Agenda and minutes

Apologies for inability to attend were reported from Aldermen Browne and Councillor Hutchinson.

            The minutes of the meeting of 15th December were taken as read and signed as correct.  It was reported that those minutes had been adopted by the Council at its meeting on 3rd January.

            Alderman Rodgers declared an interest in respect of item 6a Physical Programme Update in so far as he was he was a shareholder with Glentoran Football Club.

            The Committee was reminded that, at its meeting on 15th December, it had agreed to receive representatives of the Ulster Council of the GAA to provide a presentation on the development of Casement Park.

            Subsequently, at its meeting on 5th January, the Committee had agreed to receive deputations from a number of other organisations in relation to the development.

            The Chairperson advised the Members that the Committee would not be discussing issues in relation to an open Planning Application as there were other processes ongoing where such issues could be raised.

In pursuance of the Committee’s decision of 15^th December, to receive a presentation from representatives of the Ulster Council of the GAA.

Mooreland                            Accordingly, the Chairperson, on behalf of the Committee, welcomed to the meeting Mr. S. McGeehan, Mr R. Miskelly and Mr. F. Quinn.

            Mr. McGeehan stated that the focus of the presentation would be on the development proposals and the socio-economic, cultural and community benefits that the redeveloped Casement Park would bring both to the City and Ulster and also the links to the Belfast Agenda, which the GAA saw as central to the development.

            He then outlined the background to and the current position in relation to the planning application and the consultation process which had been undertaken regarding the proposals.  He then highlighted the major sporting and cultural benefits the stadium would bring and expressed the organisation’s desire to bring the Ulster Football Final to the stadium for the first time since 1971.  He reviewed the need to strengthen gaelic games within the city, as traditionally its rural areas were strong, and install civic pride in the new stadium.

            Mr McGeehan explained that, from a community perspective, the GAA wished to reach out to communities beyond the traditional community within its own membership and wanted the facility to be used by all.

            With regard to the economic and business benefits, there would be £31.8 million Gross Value Added to the economy during construction and it would create 315 full time equivalent jobs.  The Ulster Council wanted to see the stadium have a regenerative effect around west Belfast and the wider Belfast area and be seen as a catalyst for bringing major sporting events, tourism, hospitality and business to the city.

            From 2020/21 onwards, during operation of the new facility, economic reports had indicated that there would be a direct increase in spend of £6.7 million per annum in the economy as a direct result of Casement Park.  This would include 13,300 out of state visitors staying in Belfast for major events, which was significant for businesses in Belfast.  During operation, the Stadium would provide 71 full time equivalent jobs.

            The Committee then viewed a short video which described in visual terms what the Ulster Council wished to deliver at Casement Park, following which the representatives of the deputation answered a number of questions from the Members.

In pursuance of the committee’s decision of 5^th January, to receive deputations from the following organisations:

·         Mooreland and Owenvarragh Residents’ Association

·         Gaels for Casement

·         Faite Feirste Thiar

·         Andersonstown Regeneration Committee

·         West Belfast Partnership Board

            Mooreland and Owenvarragh

            Residents’ Association

            Ms. C. McCavana, Mr. T Dignan and Ms. AM Hughes, representing the abovementioned Association, were then invited to address the Committee.

            Ms. McCavana advised that the Association had been founded in January, 2012 following a public meeting.  She indicated that the organisation was not against a new stadium but wished to see a suitably sized redevelopment of the stadium which was GAA orientated, no concerts, which was safe, which was part of the natural fabric of the community and which had an appropriate mass and scale for the area.

            Mr. Dignan referred to the presentation which the Association had circulated to the Committee and drew the Members’ attention to the following key points:

·        The GAA’s requirement for a provincial stadium was best satisfied at a different location;

·        On the Casement Park site, a smaller stadium, dedicated to GAA events:

o   would be less expensive

o   would lever many, if not all, of the purported wider social benefits; and

o   would mitigate the range of social and environmental impacts.

            The Association had had a long standing policy position that, in sporting terms, the site could fit a stadium with a capacity of between 20,000 – 25,000 persons.  Since that policy position had been set, there had been a number of developments in relation to issues around safe evacuation.

