Agenda item

            The Committee was reminded that, at its meeting on 18th May, it had agreed to fund the following summer diversionary events and education programmes:

·        Féile an Phobail (Festival) -  £100,000;

·        Twaddell Woodvale Residents’ Association (Woodvale Festival) - £100,000

·        NI Alternatives (East Belfast Community Festival) - £50,000;

·        New Lodge Arts (New Lodge Festival) - £40,000;

·        Markets Development Association (Diversionary Activities) - £10,000;

·        Belfast South Community Resources - £26,521; and

·        Ulster-Scotch Heirskip Cooncil/Ulster-Scots Community Network – community education programme, community visualisation programme and 3 year strategic planning process for new festival) - £80,000.

            It had been agreed also that:

·        the funding applications be subject to due diligence, appropriate legal agreements and to evaluations being undertaken;

·        To ensure transparency in future years, to establish an open call diversionary programme with an agreed budget; and

·        That Council officers engage with the groups that were not allocated support to discuss alternative funding opportunities.

            It was reported, given the tight timescales in relation to a number of the projects, officers had been working closely with the groups to develop their project proposals and work through due diligence and appropriate legal agreements as agreed by the Members.  That had involved officers from a number of Services within the Council.

            The Committee was advised that, to date, four of the proposals had been approved and a further two had reached the stage of due diligence where funding agreements could be prepared.  Those were Belfast South Community Resources and the Ulster-Scotch Heirskip Cooncil/Ulster-Scots Community Network.

            It was pointed out that the Committee, at its meeting on 17th August, had agreed to defer consideration of these applications until this meeting.

            It was pointed out also that, given the challenging timescales involved with working with groups to get those requests for funding through satisfactory due diligence, many elements of the programme for Belfast South Community Resources had already commenced.  The group was aware that this work had commenced without a funding agreement with the Council, but it had asked the Committee to approve retrospective funding that took place between the point of the previous approval of this funding, that is, 4th June, 2018, and the date of the funding agreement.  All retrospective expenditure would be subject to the same monitoring evaluation as detailed in the funding agreement with the group.

            The Committee was advised further that the proposal from Northern Ireland Alternatives for Area-Based festival funding for east Belfast had been withdrawn formally on 10th September, 2018 and the Committee was being requested to consider whether the £50.000 originally earmarked for that event should be reallocated to support the potential work associated with the Bloomfield Walkway site.

            After discussion, it was

Moved by Councillor Reynolds,

Seconded by Councillor Hutchinson,

      That the Committee agrees to authorise the release of Funding Agreements to the Belfast South Community Resources, including the retrospective expenditure as outlined, and the Ulster-Scotch Heirskip Cooncil/Ulster-Scots Community Network, with 90% of the funding being paid upfront and the remaining 10% would be paid following satisfactory completion of monitoring and evaluation returns.

            On a vote by show of hands, twelve Members voted for the proposal and four against and it was declared carried.

            The Committee agreed that the funding which had originally been earmarked for the East Belfast Community Festival be re-allocated to support the potential works associated with the Bloomfield Walkway site.

Moved by Councillor Reynolds,

Seconded by Councillor Craig,

      That the decisions in relation to the Area Based Festivals funding, in according with Standing Order 47(a) (2) (a), be not subject to call-in, on the basis that an unreasonable delay could be prejudicial to the Council’s or the public’s interest.

            On a vote by show of hands twelve Members voted for the proposal and five against and it was declared carried.