Agenda item

            The Director of City and Organisational Strategy submitted for the Committees consideration the following report:

 

“1.0      Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

 

1.1       The report provides an update for Members on key priority strands of work being taken forward, in collaboration with community planning partners, to deliver the Belfast Agenda and sets out proposals to further enhance the involvement of partners and key stakeholders in supporting delivery.

 

2.0       Recommendations

 

2.1       The Committee is asked to:

 

a)     note the work currently underway across community planning partners to deliver the Belfast Agenda;

b)     note the proposed establishment of a ‘Growing the Economy and City Development Board’ and a ‘Sustainability and Resilience Board’ as part of the Belfast Agenda city governance arrangements;

c)     consider and approve that a Members’ Belfast Agenda Reference Group be formed comprising the Party Group community planning nominated leads; and

d)     consider and approve the implementation of measures to strengthen the representation and involvement of the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sectors in community planning. 

 

3.0       Main report

 

            Key Issues

 

3.1       The Belfast Agenda, the city’s first community plan, was published in November 2017 and was led by the Council in partnership with its community planning partner organisations and shaped through a substantial engagement and consultation process. It is a long term framework outlining how the Council and its community planning partners will work collaboratively to deliver an ambitious and inclusive vision that will create a better quality of life for all citizens in Belfast.

 

3.2       Following the publication of the plan, the community planning team undertook a series of engagements with partners across the Belfast Agenda’s four priority areas. The purpose of which was to identify and define the specific range of activity underway/planned across partners in support of the Belfast and to consider and identify key strategic gaps or opportunities to deliver collaborative gains from working  in partnership under community planning. Action plans had been developed and approved by the Community Planning Partnership (CPP) in October 2018 and are now being implemented through the agreed governance structures including a series of delivery focused boards, comprising CPP partners, formed on a phased basis linked to the priority pillars of the Belfast Agenda. Boards focused on Living Here and Working and Learning have been established and giving focus to the following priority areas for collaborative gain. Appendix 1 provides more detail on the specific work underway.

 

3.3

Living Here
Initial Priority Areas for Collaborative Focus	Design and deliver an integrated city programme to address health inequalities, including enhancing mental wellbeing and reducing social isolation.	There has been significant partnership working and related programmes of work targeted at reducing health inequalities over many years in Belfast. However, Partner engagement has identified that deeper systemic change is required to achieve the Belfast Agenda Ambition of a 33% reduction in the life expectancy gap between the most and least deprived neighbourhoods.   Partners have highlighted the opportunity to use Community Planning as a vehicle for driving whole system change across all partners in ensuring a more joined up approach to tackling health inequalities in Belfast. It is recognised that this presents a vast and complex challenge, and CPP partners agreed the initial focus would be alcohol, drugs and mental health challenge(s) facing the city. Intended that this approach would help develop a partnership model and capture learning opportunities which could be applied more widely to other health inequality challenges.
	Collaborative planning to address winter pressures on health services and communities.	Lead by the Health and Social Care Board and supported by the community planning partners, work is underway to develop and deliver an integrated programme to reduce the number of avoidable deaths caused as a result of winter/cold weather.
	Planning for housing that meets the needs of everyone.	Focus on delivering the social and affordable housing ambitions set our within the Belfast Agenda alongside creating the conditions to attract an additional 66,000 people in Belfast by 2035.
	Integrated approach to neighborhood regeneration & improvement.	Transforming local neighbourhoods and maximising the social, economic, environmental and regeneration benefits from physical and revenue investment in local areas and helping to build greater connectivity in the city.
	An integrated, inter-agency approach to early intervention, early years and family support.	Improving outcomes for children and young people and their families with a focus on early and preventative interventions throughout an individual’s life.

 

 

3.4

Working and Learning
Initial Priority Areas  for Collaborative  Focus	Deliver an integrated city programme to address educational underachievement	Develop an integrated programme to help alleviate educational inequalities across the city and reduce the education attainment gap which exists, particularly between those entitled to free school meals and those who not.
	Improving outcomes for children and young people.	Area-based demonstrator pilot brought forward by the Education Authority and Greater Shankill Partnership and agreed by the Community Planning Partnership and Working and Learning Board. The focus is to apply an evidence based approach to assessing local service needs and challenges and considering possible service delivery model options to improve the life chances and outcomes for children and young people. Intended that this approach would help develop an inter-agency approach and capture learning opportunities which could be applied more widely across the city.
	Deliver a Belfast Employability & Skills Pathway (Belfast Workplace)	Working alongside employers and service providers to identify, plan and prepare for emerging job opportunities and to develop effective pathways for individuals (including those furthest from the labour market) to enter into and progress through  employment.
	Harnessing collective recruitment powers of CPP partners & anchor institutions	Targeted programme of work underway with CPP partners and anchor institutions to identify future workforce needs, and associated skills required, and to maximise opportunities to connect and support individuals to specific employment or training opportunities (including possible placement or apprenticeship opportunities).