            He referred to a map of the local area around Casement Park which showed the ground fronted by the Andersonstown Road and, on the remaining three sides, by residential properties which abutted right up against the stadium.  That created a set of constraints in relation to access to and egress from the ground.

            Mr. Dignan referred also to the proposed costs which indicated that Casement Park would require public funding of £62.5 million, which could be used for other services.  The Gross Value Added (GVA), as indicated in the Deloitte report, was approximately £1.7 million per annum, which was only 0.004% of the Northern Ireland total GVA, which for the 37 jobs was a net cost of £1.7 million per job.

            In conclusion, he stated that the Association was aware that west Belfast contained areas of high social and economic deprivation and there was a need for interventions across a range of dimensions.  The argument which the Association was making was that those needs, in the specific context of Casement Park, were best addressed by a smaller scale stadium.

            The deputation then answered a number of questions from the Members.

            Gaels for Casement

            Mr. B White and Ms. J. Adams, representing Gaels for Casement, were then invited to address the Committee.

            Mr. White explained that Gaels for Casement was a grass roots organisation made up entirely of local GAA members.  It had been established following the first Judicial Review which had halted the redevelopment of Casement Park.  It was formed specifically to give voice to local Gaels to support Casement Park, to raise the profile of Casement within clubs and to campaign for a fit for purpose  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2b

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

      Resolved – That the Committee agrees to exclude the members of the Press and public from the Committee meeting during discussions of these items as, due to the nature of the items, there would be a disclosure of exempt information as described in Section 42(4) and Section 6 of the Local Government Act (NI) 2014.

            The Committee was reminded that, at its meeting on 24th November, 2017, it had approved a pilot cash flow facility to support the delivery of one-off arts and festival events across the city.  Accordingly, a request had been received from Féile an Phobail to avail of the cash flow mechanism in relation to the up-front costs of the 30th Anniversary Events in August 2018.

Moved by Councillor McVeigh,

Seconded by Councillor Beattie,

      The Committee approves the proposal for the Féile an Phobail 30th Anniversary Events planned for August 2018 to avail of the cash flow mechanism to cover upfront costs up to a cap of £300,000 which would be recouped through the direct receipt of ticket sales from Ticketmaster, subject to:

·        appropriate legal agreements between the Council, Ticketmaster and Féile an Phobail; and

·        cancellation insurance cover in place to the satisfaction of the Council and Ticketmaster.

            On a recorded vote ten Members voted for the proposal and six against and it was declared carried

            The Committee considered the contents of a report which provided an update on the funding situation regarding The MAC (Metropolitan Arts Centre) following engagement with the Department for Communities (DFC).

            The Committee:

·        noted the update on the funding position of The MAC;

·        noted the correspondence which had been received from the Department for Communities’ Permanent Secretary;

·        noted the proposed engagement with relevant department officials at officer level and the commitment to feed back to the Committee; and

·        agreed that representatives of The MAC be invited to a future meeting of the Committee.

            The Committee noted an update in relation to the recruitment of Chief Officer posts.

The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1       The Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, at its meeting on the 5 January 2018, considered the proposed 2018/19 revenue budgets and proposed cash limits for the Strategic Policy and Resources, People and Communities, City Growth and Regeneration and Planning Committees.

1.2       The Committee agreed the recommended cash limits for the Strategic Policy and Resources, People and Communities, City Growth and Regeneration and Planning Committees, subject to consultation with the other Committees prior to the next meeting of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee on the 19 January 2018.

1.3       This report provides feedback from the meetings of the People and Communities Committee on the 9 January 2018 and the City Growth and Regeneration Committee on the 10 January 2018. A verbal update from the meeting of the Planning Committee on the 16 January 2018 will be provided at the meeting. This report also makes the final recommendations for the Committee Cash Limits, Capital Financing Limit and District Rate for 2018/19.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to:

·        Agree that this paper should not be subject to call-in (as indicated above) because it would cause an unreasonable delay which would be prejudicial to the Council’s and the public’s interests in striking the district rate by the legislative deadline of 15th February 2018.

·        Confirm the cash limits agreed by the Committee at its meeting on the 5 January 2018 as follows:

-       A cash limit of £45,662,169 for the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee for 2018/19, including £3,270,000 relating to the Belfast Investment Fund.

