Agenda item

            Moved by Councillor McDonough-Brown,

            Seconded by Councillor Beattie,

      That the minutes of the proceedings of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee of 20th and 27th January, omitting matters in respect of which the Council has delegated its powers to the Committee, be approved and adopted.

Amendment

Motion – School Street Schemes

Moved by Councillor de Faoite,

Seconded by Councillor McKeown,

      That the decision of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee of 20th January, under the heading “Motion – School Street Schemes” be rejected and, accordingly, the Council agrees to adopt the motion in full.

            On a recorded vote, eleven Members voted for the amendment and forty-five against and it was declared lost.

Amendment

Revenue Estimates and District Rate 2023/24

Moved by Councillor Long,

Seconded by Councillor McDonough-Brown,

      That the decision of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee of 27th January, under the heading “Revenue Estimates and District Rate 2023/24”, be amended to provide that the Council agrees:

                             i.          not to allocate funding of £500k to the Summer Diversionary Festival Programme in 2023/24, thereby reducing the District Rate to 7.71%, subject to an equality screening and that, should that fail to be completed before the statutory deadline, the original increase of 7.99%, as agreed by the Committee on 27th January, be implemented; and

                            ii.          that a Working Group be established to develop an effective, sustainable diversionary scheme, to be implemented in 2024, to build capacity in local communities and that relevant stakeholders be included in the process.

            On a recorded vote, twelve Members voted for the amendment and forty-three against and it was declared lost.

At the request of Councillor McLaughlin, the Council agreed that a letter be forwarded to the Secretary of State and the leaders of the local Political Parties asking them to examine the potential for implementing a policy which would allow the Council to retain the rate growth achieved in the district for a period of five years, which would assist it in developing a medium term financial plan, incentivise it to increase the rate base and deal with immediate pressures as a result of the cost-of-living crisis.

At the request of Councillor Whyte, the Council agreed that engagement take place with Land and Property Services and the Department of Finance to establish if the costs incurred by the Council in providing a waste collection service for purpose-built student accommodation which was exempt from paying rates could be clawed back.

The Council agreed also that a letter be forwarded to the Secretary of State and the leaders of the local Political Parties calling for a reform of the current legislation which provided rates exemptions for purpose-built student accommodation.

Dual-Language Street Signage

At the request of Councillor McLaughlin, the Council agreed that the report to be presented to the next meeting of the Committee on the backlog of applications for dual-language street signs should also address the establishment of the Stakeholders’ Group and provide up-to-date costings for completing the remaining 330 streets in the Gaeltacht quarter and an update on the Equality Impact Assessment for Olympia Leisure Centre.

Adoption of Minutes

The Lord Mayor called upon the Council to approve and adopt the minutes of the proceedings of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee of 20th January, including the foregoing additions and omitting matters in respect of which the Council has delegated its powers to the Committee, and the minutes of the proceedings of 27th January.

Proposal

Moved by Councillor Lyons,

Seconded by Councillor de Faoite,

      That the Council agrees not to adopt the minutes of the proceedings of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee of 20th, as amended, and 27th January. 

            On a recorded vote, seven Members voted for the proposal and forty-five against, with three ‘no votes’ and it was declared lost.

            Subject to the foregoing additions, the minutes of the proceedings of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee of 20th January, omitting matters in respect of which the Council has delegated its powers to the Committee and as amended, and the minutes of the proceedings of 27th January were thereupon approved and adopted.