 

 

3.5       Growing the Economy and City Development

 

            Given the clear synergies between the Growing the Economy and City Development pillars of the Belfast Agenda it is proposed that a single board is established in October 2019 to give focus, build momentum and act as a catalyst for collaborative action across city partners/stakeholders in key areas such as, for example:

 

·        Inclusive Growth

·        Sustainable Transport and Connectivity

·        Sustainable Infrastructure for the City

·        Enterprise & Business Development and Growth

·        Cultural and Tourism Development

 

3.6       A key focus of the Board will be the delivery and mainstreaming of inclusive growth and widening the engagement with and consideration of the emerging BCC Inclusive Growth Framework (NB. separate paper included on the Committee agenda). It is important that we create the right conditions to enable the widest range of people to both contribute to and benefit from economic growth and development within the city. It is also important that we maximise the social impact of our economic and physical investment in terms of, for example, creating additional jobs and providing pathways to employment, supporting income generation and distribution across the city and delivering social value for local communities. The establishment of this Board will provide a collective focus across and help build momentum with community planning and key city partners.

 

3.7       Notwithstanding the formal establishment of the combined Growing the Economy and City Development Board, there is a significant programme of work underway in collaboration with city partners to support the delivery of the Belfast Agenda priorities, examples of which is included in Appendix 1.

 

3.8       Sustainability and Resilience

 

            Members will be aware of the significant environmental and sustainability challenges and chronic stresses facing the city and their potential to constrain future city growth. It is proposed that a Sustainability and Resilience Board be formed as part of the wider Belfast Agenda governance arrangements to give collaborative focus across city partners/ stakeholders to such challenges and bring forward a programme of work specific work around, for example, climate change, city energy, waste and sustainable development.

 

3.9       Community Planning Partnership

 

            The next meeting of the Belfast Community Planning Partnership is scheduled for 30 September 2019. As part of its business, the partnership will consider the proposal to amend the Belfast Agenda governance structures to combine the Growing the Economy and City Development board and create a separate board focused on Resilience and Sustainability.

 

3.10      VCSE Sector Engagement Model

 

            At SP&R in June a report was tabled seeking agreement to move forward with the implementation of arrangements to strengthen representation of the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sectors in community planning.  During the committee session, members requested that approval be postponed to enable a workshop with Neighbourhood Renewal Partnerships to be completed.  This workshop was carried out on 5th September – the feedback form this session, along with the wider engagement with the sector in June, continue to inform the proposed structures and forms of engagement.  By way of reminder a short overview of the mechanism for improved engagement is outlined in Appendix 2.  Members will note that these mechanisms will continue to be developed in association with the sector and will, when implemented, greatly improve the involvement of the voluntary and community sector in community planning. 

 

3.11      Members’ Engagement

 

            It is important to note that each Political Party had previously a nominated elected Member lead to be represented on the Community Planning Partnership and help inform the identification of initial priority areas for collaborative gain. Following the recent elections, each political party has been asked to renominate a lead member onto the Community Planning Partnership. In order to enable members to have focused consideration and input into the ongoing work and future planning around the Belfast Agenda, it is proposed that the Party nominees form a reference group which are brought together in lead up to CPP meetings as well as at other key milestones. Regular updates on the Belfast Agenda will also be brought into Committee for Members’ consideration.

 

3.13      Key Next Steps

 

            Key strands of work to be progressed over coming months:

 

·        VCSE Sector Engagement Model – planned establishment of VCSE Advisory Forum and wider sectoral network (Oct/Nov 2019) 

·        Inclusive Growth Strategy – securing Council approval and launch strategy for  public consultation and engagement (Oct/Nov. 2019)

·        Establish combined Growing the Economy and City Development Board (Oct/Nov. 2019)

·        Establish Sustainability and Resilience Board (Oct/Nov. 2019)

·        Publish Belfast Agenda ‘Statement of Progress’ (Nov. 2019)

·        Establishment of the Members’ Area-Based Working Groups.

 

3.14      Financial & Resource Implications

 

            There are no additional resource implications as a result of this report. Alignment of resources to the delivery of the Belfast Agenda is part of the ongoing organisational and financial planning processes.

 

3.15      Equality or Good Relations Implications/Rural Needs Assessment

 

            The Belfast Agenda has been subject to an Equality Impact Assessment at a strategic level and a Rural Needs impact statement at the time of its publication.”

 

            The Committee adopted the recommendations.