Democratic Services Section Chief Executive’s Department Belfast City Council City Hall Belfast BT1 5GS

17th September, 2015

MEETING OF STRATEGIC POLICY AND RESOURCES COMMITTEE

Dear Alderman/Councillor,

The above-named Committee will meet in the Lavery Room - City Hall on Friday, 18th September, 2015 at 10.00 am, for the transaction of the business noted below.

You are requested to attend.

Yours faithfully,

SUZANNE WYLIE

Chief Executive

AGENDA:

1. Routine Matters

(a) Apologies

(b) Minutes

(c) Declarations of Interest

2. Restricted Items

(a) Belfast Waterfront Conference and Exhibition Centre and Ulster Hall -Steps towards implementation (Pages 1 - 10)

(b) City Centre Investment Fund (CCIF) Framework (Pages 11 - 20)

3. Matters referred back from Council/Notices of Motion

(a) Notice of Motion Provision of Defibrillators (Pages 21 - 30)

(b) Notice of Motion Staff Volunteering Policy (Pages 31 - 32) - 2 - (c) Notice of Motion - A Living Wage (Pages 33 - 34)

(d) Notice of Motion - Special Olympics (Pages 35 - 36)

(e) Notice of Motion - Procurement Strategy (Pages 37 - 38)

(f) Notice of Motion - Transgender Equality (Pages 39 - 40)

(g) Asylum Refugee Forum (Pages 41 - 48)

4. Governance

(a) Times of Future Meetings (Pages 49 - 50)

5. Belfast Agenda

(a) City Positioning (Pages 51 - 54)

(b) Progress Report and Leading the City delegation to MIPIM 2016 (Pages 55 - 58)

(c) City Centre Development Team (Pages 59 - 64)

(d) Transfer of DSD Urban Regeneration and Community Development Powers (Pages 65 - 74)

6. Physical Programme and Asset Management

(a) Capital Programme Update (Pages 75 - 78)

(b) Area Working Update (Pages 79 - 82)

(c) Girdwood Hub - Update report (Pages 83 - 88)

(d) City Hall Update (Pages 89 - 96)

7. Finance, Procurement and Performance

(a) Contracts for award (Pages 97 - 100)

(b) Fleet Management Unit Overspend (Pages 101 - 104)

8. Equality and Good Relations

(a) Equality Action Plan 2015-16 - Feedback from Consultation on and Audit of Inequalities - Pre-Consultation (Pages 105 - 116)

(b) Minutes of the Meeting of the Good Relations Partnership (Pages 117 - 138)

(c) Minutes of the Meeting of the Diversity Working Group (Pages 139 - 144)

9. Operational Issues

(a) Minutes of Meeting of Budget and Transformation Panel (Pages 145 - 148) - 3 - (b) Report from the Audit and Risk Panel (Pages 149 - 160)

(c) Requests for the use of the City Hall and the provision of Hospitality (Pages 161 - 166)

(d) Internal Stress Audit (Pages 167 - 174)

(e) Response to NIHE Corporate Plan (Pages 175 - 216)

(f) Belfast Streets Ahead Phase 3 (Pages 217 - 228)

(g) IFA Request to Create Fanzone re Belfast Big Screen (Pages 229 - 232)

STRATEGIC POLICY & RESOURCES COMMITTEE

Subject: Provision of Defibrillators

Date: Friday 18th September 2015

Reporting Officer: Ronan Cregan, Director of Finance and Resources and Deputy Chief Executive Contact Officer: Tara Higgins, Acting Corporate Health and Safety Manager Andrew Harrison, Head of Audit, Governance and Risk Services (AGRS)

√ Is this report restricted? Yes No

√ Is the decision eligible for Call-in? Yes No

1.0 Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1 At the full Council meeting in July 2015 Councillor Garrett moved a notice of motion regarding the Provision of Defibrillators. The matter was then referred to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee for consideration. A copy of the motion is attached at Appendix 1.

1.2 The purpose of this report is to assist Members in considering this notice of motion by providing:

 contextual information regarding the current Council policy and provision of Defibrillators (see 3.1)  the key considerations relating to additional deployment of AEDs and principles / criteria to be considered in relation to extending the deployment of defibrillators (see 3.2)  indicative cost information regarding extending provision of defibrillators (see 3.3). 2.0 Recommendations

2.1 That the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee notes this report and that they approve The Corporate Health & Safety Unit undertaking an assessment of all Belfast City Council premises to determine what sites AED’s should be provided.

3.0 Main report

3.1 Context

3.1.1 An AED is a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses life-threatening sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) in a patient and is able to treat them through defibrillation. There are a number of different providers and types of AED but essentially they all do the same thing:

 Analyse the victim’s heart rhythm  Determine if a shock is required  Provide voice and/or visual prompts to assist the rescuer.

3.1.2 AEDs are designed to be used by laypersons that have preferably been trained in their use. However an AED can be used safely and effectively without previous training. Therefore, the use of an AED need not be restricted to trained users, training should be encouraged to help improve the time to shock delivery and correct pad placement.

3.1.3 There is currently no statutory duty for Belfast City Council to provide AEDs. The Council does, however, deploy AEDs at a number of locations. The Council currently has AEDs located at eleven sites, detailed in Appendix 2. These sites were selected on the basis that they that have both a significant number of staff and high public throughput. In terms of staff who have been trained on their use, approximately sixty seven staff who have completed AED training since 2012. In addition there are10 AEDs located at GLL operated Leisure Centres. We have confirmed with GLL that they are currently maintaining checks on these AEDs and ensuring that AED operators are trained in their use.

3.1.4 The Council has a Code of Practice on the Deployment and use of Automated External Defibrillators. The Code provides instruction on the use of AEDs and provides clear procedures for ensuring that sufficient numbers of staff are trained to operate the AED units and those units are suitably maintained. 3.1.5 The Council AEDs are only to be used to treat employees and visitors on Council sites who have:  experienced sudden cardiac arrest &  who are unresponsive &  are not breathing normally. 3.1.6 While use of Council AEDs is intended only for Council employees who hold current certification in both the use of AEDs and Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) there should be no prohibitions, in the absence of a trained operator, on any person willing to use the AED in an emergency (this is in accordance with Resuscitation Council (UK) guidelines). 3.1.7 The Council’s Code of Practice outlines responsibilities of the CHSU and each site’s AED Co-ordinator who has the following responsibilities:  The maintenance of an up to date record of all certified AED Responders based at their location  Ensuring an AED Responder is on duty at all times  Having read and understood the Heartstart FRx Owner’s Manual  Managing the checking and maintenance of the AED, equipment and supplies  Maintaining records of weekly, monthly and post use system checks  Organising training programmes and 6 monthly refresher AED training  Forwarding incident information to the Corporate Health and Safety Unit and co- ordinating post-incident debriefing sessions for any employees involved & details procedures for use of AEDs. 3.1.8 An AED was deployed on one occasion in the past two years at a Council Leisure Centre but no shock was required. 3.2 Key Considerations and Principles for Deployment of AEDs 3.2.1 There are a number of considerations to be borne in mind regarding the possibility of installing AEDs at additional locations, including:  the likelihood of the AED being deployed, which is related to the size and utilisation of the location  the cost of providing AEDs and associated maintenance costs  the cost and time to provide training to staff on the use of AEDs and potentially CPR training (which may also need be deployed to treat the same incident  The operational process in place to ensure appointment of AED co-ordinators at each site to manage the AED’s in line with the Council Code of Practice  The practicality of ensuring that there are trained staff available at all times to operate the AED.  Some premises such as football / bowling pavilions are not always manned by BCC employees. In these cases provision of PADs (Public Access Defibrillators) may be a more suitable solution although careful consideration is needed in relation to their deployment. 3.2.2 The Resuscitation Council (UK) and British Heart Foundation have provided guidance on assessing the need for AEDs. The key procedure is the calculation of a numerical score based on two factors: 1. the likelihood of cardiac arrest occurring and 2. the impact. While the impact will always be high (since cardiac arrest, unless treated is uniformly fatal), likelihood will tend to vary depending on:

 The number of people passing through a particular site (footfall)  The age of those present (as cardiac arrest is commoner with increasing age)  The nature of the location. For example, the risk is higher where large numbers of the public are present. 3.2.3 Using The Resuscitation Council (UK) and British Heart Foundation guidelines it is proposed that The Corporate Health & Safety Unit would undertake an assessment of all Belfast City Council premises to determine what sites/ locations AED’s should be provided. 3.3 Equality or Good Relations Implications 3.3.1 As this paper is only being provided for information at this stage and is not being presented as a policy, there are currently no equality or good relations implications. 3.4 Financial Implications 3.4.1 Cost to purchase and maintain AEDs

Council officers have sought, without entering into any financial commitment, quotes for the supply of 30 AED’s of two different specifications including battery, pads and wall mounted cabinet - one quote provided indicated a cost of £36,000 and the other £48,600, meaning an indicative unit cost per device of between £1,200 and £1,620 per unit. 3.4.2 In addition to the cost of procuring the AED’s there is also a maintenance cost for each AED which would include the periodic replacement of a battery every 4/5 years (dependent on the model purchased) & replacement of pads approximately every two years at a cost of between £40-50 for each AED. 3.4.3 Training Costs

Training to operate AED’s using in-house qualified trainers in the Corporate Health and safety Unit would cost approximately £10 per head for the participant’s certification and a time commitment of 6 hours for employees with no CPR qualifications. Staff who have received CPR training within the past three months would not require a full days training but would require training which is estimated to take 2.5 hours per course. Alternatively, the training could be delivered by an external training provider at an approximate cost of £20 per head for the 2.5 hours training.

4.0 Appendices – Documents Attached

4.1 Appendix 1 - Notice of Motion Appendix 2 – Location of AEDs June 2015

Appendix 1 – Notice of Motion

Motion re: Provision of Defibrillators moved by Councillor Garrett

“Each year 1,400 people in the North of Ireland suffer an out of hospital cardiac arrest. The current survival rate for out of hospital cardiac arrest is 7.5%. Research proves that using a defibrillator in conjunction with administering CPR can increase the survival rate to over 70% whilst allowing time for paramedics to arrive on the scene.

