Agenda item

            (Ms. S. Stevenson, Culture and Arts Manager, attended in connection with this item.)

            The Managing Director of the Belfast Waterfront and Ulster Halls reminded the Members that the former Development (Arts) Sub-Committee, and subsequently the Development Committee, had awarded grants under the Rolling Programme to support innovation in arts and heritage.  He pointed out that the purpose of the Programme was to assist arts and heritage organisations to avail of the opportunities of grant-aid which arose during the year, including those which became available after the closing date for the Annual Funding and Multi-Annual Funding applications.  Grants awarded through the Scheme would range from £250 to £3,000.

            He pointed out that under the Council’s Scheme of Delegation, where a Committee had established a scheme for the awarding of grants up to a maximum amount of £10,000 and had authorised a Chief Officer to administer the scheme, then the Chief Officer had the delegated authority to approve the allocation of grants in line with the award criteria.  He pointed out further that, since grants awarded under the Rolling Programme did not exceed £3,000, they could be dealt with under authority delegated to the Director of Development, if the Committee so agreed.  He reminded the Committee that an amount of £28,000 had been included within the Revenue Estimates for the Rolling Programme.

            The Managing Director of the Waterfront and Ulster Halls informed the Committee that awarding the grants under delegated authority would have a number of advantages, including a reduction in the current ten-week period it took to process requests and that organisations would be able to present more detailed information closer to the event.  He assured the Committee that it would receive, on either a six?monthly or annual basis, a report regarding grants which had been awarded by the Director under this delegated authority.

            During discussion in the matter a Member expressed the view that the Department should ensure that money distributed under this scheme was made available to groups throughout the City and, if requests were not being received from certain areas of the City, the Department should endeavour to remedy that situation.

            In response, the Culture and Arts Manager indicated that, since most of the organisations which applied for assistance under the Rolling Programme were arts rather than community-based, they tended to be located in the City centre, although they undertook work throughout the City.  In addition, she pointed out that advice clinics regarding the Rolling Programme were held throughout the City.

            The Director of Development informed the Members that research was being undertaken currently concerning all the grant assistance which was provided by the Development Department to examine if it could be provided in a more streamlined manner and that a report in this regard would be presented to the Committee later in the year.

            The Committee noted the information which had been provided by the officers and agreed to delegate authority to the Director of Development to award grants under the Rolling Programme to support innovation in arts and heritage.