Agenda item

The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1        The purpose of this report is to present to Members a request             from the North Belfast Play Forum for a contribution of £6,000          for the current financial year to sustain the club.  A copy of the request from North Belfast Play Forum is available on mod.gov.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       Committee is asked to

·        Agree to support North Belfast Play Forum through payment of £6,000 to sustain the club and that payment is made through a variation of the existing Facility Management Agreement.

·        Committee is also asked to agree that Sport Development staff work with the forum to review its programme and scope for income generation.

3.0       Main report

            Background

3.1       The letter provides background information on the Forum and the good work it has been doing since the mid 1990’s in this area.  The Forum has had a relationship with the Council dating back to this time, initially through agreement to use of the land to construct a polymeric multi user games area and the subsequent facilities management agreement (FMA) which ran until 2013 when the forum secured funding to upgrade the polymeric surface to 3G.  Members are asked to note that the Council also contributed £10,000 as a 3rd party funder to this project to meet the short fall in funding.  At that time, at the request of the forum, they secured a lease agreement with the Council, this was in order to satisfy the requirements of the funding body.  The lease arrangement terminated the FMA which meant that the maintenance fee from the Council was no longer available, although a small fee in respect of the administrative building adjacent to the pitch remains subject to a FMA and a small monthly fee is currently payable.  The Forum has therefore been in a position of having to effectively self-finance through income generation whether through charges or securing revenue funding. 

3.2       The Forum has continued to provide a low cost affordable sports facility in this area   however, it is experiencing a reducing balance.  Applications have been made for revenue funding from both Sport Relief and from Children in Need. These are currently being assessed and no decision has yet been made. 

3.3       The actual use of the facility is consistent with Council experience of artificial pitch use, i.e. consistent evening use Monday to Friday and morning to afternoon use at weekends.  Day time use is limited. 

3.4       A review of the current programme demonstrates that there is a significant element of free use.  However, elements of this ‘free’ use includes intervention programmes for which the forum had received an income from a fund.   

3.5       The Forum has previously sought and been granted similar support of approximately £22,000 in 2008 when the Council agreed to fund a post for 1 year.

            Request for Support 

3.6       The current request relates to a cash flow issue where funds are required to support immediate outgoings, i.e. to cover insurance, accounts and maintenance.

3.7       Council could consider an option of bringing the asset back under the management of Council however this would have significant operational and financial impact extending beyond the cost of £6,000.

3.8       Given the substantial work of the North Belfast Play Forum and its past performance Members are asked to consider payment of £6,000 to sustain the current delivery model.

3.9       It is further recommended that support is provided to the forum by Sports Development Officers to assess the programming of the facility and potential for additional income generation.

3.10     Financial & Resource Implications

            If members agree to the recommendation Officers will accommodate the amount of £6,000 within existing budgets.

3.11     Equality or Good Relations Implications

            There has been no equality impact.”

            The Committee adopted the recommendations.