On 19th May, all parties in the Assembly supported a motion calling on the Minister for DCAL to conduct a feasibility study in conjunction with her Assembly colleagues to look at the potential for an interactive map based register of defibrillators across all departments, including arms length bodies; and further calls on the Executive to devise a strategy that will see an increase in provision of defibrillators in public buildings and to ensure compatibility with the NI Ambulance Service systems.

In recognising the importance of this strategy and this council’s commitment to help improve the health and well-being of citizens across the city, this Council agrees to:

• review, and, where appropriate, remedy its provision of defibrillators across its entire public estate to ensure no gaps exist in adequate service provision. This needs to include our public parks, community centres, leisure facilities and areas of high public footfall;

• undertake a programme of training for staff who have daily contact with the public in the use of Defibrillators and CPR; and

• the Lord Mayor in his civic leadership role being requested to bring together charities and campaign groups working in this field along with BCCM (Belfast City Centre Management) and other key stakeholders to shape an action plan for adequate provision of PADs (Publicly Accessed Defibrillators) in city centre locations alongside provision in shopping centres and highly populated workplaces.”

Appendix 2

BELFAST CITY COUNCIL

LOCATION OF AUTOMATED EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLATORS

JUNE 2015

1. ADELAIDE EXCHANGE 2. CECIL WARD BUILDING 3. CITY HALL 4. ULSTER HALL 5. WATERFRONT HALL 6. ANDERSONSTOWN LEISURE CENTRE ** 7. AVONIEL LEISURE CENTRE** 8. BALLYSILLAN LEISURE CENTRE** 9. SHANKILL LEISURE CENTRE** 10. FALLS LEISURE CENTRE** 11. LOUGHSIDE RECREATION CENTRE** 12. OZONE LEISURE CENTRE** 13. OLYMPIA LEISURE CENTRE** 14. WHITEROCK LEISURE CENTRE** 15. GROVE WELLBEING CENTRE** 16. DIGITAL SERVICES, GLOUCESTER STREET 17. LANYON BUILDING 18. DUNCRUE COMPLEX 19. ST GEORGES MARKET 20. SMITHFIELD MARKET 21. ROSELAWN CREMATORIUM

** AED’s now managed by GLL

STRATEGIC POLICY & RESOURCES COMMITTEE

Subject: Notice of Motion – Staff Volunteering Policy

Date: Friday, 18th September, 2015

Reporting Officer: Stephen McCrory, Democratic Services Manager

Contact Officer: Barry Flynn, Democratic Services Officer

Is this report restricted? Yes No X

Yes X No Is the decision eligible for Call-in?

1.0 Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1 To consider a notice of motion which proposes the creation of a corporate Staff Volunteering Policy, which, in accordance with standing orders, was referred to the Committee by the Council at its meeting on 1st July.

2.0 Recommendation

2.1 The Committee is requested to consider the notice of motion and to take such action thereon as may be determined.

3.0 Main report

3.1 At the meeting of the Council on 1st July, it was proposed by Councillor Attwood and seconded by Mallon, that:

‘This Council will develop a volunteering policy for staff which will enable them to take part in a range of voluntary opportunities in the local community and support events associated with the Council.’

It is anticipated that Councillor Attwood will be in attendance at the meeting to outline the scope of any proposed staff volunteering policy. Financial & Resource Implications 3.3 None.

Equality or Good Relations Implications

3.4 None.

4.0 Appendices – Documents Attached

4.1 None STRATEGIC POLICY & RESOURCES COMMITTEE

Subject: Notice of Motion – A Living Wage

Date: Friday, 18th September, 2015

Reporting Officer: Stephen McCrory, Democratic Services Manager

Contact Officer: Jim Hanna, Senior Democratic Services Officer

Is this report restricted? Yes No X

Yes X No Is the decision eligible for Call-in?

1.0 Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1 To consider a notice of motion in relation to A Living Wage, which, in accordance with standing orders, was referred to the Committee by the Council at its meeting on 1st September.

2.0 Recommendation

2.1 The Committee is requested to consider the notice of motion and to take such action thereon as may be determined.

3.0 Main report

3.1 At the meeting of the Council on 1st September, it was proposed by Councillor McVeigh and seconded by Councillor Corr Johnston, that:

“Offering a living wage to employees makes good business sense. It has been proven to increase productivity, employee motivation and loyalty. Paying the living wage is good for business, good for workers, good for families and good for the local economy. Recently, this Council took an important step by introducing the living wage for its own employees. It is important now that we consider how we might encourage other employers to do likewise.

Accordingly, the Council commits to exploring how we might offer rates discounts to employers who introduce the living wage for their employees. For example, the London Borough of Brent has offered one-time discounts to employers of up to £5,000; while Greenwich Council has offered employers rebates on their business rates for a period of up to five years of living wage supplements.

The Council also commits to explore how it might encourage, 3.2 particularly through its procurement contracts, the adoption of the living wage by contractors, suppliers, grant recipients and general third parties. In addition, the Council commits to embedding the priority of promoting the 3.3 living wage within its corporate and strategic plans, recognising that this is a practical way of tackling poverty and inequality across Belfast.”

Financial & Resource Implications None.

Equality or Good Relations Implications None.

4.0 Appendices – Documents Attached

4.1 None STRATEGIC POLICY & RESOURCES COMMITTEE

Subject: Notice of Motion – Special Olympics

Date: Friday, 18th September, 2015

Reporting Officer: Stephen McCrory, Democratic Services Manager

Contact Officer: Jim Hanna, Senior Democratic Services Officer

Is this report restricted? Yes No X

Yes X No Is the decision eligible for Call-in?

1.0 Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1 To consider a notice of motion for a proposed reception in relation to the Special Olympics.

2.0 Recommendation

2.1 The Committee is requested to consider the notice of motion and to take such action thereon as may be determined.

3.0 Main report

3.1 At the meeting of the Council on 1st September, it was proposed by Councillor Heading and seconded by Councillor Attwood, that:

“This Council congratulates the members of both the Belfast Special Olympics Team and the Irish Special Olympics Team on their outstanding performances at the 2015 games in Los Angeles. Accordingly, in recognition of the Belfast Team members’ achievements, the Council agrees to hold an appropriate reception in the City Hall.”

3.2 In accordance with Standing Orders the Motion was referred to the Committee by the Council. 3.3 Financial & Resource Implications None.

3.4 Equality or Good Relations Implications None. 4.0 Appendices – Documents Attached

4.1 None STRATEGIC POLICY & RESOURCES COMMITTEE

Subject: Notice of Motion – Procurement Strategy

Date: Friday, 18th September, 2015

Reporting Officer: Stephen McCrory, Democratic Services Manager

Contact Officer: Jim Hanna, Senior Democratic Services Officer

Is this report restricted? Yes No X

Yes No Is the decision eligible for Call-in? X

1.0 Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1 To consider a notice of motion in relation to a Procurement Strategy.

2.0 Recommendation

2.1 The Committee is requested to consider the notice of motion and to take such action thereon as may be determined.

3.0 Main report

3.1 At the meeting of the Council on 1st September, it was proposed by Councillor Attwood and seconded by Councillor Kyle, that:

“The Council notes the positive impact that our draft procurement strategy, if adopted following consultation, will have on suppliers. Under Article 20 of the new EU Procurement Directive, contracting authorities are permitted to reserve the right to participate in tender competitions for specified contracts to specific groups, such as mutuals and social enterprises, which operate supported factories, businesses, or employment programs for disabled and disadvantaged persons.

This provision provides an opportunity for the Council to support this sector and enhance the work already done in building social capital, and can be achieved by pro- actively screening all tenders to identify contracts for supplies and services where a reservation could be applied. Therefore, the Council agrees to assess how Article 20 could be applied to future procurements with an end to furthering our commitment to building social value in how it designs and commissions its services and procurement of supplies.”

3.2 In accordance with Standing Orders the Motion was referred to the Committee by the Council.

3.3 Financial & Resource Implications None.

3.4 Equality or Good Relations Implications None. 4.0 Appendices – Documents Attached

4.1 None STRATEGIC POLICY & RESOURCES COMMITTEE

Subject: Notice of Motion – Transgender Equality

Date: Friday, 18th September, 2015

Reporting Officer: Stephen McCrory, Democratic Services Manager

Contact Officer: Jim Hanna, Senior Democratic Services Officer

Is this report restricted? Yes No X

Yes X No Is the decision eligible for Call-in?

1.0 Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1 To consider a notice of motion in relation to Transgender Equality, which, in accordance with standing orders, was referred to the Committee by the Council at its meeting on 1st September.

2.0 Recommendation

2.1 The Committee is requested to consider the notice of motion and to take such action thereon as may be determined.

3.0 Main report

3.1 At the meeting of the Council on 1st September, it was proposed by Councillor Carroll and seconded by Councillor McAllister, that:

“This Council is committed to equality and human rights for everyone in the City and notes the unique barriers and discrimination faced by members of the transgender community in Belfast. Members of this community face regular discrimination and difficulty in gaining access to services, coupled with a fear of violence, intimidation and harassment. The Council should do all it can to support the transgender community in Belfast, to raise awareness of their rights and support Council staff who wish to transition. Accordingly, the Council resolves to do all it can to provide assistance, this would include:

 developing a transgender rights protocol;  organising an event to commemorate the International Trans Day of Remembrance on 20th November;  encompassing transgender equality into training for Council staff;  creating an environment which is welcoming and supportive of the transgender community; and  supporting Council staff who are transgender, or who wish to transition.

To this end, the Council will review its services and facilities to ensure they are inclusive to transgender people.”

3.2 Financial & Resource Implications None.

3.3 Equality or Good Relations Implications None. 4.0 Appendices – Documents Attached

4.1 None STRATEGIC POLICY AND RESOURCES COMMITTEE

Subject: Asylum and Refugee Forum

Date: 18th September, 2015

Reporting Officer: Stephen McCrory, Democratic Services Manager (Ext 6314)

Contact Officer: Stephen McCrory, Democratic Services Manager (Ext 6314)

Is this report restricted? Yes No 

Is the decision eligible for Call-in? Yes  No

1.0 Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1 To consider a request from the Asylum and Refugee Forum for the Council to endorse its “Five Actions” Paper.

