Agenda item

            (Councillor J. Rodgers declared an interest in this item in that he was a Member of the Board of Sport Northern Ireland.)

 

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

 

“1.0      Relevant Background Information

 

1.1At its meeting on 12 February 2009 the Committee supported a submission of an application for funding to Sport NI to participate in the Active Communities Programme. 

 

1.2Active Communities is an investment programme delivered by Sport NI that seeks to employ, deploy and train a network of full time and part time sports coaches and leaders to deliver activities in community and club settings across Northern Ireland, with a view to increasing participation in sport and physical recreation, especially among under represented groups.

 

1.3The programme was open to applications from a consortia of 11 district councils, including Belfast City Council.  The Council was successful in securing funding to participate in the programme.

 

1.4As lead partner Belfast City Council is responsible for:

 

·         management of the proposed project;

·         implementation of the proposed project;

·         management of the Sport NI investment within the Active Communities Programme;

·         monitoring and evaluation of the proposed project;

·         effective communication of information to other delivery partners involved in the project; and

·         the provision of reports to Sport NI in accordance with agreed procedures

 

1.5Reports regarding Active Communities were presented to committee on 12 February 2009 and 11 February 2010 and a further related report on Belfast Community Sports Development Network (BCSDN) was presented on 13 May 2010.

 

1.6A package of funding and business a plan was put together to support BCSDN as the lead delivery partner for Sport NI’s Active Communities programme under the auspices of the Active Belfast Consortium (ABC.)  This was established with the purpose of ‘creating a healthy city by ensuring that key stakeholders work in partnership to increase and diversify community participation in physical activity and sport’. The overall business plan will be delivered through a legal agreement with BCSDN.  Disability Sport NI is one of the other key delivery partners with the Council for the Active Communities Programme.

 

1.7The partner’s organisations attending the Active Belfast Consortium which provide funding are the Council’s Good Relations Unit through the Peace 3 programme ‘Cultural Diversity and Sport’, Sport NI ‘Active Communities’, the Public Health Agency (PHA) ‘Summer Mobile Sports and Older and Active’, the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust (BHSCT) through ‘Health Messages’.

 

1.8DSD have attended consortium meetings and an application for funding through Neighbourhood Renewal continues to be considered. Belfast Education and Library Board have agreed to attend future consortium meetings.

 

1.9The Committee gave approval for the Director of Parks and Leisure, in consultation with the Chair of Parks and Leisure, to agree the Council’s contribution to the overall package of funding for 2010-2011 up to a maximum of £50,000.

 

2.0Key Issues

 

2.1The Council has established two legal agreements with the delivery partners for Active Communities. Disability Sport NI (DSNI) has agreed to appoint two coaches and has specific targets to achieve through the Active Communities coaches. BCSDN has agreed to deliver a range of actions through the ABC Business Plan including the Active Communities programme.

 

2.2BCSDN Active Communities programming

 

      The Council’s 2011-2011 agreement with Sport NI provides BCSDN with £35,015 for management tasks within the Active Communities programme, this funding covers the from 10 August 2010 to 31 March 2011. The key tasks within this funding are to undertake recruitment, develop operational working groups with sports governing bodies and other stakeholders and to plan, co-ordinate and manage the work programmes of the coaches.

 

2.3BCSDN undertook a recruitment exercise in November which led to the appointed of a director and filled all but two of the part-time posts. The director has started in post and the coaches will commence employment at the end of January. A second recruitment exercise should see the remaining two posts filled.

 

      The operational working group meetings with sports governing bodies and other stakeholders are still to be organised.

 

2.4BCSDN Public Health Agency programming

 

      The actions in the ABC Business Plan related to PHA programmes have been delivered.

 

2.5BCSDN Belfast Health and Social Care Trust programming

 

      The actions in the ABC Business Plan related to BHSCT programmes have been delivered.

 

2.6BCSDN Parks and Leisure programming

 

      The actions in the ABC Business Plan related to Parks and Leisure programmes have yet to be delivered. Departmental officers have engaged with BCDSN officers to ensure that all tasks within the Business Plan are completed by the end of the business year.

 

2.7BCSDN Financial Position

 

2.71     BCSDN is an umbrella organisation with a network of sports development officers employed by organisations such as Greater Shankill Partnership, Greater Village Regeneration Trust, Lower Ormeau Resident’s Action Group, Upper Springfield Development Trust and Women in Sport and Physical Activity.

 

2.72     BCSDN has continued to indicate that the current funding available from the Active Belfast Consortium is predominantly for programming and offers limited support for management costs or towards continued employment of Community Sports Development Officers. The Council supports the 2010/11ABC business plan with £50,000 funding.

 

2.73     The continued delivery of the Active Communities Programme in the 2011/12 and future financial years using the BCSDN model remains dependant on the Active Belfast Consortium partners continuing to fund the delivery of the agreed business plan.

 

2.74     A number of options are to be examined by the consortium partners and BCSDN during January to ensure that the Council meets its obligations to Sport Northern Ireland for the delivery of the programme and that the needs of the other partners are met regarding programme delivery.

 

2.8Sport NI Funding

 

      In February 2011 Sport NI will require BelfastCity Council to confirm the 2011-2012 management arrangements for the Active Communities programme. Upon satisfactory confirmation of the delivery model, Sport NI will provide Belfast City Council with permission to proceed and release funding for year 2 of the programme.

 

3.0Resource Implications

 

      BCSDN Support – 2011/2012 and beyond

 

3.1A Business Planning session for the Active Belfast Consortium will be required in January 2011 to allow Council to fully understand the funding arrangements of BCSDN and the Community Sports Development Officers working for local community organisations in the future. This will enable a clear solution for funding, programming and delivery to be agreed.

 

3.2An annual contribution of £50,000.00 will be required by the Council for 2011/12 financial year.  Provision has been made for this in the draft 2011/12 Departmental estimates.

 

4.0Equality and Good Relations Implications

 

4.1There are no equality or good relations issues associated with this issue.

 

5.0Recommendations

 

5.1It is recommended that the Committee agree to officers continuing to develop a support arrangement for BCSDN for the 2011/12 years and beyond subject to an appropriate funding mix being developed and a funding and evaluation plan being agreed with BCSDN.

 

5.2It is further recommended that should it not be possible to develop an appropriate arrangement to sustain BCSDN which is agreed by Sport NI that approval is given for the multi-skills coaches to be managed directly by the Council.

 

6.0Decision Tracking

 

      All actions will be completed by the Leisure Development Manager by end of April 2011.

 

      Key to Abbreviations

 

Sport NI:    Sport Northern Ireland

BCSDN:     Belfast Community Sports Development Network

ABC:           Active Belfast Consortium

DSNI:          Disability Sport Northern Ireland

GAA:           Gaelic Athletic Association

PHA:           Public Health Agency

BHSCT:     Belfast Health and Social Care Trust”

 

            After discussion, the Committee agreed to adopt the recommendations.