Agenda item

            The Committee considered the undernoted report, together with an associated business plan for Belfast City Centre Management for 2014/2015:

2         Key Issues

2.1      BCCM have developed an action plan which sets out the range of activities to be undertaken in the course of the year, along with the associated budget for the delivery of this programme of work.

2.2      The work of BCCM covers three areas:

·        Delivering BCCM city centre services

BCCM delivers its own services which add value to the city centre.  These include management of the city’s festive lighting, Café Culture operating agreements, City Centre Beat policing, Radio link, City Safe Crimewatch scheme, dressing of vacant shop windows, city banner dressing in the core retail area, and providing an education programme to businesses on Business Improvement Districts.

·        Facilitating the delivery of funders’ City Centre Initiatives

BCCM assists Belfast City Council and other funders with initiatives such as City Centre Performance Measurement, Belfast in Bloom, Waste Management, Streets Ahead and the re:Store initiative.

·        Direct liaison with city centre businesses

BCCM provides a channel for communication between the private sector businesses in the city centre and central and local government.

2.3      The work of the organisation crosses a number of council departments and services, principally within the Development and Health and Environmental Services Departments.  The Director of Environmental Health chairs the Public Space Management group while the Director of Development and Head of Economic Initiatives – along with elected members – are represented on the board.  Other officers across the council are also represented on other working groups.

2.4      The proposed budget for the year totals around £715,000.  The budget assumes a financial contribution of £190,000 from Belfast City Council.  The budget also assumes additional income from other public and private partners, principally Department for Social Development (DSD) - £157,000 and private sector contributions (directly and through Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce (BCTC) - £108,000. 

2.5      April 2013 to March 2014

           The BCCM Board wishes to indicate to the Committee their appreciation of Council’s funding of £190,000 during the present financial year.  BCCM provides quarterly performance reports to BCC which demonstrate that this has been a successful year, with the company’s business plans being delivered in full, save only a few projects which are delayed due to circumstances beyond the control of BCCM. 

2.6      Despite a very difficult economy for the private sector in the city, BCCM has been able to use its core funding from BCC and DSD to leverage £315,700.00 of private sector funding for City Centre projects during 2013/14.

2.7      BCCM has attracted £155,000.00 of DSD core funding the present financial year, and has an application lodged with DSD for core funding of £157,000.00 in the 2014/2015 year.  Members should note that DSD provide further project funding to BCCM, including £67k in the present year for an Environmental Improvement scheme in College Square East

2.8      During 2013/14 BCCM has engaged with issues which were not originally tabled in their business plans, including:

-        Dressing double the number of vacant retail units than planned and originally budgeted for.

-        Delivering a new ‘Text Alert’ system capable of sending urgent ‘public messages’ to over 700 business managers in the City Centre.

-        Introducing a new ‘Prolific Offenders’ programme into Retail Crimewatch which, working with the PSNI, is targeting the 20 most prolific retail criminals in the City

-        Delivery of a Youth Engagement programme, funded by South Belfast DPCSP, which is engaging with the hundreds of youths gathering in Arthur Square on Saturdays, which has been having a detrimental impact on Saturday retail in the area.

-        Delivering increased levels of research, including surveying shoppers in satellite towns around Belfast regarding their use of Belfast City Centre.

2.9      BCCM Board would be pleased to consider any recommendations or requests from the Development Committee with regard to this Business Plan.

2.10    The BCCM Board recognises within its Business Plan, that the plan may need to be reviewed with core funders after the implementation of the Review of Public Administration.

2.11    The Business Plan sets specific performance targets for each of BCCM’s ‘Activity Groups’ of:

1.     Public Space Management

2.     Safer City

3.     Economic Performance

2.12    The Business Plan includes financial projections, and the BCCM Board is not seeking any rise in funding from Council

5.     Recommendations

      To approve the funding request for £190,000 in the coming year; and agree that officers should work with BCCM to further refine the work of the organisation to ensure compliance with wider Council policies and to support the delivery of council objectives.”

            After discussion, it was

      Resolved – That the Committee agrees to adopt the recommendations within the report and to provide funding in the sum of £190,000 to Belfast City Centre Management for the financial year 2014/2015.