2.0 Recommendations

2.1 The Committee is asked to consider the request from the Asylum and Refugee Forum for the Council to endorse its “Five Actions” paper and to write in those terms to OFMDFM.

3.0 Main report

3.1 Key Issues

3.1.1 The Committee will be aware that the Council, at its Special meeting on 7th September, 2015, passed unanimously the undernoted motion:

3.1.2 “This Council abhors the terrible humanitarian and refugee crisis and the appalling deaths resulting from that crisis unfolding across Europe, parts of the Middle East and Africa, and welcomes the response from various European governments, including today’s [7th September] announcement at Westminster. The Council and the people of Belfast are committed to opening our doors and hearts to welcoming a substantial number of refugees to the City. This City will treat those refugees with compassion, dignity and respect. The Council undertakes to provide practical support to ease distress, suffering and hardship and will work with other agencies across the City to do likewise. We will consider how we can best use our resources, including money, staff time and facilities to do this.

In addition, we call upon the OFMDFM to convene a task force involving councils, the NI Housing Executive, Health Trusts and other statutory agencies, as well as the community, charity and voluntary sectors, to plan a coherent and rapid humanitarian response for the region.”

3.1.3 The Special Council meeting received a deputation on 7th September from the Asylum and Refugee Forum. During its presentation, the Forum requested that the Council consider endorsing its “Five Actions” paper.

3.1.4 The Forum has written to the Council formally requesting that it consider doing this and writing in those terms to OFMDFM. A copy of the letter and the “Five Actions” paper are attached to this report at Appendices 1 and 2.

3.2 Financial & Resource Implications

3.2.1 None at this stage.

3.3 Equality or Good Relations Implications

3.3.1 There are not any Equality or Good Relations implications associated with this report.

4.0 Appendices – Documents Attached

None 4.0 Appendices – Documents Attached

4.1 Appendix 1 – Letter from the Asylum and Refugee Forum

4.2 Appendix 2 – “Five Actions” paper from the Asylum and Refugee Forum

124 Donegall Street Belfast BT1 2GY Telephone: 028 9024 4401 Fax: 028 9023 6340 Textphone: 028 9023 9938 Email: [email protected] Web: www.lawcentreni.org

By email: [email protected]

9 September 2015

Dear Mr Hanna

Request for Strategic Policy and Resources Committee to endorse the Refugee and Asylum Forum’s ‘Five Actions’ paper

I would be grateful if you could draw this to the attention of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee.

On behalf of the Refugee & Asylum Forum, the Law Centre is thankful that we had the opportunity to speak at the Special Council meeting held on 7 September 2015 along with colleagues from the Red Cross and NI Community of Refugees and Asylum Seekers (NICRAS).

At the end of the meeting, the Lord Mayor asked for the Forum to share its ‘Five Actions’ paper with the Council. This paper has been endorsed by fifteen members of the Refugee & Asylum Forum and I have attached a copy for your information.

The Forum recognises that although Westminster is largely responsible for refugee matters, Northern Ireland does have powers in respect to certain aspects were responsibility is devolved. Accordingly, we have identified Five Actions that can be delivered by Northern Ireland – whether by the Executive or by government departments. A commitment to delivering these Five Actions would make Northern Ireland much better equipped to respond effectively to the needs of the existing refugee population and any Syrian refugees arriving through the Vulnerable Persons Relocation scheme.

We would ask the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee to:

a) Formally endorse the Five Actions;

b) Submit the Five Actions to the Northern Ireland Assembly for its consideration and request that the Assembly endorses them too.

Additionally, the Committee might wish to consider what role it might play in delivering some of the actions.

Western Area Office: 9 Clarendon Street, Derry BT48 7EP Law Centre (NI) is a company limited by guarantee. No. NI 28090. Charity no. XN 48784 Authorised by the OISC. Ref. No. N200600014 124 Donegall Street Belfast BT1 2GY Telephone: 028 9024 4401 Fax: 028 9023 6340 Textphone: 028 9023 9938 Email: [email protected] Web: www.lawcentreni.org

The Five Actions paper is purposely brief. If the Committee requires more information about the Five Actions we would be very happy to expand on the five points in either written or oral form to the Committee. For example, we could explain the current situation, the rationale for our proposal, which agency is likely to be involved, etc. Please let me know if this would be helpful.

I look forward to hearing from you in due course.

Yours sincerely

Liz Griffith Policy Officer

CC

- Ursula O’Hare, Assistant Director, Law Centre - Denise Wright, Co-ordinator of Refugee & Asylum Forum - Neil McKittrick, British Red Cross - Justin Kouame, NICRAS

Western Area Office: 9 Clarendon Street, Derry BT48 7EP Law Centre (NI) is a company limited by guarantee. No. NI 28090. Charity no. XN 48784 Authorised by the OISC. Ref. No. N200600014 5 Key Actions: ensuring Northern Ireland responds to the needs of refugees

The Refugee and Asylum Forum is an informal network of organisations with direct experience of providing support and services to asylum seekers and refugees in Belfast. Our collective expertise is wide and spans health and social care, accommodation, integration and participation, legal rights, welfare as well as policy development. Organisations involved in the Forum have been working in support of these communities for many years. We express full support for Northern Ireland offering refuge to Syrian refugees through the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme (“VPR”). This is an essential humanitarian gesture in the context of unprecedented displacement and mass suffering. Running parallel to the urgent need to offer a safe place to Syrian refugees is the need to ensure that Northern Ireland’s existing asylum seeker and refugees are treated with humanity and dignity. Asylum policy is a reserved matter for Westminster. However, Northern Ireland does have powers in respect to many issues experienced by asylum seekers and refugees living here. We have identified five key actions that can be delivered by the Northern Ireland Executive that would considerably improve the situation for existing asylum seekers and refugees; help smooth the process of integration for VPR Syrian refugees and ease demand on refugee support organisations: 1. A Refugee Integration Strategy for Northern Ireland that will co-ordinate and monitor all interventions. We are currently the only region in the UK that does not have a Refugee Integration Strategy. A Strategy will help ensure that children have access to education, that there is a co-ordinated response to hate crime, and that refugees have access to a tailored pathway to economic and social inclusion. 2. A long-term commitment to funding refugee settlement. We understand that the UK government will provide funding for a one year period for Syrian refugee resettlement. The Executive must ensure that future funding is guaranteed beyond that – either from Westminster, Europe or from a different source. In addition, the OFMDFM Minority Ethnic Development Fund and other funds should ring-fence some money for organisations directly supporting asylum seekers and refugees so as to ensure that the sector can properly meet needs and plan ahead. OFMDFM should also make the Crisis Fund permanent. 3. A mechanism is in place to ensure that no person experiences destitution on being granted refugee status. The reality for many people is that they become destitute for weeks or months due to lengthy delays in the benefit system. Despite having a clear entitlement to statutory support, many refugees become completely reliant on charitable support precisely at the time that they wish to move on with their lives. This is something that must be avoided for Syrians arriving in the VPR programme and needs to be addressed for existing refugees. 4. All refugees have access to free, accredited English language classes. Not being able to speak English is a huge obstacle to employment, integration and full civil participation and yet Northern Ireland does not currently provide refugees with free classes. Investing in English language skills is likely to reap financial and social dividends for Northern Ireland in the long-term. Designating ESOL as an Essential Skill might be one way of delivering this action.

1 Welcoming Syrian refugees to Northern Ireland

5. Work with the refugee support sector in designing a Syrian VPR resettlement scheme. We would ask the Northern Ireland Executive and government officials to build on the positive engagement with the voluntary and community sector on refugee issues when designing a safe and sustainable programme for Syrians. This would draw on our wide and practical expertise in supporting refugees in their integration and would include preparatory work with neighbourhoods, frontline services and statutory agencies prior to the arrival of VPR refugees. A commitment to delivering these five actions would make Northern Ireland much better equipped to respond effectively to the needs of the existing refugee population and the new Syrian VPR refugee community.

This paper has been endorsed by the following members of the Refugee and Asylum Forum: Barnardo’s NI, Belfast City Mission, Corrymeela, EMBRACE NI, Equality Commission NI, Extern, Falls Women’s Centre, Homeplus, Horn of Africa People’s Aid, Law Centre (NI), Lower Ormeau Residents Association Group / Shaftesbury Recreation Centre, NICRAS, Red Cross, Welcome Organisation, Whiterock Children’s Centre.

For more information about the Refugee and Asylum Forum, please do not hesitate to contact: Denise Wright 028 9066 3145 at South Belfast Roundtable [email protected] or Liz Griffith 028 9024 4401 at Law Centre NI [email protected]

2 STRATEGIC POLICY & RESOURCES COMMITTEE

Subject: Times of Future Meetings

Date: 18th September, 2015

Reporting Officer: Suzanne Wylie Chief Executive

Contact Officer: Emer Husbands, Strategic Performance Manager

Is this report restricted? Yes No x

Is the decision eligible for Call-in? Yes x No

1.0 Purpose of Report

1.1 The Committee is asked to consider the following options in relation to its meeting schedule as recommended by the Budget & Transformation Panel at its meeting on 10th September.

(a) Continue with the existing agreed meeting schedule (b) Hold two meetings a month (c) Revise the commencement time to 9.00am for a trial period with the option of holding two meetings a month if the earlier start time does not suffice.

2.0 Recommendation

2.1 The Committee is requested to consider the options set out above and to indicate the preferred approach.

3.0 Key Issues

3.1 As Members are aware, the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, at its meeting on 15th April, approved a meeting schedule for the remainder of 2015 and agreed that the committee would met at 10.00am. 3.2 The schedule of meetings for the remainder of 2015 are as follows:

Friday, 23rd October; Friday, 20th November; and Friday, 18th December

3.4 The Budget & Transformation Panel following their meeting on 10th September recommended that the committee may wish to consider a revision to the commencement time and/or frequency of the committee meetings due to the duration of meetings to date.

