Agenda item

The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1       To update Committee on recent progress and next steps on the development of a Belfast Region City Deal

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee is asked to;

·        note the next steps in the development of the Belfast City Region Deal

·        agree to commission Future Cities Catapult to develop proposals for the Digital Infrastructure element of the city deal.

·        agree that the party group leaders and chair of SP&R attend the next meeting of the joint city region deal councillors’ forum on 12 February.

3.0       Main report

3.1       Members will be aware that momentum for the Belfast City Region Deal has increased over the past few weeks with the chancellor’s announcement in the autumn budget statement that he would ‘open negotiations for a Belfast (Region) City Deal as part of our commitment to a comprehensive and ambitious set of City Deals for Northern Ireland’.  

3.2       The commitment to the Belfast Region City Deal received further support with the visit of Sajid Javid MP, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, to the city where he met with members and stakeholders from across the six councils to hear about the emerging proposals.  In response he lent his support to the ambitious proposition and an ongoing commitment to working to further develop the deal with Belfast and across Northern Ireland.

3.3       The committee will also be aware that a specified reserve of £500K has been created to support a programme of work aimed at ensuring the region has the evidence base, information and emerging projects to make the best possible case for an overall programme that will support the city region’s economy.  This includes development of the overall policy context, programme management, project development, governance and stakeholder engagement and was outlined to members at their meeting in November 2017.

            Timeline for the development of the deal

3.4       Following the visit of the SoS, officers have been engaging with officials from DCLG to agree an overall timeframe for the development of firm proposals with a view to getting a deal agreed in the autumn 2018.  The first step in this is to develop a further proposition paper by April 2018 providing more detail and analysis on the region, its economy, emerging growth sectors and the case for investment. This will be informed by the Belfast City Region Industrial Framework which is currently being drafted.  This proposition will also include key outcomes and emerging projects linked to the three themes of infrastructure, innovation and skills with indicative costs.  It is envisaged that following discussions with DCLG, HMT and NI Executive the proposition will be subject to economic modelling and be further developed with individual business cases with a view to having an overall programme including outcomes for consideration in September 2018. 

3.5       Further evaluation of the overall programme will then take place between central, regional and local government with a view to having an agreed Heads of Term by November 2018.   Detailed programme and project plans are now being developed in line with this timeframe.

            Digital Infrastructure

3.6       Initial work on the Infrastructure aspect of the City Region Deal has identified ‘digital infrastructure’ as a particularly important element of the bid. This is in terms of its potential to contribute to increased productivity across the entire economy, but also in supporting skills development and in bringing innovation, resilience and future-proofing to the other investments associated with a successful City Region Deal.

3.7       ‘Digital infrastructure’ represents investment in next generation Fibre and Mobile networks. But it also includes the ‘digital layer’ on top of traditional infrastructure – ie, the control & monitoring systems, sensors and analytics that overlay transport, water, energy and other systems, to support the management of such systems and to aid region-wide planning, modelling and decision-making.

3.8       It is proposed that the Government’s Future Cities Catapult is commissioned to engage with the six councils to provide an analysis that draws on the latest technological developments and international practice and policy, to develop a series of costed digital infrastructure proposals that complement the wider City Region Deal bid. These proposals would also identify alternative financing models including co-investments from industry for such digital investments.

3.9       Future Cities Catapult are well-placed to deliver this piece. They have insights into the Government’s Industrial Growth strategy and the emerging thinking within the global digital sector. They also worked closely with Belfast City Council to develop the well-regarded Smart Belfast framework.

            Communication and Engagement

3.10     Reports will be brought on an ongoing basis to each of the six Belfast City Region Councils.  In addition, ongoing engagement will happen across the council through the already established joint city region deal councillors’ engagement forum.  The next meeting of this group will be held on 12th February to discuss the development of the process and the timelines outlined above.  As at previous meetings it is recommended Party Group Leaders and the Chair of SP&R represent Belfast City Council at this event.

3.11     Financial & Resource Implications

            Funding for the development of the programme will be financed through the City Deal specified reserve of £500K.  Costs associated with the Digital Infrastructure proposals will be financed through this reserve.

3.12     Equality or Good Relations Implications

            To be considered in preparation of Belfast City Region Deal.”

            After discussion the Committee adopted the recommendations and agreed that Party briefings be held in order to provide the Members with an opportunity to discuss with officers a number of issues in relation to the City Deal.