Agenda item

            The Director of Neighbourhood Services reminded the Committee that the beacon programme, which was open only to constituted community/voluntary groups and had been in existence for over fifteen years, supported the provision of beacons as an alternative to traditional bonfires over the 12th of July period.

            He reminded the Committee further that, at its meeting on 21st April, it had granted approval for Council officers to contact the eight groups which had availed of a beacon in 2022, as well as four others which had expressed an interest subsequently, to determine if they wished to be placed on the list for this year.

            He reported that two of those groups had since confirmed that they did not require a beacon and drew the Committee’s attention to the list of ten organisations and locations which were being recommended for approval in 2023. The Committee was asked to note that, as had been the case in 2022, mitigations would need to be put in place at the Brown Square and White City sites and that the report on the Grove Street East site would, as previously, advise that there was potential for significant damage due to the distance factor.

            The Director went on to state that a request had also been received through Action for Community Transformation for a beacon to replace a traditional bonfire at Shankill Terrace and California Close. Should the Committee accede to that request, the provision of a beacon would be subject to the usual terms and conditions and a fire engineer’s report would be required. Initial indications had indicated that the land on which the beacon would be placed was unregistered.

            In terms of funding, the current budget allocation for beacons was £72,000, which included a £15,000 contribution from The Executive Office through the District Council Good Relations Programme. The provision of eleven beacons would, the Director pointed out, cost a minimum of £81,103.75, excluding VAT, and would require the realignment of existing budgets.

            After discussion, the Committee granted approval for the eleven groups set out in the table below to participate in the beacon programme for 2023 and agreed that any residual funding from the £47,745 which had, earlier in the meeting, been allocated to the development of a capacity building programme for groups which might wish to deliver activities next July, be vired to the bonfire programme.