Agenda item

The Committee considered the undernoted report:

 

            “1     Relevant Background Information

 

1.1    In January 2012 Council agreed to the annual programme of civic events to be delivered during the 2012/13 financial year. This included the staging of the 2013 St Patrick’s event on the Sunday 17th March 2013.  This was followed by Members approving a pilot St Patrick’s Festival for 2013, which included a direction from Members for a feedback report to be submitted on this year’s event.

 

1.2    In addition, the Committee agreed to host the Ullan’s Academy St Patrick’s Day Breakfast at City Hall.  The following are the key statistics generated by the events:

 

·         Total cost was £180,000 (£140,000 for the parade and concert and £40,000 for the festival/marketing)

·         It is estimated that 20,000 people attended the event (5,000 festival attendees and an audience of 15,000 for the parade and concert)

·         Estimated economic return of over £567,000

·         Return on investment of £3.00 for every £1.00 invested

·         9% of attendees were out-of-state, 27% outside Belfast and 63% from the Greater Belfast area

·         An average positive rating of 7.88 out of 10 overall

·         It is estimated that 51% attending were from a Catholic background and 26% from the Protestant community

·         Promotion with Féile an Earraigh and linkage to the New York based Sober St Patrick’s Day initiative

 

            2       Key Issues

 

2.1    The Committee is requested to give guidance on whether a similar family-orientated festival and programme should be delivered in 2014.  However, if approved, the Committee is also being asked that any future parade, concert and festival be held on the nearest weekend to St Patrick’s Day, rather than on the 17th March.  The format would see potential festival activities on the Friday and Saturday, with the carnival procession and concert on the Sunday.  Such a move would have support from retailers and police in the city.

 

2.2    The rationale behind this suggestion is based on the resources connected to events on the 17th March especially in regard to the carnival element.  In addition the moving of the event would assist in attracting visitors to the festival elements based in the City Hall and grounds given that St Patrick’s Day is not a public holiday in the city.

 

2.3    The shift to a weekend would also assist, if approved by Council, the St Patrick’s festival to stand out in marketing the event to both a national and domestic market – especially given that many locations promote their locations on the 17th March.

 

2.4    The suggested programme would include promotion of Féile an Earraigh (Féile an Phobail’s Spring festival), Ullan’s Academy St Patrick’s Day breakfast (subject approval from Strategic, Policy & Resources use of the City Hall) and links to the New York based Sober St Patrick’s Day initiative. In addition the Council would include other initiatives such the BBC Radio Ulster St Patrick’s Night concert at the Belfast Waterfront Hall.

 

2.5    If approved Officers would issue a tender for a carnival provider.  This would be issued over a five year period, but would be renewed on an annual basis.  Analysis for this supply area has indicated that there would be a greater level of interest in the tender if the move to a weekend event was agreed by Council.

 

3       Resource Implications

 

3.1    It is estimated that the proposed programme could be delivered within the 2012/13 figure of £180,000. It should be noted that the current estimates for 2013/14 has £140,000 allocated. Therefore, any agreement to enhance the programme for 2013/14 would require approval from the Council’s Strategic, Policy and Resources Committee for an additional £40,000.

 

         There would be no additional staff resources connected to this initiative and the programme would include a marketing campaign to promote all St Patrick’s Day celebrations.  Material will be produced to reference all St Patrick’s Day initiatives accessible to the general public.

 

            4       Equality and Good Relations Considerations

 

4.1    Major civic events have the potential to bring together people from a wide range of backgrounds and promote good relations. However, equality and good relations implications in relation to this event are still under consideration.  Further updates will be sent to the Equality and Diversity Officer in due course.

 

 

            5       Recommendations

 

5.1    The Committee is requested to:

 

·         approve £140,000 for the 2014 event and request the Strategic P and R Committee to allocate a further £40,000 (total £180,000);

·         grant permission to go to tender for a carnival parade contractor for a five-year period (subject to Council approval and contract); and

·         approve a proposal to host the event on the nearest weekend to St Patrick’s Day, rather than on 17th March with the parade and concert on Sunday.”

 

A Member stated that the feedback report on the previous St. Patrick’s Day events had not referred to the widespread street drinking which had taken place and to the incidences of antisocial behaviour and various types of abuse which had been reported in the City centre. A further Member suggested that, given the financial constraints under which the Council operated, it would be unreasonable to request the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee to agree to commit an additional £40,000 to the event.

 

In response, a Member suggested that, whilst there remained issues regarding street drinking and in certain cases problems associated with antisocial behaviour, the specific events which had been organised by the Council had been deemed to have been a success. He added that it would be somewhat unfair to judge an event of such scale on a number of isolated incidents.

 

Proposal

 

      After further discussion, it was

 

      Moved by Councillor Ó Muilleoir,

      Seconded by Councillor Keenan,

 

      That the Committee agrees to adopt the recommendations as set out within the report.

 

On a vote by show of hands, seven Members voted for the proposal and nine against and it was declared lost.  

 

Further Proposal

 

Moved by Councillor Maskey,

Seconded by Councillor Keenan,

 

      That the Committee agrees to adopt the recommendations as set out within the report on the basis that a sum of £140,000 be made available initially and that, after a period of six months, the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee be requested to consider, should an appropriate underspend be identified within the Council’s budgets, allocating a further sum of £40,000 towards the event.

 

Amendment

 

Moved by Alderman Stoker,

Seconded by Councillor McKee,

 

      That the Committee agrees to adopt the recommendations as set out within the report on the basis that a sum of £140,000 be made available and that no request for further financial assistance be made to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee during the current financial year.

 

On a vote by show of hands, seven Members voted for the proposal and ten against and it was declared lost.  

 

The proposal standing in the name of Councillor Maskey and seconded by Councillor Keenan was thereupon put to the meeting when ten Members voted for the proposal and seven against and it was declared carried.