Magherafelt District Council
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MAGHERAFELT DISTRICT COUNCIL Minutes of Proceedings of a Meeting of Magherafelt District Council held in the Council Chamber, 50 Ballyronan Road, Magherafelt on Tuesday, 8 March 2011. The meeting commenced at 7.30 pm. Presiding: Mrs E A Forde Other Members Present: J F Kerr P J Bateson SWS Brown J Campbell T J Catherwood J Crawford P E Groogan O T Hughes Miss K A Lagan Mrs K A McEldowney P McLean J J McPeake I P Milne G C Shiels Miss B A Scullion Officers Present: J A McLaughlin (Chief Executive) J J Tohill (Director of Finance and Administration) W J Glendinning (Director of Building Control) M Young (Director of Environmental Health) A Cassells (Director of Operations) Mrs Anne-Marie Campbell (Director of Policy and Development) Mrs Audrey Junkin (Chief Executive’s Secretary) Representatives from Other Bodies in Attendance: DoE Planning Service: Mr M Bowman – Planning Officer McCready, Donnelly & Lowry: Ms Anne McCready Ms Ann Donnelly 1 Minutes 1.1 Councillor J Campbell referred to the following items on Page 11: Item 9.2.1 – Dog Fouling - he said that he had raised the issue of dog fouling in the Coolshinney Road area and not Councillor J J McPeake as presently recorded in the Minutes; and Item 9.2.2 – Meadowbank Sports Arena - he had raised the issue of directional signage to Meadowbank Sports Arena and not Councillor P McLean as presently recorded in the Minutes. Councillor Campbell asked that the Minutes be amended accordingly. 1.1.1 It was Proposed by Councillor J F Kerr Seconded by Councillor J Campbell, and Resolved: that the Minutes of the Council Meeting held on Tuesday, 8 February 2011 (copy previously circulated to each Member) subject to the above amendments be taken as read and signed as correct. 1.2 It was Proposed by Councillor O T Hughes Seconded by Councillor P McLean, and Resolved: that the Minutes of a Special Meeting of the Council held on Monday, 14 February 2011 (copy previously circulated to each Member) be taken as read and signed as correct. 1.3 It was Proposed by Councillor O T Hughes Seconded by Councillor P McLean, and Resolved: that the Minutes of a Special Meeting of the Council held on Tuesday, 15 February 2011 (copy previously circulated to each Member) be taken as read and signed as correct. 2 Matters Arising Out of the Minutes 2.1 Minutes – Tuesday, 18 January 2011 Submitted letter of reply from the Minister for Health, Social Services and Public Safety, Mr Michael McGimpsey, MLA to the Council ‘s letter requesting continued funding for the Barnardo’s Home from Home project which includes the SK Club for children and young people with disabilities dated 11 February 2011 (copy circulated to each Member). 2.1.1 The letter explained that the Children’s Fund, which had been created by the NI Executive in 2003 to provide direct support to children in need and young people at risk, and which had funded the Barnardo’s project had come to an end in March 2008. Following this the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Services, which had been delivering the Children’s Fund on behalf of the Executive, continued to fund the project but advised the project that it would be expected to move to a position of self-sustainability or secure an alternative funder. 2.1.2 In July 2010 the Department wrote to the project advising that its funding arrangements would be reviewed as part of the spending review process, and were also advised that nothing could be guaranteed about future funding and it would be prudent to plan ahead on the assumption that funding would not be available beyond 2011. 2.1.3 Referring to the Council’s offer to send a joint delegation of Councillors from Magherafelt and Cookstown District Councils to discuss the matter further, the Minister advised that such a discussion could have little merit until the Executive’s Draft Budget had been agreed and his Department could finalise the detail of its Budget. This meant that he was unable to give guarantees to any group about the availability of funding beyond March 2011. 2.1.4 The Chairperson, Councillor Mrs E A Forde said that she had spoken with Mrs Claire Knox who had indicated that she felt that Barnardo’s could provide some funding towards the project. However, Mrs Knox’s and the parents’ main concern was that the amount potentially available would be insufficient to fund the Barnardo’s summer scheme which was financed by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety. 2.1.5 Members were generally sympathetic to the SK Club’s situation and discussed a range of avenues potentially open to the Committee including applying to other grant award bodies such as ‘Awards for All’ and ‘Healthy Minds’. A number of Members suggested that the Council should consider reallocating some of the funding which was presently set aside for Sporting Grants to support groups such as the SK Club. 2.1.6 Councillor P McLean said that the Council needed to be conscious of the equality agenda and be cautious when considering whether to fund one group and not another. He stated that there were many groups that could apply for funding and he felt that the whole issue of funding for charity groups required to be carefully considered to ensure that all the groups could potentially obtain funding from the same budget. 