Agenda item

            The Committee considered the undernoted report and approved the comments as set out in the draft response:

 

“1     Relevant Background Information

 

1.1    In Belfast 19% of the population is over 60 and this is expected to rise to 36% by 2050. Whilst population aging is seen as major success of the 20th century it is also recognised as one of our greatest challenges.  We must continue to improve our City’s services and structures to ensure the City is accessible to all and to meet the needs of a growing population of older people with a wide range of abilities.

 

 1.2   The Council has identified older people as a priority within its current corporate plan and in March 2012 the Lord Mayor signed a declaration formally committing Belfast to become a World Health Organisation (WHO) Age-friendly City. This effectively commits the City to a continuous improvement cycle, involving older people, of planning, implementation and evaluation to better meet the needs of an aging population.  A three year action plan and progress report must be submitted to WHO for review at the start and end of the process respectively.

 

1.3    Since then the Council has been working collaboratively within the Belfast Strategic Partnership (BSP) and specifically it’s Healthy Ageing Strategic Partnership (HASP) to honour that commitment and has produced a draft 3 year plan

 

 1.4   The Council’s All Party Reference Group on Older People, currently chaired by Councillor Bernie Kelly, directs and oversees this work programme on behalf of the council.

 

2       Key Issues

 

2.1    Over the last 18 months, Council officers under the direction of the All Party Reference Group on Older People have worked collaboratively within BSP and HASP to:

 

1.     See Belfast become the first city in Northern Ireland to join into the World Health Organisation's Global Network of Age-friendly Cities.

 

2.     Establish mechanisms to involve older people throughout the Age-friendly process and carry out extensive consultations with a wide range of older people to establish how age friendly they perceive the city to be and what they would like to see improved  under the eight Age Friendly domains;

 

3.     Compile key statistical data and create an Age-friendly Belfast profile which is easily available on the NINIS websitehttp://www.ninis2.nisra.gov.uk/public/Home.aspx.

 

4.     Hold a number of joint workshops with older people, service providers and key stakeholders, using the baseline assessment of older people’s perceptions and the statistical data, to develop a vision for Age Friendly Belfast, key priorities for improvement and actions planned over the next three years. 

 

2.2    The Draft 3 Year Age-friendly Belfast Plan (attached Appendix 1) was issued by BSP for consultation on 8th January 2014. The proposed vision is that ‘Belfast will be a city where older people live life to the full

 

2.3    The plans builds on the wide range of projects the Council already delivers targeted at older people to reduce isolation and encourage healthy, active ageing. Examples include, four Winter Warmth Clinics, Older Peoples Arts Festival in the Waterfront Hall, tea dances in the Ulster Hall, the Senior Citizens Convention in City Hall, a range of active aging events in leisure centres and parks across the City.

 

2.4    There were 3 Key themes that emerged during the process that shape the plan;

 

·        Age-friendly Image - creating a positive view of ageing

 

·        Age-friendly Lives – reducing life inequalities and isolation

 

·        Age-friendly Neighbourhoods - creating friendly places to live in

 

2.5    For each theme commitment has been secured, from key stakeholders, to deliver specific projects to improve the age-friendliness of Belfast.

 

2.6    The draft Age-friendly Action plan includes the following commitments from the Council;

 

·        Belfast City Council, with the support of Belfast Strategic Partnership, will co-ordinate and lead on the development of a positive ageing campaign through the development of positive and diverse images, a community awareness campaign and a yearly calendar of events promoting positive ageing

 

·        Belfast City Council and Belfast Police and Community Safety Partnership will champion and deliver intergenerational relationships through a city wide project between Belfast City Council Youth Forum and Greater Belfast Seniors Forum;

 

·        To develop a  toolkit to reduce the impact of poverty in Belfast (focusing on benefits, nutrition and fuel poverty) led by the Belfast Health Development Unit, Belfast City Council and the Public Health Agency,  to be age-proofed and its use promoted with older people;.

 

·        The Belfast Strategic Partnership together with Belfast City Council will host an annual Age-friendly Convention and HASP will circulate a quarterly Age-friendly Belfast Update for older people and other stakeholders.

 

·        Belfast City Council will develop an annual Older People’s Art Festival connecting with the Public Health Agency’s regional Arts and Older Peoples’ Programme delivered through Arts Care and the Arts Council

 

·        Belfast City Council, with the support of Volunteer Now, will deliver a comprehensive Age-friendly Older Volunteer Awards programme;

 

·        Belfast City Council will work to increase older peoples usage of parks by improving the facilities, management and activities available in their parks;

 

·        Belfast City Council will ensure that older people are involved in community planning in their local areas;

 

·        The Policing and Community Safety Partnership will build on work taking place to improve perceptions of safety and intergenerational relationships in local neighbourhoods.