3.5 The proposal from the Panel was to consider moving the start time of the meeting to 9.00am or possibly holding two meetings a month. It should be remembered that if the decision is to hold two meetings each month then, in order to meet the Council’s obligations in respect of the publishing of Committee papers at least 5 days prior to the meeting date and the requirements of the Call-In process, the additional meeting would need to be held early in the month – perhaps on the first Friday of each month.

3.6 The Committee is asked to give consideration to the options set out above.

3.7 Financial and Resource Implications None

3.8 Equality or Good Relations Implications None

4.0 Appendices - Documents Attached

4.1 None STRATEGIC POLICY & RESOURCES COMMITTEE

Subject: City Positioning

Date: 18th September 2015

Reporting Officer: Suzanne Wylie, Chief Executive

Contact Officer: Donal Durkan, Jill Minne, Brian Johnston

x Is this report restricted? Yes No

x Is the decision eligible for Call-in? Yes No

1.0 Purpose of Report

1.1 The purpose of the report is to advise Members of the initial work on a City Positioning Strategy and to propose a number of mechanisms for Member engagement in the development of the Strategy.

2.0 Recommendations

2.1 Members are asked to:  Note the work to date and the key issues emerging  Note the proposal for a Members’ workshop in October 2015 to ensure Member engagement in the development of the Strategy  Agree that this workshop should be open to all Members of the council, due to the cross-cutting nature of the work. 3.0 Key issues

3.1 Recognising the prominence of cities in attracting both investment and tourists and the need to profile the city in an increasingly competitive global market, the former Development Committee agreed that a Place Positioning Strategy for Belfast should be developed. Following a competitive procurement exercise, a company called Thinking Place was commissioned to assist the Council with this work.

3.2 The focus of this work is to develop an integrated place positioning strategy for Belfast to provide a framework within which all aspects of marketing and developing the city can operate and to ensure all stakeholders work together to align and add value to city marketing activities. The focus of the marketing activity is on three areas, namely investment, tourism and attracting students to study in Belfast.

3.3 Following initial engagement with over 100 interested parties through a series of stakeholder meetings, presentations and workshops, a narrative for the city within the context of these three priority areas is to be developed.

3.4 A stakeholder group (involving representatives from a number of sectors including education, investment, retail, transport and tourism, and creative industries and culture) has met to act as “sounding board” for the thinking to date and the development phase of the work.

3.5 This activity has generated a number of draft priority themes and the proposal for the elected member workshop would be to seek members’ views these proposed themes. The themes should reflect the city’s industrial and natural heritage while also seeking to position itself as a dynamic, competitive city with a bright and positive future supported by its many assets – not least, its people.

3.6 A key challenge for the work is to identify how to position the city in 2015 and beyond on an international competitive stage and to clearly articulate what the city stands and has to offer. This clearly is not a question exclusively for Belfast City Council but rather for all of the agencies with a stake in the city. While each city stakeholder may promote their own brand and be focused on their respective business interests, there is an opportunity to create an overarching narrative under which city stakeholders could operate to maximise impact and add value to the individual activities (within the themes of investment, tourism and attracting students to study in Belfast). It is envisaged that there will be a consistent tone, look and feel to the narrative but the emphasis will change according to the priority area, theme and sector. It is proposed that this work is highlighted at our Council Launch events - Future City: Delivering Transformation.

3.7 The narrative will then translate through to a number of uses. These might include targeted marketing campaigns for key markets as well as collateral and online presence. The intention is that there will be some common themes while allowing the individual partners to meet their own objectives or deliver on their respective targets in relation to investment, tourism and growing the number of international students. For example, this could involve the development of a web portal for the city which would cover the three key themes and which would be act as an introduction to the city for those interested in working, investing in, living in or visiting Belfast. The detail behind each of the themes would be tailored to reflect specific pitches but there would be a degree of commonality in terms of imagery, language, messaging and tone.

3.8 It is proposed that the workshop with Members will take place in October 2015. The purpose will be to test the work to date and to seek Members’ direction on to the broad areas of focus and draft priority themes. Following this, a report will be brought to a future meeting of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, setting out the strategy, confirmed key themes and an overview of the proposed implementation plan, as well as resource implications.

3.9 Financial & Resource Implications The strategy development work was approved by the former Development Committee. As part of the implementation phase of this work, a plan supporting the development of the Place Positioning Strategy will be brought to Members for consideration in the next number of months.

3.10 Equality or Good Relations Implications No specific equality or good relations implications.

4.0 Appendices – Documents Attached

None

STRATEGIC POLICY & RESOURCES COMMITTEE

Subject: Progress Report and Leading the City delegation to MIPIM 2016

Date: 18 September 2015

Reporting Officer: Suzanne Wylie, Chief Executive

Contact Officer: Christopher McCracken, Programme Manager

x Is this report restricted? Yes No x Is the decision eligible for Call-in? Yes No

1.0 Purpose of Report

1.1 To update the Committee on the work of the City Centre Development Team, prior to the public launch of the City Centre Development and Investment Strategy on 22 September.

1.2 To request approval of £60,000 expenditure from the existing Regeneration budget, in order to co-fund the City marketing partnership at MIPIM, the key international property conference held in France every March. A further £60,000 is anticipated from other organisations and the private sector to support the investment being made by the City Council. All other cities of our size are represented at this event. In addition, the projects outlined in the City Centre Regeneration Plan give the Council significant marketing potential.

2.0 Recommendations

2.1 To note the progress of projects within the City Centre Strategy, including the development of the £18.7m City Centre Investment Fund. This is the subject of a separate report coming before SP+R.

2.2 To authorise expenditure of £60,000 from the existing Regeneration budget, to co-fund the City marketing partnership at MIPIM in March 2016.

1 3.0 Main report

3.1 The final version of the City Centre Development & Investment Strategy was approved by SP&R on 21 August, and will be publically launched at the Belfast Waterfront on 22 September.

City Centre Investment Fund

3.2 An important element of the Strategy is the creation of a new City Centre Investment Fund. SP&R approved an £18.7m fund on 24 April, with key principles agreed on 19 June, including the need to focus on projects that will contribute to job creation and “gross value added” to the City Centre economy. A further report on CCIF is part of the committee agenda.

Progress Report

3.3 Officers have developed a draft programme plan to guide the implementation of the Strategy. Key projects are already underway including:

1. City Centre Offices – new Grade A office projects are being brought forward in the Linen Quarter and Custom House Square. In combination they will deliver over 200,000 sqft of space before 2017. Linen Quarter and Western Quarter (Castlecourt / Castle Street) – Consultants have been commissioned to produce options for public realm improvement and investment in these priority investment locations. These will be brought to Committee in October. 2. The team is investigating the possibility of investing in a fund to bring forward further Grade A accommodation to meet demand. 3. Five new hotel projects are being brought forward which before 2017 will deliver around 1200 new hotel beds in the City Centre, to particularly support Belfast Waterfront. A partnership is being created to ensure joint marketing, information sharing etc. 4. A retail positioning study was presented to Committee in August. The report clearly identifies the opportunity for Belfast to add to the retail and leisure offer already in existence; consequently the next step is to prepare a strategic development scheme for the North East Quarter, for public consultation in January. 5. City Centre Parking Strategy – Consultants will be commissioned in October with a report expected before Christmas 2015.

2 6. The team is working with wider stakeholders on a range of key projects, all of which will be brought before committee as they mature, including the Transport Hub, Northside, Queens Quay, Sirocco, Streets Ahead 3 and the potential BBC relocation project. 7. The team is developing a scheme for Castle Street, which will include bringing buildings back into use. 8. A number of new student housing schemes are under consideration, officers are working closely with developers to ensure that schemes are of the appropriate scale and quality to support demand across the City Centre. The team has been working with the planning department to develop new policy to guide and control student housing in the City Centre.

3.4 The City Centre Team is working closely with the Belfast Regeneration Directorate at DSD to identify key priority projects emerging from the DSD City Centre programme. As a result the City Council will be well placed to transition responsibility for the programme in April 2016 (subject to implementation of the Regeneration Bill by Stormont). It is essential that there is a mechanism put in place for the Council to effect regeneration schemes even if the transfer is delayed.

City Marketing Partnership; MIPIM 2016.

3.5 A comprehensive investment strategy and marketing plan is currently being prepared. The strategy will ensure that the City is properly represented across international markets, in particular to ensure that City Centre projects emerging from the investment strategy are made visible and attractive to investors. The strategy includes for the creation of new marketing collateral and webpages, to showcase the City and help signpost investors.

3.6 Council have the opportunity to lead a City partnership to market Belfast internationally, including at MIPIM, the international property conference held in France from 14-17 March 2016. Attendance at MIPIM will facilitate networking, learning and transactions, but for Council the real value will lie in building relationships with the private sector development community and matching up development opportunities to developers’ aspirations.

3.7 The City’s main strategic projects, including the North East Quarter and Great Victoria Street Transport Hub, will be showcased to over 20,000 attendees, including over 4,500 investors and 1,500 developers. The expectation is that contacts can be made and interest

3 established to secure private sector investment. In addition, MIPIM will provide the opportunity to learn about development projects in other European cities and build strategic relationships with other senior officials.

4.0 Finance and Resource Implications It is anticipated that a total budget of £120,000 will be required to properly project the City. However only £60,000 of this budget is being requested from the Council. 40sqm of exhibition space costs £22,000, with funding also required for a professional stand; new marketing material; travel and accommodation; logistics; hosting events, and other incidental costs.

4.1 Two dozen local private and public sector organisations have already been identified to help co-fund the event and there is already firm commitment from one. It is anticipated that tiered sponsorship packages, ranging from £2,500 to £10,000 will be offered. Benefits include advertising on the stand, media references, and attendance at events and receptions. Committee will note that this approach has been successfully pioneered in a number of other UK cities.

4.2 It is recommended that the Council fund up to a maximum of £60,000 and this will be drawn from the existing Regeneration budget.