-       A cash limit of £76,027,990 for the People and Communities Committee for 2018/19.

-       A cash limit of £16,036,980 for the City Growth and Regeneration Committee for 2018/19.

-       A cash limit of £1,551,099 for the Planning Committee for 2018/19.

-       The capital financing budget of £20,706,901 for 2018/19.

·        Agree that the increase in the district rate for 2018/19 should be 1.98%, based on an estimated penny product of 5,953,980 meaning a non-domestic rate of 26.8703 and a domestic rate of 0.3263 and that the amount to be raised through the district rate in 2018/19 will be £154,726,087.

·        Note the Director of Finance and Resources statement on the adequacy of the Council’s reserves position and the robustness of the revenue estimates as required by the Local Government Finance Act (NI) 2011.

·        Note the Minimum Revenue Provision (MRP) Statement (Appendix 5) as required by the Local Government (Capital Finance and Accounting) Regulations (NI) 2011.

3.0       Main report

3.1       Table 1 below summarises the net cost of the Council for 2018/19 and shows that the amount to be raised through the district rate in 2018/19 is £154,726,087. This represents a 1.98% increase in the district rate.

                        Table 1 Cost of Running the Council in 2018/19

The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0      Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1       In December 2017, the Committee considered and agreed to the Notice of Motion on Education Support which was proposed by former Councillor Bell and seconded by Councillor O’Hara:

"This Council notes the continued Tory-led cuts to the Department of Education's budget and the resulting devastating impact on the Education Authorities, schools and youth providers. Schools, youth providers, children, parents and the wider community are now at breaking point with continuing threats to services. The Council strongly opposes these cuts.

The Council also notes the work being carried out by the various Partnership Boards and schools across Belfast to improve standards of literacy and numeracy amongst our young people, particularly those living in areas of high social deprivation. The Council commends the Partnership Boards and schools for their successes to date in improving standards of literacy and numeracy, especially at GCSE level, through their various Easter schools, mid-term schools, community-based classes and efforts outside of the classroom. It should be noted that the Council itself also provides educational support through homework clubs (for 5-11 years old) and parent and toddler groups

For these reasons, this Council agrees to task Council Officers to investigate ways in which it can contribute to the continued improvement and academic achievement in literacy and numeracy within local communities and will look at how it can help to overcome various barriers to learning at post primary level."

1.2       The Belfast Agenda drives the city’s ambitions for Inclusive Growth and improving life chances for all citizens. This includes boosting attainment levels at all stages of life and ensuring that people have the skills they need for the jobs of the future as well as building a labour marker that provides sustainable employment, removing barriers to employment and addressing and mitigating poverty.  One of the four core ambitions is that ‘by 2035 every young person in Belfast leaving school has a destination that fulfils their potential’. 

1.3       The Council has already been scaling up its level of investment in Employability and Skills activity which is overseen by the Council’s City Growth & Regeneration Committee.  At its meeting in January 2018, the Committee noted the following headline targets to be achieved in the current financial year:

·        Up to 1,500 residents will be supported to find a job. To date, more than 1,000 residents have entered employment (735 through European Social Fund (ESF) and Employment Academies and 313 through our entrepreneurship (including Go for It programme) and business development support);

·        4,000 residents will be engaged through employability interventions (e.g. careers insight activities) and early engagement projects (with 2,928 people engaged to date);

·        Over 1,000 students and young people to be engaged through career events and digital skills programmes (715 young people engaged to date);

·        Over 290 work experience opportunities to be provided through the Council and key employers across the city (with 25 employers signed up to provide the 290 work experience opportunities to date).

1.4  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4a

            The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report or Summary of Main Issues

1.1       The purpose of this report is to update Members on a Notice of Motion that was brought to the Council in October 2017 and was subsequently presented to the Strategic Policy in Resources Committee on 20 October 2017.

1.2       The Notice of Motion relates to a proposal to explore the implementation of a Citizens’ Basic Income (CBI) scheme.  The principle behind a CBI scheme is that all citizens – regardless of their employment status – would receive a basic weekly or monthly income payment. Citizens would then be able to work and earn additional income on top of the basic payment. For those in receipt of benefits, the CBI would replace many of these.

