(3)     part of the Belfast Education and Library Board-owned land along the Knock River from Orangefield Park to the Laburnum Playing Fields; and

(4)     a portion of the Laburnum Playing Fields.

            The Director explained that the acquisition of the lands at Cregagh Glen and the Laburnum Playing Fields had been approved previously by the Council and the Legal Services Section had been instructed to complete the conveyance of land to the Council.  Negotiations were on-going in respect of the value of the lands required from the Belfast Education and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 19.

            Exhibition in the City Hall

            In considering the minutes of the meeting of the Memorabilia Working Group of 28th October, a Member drew the Committee’s attention to the decision to stage the Reflections on Internment exhibition in the City Hall.  An extract of the minutes in this regard is set out hereunder:

“3.0    REQUEST TO STAGE EXHIBITION from the FAMILIES of the VICTIMS of the BALLYMURPHY MASSACRE

3.1    The Good Relations Manager referred to a report, copies of which had previously been circulated, reminding the Group that at the last meeting on 9 September, a letter had been tabled from the families of the victims of the Ballymurphy massacre, requesting an opportunity to stage a photographic exhibition entitled Reflections in the City Hall in August/September 2011 as part of their 40 year anniversary.  Copies of images and text used in the exhibition were also tabled.

3.2    The exhibition consists of 12 boards, one for each person that was killed and one panel that set the scene regarding the lead up to the events in August 1971.  The exhibition is made up of a group of 11 photographs taken by local photographer Jonathan Porter.  The individuals who were killed were all civilians and included a Catholic priest and a mother of eight children; a total of 51 children were left without a parent as a result of the events.

3.3    The Good Relations Manager reminded the Working Group that the families of the victims continue to seek an acknowledgement from the British Government that those killed were innocent of any wrongdoing.  The Ballymurphy group had recently met with the Secretary of State and has requested the Attorney General to order a fresh inquest into the deaths.

3.4    A Good Relations Officer met with representatives of the Ballymurphy group who wish their campaign to be given greater prominence within the City.  Members noted that the exhibition has already been exhibited twice in Stormont and in Whiterock Library, West Belfast Festival (for several years), the Ulster Museum, the Grand Opera House and in Dublin.  A letter of support for the exhibition from Alan McBride, the Co-ordinator of the WAVE Trauma Group, was tabled. He stated that he thought that the exhibition would reinforce the view that the City Hall was a welcoming place for all the citizens of Belfast.

3.5    A Member stated that although he had no problem with the exhibition and had every sympathy with the families, he had concerns around the accompanying text and could not support the staging of the exhibition in the City Hall for that reason.  A Member noted that the letter from Alan McBride illustrated how the dynamic had changed within the victims sector and he felt that the City Hall should be open to all these groups. 

3.6    The Good Relations Manager suggested that a film from the WAVE trauma centre ‘Unheard Voices’ could be screened for one evening during the time of the Ballymurphy exhibition.  This film was made up of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 20a

            The Committee approved the minutes of the meeting of the Good Relations Partnership of 12th November and adopted the recommendations in respect of the following:

            Bonfire Management Programme

            The continuation of the present level of annual funding of £50,000 in 2011/12 to support engagement with ‘new’ areas and elements of the Bonfire Management Programme which fall outside Peace III funding.

            Consultation – Community Relations,

            Equality and Diversity in Education

            To approve the proposed response to the Department of Education’s consultation on Community Relations, Equality and Diversity in Education.

            (Mrs. S. Wylie, Director of Health and Environmental Services, attended in connection with this item.)

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

1          Relevant Background Information

1.1       The Council was invited to provide written evidence to the Justice Committee on the Draft Justice Bill (NI) 2010 on 21st October 2010, with a deadline for submission of 17th November 2010.  An extension to this deadline has been granted until after the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee meeting of 19th November.

1.2       The Committee will be aware that at its meeting on 22nd October 2010, Members requested that representatives from the Department of Justice (DOJ) be invited to provide an overview of Part 3 of the draft Justice Bill (NI) 2010 at a briefing session to which all Members of Council were invited.

1.3       This briefing session was held on Monday 15th November 2010 and Mr Dan Mulholland and Ms Nicola Creagh of the DOJ provided input the proposals that relate to recommendations for the future integration of the Community Safety and District Policing Partnerships. 

            Appendix 1 details a draft response in respect of Part 3 of the Bill on behalf of Belfast City Council based on the comments and queries raised by Members at this briefing. 

            In addition to this, Appendix 2 details a short draft response in respect of Part 4 (regulation at sporting events) as this also impacts on the Council’s regulatory functions.

2          Key Issues

2.1       At present the Council plays a leading role in administering both the District Policing Partnership (DPP) and the Community Safety Partnership (CSP).  However the Justice Bill will provide enabling legislation for a new partnership arrangement which brings both partnerships together.

2.2       The Bill specifically describes the new partnership model for Belfast.  This includes:

·         A new main Policing and Community Safety Partnership (PCSP) which will perform the wider community safety role.  This will also have a sub committee known as the Policing Committee which shall meet to perform the functions of the current DPP

·         New District Policing and Community Safety Partnerships (DPCSPs) for each ‘Police District’ and within each of these, a sub committee known as the District Policing Committee. The DOJ has currently advised that they consider there to be a need for four DPCSPs in Belfast.

2.3       Some of the key issues for Council that have therefore been reflected in the response on Part 3 (Appendix 1) include:

·         Making a difference in local communities – the need for the focus to be on improving safety within neighbourhoods and not just on structures.

·         The complexity of the proposed Belfast structures and implications for Members (in terms of numbers of meetings) and administration (in terms of servicing meetings and making returns).  

·         Membership of the PCSP and DPCSP – including implications for, and overall role of, Elected Members, identification and participation of partner organisations and the appointment of independent members.

·         Financial assistance and Members’ (both elected and independent) allowances, the latter being no longer specifically allowed for in the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 23.