5.0 Equality or Good Relations Implications None

6.0 Appendices – Documents Attached

6.1 None

4 STRATEGIC POLICY AND RESOURCES COMMITTEE

Subject: City Centre Development Team (CCDT)

Date: 18 September 2015 Suzanne Wylie, Chief Executive Reporting Officer: Jill Minne, Director of Organisational Development

Contact Officer: Jill Minne, Director of Organisational Development

Is this report restricted? Yes No x

Is the decision eligible for Call-in? Yes x No

1.0 Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

The purpose of this report is to:  Update the Committee on the proposed functional elements for the City Centre Development Team to support the delivery of the Belfast City Centre Regeneration and Investment Strategy.  Provide an update on the recruitment process for the City Centre Development Team Lead.

2.0 Recommendations

Members are asked to note the ongoing development of the City Centre Regeneration Team reporting to the Chief Executive; the recruitment of a new City Centre Development Team Lead on a fixed term contract basis; the use of executive search as part of the recruitment and selection process; and the proposed recruitment and selection timeframe with authority delegated to the selection panel to make the appointment and with the outcome being reported back to committee for notation purposes.

Members are also asked to agree the selection panel, that is, the Chair or his/her nominee; the Deputy Chair or his/her nominee; one other elected member from a political party not already represented by the Chair or Deputy Chair or his or her nominee; the Chief Executive, Suzanne Wylie; and the Director of Organisational Development, Jill Minne. 3.0 Main report Background

Members agreed on 21 August 2015, ratified at council 1 September, the City Centre Regeneration and Investment Strategy which sets out the council’s aspirations for the development of the city in a way that will provide the conditions for improved social, economic and environmental well being, providing the strategic context for the city’s emerging regeneration activity for the next 10-15 years while addressing thematic challenges for the city.

The SP&R Committee 24 April 2015 had previously agreed the establishment of the City Centre Development Team on a temporary basis until the transfer of DSD regeneration.

Key Issues

CCDT Infrastructure

This CCDT team will be responsible for the implementation of the Belfast City Centre Regeneration and Investment Strategy and will act as the first point of contact for individuals and organisations investing in Belfast City Centre. The team will support and drive the development of the city centre by leading and co-ordinating the delivery of projects within the city centre. They will also input on strategic planning and policy matters, in conjunction with the LDP team, relating to the city centre ensuring Belfast is a prominent and resilient European city for investment.

The functional areas identified in order to deliver the councils aspirations are:

o ‘Go to Market’, including strategy and promotion

o Development Strategy, including economic appraisals, comprehensive development schemes

o Community Support (this will also be supported by other functions in the Council)

o Project Delivery

o Finance, including CCIF management, EDRF monitoring

o Procurement and Contract Management, including the commissioning of specialist services

See below for diagrammatic representation of the main functions of the team: Team Lead Procurement & Contract Management Lead the implementation of the Belfast City Centre Regeneration Strategy and Investment Plan Secure supply of specialist Brokers deals with investors services that CCDT commission Lead CCDT Administrative Team

Provide administrative support to the CCDT

Go to Market Development Strategy Delivery Finance

 ‘Belfast’ open for  Strategy development  Project Management  Funding advice business:  Strategic planning and delivery of BCC led  Input into funding  Liaising with other inward adviceEconomic projects applications investment organisations appraisals, economic  Project monitoring of  Financial due diligence of and potential investors, and planning studies non-BCC delivered funding applications signposting potential  Community Support projects  CCIF Management investors Go to market  Project due diligence  EDRF Monitoring strategy  Commercial and  Budget management for  Go to market material financial viability advice CCDT  Promoting Belfast City  Community Support Centre  Community Support

Significant work streams will be delivered by the City Centre Development team along with functions and teams sitting within Planning and Place, Property and Projects and the Development departments. The resources to deliver the work of the City Centre Team will therefore need to be considered in the context of the Council wide organisational development and design programme of work. Once resources and synergies have been identified the staffing structure for team will be populated through the normal human resource procedures including realignment and internal and external recruitment as appropriate.

Members are asked to agree that this team is established, in accordance with normal Council procedures, by the Chief Executive and the Director of Organisational Development. Members will of course be updated on the progress of this work.

CCDT Team Lead Executive search : In line with other senior posts in the organisation it is proposed that executive search is used to research market conditions; advise on search geography; agree ways to attract talent; identify and encourage suitably qualified and experienced applicants to apply; provide impartial advice to applicants on their suitability or unsuitability for the role; undertake a preliminary short-list of candidates for the selection panel; and conduct initial ‘sifting’ interviews for the selection panel.

It is recommended that executive search work should start immediately to ensure a strong and competent applicant field for this post.

Composition of selection panel: Once executive search has provided a strong field of suitable applicants, the appointment of the City Centre Development Team Lead on a fixed term contact basis will be carried out in accordance with the LGSC Code of Procedures on Recruitment and Selection for chief officer appointments.

It is proposed therefore that the selection panel will comprise:  the Chair of the SP&R Committee or his/her nominee;  the Deputy Chair of the SP&R Committee or his/her nominee;  the Chair of the City, Growth and Regeneration Committee;  the Chief Executive, Suzanne Wylie;  the Director of Organisational Development, Jill Minne  a professional assessor (who, if required, will not have any voting rights); and  an LGSC observer (also with no voting rights). The composition of the selection panel must reflect a fair balance in terms of community background and gender and panel members will be required to attend relevant training in non-discriminatory recruitment and selection techniques. Recruitment and selection timeframe: The following schedule is proposed: Recruitment and selection activity Proposed Date Procure and appoint executive search consultant By 23 October 2015 Public advertisement 19 November 2015 Closing date for application forms 10 December 2015 *Panel short-list (first stage) w/c 21 Dec 2015 Preliminary interview stage w/c 4 January 2016 *Panel short-list (second stage) January 2016 Formal assessment process January 2016 *Panel short-list (third stage) January 2016 * Panel interviews End Jan / Early Feb 2016 *Elected members nominated to constitute the selection panel for this post need only attend on these four specific dates.

Financial & Resource Staffing costs for the CCDT will be funded by the Council’s regeneration budget which was established as part of the 2015/16 revenue estimates. Members should note that this budget will be reviewed as part of the 2016/17 revenue estimates process and the proposed transfer of DSD regeneration budgets.

Equality or Good Relations Implications No equality or good relations implications. All changes will be made in accordance with agreed BCC policies and procedures. The recruitment and selection process for this post will be conducted fully in accordance with the LGSC’s current Code of Procedures on Recruitment and Selection.

4.0 Appendices – Documents Attached

None

STRATEGIC POLICY AND RESOURCES

Subject: Transfer of DSD Urban Regeneration and Community Development Powers Date: 18 September 2015 Reporting Officer Ronan Cregan, Deputy Chief Executive /Director of Finance & Resource Contact Officer: Donal Durkan, Director of Development (Interim) Gerry Millar, Director of Property and Projects

X Is this report restricted? Yes No

Is the decision eligible for Call-in? Yes X No

1.0 Purpose of Report

1.1 The purpose of this report is provide Members with an update on the status of the proposed transfer of Urban Regeneration and Community Development powers, and associated budgets, from the Department for Social Development (DSD) to Council in April 2016. The report also sets out some of the key decisions which Members will need to consider over the coming months.

2.0 Recommendations

2.1 Members are asked to note the contents of the report and agree that an urgent meeting be sought with the Minister for Social Development to: (a) discuss the Council’s concerns regarding the delay in the Regeneration Bill making passage through the NI Executive and the associated implications of this; and (b) explore what contingency arrangements could be put in place, in the event that the Bill does not proceed, which would enable the Council to utilise regeneration related powers to deliver key regeneration schemes within the city and access available resources in support of this.

3.0 Main Report

3.1 In April 2016, Belfast City Council is due to become the regeneration authority for the city and to inherit additional powers and budgets from the DSD. This role will include an enhanced responsibility for supporting community development work and responsibility for leading both citywide strategic urban regeneration and smaller scale area-focused neighbourhood regeneration activity. This will also include developing and delivering the successor programme to Neighbourhood Renewal and the associated allocation of a substantive package of revenue funding programmes.

4.0 Key Issues

4.1 The enabling legislation (i.e. Regeneration Bill) which will bring affect to the transfer of DSD powers and budgets is currently making its way through the NI Assembly. The Bill has completed Committee Stage considerations in late May 2015 with a number of amendments being proposed by the Social Development Committee (Appendix 1 outlines legislative process and proposed amendments to Bill).

4.2 It should be noted, however, that we still await confirmation that the DSD Minister has been able to bring forward the Bill to its next stage (i.e. Consideration Stage) within the NI Assembly whereby MLAs discuss and vote on the detail of the Bill including the proposed amendments. The transfer of DSD powers and budgets will be dependent upon the Bill making passage through the NI Assembly. The current absence of a definitive timescale has created uncertainty as to whether or not the Regeneration Bill will proceed.

Enabling Regeneration

4.3 Clearly the transfer of regeneration powers, aligned with planning and community planning, presents a real opportunity for the Council to shape the future development and growth of the city and its neighbourhoods. It will also provide another lever to help deliver Members ambitions and priorities emerging from the City Centre Investment Strategy.

4.4 The Council is committed to taking a lead role in enabling and taking forward key regeneration schemes in the city centre and across the city. Accordingly, work is underway to consider what contingency arrangements could be put in place, in the event that the transfer does not happen, to enable the Council to utilise DSD’s regeneration powers and access available funding to deliver regeneration schemes. Members should note that provision permitting collaboration/co-operation between councils and government departments are contained in the Local Government Act (NI) 1972. Accordingly the Town Solicitor believes there is no impediment to the Council exercising powers on behalf of DSD, as its agent, subject to formal agreement incorporating a mutually acceptable governance arrangement.

Budget & Rate Setting Process (2016/17)

4.5 Members will be aware that the Council is currently in the process of developing its budget estimates for the 2016/17 period. Clearly the transfer of regeneration functions and budgets will form a core element of this process and will need to be quantified. There has already been a significant funding shortfall identified in relation to supporting city centre regeneration, neighbourhood regeneration, neighbourhood renewal, revenue grant funding and support for the community and voluntary sector and the maintenance and upgrade of key assets including the Lagan Weir.