1.3       The Notice of Motion proposes that the Council ‘will undertake a feasibility study into how it might support a pilot study concentrated within our most deprived communities’.  This would potentially mean that a Belfast CBI would be focused on certain target groups or areas of the City.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to:-

·        Note the Notice of Motion proposed at Council meeting on 2 October 2017 regarding the potential implementation of a Citizens’ Basic Income Scheme

·        Note that Officers will liaise with Officials in Northern Ireland Executive with a view to undertaking a feasibility study into how the scheme might support a pilot study concentrated within the City’s most deprived communities. 

3.0       Main Report

3.1       At the Council meeting on 2 October 2017, the following Notice of Motion was proposed by Councillor McVeigh and seconded by Councillor Hutchinson:

            ‘This Council recognises the devastating impact that unemployment and benefit cuts can have upon citizens, families and communities.

            The Council will explore, as part of a wider employability initiative and with the help of the Executive, the implementation of a Citizens’ Basic Income (CBI) scheme.  In order to inform this process, the Council will undertake a feasibility study into how it might support a pilot study concentrated within our most deprived communities.

            The CBI initiative would mean, for those identified as part of the initiative, the replacement of benefits and pensions with an unconditional flat rate payment.  Citizens would then be able to work and earn additional income on top of the basic payment.  Such a scheme has the potential to help eradicate poverty and homelessness in the City.’

3.2       In accordance with Standing Order 13(f), the Notice of Motion was referred to the Committee for consideration.  At the 20 October 2017 meeting of the SP&R Committee, Members agreed that a report on the matter be submitted to a future meeting.

3.3       The concept of a Citizens’ Basic Income has been around for some time as part of policy discussions on how to make public benefits systems more effective.  It has come to the forefront in recent months with the announcement in September 2017 by the Scottish Government that they would make available resources for local authorities to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4b

            The Committee was reminded that, at its meeting on 3rd January, the following motion had been proposed by Councillor McReynolds and seconded by Councillor O’Neill:

“This Council recognises the important role that transparency, accountability and openness play in strengthening the trust of the public in their representatives; notes the important role audio recording of committee meetings since January 2016; acknowledges that the Area Working Groups perform a vital function in allocating sums of money to worthwhile projects across Belfast; that they will have an additional important role with the upcoming local area plans; and, agrees to commence recording of all Area Working Group meetings to demonstrate to the public that resources are being allocated openly, fairly and transparently”

            In accordance with Standing Order 13(f), the Motion had been referred to the Committee for consideration.

            In order to provide some relevant background, the Committee was requested to take account of the following points when considering the Motion.

            At the first Annual Meeting of the Council in April 2015, it had been decided that a traditional Committee style governance system would operate for the duration of the Council Term.  That type of system provided for the establishment of a number of Committees which considered the operation of the Council services and (except where the Council delegated its powers to the Committee as in the Planning and Licensing Committees) make recommendations to the full Council which was, ultimately, the decision-making body.

            The Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 2014, at Section 47, required the Council, so far as was practicable, to make an audio recording of so much of any Council meeting which was open to the public and required that the audio recording must be available to the public at the Council offices for a period of 6 years from the date of the meeting.  The Council had, for a number of years, gone further than that requirement by providing for a live webcast of the Council meetings through the Council website.

            There was no requirement within the 2014 Act for the proceedings of Committee meetings to be audio recorded.  However, the Council, in September, 2015, had agreed to provide for the audio recording of all of its Standing Committees which took place in the Lavery Room in the City Hall.  That decision had been extended further in December, 2015 to allow for the audio recording of the Planning Committee meetings which routinely took place in the Banqueting Hall in the City Hall.

            Accordingly, the Council had been audio recording its Standing Committee meetings since January, 2016 based upon an operating protocol.

            For a number of years, pre-dating the establishment of the new Council in 2015, the Council, in addition to the establishment of its Standing Committees, had formed a number of Working Groups, the purpose of which was to allow for early deliberation of matters by the political process before reports were submitted for formal consideration by the Standing Committees and ultimately the full Council.  Those Working Groups were not decision-making bodies  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4c

            The Committee agreed to defer consideration of a Motion in relation to the Transparency of Council Funding until its meeting on 16th February to enable legal opinion to be obtained.

