Agenda item

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

“Background

      At the 12 August Development Committee, Members requested further information regarding the request for approval for representation at the Eurocities AGM in Stockholm from 25 – 28 November 2009 and a breakdown of the related costs.

Key Issues

      BelfastCity Council has been a member of the Eurocities network since the early 1990’s. The network now consists of over 140 large European cities. The headquarters is in Brussels and activity is structured around the following Forums:

-     Economic Development

-     Social Affairs

-     Culture

-     Mobility

-     Knowledge Society

-     Environment

      Eurocities allows Belfast City Council to develop and strengthen its role in city leadership, reflecting the values and messages contained in the Corporate Plan. This platform has consistently opened avenues of policy development, funding and legislation dissemination, allowing Belfast a stronger voice both regionally and in Europe.

      Every year BelfastCity Council attends the Eurocities AGM which is hosted in a city within the member state currently holding the presidency of Europe, this year the host is Sweden.  The theme this year is ‘Urban Challenges and Sustainable Solutions’.

      BelfastCity Council requires Member attendance at the AGM to participate in the voting process and election of the Executive Bureau of Cities and the chair and deputy chair posts of the various Forums.  Belfast City Council Elected Member attendance is traditionally represented by the Chairman and the Deputy Chairman of the Development Committee, accompanied by the Director of Development and the European Manager, or their nominees. However, over the last 5 years only one Member has travelled every year to the AGM.

      The two BCC officers attend the AGM to ensure the interests of Belfast City Council are represented and promoted at the event. Belfast City Council officers host round table speed networking discussions around relevant topics.  This year they will take part in two events with a view to promoting the work of the BCC led OPENCities project and also a workshop dedicated to city responses to the recession.  Due to the fact that BCC is active in so many projects two officers are required to undertake parallel meetings with Forum chairs and insure input into the agreement of work programmes for the following year. 

      BelfastCity Council is active in the following Forums:

      Economic Development Forum

      Chair of economic migration working group

      Member of creative clusters working group

      Member of entrepreneurship working group

      Member of employment working group

      Social Affairs Forum

      Member of social inclusion working group.

      Member of urban security working group

      Member of the health and well being working group.

      Environment Forum

      Chair of the clean cities working group

      Member of the noise working group

      Member of the greening local economy working group

      Member of the waste working group

      Culture Forum

      Member of the youth culture working group

      Member of the resources for culture working group

Resource Implications

Estimated cost for attendance:

Registration Fees per person                                                    £245.96

Hotel x 3 nights (£158.55 per room per night)                          £475.65

Flight per person                                                                          £352.00

Subsistence per person for 3 full days at £75.00 per day       £225.00

Approximate Total per person                                                  £1298.61

Approximate Total for three people                                        £3895.83

Approximate total for four people                                            £5194.44

Recommendation

      Members are asked to approve the attendance and all associated costs of the Chairman, the Deputy Chairman, the Director of Development and the European Manager, or their nominees, at the Eurocities AGM in Stockholm in November 2009 at a cost not exceeding £5194.44.”

            During discussion in the matter, Members suggested that, in order to reduce costs, the Council send a smaller delegation to the Eurocities Annual General Meeting.

            In response, the Director indicated that it was vital that an Elected Member attend the Annual General Meeting as only political representatives could take part in the various votes and that, due to the amount of work which took place at the Meeting, the Council would require to have two officers present in order to ensure that the Council was adequately represented.

            Following further discussion, the Committee agreed that it be represented at the Eurocities Annual General Meeting by one of its Members and two officers.