 

2.7    Appendix 1 contains a draft Council response to the proposed Age-friendly Plan. The draft response agrees with the proposed vision, aims and actions to make the City more Age-friendly and commits the Council to implementing key actions. The response also includes the following recommendations:

 

·        The plan should reference the positive impact many of the initiatives shall have in promoting good relations in the city;

 

·        The plan should reflect the roles of Belfast City Council and the Belfast Policing and Community Safety Partnership in championing  intergenerational work and delivering  a coordinated city wide approach .

 

2.8    The following additions will also be included to highlight some key work already delivered by the Council:

 

1.     Belfast City Council provides free home safety check scheme for older people.

2.     Belfast City Council through its Investment Programme 2012-2015 is committed  to providing placement opportunities over the three year programme and the potential to work in partnership with older people’s groups to assist with employability initiatives.

3.     Belfast City Council, through its Investment Programme, has committed over £250 million during 2012 -2015 to help improve the city. This programme includes physical investments, health and well being programmes and the Active Belfast initiative which will improve quality of life for all citizens including older people.

4.     Belfast City Council’s ‘Leisure Transformation’ programme represents a significant investment in leisure provision and centres across the city and will help to improve health and well-being; including for older people

5.     Investment in Belfast City Council Community Centre IT suites will support older people.

 

2.9    Next Steps

 

·        It is expected that following the consultation HASP will produce the final 3 year Action Plan and submit to World Health Organisation in April for approval.

·        Following approval the plan will be implemented by HASP reporting progress to BSP.

·        Councillors will be kept updated on progress with the action plan.

 

3       Resource Implications

 

3.1    HR Implications

         None

 

3.2    Financial implications

         The Council’s commitments under the Age-friendly Belfast Plan can be carried out within the Councils Revenue Estimates.

 

3.3    Equipment Implications

         None

 

4       Equality and Good Relations Considerations

 

4.1    Equality screening has been carried out.

 

 

 

5       Recommendation and decision

 

5.1    Members are asked to consider the Age-friendly Belfast Plan and agree our response to the Healthy Ageing Strategic Partnership.”

 

Appendix 2

Befast city Council Response

 

Belfast City Council has identified older people as a priority within its current corporate plan and has fully committed to Belfast becoming an Age-friendly City. The Council therefore welcomes the production of this 3 year plan to improve the Age-friendliness of this city and fully commits to working through the Healthy Aging Strategic Partnership to deliver the actions agreed. The Councils contribution shall be overseen and monitored by its All Party Reference group on Older People.

 

The Council considers that implementation of this plan will make a significant improvement to the lives of all of our citizens, irrespective of their age and fully supports its implementation.

 

The Council wish to make the following further response:

 

Question 1

 

Do you agree with the vision of Age-friendly Belfast?

 

Our vision is that Belfast will be a city where older people live life to the full

 

Yes  No   If no, please give reasons

	Belfast City Council agrees the overall vision proposed for Age-friendly Belfast.

 

 

 

 

Question 2

 

Do you agree with the 3 key themes and aims as set out below?

 

Theme: Age-friendly Image

Aim: Create and promote a positive view of ageing 

 

Theme: Age-friendly Lives

Aim: Reduce life inequalities and isolation, and to encourage participation

 

Theme: Age-friendly Neighbourhoods

Aim: Create age-friendly neighbourhoods where older people participate, get active, feel safe, influence local decisions and where there are no barriers to active travel.

 

Yes  No   If no, please state which aim/s and give reasons

 

Belfast City Council supports the 3 themes and aims as set out in the Age-friendly Belfast Plan and believes working collaboratively towards these will help improve the city for all our citizens irrespective of their age. The Council recognises that the Age-friendly Plan supports and compliments many of the existing priorities for the city that the Council and partners are seeking to address. In particular encouraging respect, addressing poverty, reducing life inequalities, encouraging participation, giving communities more control of the decisions affecting them, improving neighbourhoods, activity and use of outdoor spaces.

 

Question 3

 

Do you support the Age-friendly actions we have secured commitment for under Age-friendly Image?