4.6 Whilst preparatory work has continued between DSD and Council over recent months to prepare for the transfer of the new powers and budgets, we have now reached a critical juncture in the process. There are a number of significant decisions and work to be undertaken in the coming months which would be at significant risk and costs to the Council given the current level of uncertainty as to whether transfer will in fact now happen and also the lead-in time required to implement specific aspects of transfer.

4.7 Set out below is a summary of some of the critical issues and decisions which Members will need consider over the next 1-3 months; a number of which will have direct financial implications for the Council (refer to Appendix 2 which illustrates critical timeline and decisions linked to transfer of regeneration).

Revenue Grants (Key considerations & decisions)

4.8 (i) Revenue Grants Approval Process - In order to meet the PAC requirement of providing funding groups with 3 months notice, proposals regarding the proposed extension of funding contracts would need to be brought to Committee in December 2015 (at the latest), thus enabling contracts to be issued following Council ratification in January 2016.

(ii) BCC’s Community Development Programme – This is a competitive application process, with groups required to submit 2 year programme proposals. The total value of the programme is in excess of £3million through a combination of DSD funding and recurrent revenue funding by the Council. Whilst the Council has awarded contracts under this programme for one year in 15/16, the SP&R Committee previously agreed that these could be extended until 31st March 2017, with a possible further extension for one year.

It should be noted that the Council allocated £635,000 of non-recurrent funding in 2015/16 to support this programme and Members previously agreed that a portion of the transferring DSD budget could be ring-fenced to support such non recurrent funding. If, however, the transfer does not take place there is a funding shortfall for future years. This funding shortfall would need to be considered as part of the Council’s wider revenue estimates process.

(iii) City Centre Grant Programmes – there are currently a number of programmes and organisations who receive funding from both DSD and the Council to support city centre events and promotional activities including, for example, Belfast City Centre Management (i.e. DSD currently contributes £175K funding per annum and Council contributes £190k per annum).

There are clear synergies and linkages between the proposed DSD funding to transfer and existing and/or emerging Council funding programmes including the next round of the Core Multi-Annual Funding Programme (2016-19) which is scheduled to open in September and close at the end of October 15. Given the current uncertainty as to whether the DSD transfer will happen, it is suggested that officers engage with those parties affected by the DSD transfer to make them aware they are eligible to apply for potential funding as part of the open competitive process, however, there is no commitment that funding would be secured.

In parallel, and in anticipation that the DSD transfer will happen, work is underway to develop proposals in relation to how relevant DSD funding streams could be taken forward in a more integrated way and, as appropriate, aligned with existing council processes/programmes. A further detailed report will be brought back to Committee in October 15 for Members consideration and direction.

Laganside/Weir (Key considerations & decisions)

4.9 (i) Contracts - DSD are already seeking the Council to sign-up to a number of significant procurement contracts relating to the Lagan Weir which they wish to let in September/October 15 with works to commence in 2016/17 including a £3.5m contract for the dredging of the Weir. In addition, there is a range of very specialist and technical support services in place around the Lagan Weir including support from DFP’s Central Procurement Directorate. If the Council is to ensure that similar services are in place at point of transfer and the necessary resilience exists, a process of procurement would need to commence in October/November 15. (ii) Specialist Staff – Similarly, there are very specialist staff in place to manage the Laganside/Weir. Whilst discussions are ongoing with both DSD and CPD regarding the potential secondment of such staff to the Council, there is no automatic transfer of staff or agreement reached that they would transfer. Accordingly, if transfer is to happen, the Council would need to commence appropriate contingency arrangements including the potential recruitment of staff and/or procurement of services in October/November 15. This would provide adequate lead-in time to appoint and to allow knowledge and skills transfer in advance of April 16. (iii) System Requirements – an assessment is underway of the potential investment requirements regarding the ICT infrastructure in place to support the operation of the Weir. On initial assessment it would appear that there would be significant investment required to upgrade and potentially replace core elements of this infrastructure to ensure service resilience. An investment decision would need to be taken no later than December 15, in line with the Council’s budget estimates process, to enable any procurement process to commence and necessary works to be completed. Transfer of Assets and Liabilities (Key considerations & decisions)

4.10 In order to inform the development of detailed draft budgets which will be brought to Committee as part of the rates setting process, it would be the intention that a programme of intensive condition and compliance surveys be undertaken of key transferring DSD assets. This will help identify and quantify any potential investment requirements (both capital and revenue) for the Council if transfer happens. Members will need to consider and decide in October whether such surveys should be undertaken at risk and at cost to the Council. Staff Transfer

4.11 Whilst there is no automatic TUPE type transfer of staff from DSD to the Council as part of this process, there is a £1.45m staff budget identified to transfer. Whilst discussions are ongoing regarding the potential secondment to the Council of a limited number of DSD staff with specific knowledge and experience, this is a matter which still needs to be resolved. Any potential secondments would be dependent upon and funded through the proposed DSD staff budget.

Furthermore, the growing focus by the Council on enabling and supporting the delivery of regeneration activity across the city including the realisation of the ambitions set out in the City Centre Regeneration Strategy, will bring with it increased pressure and demands on resources. The £1.45m proposed staff budget to transfer could be considered as part of the overall resource strategy. It would therefore be preferable that confirmation regarding transfer is given as soon as possible. Next Steps

4.12 Given the criticality of a number of emerging decisions to be taken by the Council and the potential resource implications (both financial and staffing) in taking forward the next phase of preparations, it is recommended that Members seek an urgent meeting with the Social Development Minister and Departmental officials to discuss many of the issues set out in this report.

5.0 Financial & Resource Implications

5.1 There will be obvious Financial and Human Resource implications attached to the transfer of Urban Regeneration and Community Development powers to the Council.

It will be critical that some certainty is secured in relation to whether or not the transfer will happen as the council is in the process of developing budget estimates and consideration will need to be given to the financial implications and affordability of transfer as part of this process. Further detailed reports on the financial and budget implications will be brought back to Committee in-line with the budget estimates process and timetable. 6.0 Equality or Good Relations Implications

6.1 Development of new policies and/or service delivery models will be subject to equality screening and, where required, EQIA process.

7.0 Appendices

7.1 Appendix 1 - Legislation timeline – Regeneration Bill

Appendix 2 - Transfer of Regeneration – Critical Timeline Appendix 1 - Regeneration Bill – Progress to date and current position Summary

Date completed Stage1 Description of stage Comments

08 Dec 2014 First Stage On the introduction of a Bill, the clerk reads its title to the Assembly. This constitutes the Bill’s First Stage. The Bill is then ordered by the Presiding Officer to be printed and set down in the list of pending future business until a date for its Second Stage is determined

20 Jan 2015 Second Stage A general debate on the Bill, with the opportunity for Members to vote on its general principles. Amendments for consideration can be tabled after the Second Stage by Members not sitting on the appropriate Statutory Committee.

28 May 2015 Committee Stage Detailed investigation by a Committee, followed by a report The Committee Stage of the Regeneration to the Assembly. Committee members should put their Bill was extended from the normal 30 days proposed amendments to the Committee at Committee until end May 2015. Stage for potential inclusion in the Report, but may table other amendments after the Committee has reported.

01 Jun 2015 Notice of Amendments can be tabled by the Committee, the Minister The Committee tabled the following 3 Amendments and by any MLA – and must be tabled in advance of the amendments which in summary: Consideration Stage. - removes the reference to social need in The Committee have proposed 3 amendments which are Clause 1 and replaces with “promote listed in the next column. economic and/or social regeneration” If the Minister were to propose any additional amendments - removes the catch all reference at 1(2)(e) he would first require the Executive’s endorsement for any to “anything which the council considers such amendments. will benefit the district” - introduces a prohibition for naming any assisted project after a person with a serious conviction.

1 There must be a minimum of 5 working days between each Assembly Stage The Bill is currently here - awaiting scheduling of the Consideration Stage.

To be scheduled Consideration Consideration of and an opportunity for Members to vote At Consideration Stage only the Stage on the detail of the Bill including amendments proposed to amendments listed on the Notice of the Bill. Members can also speak on any clauses that are Amendments will be voted upon. to stand part of the Bill.

To be scheduled Further A further opportunity to vote on the details of the Bill and This stage is usually confined to dealing Consideration on any amendments that have been tabled. Amendments with consequential amendments (i.e. Stage can be new or consequential on amendments made at technical amendments required to the text Consideration Stage. of the legislation as a result of amendments made at consideration stage) The Presiding Officer can rule on the admissibility of any amendment. He also has discretion in considering However new amendments can be made at amendments that would reopen debates held at this stage. Consideration Stage. Amendments that have already been considered cannot be re-tabled at Further Consideration.

To be scheduled Final Stage Passing or rejection of the Bill without further amendment Final vote on the finalised Bill

Est. April 2016 Royal Assent Formal approval of the legislation which makes it law and turns it from a Bill to an Act. Little more than a formality. KEY: MEMBERS’ Regeneration Transfer – CRITICAL DECISION TIMELINE CONSIDERATION/DECISION APPENDIX 2

SEPT 15 OCT 15 NOV 15 DEC 15 JAN 16 FEB 16 MAR 16 APR 16

BUDGET & RATES st Prepare 1 cut draft Finalisation of Budget Estimates Budget Estimate Updates to SP&R (Oct & Nov) Agree District Rate PROCESS Budget Estimates as part of wider rates process

Engagement with C&V sector and potential funding recipients re: information requirements and proposed approach to future grant funding

Issue Pro-Forma’s for relevant funding contracts g n i

(i.e. N.Renewal. Community Investment Fund, d n

Areas at Risk and Community Development) u F / t

REVENUE GRANT c s a n r t o i

FUNDING n s SP&R decision on methodology o Preparation of Contract s SP&R Council i

Council C Issue Funding Contracts

f & approach to City Centre Grant m Consideration & Approval ratification Documents o

ratification b

t Funding u n S e m s s e

Develop grants programme s s

(or alignment/integration with existing BCC A

Engagement with DSD regarding City Centre Regeneration Strategy and Investment Plan and associated prioritised capital projects

Develop contingency arrangements which enables PHYSICAL / CAPITAL SP&R Council council to utilise DSD regeneration powers and Consideration & Approval ratification access funding in event of non transfer

