Agenda item

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“1     Relevant Background Information

         Members will be aware that we are currently leading on the development of the Active Belfast approach, as part the Belfast Strategic Partnerships (BSP) work to address inequalities within the city.

         The Active Belfast approach is a key strand of the Council’s Leisure Transformation Programme, providing significant opportunities to work collaboratively with a range of partners, with the outcome of improving the health and wellbeing of people in Belfast.

         Through work undertaken corporately as part of a Business in the Community initiative, an opportunity to further develop and strengthen our partnership work with the Belfast Metropolitan College (BMC) has been identified.

         This report highlights a number of key issues for Members' consideration in the development of this partnership

2       Key Issues

         BMC students and campuses

         BMC currently operate three campuses within Council boundaries at Titanic Quarter, Millfield and Springvale, with a fourth campus at Montgomery Road due to transfer as part of the Local Government Reform. In total BMC employ 860 staff and annually support 9,000 students on both part-time and full-time education courses.

         In June 2013, the BMC Executive Board adopted a new Health and Wellbeing Strategy for staff and students which put a more active workforce and student population at its core. Following the launch of this strategy BMC have approached council on how the current council provision for leisure may be modified to deliver on the aims of the strategy and support greater collaborative working in the future.

         Strategic opportunities

         The relocation of the University of Ulster to the York Street campus resulting in an additional 21,500 staff and students visiting the city provides a strategic opportunity to review what and how we offer services to both students and workplaces. The current proposal to pilot a programme within BMC provides an opportunity to ‘test’ this market.

         Engagement on future student provision

         The partnership with BMC presents a significant opportunity to engage a large section of student population on the types of services they would expect to receive from council leisure provision, which will guide the development of new / refreshed products including membership costs, centre run and outreach based programming.

         Range of support to student and staff

         It is envisaged that a range of programmes are initially offered to students and staff at the BMC campus in Titanic Quarter, given the facilities available within this site, including a sports hall and fitness suite. Due to limitations around suitably qualified staff, the fitness suite within BMC Titanic Quarter is currently unavailable for staff or student use.

         Activities offered would include:

·        Linking occupational health services within BMC to our physical activity referral programme;

·        Delivering a series of health awareness and screening sessions;

·        Promoting our current leisure membership offering to students and staff, including adding BMC to our list of corporate members;

·        Providing a range of physical activity related classes; and

·        Utilising the fitness suite within BMC Titanic Quarter to initially offer supervised lunch time sessions for staff.

3       Resource Implications

         Financial

         The delivery of a six month pilot programme will cost £13000. This will be the equivalent of one FTE member of staff although it would be expected that the functions could be spread amongst a number of team members given differing areas of expertise.  Provision has been made in revenue budgets for these programmes of work.

         Human Resources

         One FTE referral instructor assigned on a 37hr per week basis.

         Asset and Other Implications

         None

4       Equality and Good Relations Considerations

         None

5       Recommendations

         It is recommended that Committee approves the pilot partnership with BMC as advised.”

            The Committee adopted the recommendation.