            The Committee deferred consideration of the Motion until its meeting on 16th February.

            The Committee was reminded that, the Council, at its meeting on 1st November, had passed the following Motion on Voting Rights for 16 Year Olds, which had been proposed by Councillor O’Hara and seconded by Councillor Nic Biorna;

"This Council calls upon the British Government and the Secretary of State to bring forward legislation to extend the right to vote to everyone aged 16 or over, in time for the 2019 Local Government elections and for all future Assembly and Westminster elections and any referenda.”

            The Democratic Services Manager reported that a response had now been received from Lord Duncan of Springbank, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, who was responsible for elections policy in Northern Ireland.

            Lord Duncan had stated that the Government recognised and highly valued the contribution which young people made to society. However, he pointed out that, of those countries within the European Union, only Austria had lowered its voting age to 16 years for national elections and that most democracies considered 18 to be the appropriate age to enfranchise young people. He confirmed that the UK Government continued to hold the view that 18 years was the age at which most young people were likely to be sufficiently politically aware, mature and independent to decide who should represent them and concluded by thanking the Council for its interest in this issue. 

            The Committee noted receipt of the response.

            The Council, at its meeting on 1st November, had passed the following Motion on Universal Credit, which had been proposed by Councillor Attwood and seconded by Councillor Kyle:

“This Council notes the well documented and evidenced hardship caused in England, Scotland and Wales by the roll out of Universal Credit.

The Council calls for an immediate halt to the rollout of Universal Credit across Northern Ireland, to protect the most vulnerable and the disadvantaged from poverty, rent arrears and homelessness and calls for all Political Parties to work to deliver a system that is fair, practical and compassionate.

Accordingly, the Council agrees to write to and seek a meeting with the Permanent Secretary at the Department for Communities and with the Secretary of State about the implications of Universal Credit.”

            The Democratic Services Manager reported that a response had now been received by Mr O’Reilly, however, a response had not yet been received from the Secretary of State.

            He pointed that Mr. O’Reilly had stated that the Department for Communities, having drawn upon the experience of the Department for Work and Pensions, had adopted a phased approach for the roll-out of Universal Credit in Northern Ireland. The process, which had commenced in September, 2017 in the Limavady Jobs and Benefits Office, would cover a twelve-month period and be rolled out to offices in Belfast in May and June, 2018.

            Mr. O’Reilly had then outlined the financial and other support which the Department for Communities would provide to claimants during the roll-out period and beyond and provided an analysis of the Universal Credit service to date. However, he did not address the request to meet with a delegation from the Council, as alluded to within the motion.

            The Committee noted the response which it had received from the Permanent Secretary, Department of Communities.

            The Committee agreed also that a report be submitted to a future meeting of the Committee on the possibility of the Council developing a Universal Credit plan, in order to direct people to organisations providing support services such as advice, food banks, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, housing rights, debt advice and employment training, as had been agreed by the Council on 1st November when it had considered the motion.

The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1       To update Committee on recent progress and next steps on the development of a Belfast Region City Deal

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to;

·        note the next steps in the development of the Belfast City Region Deal

·        agree to commission Future Cities Catapult to develop proposals for the Digital Infrastructure element of the city deal.

·        agree that the party group leaders and chair of SP&R attend the next meeting of the joint city region deal councillors’ forum on 12 February.

3.0       Main report

3.1       Members will be aware that momentum for the Belfast City Region Deal has increased over the past few weeks with the chancellor’s announcement in the autumn budget statement that he would ‘open negotiations for a Belfast (Region) City Deal as part of our commitment to a comprehensive and ambitious set of City Deals for Northern Ireland’.  

3.2       The commitment to the Belfast Region City Deal received further support with the visit of Sajid Javid MP, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, to the city where he met with members and stakeholders from across the six councils to hear about the emerging proposals.  In response he lent his support to the ambitious proposition and an ongoing commitment to working to further develop the deal with Belfast and across Northern Ireland.

3.3       The committee will also be aware that a specified reserve of £500K has been created to support a programme of work aimed at ensuring the region has the evidence base, information and emerging projects to make the best possible case for an overall programme that will support the city region’s economy.  This includes development of the overall policy context, programme management, project development, governance and stakeholder engagement and was outlined to members at their meeting in November 2017.