Council commitment (in principle) for DSD to commission a £5.5m Contract for Streets Ahead Phase 3

Council investment decisions re: asset ASSETS & LIABILITIES Develop & implement programme of prioritised condition/ Develop planned maintenance/upgrade Commence delivery of maintenance/upgrade requirements compliance surveys of transferring assets programme maintenance/upgrade programme (at cost to the Council (linked to budget estimates

Detailed assessment of resource Council decision to recruit or procurement of staff and/or LAGANSIDE / WEIR requirements (including specialist support) specialist support services Knowledge & Skills Transfer

Commence recruitment and/or Develop necessary recruitment/contracts information procurement processes Council commitment to £3.5m maintenance contract for dredging Lagan f Weir Council investment decisions re: ICT Infrastructure Undertake Infrastructure Work upgrade/replacement

Detailed assessment of staff Council decision on approach to resource requirements recruitment of staff resources STAFF Commence recruitment process(s) DSD Confirmation Required Develop necessary JDs and Specs re: Secondment potential

STRATEGIC POLICY & RESOURCES COMMITTEE

Subject: Capital Programme Update

Date: 18 September 2015

Gerry Millar, Director of Property & Projects Reporting Officer: Ronan Cregan, Deputy Chief Executive & Director of Finance & Resources

Contact Officer: Sinead Grimes, Programme Manager

 Is this report restricted? Yes No  Is the decision eligible for Call-in? Yes No

1.0 Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1 The Council’s Capital Programme is a rolling programme of investment which either improves existing Council facilities or provides new facilities. The rolling programme was approved by the Shadow SP&R Committee in January 2015. This report outlines - . highlights of current status of projects under the Programme . projects recommended to be moved on the capital programme – IT programme – new server and storage environment and network Infrastructure for new building

2.0 Recommendations

2.1 Members are asked to note – General

 the update in relation to the Capital Programme as outlined in 3.1 and that the Property & Projects Department is happy to arrange site visits for Members/ Party Groups to any capital programme project. Members are asked to note that a site visit to Girdwood has been arranged for Friday 25th September which is open to all Members to attend Proposed movements on the Capital Programme

- Agree that the new server and storage environment and wireless infrastructure for the new council accommodation is moved to ‘Stage 3 – Committed Projects – Schemes at Tender Preparation Stage’ on the Capital Programme and agree that the necessary procurement processes (including the invitation of tenders and/or the use of appropriate ‘framework’ arrangements) be initiated with contracts to be awarded on the basis of most economically advantageous tenders received and full commitment to deliver. The Director of Finance & Resources has confirmed that these are within the affordability limits of the Council. Members are asked to note that the new servers and storage environment are required to ensure business continuity and service provision.

3.0 Main report Key Issues 3.1 The Council’s rolling Capital Programme is a significant programme with over £150m of projects recently completed or currently underway. Property & Projects Department is happy to arrange site visits for Members/ Party Groups to any Council funded capital project. Key highlights include -

 Projects recently completed

 Half Moon Lake – upgrades and refurbishments

 Boxer Statues – statue of Rinty Monaghan officially unveiled in Cathedral Gardens on 20th August

 New pavilions at Dixon and the Waterworks under the £15.1m Pitches Programme

 Projects currently on the ground

 the £29.5million extension to the Waterfront to provide dedicated conference and exhibition facilities

 the £11.7m Girdwood Hub – Members are asked to note that a separate Girdwood Progress report is also being presented at today’s committee.

 the Innovation Centre at Forthriver and the infrastructure at the North Foreshore

 the new Council accommodation in Adelaide Street

 new pitches at Cliftonville, Woodlands, Ormeau and Musgrave, new pavilions at Victoria and Ballysillan

 Phase 2 of the Connswater Community Greenway; upgrade and refurbishment at Drumglass Park and extensions at Roselawn

 Phase 1 (new playground; MUGA, landscaping) of the Whiterock Community Corridor with works due to start on ground at the start of October

 Projects at tender preparation stage  Preparatory work is continuing on a wide range of projects including the remaining sites under the pitches strategy at Cherryvale and Falls; the £3.7m upgrade of the Tropical Ravine, the new MUGA at Springfield Avenue, the statue of the boxer John Caldwell which is due to be installed in early 2016 in Dunville Park Proposed movements on the Capital Programme 3.2 Members are asked to agree to move the following projects to ‘Stage 3 – Committed’ on the Capital Programme.

Project Project overview Proposed Stage Cost

Implementation Major infrastructure refresh and implementation. Stage 3 – Up to a of new Server Required to ensure business continuity and ensure Committed maximum & Storage ongoing IT service provision. of £500k Environment

Network Wired and Wireless Network for new building Stage 3- Up to a Infrastructure Committed maximum for new Council of £120k accommodation

IT projects

 Implementation of new server and storage environment – The Council’s data is stored and backed-up on servers. As hardware ages it becomes more susceptible to failure and it also becomes more expensive to support. Potential hardware failures can have a significant effect on service availability and may impact on key services like our payroll and finance systems. In order to ensure business continuity and maintain service provision there is a need for a new server and storage environment.

 Network Infrastructure for new Council accommodation – wired and wireless network for the new building. This is required to be progressed now to ensure alignment with the build programme for the new accommodation The Director of Finance & Resources has recommended that a maximum of £500,000 and £120,000 be allocated respectively to the new servers and storage environment and network infrastructure projects respectively and has confirmed that this is within the affordability limits of the Council. Committee is asked to agree that the necessary procurement processes (including the invitation of tenders and/or the use of appropriate ‘framework’ arrangements) be initiated with contracts to be awarded on the basis of most economically advantageous tenders received and full commitment to deliver 3.3 Financial & Resource Implications IT projects – up to a maximum of £500,000 for the new server and storage equipment and £120,000 for the network infrastructure for the new building. Resources – Ongoing resources in terms of project operation Equality or Good Relations Implications All capital projects are screened as part of the stage approval process

4.0 Appendices – Documents Attached

4.1 None STRATEGIC POLICY & RESOURCES COMMITTEE

Subject: Area Working Update

Date: 18 September 2015

Reporting Officer: Gerry Millar, Director of Property & Projects

Contact Officer: Sinead Grimes, Programme Manager

 Is this report restricted? Yes No  Is the decision eligible for Call-in? Yes No

1.0 Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1 At its meeting in April 2012, the SP&R Committee agreed to convene Area Working Groups (AWGs) to support effective ‘place-shaping’ and make recommendations on investment decisions for their local area including LIF and BIF. Given the unique role that they played in allowing Members to shape their local areas it was agreed that AWGs would be reconvened as part of the new Council. The latest round of AWGs has taken place and the recommendations emerging are outlined below

2.0 Recommendations

2.1 Members are asked to – Area Working Group Planning Sessions

 note that the AWGs have emphasised the need for joint planning sessions as a first step towards the development of local area plans linking with the ongoing work on the Belfast Agenda, the outcomes framework and the forward Committee plans for People and Communities and City Growth. Dates for these are currently being arranged and AWGs will be updated as these are arranged Local Investment Fund proposals –

 agree the recommended proposals as set out in 3.1 and 3.3 below from the West and East AWG in relation to the Local Investment Fund 1 and 2

 Members are asked to note that these proposals are subject to these projects going through the LIF process with the project being assessed against the prioritisation matrix – the results of this assessment will be reported back to the next AWG and Committee. All projects will be subject to the full due-diligence process agreed for LIF projects Peace IV

 Note that the West AWG have requested that the Council’s agreed position re the Peace IV capital project be revisited and other projects looked at under this. It is recommended that a paper on Peace IV is brought back to Committee on this

3.0 Main report

KEY ISSUES AREA WORKING GROUP UPDATES WEST AWG LIF Recommendations - The West AWG, at its meeting on 27th August, while agreeing to the 3.1 need for a dedicated planning session, made the following recommendations for the consideration of the SP&R Committee in relation to their Local Investment Fund (I & II)

Ref No Project £ Amount

LIF 1

SHLIF022 Welcome Church To transfer the residual underspend from the Springmartin Star project to this project (~£8k)

LIF 2

WLIF2-01 Cluain Ard Irish Language Centre £75,000

WLIF2-02 James Connolly Museum £250,000*

WLIF2-03 Clonard Boxing Club £60,000

WLIF2-04 St John Bosco Boxing Club £40,000*

WLIF2-05 Gort na Mona GAC £125,000*

WLIF2-06 Lamh Dhearg GAC £45,000* WLIF2-07 Woodvale Bowling and Tennis Club £160,000*

WLIF2-08 Berlin Swifts Football Club £30,000*

WLIF2-09 Highfield - Soft Play Mothers and Toddlers £22,000* Group

LIF 2 allocation remaining - £393,000

**Members are asked to note that these proposals are subject to these projects going through the LIF process with the project being assessed against the prioritisation matrix – the results of this assessment will be reported back to the next AWG and Committee. All projects will be subject to the full due-diligence process agreed for LIF projects 3.2 In addition the West AWG have requested that the Council’s position regarding Peace IV and the proposed capital project is revisited to look at the potential for the Andrew’s Mill project. It is recommended that this is picked up as part of a Peace IV paper to be brought back to Committee at a later stage. 3.3 EAST AWG LIF Recommendations - The East AWG at its meeting on 3rd September, while agreeing to the need for a dedicated planning session, made the following recommendations for in principle funding for the consideration of the SP&R Committee in relation to their Local Investment Fund2 monies -

Ref No Project £ Amount

LIF 2

ELIF2-01 Ashfield Girls School £130,000

ELIF2-02 Malone Rugby Football Club £115,000

LIF 2 allocation remaining - £955,000

Members are asked to note that these proposals are subject to these projects going through the LIF process with the project being assessed against the prioritisation matrix – the results of this assessment will be reported back to the next AWG and Committee. All projects will be subject to the full due-diligence process agreed for LIF projects 3.4 FINANCIAL & RESOURCE IMPLICATIONS

 Financial - £4m has been allocated to LIF 2.