2.1.7 On consideration it was Proposed by Councillor J F Kerr Seconded by Councillor I P Milne, and Resolved: that the Chief Executive consider the possibility of the Council applying some of its funds towards funding charitable bodies and report back to the Members at its meeting scheduled for Monday, 14 March 2011. 2.2 Submitted letter dated 2 March 2011 from the DRD Roads Service’s Divisional Roads Manager, Mr P B Doherty, concerning a Review of Off- Street Parking Charges (copy circulated to each Member) which stated that the Minister for the Department of Regional Development had considered and approved the following changes to car park charges in the Magherafelt District Council area: • Rainey Street, Magherafelt – charges to increase from 30p per hour to 40p per hour; • Union Road, Magherafelt – charges to increase from 30p per hour to 40p per hour; and • The introduction of charges in car parks which are currently free – 79 spaces in Magherafelt Central (38 remain free) The letter also set out the key considerations that had been used in setting the changes and further intimated that the increase in charges generally from 30p to 40p were being implemented throughout provincial towns in Northern Ireland. Finally, the Divisional Roads Manager advised that the Department would advertise a notice in the local press once the order had been made. The notice would detail the changes in tariffs and the date the new tariffs would come into effect. 2.2.1 Members were very displeased about these increases and hoped that the Chamber of Commerce would discuss the matter at its next forum meeting and respond to the Divisional Roads Manager. 2.3 Submitted a letter dated 18 February 2011 from Mr Stephen Hughes, Roads Service, Transportation & Engineering Policy Unit acknowledging the Council’s response to the draft policy and draft EQIA on proposals for bi-lingual traffic signs. The letter intimated that the Council’s response would be considered at the end of the consultation period. Noted . 2.4 Submitted letter dated 4 March 2011 from Ms M McAleer, Director of Investigations in the Northern Ireland Ombudsman’s Office, advising that, following the announcement by the Minister for Justice in June 2010 of the establishment of a Tribunals Terms of Reference Working Group to examine the administrative justice landscape operating in Northern Ireland, she was undertaking research in support of the Working Group. 2.4.1 Mrs McAleer requested that the Council complete an enclosed questionnaire and return it to the Northern Ireland Ombudsman’s Office by 25 March 2011. 2.5 Submitted letter from the Health and Safety Executive Northern Ireland (HSENI) dated 4 March 2011 in response to the Council’s letter of 25 February 2011 regarding an abandoned site adjacent to 45 Portna Road, Kilrea (copy circulated to each Member). The letter indicated that the HSENI had written on 25 January 2011 to agents (Sproull Solicitors) who were believed to be in control of the site and, following their response which raised a query about specific health and safety risks, the HSENI had visited the site again on 14 February 2011 and issued a further letter dated 16 February 2011 to Sproull Solicitors. The HSENI’s letter to the Council advised that if there were any developments in terms of ownership or if work began and Health & Safety did not appear to be adequately managed then a complaint should be lodged with HSENI. It also indicated that vandalism or unauthorised trespass issues should be referred to the PSNI. Noted. 2.6 Submitted an email from Rural Generation confirming that a presentation would be made to Council on Monday, 14 March 2011 by Ms Christine Hutton and Pat Graham. Members agreed that the meeting on Monday, 14 March 2011 would commence at 7.00 pm. 2.7 Submitted a letter from Mr B Green, Head of 2011 Census Statistical Development, Outputs and Dissemination, Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) which advised the Members that NISRA was holding a Census user information event in Cookstown from 9.30am to 1.30pm on Wednesday, 23 March 2011. The letter further advised that attendees were required to register in advance and that places would be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.