            Timeline for the development of the deal

3.4       Following the visit of the SoS, officers have been engaging with officials from DCLG to agree an overall timeframe for the development of firm proposals with a view to getting a deal agreed in the autumn 2018.  The first step in this is to develop a further proposition paper by April 2018 providing more detail and analysis on the region, its economy, emerging growth sectors and the case for investment. This will be informed by the Belfast City Region Industrial Framework which is currently being drafted.  This proposition will also include key outcomes and emerging projects linked to the three themes of infrastructure, innovation and skills with indicative costs.  It is envisaged that following discussions with DCLG, HMT and NI Executive the proposition will be subject to economic modelling and be further developed with individual business cases with a view to having an overall programme including outcomes for consideration in September 2018. 

3.5       Further evaluation of the overall programme will then take place between central, regional and local government with a view to having an agreed Heads  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5a

The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1       The Council’s Physical Programme covers over 350 projects under a range of funding streams including the Capital Programme, the Leisure Transformation Programme, LIF, BIF and the projects which the Council is delivering on behalf of other agencies. This paper provides an update for Members on the Physical Programme

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to –

            Proposed movements on/additions to the Capital Programme

·        Agree that the New Crematorium is moved to Stage 3- Committed on the Capital Programme with a maximum budget of up to £18million to be allocated (see section 3.3-3.7). Given there are a number of outstanding issues to be resolved (as laid out in 3.5 below) it is recommended that this is held at Tier 0 – Schemes at Risk and Members will be kept up to date on the progress of the project including the final budget allocation.   Members are further asked to agree that the necessary procurement processes (including the invitation of tenders and/or the use of appropriate ‘framework’ arrangements) be initiated as required with contracts to be awarded on the basis of most economically advantageous tenders received and full commitment to deliver.

·        Agree that the following project is added as Stage 1 – Emerging Project - Belfast Zoo – Programme of works - with further detail to be brought back to Committee (Section 3.8-3.10)

            Project Updates 

·        King George V Playing Fields(currently Stage 2- Uncommitted) – agree that this proposal is de-coupled from the Oval proposal and is now taken forward as a proposal in its own right.  If agreed, Members are asked to note that further work is required in working this proposal up in its own right and that further detail will be brought back to Committee in due course (see 3.11-3.12)

            Externally Delivered Initiatives

·        Social Investment Fund – note that the Council has now received approval to proceed for the 6 SIF projects as outlined in 3.13 below

·        Urban Villages – agree in principle that the Council acts as the delivery agent for a range of projects which are proposed under the next round of UV funding (see 3.14)

3.0       Main report

3.1       Key Issues

            Members will be aware that the Council runs a substantial physical programme covering over 350 projects under a range of funding streams including the capital programme, BIF and LIF together with the projects that it is delivering on behalf of other agencies including the Executive Office and the Department for Communities.

            Proposed movements on/additions to the Capital Programme 

3.2       Members have previously agreed that all capital projects must go through a 3 Stage process where decisions on which projects progress are taken by SP&R. Members are asked to agree to the following movements on the Capital Programme

            The Committee endorsed the scheduling of the various works in the City Hall during the period from January til June 2018 which included the following:

(a)   the male/female toilet swap in the East corridor being completed by Monday 29th January;

(b)   the new Disabled WC and the new Parenting/Family Room facilities in the East being ready for use by Monday 5th March;

(c)   the new integrated Reception facility being installed on the marble and ready for use by Monday 19th March;

(d)   the existing business-as-usual reception desk being removed by 23rd March; and

(e)   the new Changing Places WC facility in the entrance lobby being completed and operational by Monday 4th June.

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

“1.0     Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1       The purpose of this report is to advise Members about works that are to take place by NI Water under its statutory powers as part of the Ormeau Avenue Sewer Scheme.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to :

·        Note that NI Water proposes to undertake sewer improvement works as part of an Ormeau Avenue Sewer Scheme and;

·        Note that these works affect BCC car parks located at Little Victoria Avenue, Charlotte Street and Cromac Street, as well as BCC lands located at the Gasworks.