 

Yes No   If no, please give reasoning

 

The Council recognises the importance of promoting respect across generations and in particular older people should be celebrated as a diverse and valuable resource to the city, economically, socially and culturally.   Following the pilot intergenerational project involving the Council’s Youth forum it is recognised that the key to future success of intergenerational work is an age friendly city for all ages (as per WHO definition) which is a mutually beneficial approach to addressing a universal/ shared outcome, Council officers agreed they could develop an intergenerational protocol which will outline the terms for engagement across the age spectrum and in partnership in particular to safeguard both children and adults.  As part of the delivery of the Council’s Children and Young People priority there is a focus on a key outcome for the council to deliver upon a city where CYP feel it is a place to be. Both the Youth Forum and Belfast Seniors shared and prioritised many universal issues therefore there is greater merit in the longer term ensuring an Age Friendly Belfast is both child friendly, older people friendly, in short friendly for all ages.   The Council is off the opinion that the commitment to intergenerational work is more than just delivery of a specific project. It is the role of the Council to champion and coordinate a range of intergenerational work. It is suggested that the action should be reworded as follows:   ‘Belfast City Council and the Belfast Policing and Community Safety Partnership should champion intergenerational work and deliver a coordinated city wide approach building on the success of work between Belfast City Council Youth Forum and the Greater Belfast Seniors forum’

 

Question 4

 

Do you support the Age-friendly actions we have secured commitment for under Age-friendly Lives?

 

Yes  No   If no, please give reasoning

 

The actions planned to secure Age-friendly Lives are consistent and complementary to the existing priorities agreed within the Belfast Strategic Partnership’s ‘Framework for Action to reduce life inequalities.’  The Council supports the proposed actions.   The following additions should be considered for inclusion under work already underway:   ·        Belfast City Councils free home safety check scheme for older people. ·        Belfast City Council’s Investment Programme 2012-2015, in particular the council’s commitment to providing placement opportunities over the three year programme and the potential to work in partnership with older people’s groups to assist with employability initiatives.

 

Question 5

 

Do you support the Age-friendly actions we have secured commitment for under Age-friendly Neighbourhoods?

 

Yes  No  If no, please give reasoning

The Council supports the actions proposed to develop Age- friendly neighbourhoods.   The Council suggests the following additions for inclusion under work already underway:   ·        Belfast City Council, through its Investment Programme, has committed over £250 million during 2012 -2015 to help improve the city. This programme includes physical investments, health and well being programmes and the Active Belfast initiative which will improve quality of life for all citizens including older people. ·        Belfast City Council’s ‘Leisure Transformation’ programme represents a significant investment in leisure provision and centres across the city and will help to improve health and well-being; including for older people.  ·        Investment in Belfast City Council Community Centre IT suites will improve access to the internet and social media in local areas.

 

Question 6

 

Are you aware of other work that is taking place that you feel will link to the Age-friendly Plan, please describe?

 

See comments in questions 4 and 5

 

Question 7

 

Do you agree with the areas of research that need to be taken forward within the Age-friendly Plan?

 

Yes No   If no, please give reasoning

 

It was suggested to include LGBT groups on the area of research point below. Whilst a focus group session was carried out with LGBT groups more information is required.   Identify and research the current and future needs of minority groups in the city, including black and minority ethnic and LGBT older people, in Belfast

 

Question 8

 

Do you feel the actions outlined in the Age-friendly Plan will achieve the vision of Belfast being a city where older people live life to the full?

 

Yes it was agreed that the Age-friendly Plan will achieve the vision of Belfast being a city where older people live life to the full.

 

Question 9

 

Do you think the themes and aims outlined in the Action Plan will help promote equality of opportunity and/or promote good relations?

 

Yes  No  If no, please give reasoning

	Yes, equality screening in line with Belfast City Council policies has been carried out.

 

 

 

 

 

Question 10

 

Do have any further comments for this plan?

 

Belfast City Council would like the plan to highlight the positive impact many of the initiatives shall have in promoting good relations across the City. The following paragraph is suggested for inclusion in the context section of the plan.   ‘The city of Belfast has undergone a process of transformation following years of conflict; the diversity of the city’s population continues to increase, however, segregation remains high. Many of the initiatives within this action plan will make a positive contribution to how we tackle these challenges and address respect, social inclusion and civic participation to develop the opportunities which an Age-friendly city brings.’

 

 

 

 

Please send your completed response to:

 

Anne Ross

Project Support Officer

Belfast Health Development Unit

5^th Floor

9 Lanyon Place

Belfast

BT1 3LP

Email: anne.ross@bhdu.org