Agenda item

To consider further the minute of the meeting of 14^th May under the heading “Economic Development Update – Co-financing for European Social Fund Applications” which, at the request of Councillor Jones, was referred back to the Committee by the Council at its meeting on 2^nd June (extract herewith)

            The Committee considered further the minute of the meeting of 14th May under the heading “Co-financing for European Social Fund Applications” which had been taken back by the Chairman at the Council meeting on 2nd June at the request of Councillor Jones.  An extract of the minute in this regard is set out hereunder:

      “The Head of Economic Initiatives reminded the Committee that the European Social Fund provided funding for training measures to assist people into employment and to enhance their career prospects.  The closing date for applications under this Programme had been November, 2007 and successful projects had been notified in December.  She advised the Committee that the Council had been successful in attracting funding for a project to support access to employment in the independent retail and hospitality sectors.  It had emerged subsequently that eight projects which had applied for funding had indicated that the Council would be co-financing their schemes.  However, at the time of submission, only two projects had advised the Council of this.  At its meeting on 21st February, the Committee had agreed to co-fund these two projects, together with a further initiative which had been submitted by Women in Business.

      The Head of Economic Initiatives advised the Committee that the Council had been requested recently to consider the undernoted additional three projects for co?financing over the next three year period:

(i)   ‘Advancement of Women Initiative’, submitted by the Training for Women Network which had requested co?financing of £54,068 per year;

(ii)  ‘Women Working for Themselves’, submitted by the East BelfastEnterprise which had requested co-financing of £26,237 per year;

(iii)‘Skills for Enterprise’, submitted by East Belfast Enterprise which had requested co-financing of £30,948 per year;

      She advised the Members that the other two projects which had named the Council as potential match funders had not yet formally approached the Council.

      She informed the Committee that no budget had been set aside for these three new schemes when the Economic Development Unit’s Business Plan had been prepared.  In addition, these projects could not be co-financed through any other European funding stream.  Therefore, the Department was not in a position to provide financial assistance to these projects.

      Following discussion, the Committee agreed not to support the three requests which had been received for co-financing under the European Social Fund’s, ‘Helping People Into Employment’ scheme.”

            Councillor Jones, who had requested that the item be taken back, informed the Committee that he was concerned at the decision not to provide funding to the Advancement of Women Initiative which had been submitted by the Training for Women Network.  He pointed out that the aim of this scheme was to assist unemployed women to gain employment and he believed that the Committee should support the application.  He requested that the Committee agree to financially assist the project.

            The Head of Economic Initiatives reminded the Members that the Council had not been consulted by the three organisations whose requests had been considered at the meeting on 14th May prior to them advising the Department for Employment and Learning that the Council would be a co-funder.  Therefore, the Council had made no provision in its budget for these projects.  In addition, the Council was aware that two other projects had named the Council as potential co-funders and that they had not yet formally approached the Council.  She pointed out that if the Committee were minded to accede to the request from Councillor Jones it would be necessary to make savings elsewhere in the Department’s budget.

            The Director of Development indicated that, should the Committee agree to provide finance to the Advancement of Women Initiative, it would also have to consider providing funding to the two other projects which had been discussed at the meeting on 14th May.  She informed the Committee that the situation could have been avoided if the Department for Employment and Learning, which had organised the funding call, had required organisations to submit to it a letter of commitment from co-funders with the application for funding.

            Following discussion, the Committee agreed to defer consideration of the matter to enable a deputation to seek an urgent meeting with the Minister for Employment and Learning.