3.0       Main Report

3.1       NI Water is proposing to commence sewer improvement works under its statutory powers as part of an Ormeau Avenue Sewer Upgrade Scheme.  Statutory Notices were served in 2013 on the Department for Regional Development [as the previous owners of the car parks] under the relevant legislation, the Water and Sewerage Services (NI) Order 2006.

3.2       The purpose of this scheme is to reduce spills from the Ormeau Avenue sewer system to the environment, reduce hydraulic and odour issues associated with the high levels of grease in the system and reduce the possibility of flooding in the catchment.

            The scheme is to cost approx. £5m and involves the following works: 

·        Upgrading of existing sewer with a new large diameter sewer from Sandy Row to a new wastewater pumping station at Hardcastle St. This sewer will run in parallel to, and compliment, the existing sewer. The new sewer will be ‘tunnelled’ under Great Victoria Street and Dublin Road.

·        A new overflow located at the junction of Cromac Square and East Bridge Street overflowing to a new cross connection to the Belfast Sewer Tunnel at Cromac Street via Cromac Street car park.

·        Relocation of the existing Ormeau Road overflow connecting to the Blackstaff culvert on Ormeau Avenue via Charlotte Street car park

·        Construction of a new pumping station to pump flows to the existing sewer network in Cromac Street

·        The pumping main will be ‘tunnelled’ under Ormeau Road.

3.3       A copy of the proposed scheme layout is attached at Appendix 1 (drawing number W-001). 

3.4       There are 3 BCC off street car parks affected by the Ormeau Avenue Sewer Scheme, located at Little Victoria Street, Charlotte Street and Cromac Street.  These car parks are shown hatched in red on the plan at Appendix 1.  Part of the land located at the Gasworks Northern Fringe is also affected by the Scheme, also shown hatched in red on the plan at Appendix 1.  

3.5       NI Water has recently appointed Dawson Wam to carry out the works on its behalf.  NI Water advise that it is anticipated that work will commence in early February 2018 and will last for approximately 16 – 18 months.  They also advise that there will be no road closures and that a traffic management plan has been agreed with TNI. 

3.6       Little  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6c

The Committee:

          (i)     Approved the public advertisement and acceptance of tenders as listed in Appendix 1 - Table 1through the Council’s electronic procurement system; and

         (ii)     Granted delegated authority to the appropriate Director, using pre-agreed criteria, to accept the most economically advantageous tender and allow month by month extensions where contracts were under review as in

Appendix 1, Table 2:

Appendix 1 - Schedule of tenders for consideration

Table 1 – New tenders

Table 2 – Contracts for extension of contract period

            The Committee was advised that, in preparation for the introduction and roll-out of Welfare Reform, the Department for Communities (DfC) had supported front-line advice organisations via grant-aid and capacity development.  The Council currently administered an annual grant programme of £931,765 for generalist advice, with levered income via the DfC’s Community Support Programme, to five Advice Consortia covering east, north, south, west and central Belfast for generalist advice services.

            At the meeting of the People and Communities Committee in December, it had been agreed to accept an additional in-year allocation of £61,103 from DfC through the Community Support Programme towards the provision of the City-Wide Tribunal Service.

            The Director of City and Neighbourhood Services reported that DfC was now seeking support from the Council to facilitate payment of £64,589.43 to Citizens Advice for the provision of frontline services relating to welfare reform.  The total funding allocation covered the following:

·        Belfast Citizens Advice Adviser Salaries (6 Advisers): Total £44,234.94 for period 1 October, 2017 – 31 March, 2018;

·        Hosting Costs: Total £11,349.74 for 2017/2018 year;

·        Additional Welfare Reform Support: Total £5,404.75 for 2017/2018 year; and

·        Training Package for 6 Welfare Reform Advisers at £600 each, total £3,600.00 for year 2017/2018

            This additional allocation would be administered via the current Community Support Programme arrangements with DfC and a letter of variance would be issued.

            The Committee agreed to accede to the request from the Department for Communities to administer funding for Welfare Reform support project to Citizens Advice through the current Community Support Programme arrangement pending receipt of the formal Letter of Variance.

