Agenda item

The Director of City and Organisational Strategy submitted for the Committee’s consideration the following report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report or Summary of Main Issues

1.1       Members have expressed their desire to embed inclusive growth within the decision-making process of Council. As a result, the draft Corporate Plan 2017-21 includes a commitment to ‘work to drive inclusive growth through the development and adoption of an inclusive growth framework’.

1.2       At SP&R Committee on 20th April 2018, members agreed to a five step approach in developing an inclusive growth framework for the city.  The first of these steps was to develop and agree a definition of inclusive growth for Belfast.

1.3       Following a series of one to one interviews with Party Group Leaders, Committee Chairs, Chief Officers and an all member workshop, as well as a detailed analysis of the data available in Belfast, a definition has been drafted and attached as Appendix One.

1.4       This report asks Members to approve this definition as a working draft and provides an update on the development of the framework and associated actions.

2.0       Recommendations

2.1       The Committee are asked to:

·        Note the working draft definition of inclusive growth that will be brought to Party Group Leaders for further discussion and refinement prior to formal approval;

·        Note the progress in developing the inclusive growth framework for Belfast City Council; and

·        Approve scoping and development of the related actions listed in section 3.6 that have arisen during discussions with Members.

3.0       Main Report

Agreed steps to developing a framework

3.1       At SP&R Committee on 20th April 2018, members agreed to a five step approach in developing an inclusive growth framework for the city:

1.   Defining inclusive growth for Belfast.  It is vital that that there is an agreed, and Belfast specific, definition of inclusive growth. To do this we must use data and evidence to determine challenges facing the city, and its population, and collectively develop a common narrative about the vision for change. Doing this will ensure a common framework is in place for all policy and decision makers.

2.   Developing and adopting a Belfast City Council bespoke framework.  Following the agreement of a specific definition of inclusive growth for Belfast, we will develop an inclusive growth framework to ensure that inclusive growth is placed at the heart of policy, capital and programme decisions. This will ensure that the Council has a practical and simple framework to use in future decision making to quantify the inclusive growth benefits of investments and interventions.

3.   Assessing current interventions.  This step will involve an assessment of whether the Council’s and the actions of other agencies / partners are sufficient, along with the development of a plan to address deficiencies or build on strengths.

4.   Measuring our progress.  Members will be aware the Community Planning and Smart Cities teams are currently working with Community Planning Partners to pilot a City Dashboard; it is proposed that the agreed measurements of inclusive growth form part of this dashboard. This will enable Members to assess progress.

5.   Ensuring Delivery.  The Director of City and Organisational Strategy, via the Council’s newly established Strategic Hub, will oversee the successful implementation and delivery of the Council’s inclusive growth framework.

Defining Inclusive growth for Belfast

3.2       It was also agreed to procure independent expertise to help complete steps one and two. Metro Dynamics have subsequently been appointed to undertake this work with officers from the Strategic Hub.  Detailed research has been undertaken into the definition of inclusive growth for Belfast through a desktop analysis of key strategies and relevant socio-economic data. They have also undertaken one to one interviews with Party Group Leaders, Committee Chairs and Chief Officers to discuss the issues in depth and really get to understand inclusive growth in Belfast. 

3.3       This culminated in an all member workshop on 26th June in which a number of energised cross party discussions were held around what inclusive growth means for Belfast, where the key challenges are and how we implement it in Belfast City Council.  In summary, the main feedback points from the group discussions are as follows:

·        Geographically there are areas across Belfast that have suffered from long term deprivation and economic deprivation that should be addressed in the framework;

·        There are socio-economic groups in Belfast where the evidence points to a disproportionately high level of income deprivation – 28% of children in Belfast are currently growing up in poverty and the gender pay gap between women (£472.30 per week) and men (£519.10) were two examples used;

·        It was also recognised that, whilst there is a large amount of data at a city level, it is not all available at a lower level (either geographically or socio-economically) at this stage to determine which groups should be targeted.  It was therefore felt that the framework should be written in a flexible way that allowed the affected groups in Belfast to be reviewed on an annual basis.  This means that, as the evidence base builds, the framework can be adjusted accordingly to ensure it is as reflective of the city as the data allows;

·        The framework should include all capital, policy and programme interventions taken by the Council; and

·        The framework should help to target groups but should not be so prescriptive that all spending is skewered towards these targeted groups.

3.4       Since the workshop, Metro Dynamics have reflected on the research they have undertaken and the discussions at the one to one interviews and workshop.  This has resulted in the draft definition of inclusive growth for Belfast.  Members are asked to note the working draft definition of inclusive growth that will be brought to Party Group Leaders for further discussion and refinement prior to formal approval.  This will enable officers to develop and test the framework for Belfast.

Next Steps

3.5       Should Members approve the inclusive growth definition, Officers from the Strategic Hub will move to Step Two of the process - Developing and adopting a Belfast City Council bespoke framework (see paragraph 3.3).  An update on the progress of this will be brought to SP&R Committee in November.  Between now and then, Officers will engage with senior managers across the Council to test the practicalities of implementing the framework to ensure that, as originally agreed with councillors, the framework is practical and capable of effecting future capital, policy and programming decisions.

Additional Actions

3.6       During the one to one interviews and at the workshop, Members consistently brought up a number of actions they felt needed taken forward as part of inclusive growth.  Whilst these are not part of the framework, they are necessary in moving forward the inclusive growth agenda.  Should Committee agree to the actions below, officers will further scope out and bring recommendations to committee in November:

·        Examine how we use powers over planning, skills and employment support, procurement, and community investment to encourage a new strategic approach to inclusive growth;

·        Embed the Inclusive Growth Investment Decision Making Framework into the corporate planning and estimating process;

·        Examine the inclusion of procurement clauses and measurement against inclusive growth outcomes for both future social and economic spending;

·        Develop a more granular understanding of our city through better data and analysis, learning what works as we grow;

·        Work with the city’s anchor institutions and businesses to embed inclusive growth principles in their organisations; and

·        Form networks and relationships with other cities committed to the inclusive growth agenda.

Financial and Resource Implications

3.7       There are no additional financial or resource allocations contained within this report.

Equality or Good Relations Implications/

Rural Needs Assessment

3.8       There are no equality, good relations or rural needs implications contained within this report.  However, the framework, once developed will be screened to test its implications against these requirements.”

            The Committee adopted the recommendations.