Agenda item

Moved by Alderman Kingston,

Seconded by Councillor Beattie,

 

      That the minutes of the proceedings of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee of 21st February, omitting matters in respect of which the Council has delegated its powers to the Committee, be approved and adopted.

 

Amendment

 

Financial Reporting – Quarter 3 2019/20

 

Moved by Councillor Murphy,

Seconded by Councillor Magennis,

 

      That the decision of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee of

of 21st February, under the heading “Financial Reporting – Quarter 3 2019/20, be amended to provide that the Council agrees to provide additional support of £100k to the Ulster Boxing Council to host the 2020 EUBC Schoolboys and Schoolgirls European Boxing Championships from 7th June till 11th July and agrees further to allocate £20k to Compass Counselling, subject to it meeting the Council’s due diligence requirements.

 

            The Chief Executive pointed out that Standing Order 16(a) stated that any amendment to a motion to approve and adopt the minutes of a meeting by the Council must not lay any greater financial burden on the meeting than the decision within the Committee minutes. On that basis, the request to fund Compass Counselling would need to be referred to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee for consideration.

 

Accordingly, Councillor Murphy’s amendment was revised to the effect that the Council agrees:

 

·        to provide additional support of £100k to the Ulster Boxing Council to host the 2020 EUBC Schoolboys and Schoolgirls European Boxing Championships from 7th June till 11th July; and

 

·        that the matter of the allocation of £20k to Compass Counselling be referred to the next monthly meeting of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee for consideration.

 

On a vote by show of hands twenty-three Members voted for the amendment and thirty against and it was declared lost.

 

Amendment

 

Moved by Councillor McDonough-Brown,

Seconded by Councillor Long and

 

      Resolved – That the Committee agrees that the request to provide additional support of £100k to the Ulster Boxing Council to host the 2020 EUBC Schoolboys and Schoolgirls European Boxing Championships from 7th June till 11th July and for £20k to be allocated to Compass Counselling be referred to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee for consideration.

 

 

 

Amendment

 

Moved by Councillor Ferguson,

Seconded by Councillor Matt Collins,

 

      That the decision of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee of 21st February, under the heading “Financial Reporting – Quarter 3 2019/20”, be amended to provide that funding of £75k be awarded to the Belfast Advice Group (Belfast Tribunal Service) to cover the period from April 2020 to June 2020.

 

On a vote by show of hands twenty-seven Members voted for the amendment and seventeen against and it was declared carried.

 

Amendment

 

Motion – Belfast Zoo

 

Moved by Councillor Maskey,

Seconded by Councillor McLaughlin,

 

      That the decision of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee of

of 21st February, under the heading “Motion – Belfast Zoo” be amended to allow for the motion to read as follows:

 

“This Council reaffirms its support for the Belfast Zoo and its staff and its long term sustainability and future investment. We also commit ourselves to a moral and compassionate approach to the animals housed in the Zoo and commit to ensure a future use that is conservation centred, educational and economically modelled that it ends the burden on the Belfast ratepayer.

 

The Council agrees to scope future investment and a feasibility study for the entire Zoo site, including the Floral Hall, Belfast Castle and the Belfast Hills. This will be done in conjunction with leading experts, key stakeholders and public consultation and engagement.

 

Additionally, we seek an all-Party meeting with the Minister for the Economy to push for Central Government funding for the redevelopment of the Zoo site.”

 

At the request of Councillor Whyte, the proposer agreed to amend his motion to allow for the replacement of the word “redevelopment” with the word “regeneration” in the final paragraph.

 

At the request of Alderman Spence, the proposer agreed to the inclusion of the words “looking specifically at ecology” after the word “educational” in the initial paragraph and to the Minister for Communities being included in the all-Party meeting.

 

On a recorded vote thirty-nine Members voted for the motion, as amended and set out hereunder, and twenty against and it was declared carried:

 

“This Council reaffirms its support for the Belfast Zoo and its staff and its long term sustainability and future investment. We also commit ourselves to a moral and compassionate approach to the animals housed in the Zoo and commit to ensure a future use that is conservation centred, educational, looking specifically at ecology, and economically modelled that it ends the burden on the Belfast ratepayer.

 

The Council agrees to scope future investment and a feasibility study for the entire Zoo site, including the Floral Hall, Belfast Castle and the Belfast Hills. This will be done in conjunction with leading experts, key stakeholders and public consultation and engagement.

 

Additionally, we seek an all-Party meeting with the Minister for the Economy and the Minister for Communities to push for Central Government funding for the regeneration of the Zoo site.”

 

For 39   The Lord Mayor (Councillor D. Baker); The High Sheriff (Councillor Verner); Aldermen Haire, Kingston, McCoubrey, Sandford and Spence; and Councillors S. Baker, Beattie, Black, Brooks, Bunting, Canavan, Carson, Cobain, Corr, de Faoite, Donnelly, Dorrian, Garrett, Gormley, Graham, Groves, Heading, Hussey, T. Kelly, Lyons, Magee, Magennis, Maskey, McAteer, McCusker, McKeown, McLaughlin, Murphy, Newton, Pankhurst, Walsh and Whyte.

Against 20   The Deputy Lord Mayor (Councillor McReynolds); Aldermen Copeland and Rodgers; and Councillors Matt Collins, Michael Collins, Ferguson, Flynn, Groogan, Hanvey, Howard, Hutchinson, M. Kelly, Kyle, Long, McDonough-Brown, McMullan, Mulholland, Nicholl, O’Hara and Smyth.

 

Northern Ireland Water Refillation

Campaign and Water Refill Stations

 

At the request of Councillor Garrett, the Chief Executive confirmed that the seven independent community centres, namely, Ballymacarrett, Denmark Street, Grosvenor, Hanwood, Percy Street, Sally Gardens and Shaftesbury, along with Dunville Park and Falls Park would be included in the City water refill scheme.

 

 

Proposed Approach to Enable the Strategic Consideration

of Notices of Motion and Issues Raised in Advance by Members

 

At the request of Councillor de Faoite, the Council agreed that a report be presented to a future meeting of the Committee outlining ways in which the process for dealing with amendments to minutes/motions at Council meetings could be enhanced.

 

Amendment

 

Irish Unity Referendum –

Response from Governments

 

Moved by Councillor Brooks,

Seconded by Alderman Kingston,

 

      That the decision of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee of 21st February, under the heading “Irish Unity Referendum – Response from Governments”, be amended to provide that the responses be noted and no further action be taken.

 

On a vote by show of hands seventeen Members voted for the amendment and twenty-five against and it was declared lost.

 

Amendment

 

Fleet Programme – Lord Mayor’s Car

 

Moved by Councillor Beattie,

Seconded by Councillor McLaughlin,

 

      That the decision of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee of 21st February, under the heading “Fleet Programme – Lord Mayor’s Car”, be amended to provide that the final decision on the type of model to be selected be taken by the Committee.

 

On a vote by show of hands twenty Members voted for the amendment and eighteen against and it was declared carried.

 

Adoption of Minutes

 

            Subject to the foregoing amendments and additions,the minutes of the proceedings of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee of 21st February, omitting matters in respect of which the Council has delegated its powers to the Committee, were approved and adopted.