The Committee:

·        Approved and adopted the minutes and the recommendations from the Shared City Partnership meeting held on 8th January, 2018 which:

·     Noted the update on Peace IV and approved the rebid process and timetable as outlined in the minutes;

·     Agreed the recommendations in relation to the Review of the Shared City Partnership as outlined in the minutes;

·     Approved the draft Good Relations Action Plan 2018/19 for submission to The Executive Office;

·     Commissioned work to record and map the good relations outcomes that had been delivered by the DCGRP in 2017/18 at a cost of £10,000, which would include the establishment of a mechanism to measure long term attitudinal change which would demonstrate the impact of the work supported by the Good Relations Unit over a number of years;

·     Approved an additional £5,000 towards the research piece on Islamophobia in Belfast that had been approved by the Partnership at its meeting on 6th November, 2017

·     Approved an amount of £5,000 to TURAS to produce and launch a map of Belfast denoting the Irish place names for the associated townlands, together with the Irish Language sources of their names;

·     Awarded an amount of £1,000 towards an event in the City Hall (or another venue should the City Hall not be available) during Seachtain na Gaeilge which was held from 1st – 17th March every year;

·     Approved the hosting of the annual event to mark International Women’s Day 2018 on 10th March 2018 and also agreed to the use of the City Hall and cobbled area as a venue for the event for the next three years, until March 2020.

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

            The Committee approved the recommendations in relation to the requests for the use of the City Hall and the provision of hospitality as set out below:

            The Committee noted the minutes of the meetings of the Active Belfast Ltd. Board of 11th December and 8th January.

            The Committee was advised that correspondence had been received from ABF The Soldier’s Charity (NI) concerning an event entitled The ‘Ulster at War’ Concert to be held in the Belfast Waterfront on Saturday, 24th March, 2018.

            The charity was seeking to recreate 1940s Ulster by means of music, comedy and fascinating stories of local heroism from every corner of the Province.  The event would be hosted by ‘Fermanagh Funny Man’ Gary Wilson.

            The Committee had preciously booked places to attend events hosted by the Charity – in 2014 to ‘The Great War Concert’ and in 2016 to the Centenary of the Battle of the Somme concert.  The cost of attending the event was £45 per person which could be met from existing budgets.

            The Committee approved the attendance at the event of the Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson of the Committee (or their nominees) and one representative of each of the four other main Political Parties on the Council.

            The Committee was advised that the Council had been shortlisted as a finalist in three categories of the 2018 Legal-Island Equality and Diversity awards in respect of the ‘Best Disability Initiative’; ‘Best Gender Initiative’ and ‘Best LGBT Initiative’ categories and had been invited to attend this year’s awards event which was scheduled to take place on the evening of 23 March, 2018 in Titanic Belfast.

            The Committee was advised that the nominations followed an increase in activity in recent years to support and raise awareness of disability, gender and LGBT issues both externally and in the workplace. This was part of the Council’s ongoing work to fulfil its Section 75 and other legislative duties, as well as to demonstrate civic leadership and best practice. The submissions were prepared and submitted by Corporate HR and the Equality and Diversity Unit.

            The event organisers were inviting organisations to purchase a table of ten at a cost of £1200.

            The Committee:

·        agreed to the Council’s attendance at the 2018 Legal-Island equality and diversity awards on 23rd March; and

·        approved the attendance of the Chairperson and the Deputy Chairperson of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee (or their nominees), a chief officer; and three Council officers involved in the three awards submissions should it be possible to purchase six individual places at the event.  Alternatively, if individual places could not be purchased, the Committee approved the purchase of one table of ten should this be the only available option and agreed to the four additional places being allocated to additional Committee members.

            The Committee agreed that a letter be forwarded to Councillor Hutchinson expressing its wishes that he has a speedy recovery following his recent accident.

In accordance with notice on the agenda, Councillor McReynolds asked the Committee to consider the following motion:

“This Council welcomes the recent report by the Environmental Audit Committee into the impact of disposable coffee cups in the United Kingdom; acknowledges the impact they are having on the environment given that 2.5 billion are thrown away each year with many ending up in landfill; agrees to replace current coffee cups on council sites with compostable cups.” 

            The Committee agreed that a report on the replacement of current coffee cups on Council sites with compostable cups be submitted to a future meeting.  It was agreed also that a report on the Council’s use of plastic materials be also submitted to the future meeting.