Minutes:
The Committee considered the undernoted report:
“1 Relevant Background Information
1.1 The purpose of this report is to update Members regarding developments on two key initiatives led by the European Unit:
1. The COMET Network
2. The Opportunity Europe Programme.
2 Key Issues
2.1 COMET Network
2.2 Members will be aware that the European Unit is Secretariat to the Councils of the Metropolitan Area (COMET) Network. This partnership, established in 2002 is a collaborative of the six local economic development units within the Greater Belfast Metropolitan Area. The network is funded by way of a Service Level Agreement with each Council contributing £5000 per annum. This is used to offset operational and project related costs.
2.3 To date the success of the Partnership with such limited financial resourcing has been notable. COMET has been successful in attracting European funding, established the COMET Interreg partnership, undertaken joint trade missions and business events and formulated joint lobbying responses in the fields of economic development and urban regeneration. Officers and elected members from the six Councils also undertook a Economic Development European Awareness visit to Brussels. Following a strategic review of the network officers have recently finalised a five year action plan.
2.4 The independent review of the partnership found that prior to establishment, collaborative working on economic development matters within the cities of Belfast and Lisburn and the boroughs of North Down, Newtownabbey, Castlereagh and Carrickfergus was sporadic and ad hoc. The review notes however, that relationships have been strengthened and developed through the partnership’s formalisation and has reached the point where contact between officers occurs on specific issues. Equally it recognises that without the structure, officers would focus solely on delivering for their individual areas and not reap the added value of collaboration. This added value was determined as:
2.5 - Ability to engage in European initiatives and collective projects which they would not have participated in or funded as a single entity;
- Ability to engage in new areas of activity which they would not have traditionally considered within local economic development activity;
- Sharing of resources for joint activity has ensured better value for money in attaining Council objectives;
- Availability of the resource provided by Belfast City Council’s EU Unit and the associated experience and expertise which does not currently exist in the other member Councils; and
- Leverage of additional funding
2.6 In its analysis of COMET, the review concludes that as it stands, COMET is primarily an operational entity. Whilst members are satisfied with this emphasis, they do seek to become more strategic and to increase awareness of the partnership’s existence. To this end a five year plan has been developed as an initial step in this process.
2.7 The Action Plan is focussed around 4 objectives:
- Stimulating enterprise and entrepreneurship
- Business development and growth
- Promoting the COMET region
- Urban planning and policy
2.8 Under each theme is an ambitious list of desirable activity that partnership members would like to see happen within the Metropolitan Area and highlights where there would be an efficiency or benefit in acting collaboratively. Such activity includes a creative industries support programme, assisting SMEs to identify and source new market opportunities, developing a robust evidence base for the metropolitan area to facilitate further funding applications and engage in urban lobbying and European activity. Whilst this plan is extensive, it is however reflective of a number of internal and external influences, namely:
- It recognises that each participating Council will have its own corporate, departmental and unit objectives and that Councils should have the flexibility to opt in or out of activities dependent on this strategic fit.
- Securing additional funding to enable projects to become operational
- The results of pilot initiatives will determine whether a second project phase is pursued
- That the economic environment will determine whether initiatives remain appropriate
2.9 - The political landscape will equally influence what is obtainable. This plan straddles 2 European Programming periods, is being launched as a new Assembly and 6 local Councils embed and it is also likely that discussions regarding the Review of Public Administration will reopen during the Plan’s lifetime.
- Certain projects within the Plan will need further development and scoping but are included as their objectives are aligned to COMET’s ethos.
It is proposed that upon adoption by the six Councils, officers will commence implementation of the Plan and it will be held under regular review, the first scheduled for December 2011.
2.10 Resource Implications
There are no additional financial implications for BelfastCity Council in approving the COMET Action Plan. Actions will either be funded from within the Partnership’s Service Level Agreement or external funding sought.
2.11 Equality and Good Relations Considerations
There are no Equality or Good Relations considerations attached to this report
2.12 Recommendation
Members are asked to note the contents of the report and approve the COMET Action Plan 2011-2015
2.13 Decision Tracker
Once content of the report is approved, implementation of the COMET Action Plan will be reviewed annually by the partnership members and reported to Council Chief Executive Officers.
3. Opportunity Europe
3.1 Members will be aware that the European Unit, in partnership with the European Commission Office in NI, organises an award winning annual flagship event, called ‘OpportunityEurope’. The aim of this two day fair is to promote the opportunities that Europe presents for studying, living, working or volunteering abroad. The target audience is primarily post primary students from across Northern Ireland but is open to the general public also.
3.2 This year’s event will take place in St George’s Market on 18 and 19 October 2011 and on offer will be 50 workshops on career opportunities and cultural diversity, quizzes, language taster sessions, online video conferencing, and workshops using art, drama and multi-media. A new perspective in 2011 will be a sub-theme looking at how young people can participate in European Volunteering schemes and city events which have a European dimension. This year’s event is being branded as part of the European Commission’s ‘European Year of Volunteering’ and as the local event within the Committee of Regions ‘Open Days’ Programme.
3.3 The Opportunity Europe programme will be officially launched on Friday 23 September 2011 to coincide with the European Day of Languages in Lagan College. After a Continental breakfast, students will present a language based schools assembly with speeches from the European Commission Office in Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Centre for Information on Language Teaching and Research and Belfast City Council.
3.4 Members are requested to agree the attendance of the Chair, Deputy Chair or nominee at the official Opportunity Europe Programme launch in September and the official opening of the fair in St George’s on Tuesday 18 October at 11am.
3.5 Belfast City Council’s £15000 contribution to the Opportunity Europe programme is directed towards workshop delivery and comes from within the EU unit annual budget.
3.6 Resource Implications
£15 000 from within the EU Unit annual budget is invested in OpportunityEurope as per its 2011-2012 Business Plan
3.7 Equality and Good Relations Considerations
There are no equality or good relations considerations attached to this report
3.8 Recommendations
That members approve the attendance of the Chair, Deputy Chair or nominees at Opportunity Europe’s official launch on 23 September 2011 in Lagan College and at the official opening of the Opportunity Europe fair on Tuesday 18 October 2011 in St George’s Market.
3.9 Decision Tracker
The delivery of Opportunity Europe will be monitored through generated press coverage, attendance figures, participant evaluations, workshop coordinators’ and exhibitors’ feedback.”
After discussion, the Committee adopted the recommendations and approved the contents of the COMET Strategic Review for 2010 and Action Plan from 2011 to 2015, copies of which were available on the Modern.gov website.