AREA TOTAL LIF 2 AMOUNT AGREED IN AMOUNT WORKING AMOUNT PRINCIPLE REMAINING GROUP ALLOCATED

North £800,000 - £800,000

South £800,000 £285,000 £515,000

East £1,200,000 £245,000 £955,000

West £1,200,000 £807,000 £393,000

 Resource - Officers will be required to help work up LIF projects

4.0 Appendices – Documents Attached

4.1 None STRATEGIC POLICY & RESOURCES COMMITTEE

Subject: Girdwood – Update Report

Date: 18 September 2015

Reporting Officer: Gerry Millar, Director of Property and Projects

Contact Officer: Kirsten Mullen, Project Sponsor

x Is this report restricted? Yes No x Is the decision eligible for Call-in? Yes No

1.0 Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues Members will be aware through regular updates on Council’s Capital Programme that the construction of Girdwood Community Hub is well underway with contractual construction completion scheduled for 30 September 2015. It was agreed last month that a detailed report on the progress of the Hub project would be brought back to Committee. This report outlines:

 The current status of the Hub construction and wider development of the site

 Proposals for the official opening

 An update on future management arrangements

 Programming of the Hub building

2.0 Recommendations Members are asked to note-

 Current progress with regard to completion of Girdwood Community Hub

 Current progress and developments with regard to the wider site, in particular the Indoor Sports Facility and Mixed Use Business Units

 Current progress with programming for Girdwood Community Hub and pitch Members are asked to agree:-

 to a site visit on Friday 25th September departing City Hall at 11am  that the official opening of Girdwood Community Hub and pitch takes place on Friday 15 January 2016 commencing at 12 noon and that a week long programme of events take place following the official opening. A letter of invitation to be issued to the Minister of Social Development and SEUPB’s representative.

3.0 Main report Key Issues 3.1 Members will recall that the Girdwood site had been a disputed space for many years and it was the political leadership shown by Belfast City Council through the Peace III intervention that has enabled movement on the site. Further political leadership was shown by the North Belfast MP/MLA group, including the former DSD Minister, in agreeing a Masterplan for the wider site which was required in order to secure the funding under Peace III. In 2014 the Council secured funding of £11.7m from Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) under Peace III for the construction of the Girdwood Hub and associated environmental works. Since this time the Council, together with the Department for Social Development (DSD), have been working closely to ensure the successful development of Girdwood Park. The construction of Girdwood Community Hub acted as the catalyst for the development of the remainder of the site. Girdwood Community Hub and Wider Site Development A number of construction projects are currently underway on the Girdwood Park site -

3.2  Girdwood Hub – lead by Belfast City Council. Contractual completion of the Hub building is programmed for 30 September 2015 with a 6 week programme of commissioning and handover in advance of a soft opening late November/early December 2015 dependent upon systems testing. The Hub will include:

 State or the art gym

 Large multi-use hall

 Multi-purpose rooms which can be used for community events and activities

 Dedicated shared youth space

 An outdoor piazza with seating

 Classrooms for courses with Belfast Metropolitan College - BMC will be anchor tenants at the Girdwood Community Hub for an initial period of 5 years with an opportunity for review and extension. Courses run will include essential skills, Prince’s Trust programme and IT classes

 Sport Pitch – The 4g multi-use sports pitch is contained within DSD’s wider infrastructure contract with contractual completion for the pitch and spine roads 19 December 2015. The associated infrastructure contract also includes arrangements for removal of the security fence at Cliftonpark Avenue which will be replaced by a temporary fence, at the community’s request together with the removal of security fencing along the rear of Brucevale and Kinnard Street. This work is planned for mid September 2015.

 Housing Units – Apex Housing are completing construction of 60 units on the Girdwood footprint with another 15 units located on land at Kinnard Street. These houses will be ready for allocation early in the New Year 2016. 3.3 With regard to the wider site development, ie Indoor Sports Facility and Mixed Use Business Units, DSD are currently undertaking preparatory work with other stakeholders to help work out what these facilities could include and the best way to achieve their delivery and that of the overall Girdwood Masterplan. Members should be reminded that Council have committed £6m towards the completion of the Indoor Sports Facility from the Leisure Transformation Programme. A more detailed report will be brought to Committee as plans develop for these spaces. The Minister of Social Development has emphasised his commitment to the delivery of the Girdwood Masterplan in its entirety. 3.4 Members are asked to note that a facilitated site visit to Girdwood Community Hub has been arranged for all Members on Friday 25th September at 11am. Property & Projects will follow up with Members and book transport. Girdwood Community Hub – Official Opening 3.5 A number of sub-groups have been established to take forward a number of workstreams, including communications and arrangements for the official opening of the Girdwood Community Hub. Following discussion with DSD it has been suggested that a joint official opening of Girdwood Community Hub and pitch take place on Friday 15 January 2016. 3.6 Planning is underway in relation to the official ceremony to include speakers and a week long programme of supporting events. It is envisaged that the Hub and pitch will be officially opened by the Minister for Social Development, the Right Honourable The Lord Mayor of Belfast and a representative from SEUPB. Consideration is being given to a number of other speakers and the types of event which Council might like to offer in order to ‘Tell the Story of Girdwood’, celebrate the ethos of the Hub and development of the wider site. A more detailed report will be brought to Members for consideration. 3.7 In addition SEUPB have agreed to provide financial support to a prelaunch programme of events which must be completed prior to 31 October 2015 in line with grant requirements. This will include a number of community information road shows and community taster sessions. It will provide an opportunity to promote the Hub, what’s in it, types of classes available, courses which will be offered by Belfast Metropolitan College, ’try it and see’ sessions. These events will be advertised in the local media and on Council’s social media to ensure as wide as attendance as possible. Programming of the Hub building 3.8 A Shared Space and Programming Workstream has been established to take forward this element of work now that we move towards completion of construction. Representatives include Belfast Metropolitan College, GLL, community representatives and Council Officers. There is ongoing engagement with the three secondary/grammar schools in the area around use of the multi-use pitch. 3.9 All of the programmes and classes to be offered at Girdwood Community Hub will be underpinned by the principles of shared space given the very nature and ethos of the Hub building. The programming offerings at the Hub will reflect local needs in the area and will be complemented by a programme of good relations work in order to realise the peace and reconciliation outcomes contained in SEUPB’s Letter of Offer. 3.10 A draft programme for the Hub and pitch will be completed by 30 September 2015 and will be brought to Committee for information. In addition the Shared Space Principles once signed up to by Girdwood Community Forum will again be brought to Committee for agreement. Update on future management arrangements 3.11 Members will be aware that it has been agreed by Committee that the Girdwood Community Hub and pitch will be facilities managed by GLL in line with other leisure facilities in the city. It is noted however that there is an aspiration for community management and a working group has been established with representatives from Girdwood Community Forum, supported by Council’s Community Services Department, to realise this option. An important aspect of the Girdwood development has been community involvement through the active participation of the Hub Forum. The Hub Forum have been instrumental in helping to shape the future of the Hub – The Forum is made up of over 25 groups and meets on a regular basis. The Hub Forum would like to meet with the Elected representatives and have asked to attend a future meeting of the North Area Working group. It is also recommended that the Forum brief a future meeting of the People and Communities Committee on their role and their future aspirations for the Hub. 3.12 There are a number of conditions to be in place prior to any decision to be taken around future community management with regard to governance, representation of the group and clarification around relationships with Council. Once this process has been completed it will be brought to Committee for consideration prior to any decision being taken. 3.13 Financial & Resource Implications Hub – Capital Build – Peace III funded Equality or Good Relations Implications 3.14 There are no equality implications arising

4.0 Appendices – Documents Attached 4.1 None

STRATEGIC POLICY & RESOURCES COMMITTEE

Subject: City Hall Update

Date: 18 September2015

Reporting Officer: Gerry Millar, Director of Property & Projects

Contact Officer: Gerry Millar, Director of Property & Projects

 Is this report restricted? Yes No  Is the decision eligible for Call-in? Yes No

1.0 Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1 The City Hall is the most prestigious building in Belfast and is one of the most instantly recognisable symbols of the city. It has a unique, iconic status and is very much seen as the ‘heart of Belfast’. The City Hall is a working building which is in daily use as the civic headquarters of the Council. It also however attracts large numbers of visitors (approx 65,000 per annum) and is now open to the public all week (with the recent decision to open on Sunday and extended opening hours on Saturdays) and free public and private tours of the City Hall are conducted on these days. Members have previously agreed that, as the city’s principal civic building and key asset, the City Hall should be as accessible as possible to everyone.

1.2 An EQIA on Memorabilia in the City Hall was carried out in 2012 with the outcomes reported to Committee in Nov 12. The report set out 14 recommendations in relation to promoting a good and harmonious environment in the City Hall. Since this time Members will be aware that work has been ongoing in relation to the creation of a memorabilia led visitor exhibition within the East Wing. It is intended that these proposals, whilst helping to ensure that the Council fulfils its equality obligations under Section 75 by implementing the recommendations arising from the EQIA report, also will provide an opportunity to further ‘open-up’ the City Hall to a much wider audience and to significantly increase visitor numbers both at a local and international level. This report therefore outlines -  an update on the development of a visitor led exhibition space within the East Wing and seeks a recommendation from Committee on whether this project is now progressed Feedback from the ‘walk through’ session has been received and as this report is being written there are ongoing cross party discussions on the final detail of content.

2.0 Recommendations

2.1 Members are asked to note – City Hall works – Development of a visitor led exhibition space within the East Wing

 agree if they wish to progress at this stage the visitor led exhibition space within the East Wing of the City Hall. The proposed content of this space has been developed in conjunction with all Party Groups and Members over the past 18months. A summary of the proposals is outlined at 3.1 below

 Members are asked to note that all proposals have also been developed in the context of the City Hall’s Grade ‘A’ listed status and resultant statutory obligations and its status as a civic headquarters and working building

3.0 Main report Key Issues City Hall Memorabilia project Background of decisions to date 3.1 Members will be aware an EQIA on Memorabilia in the City Hall was carried out in 2012 with the outcomes reported to Committee in Nov 12. The report set out 14 recommendations in relation to promoting a good and harmonious environment in the City Hall. Following this, an independent consultant was commissioned to undertake work in relation to the next steps for displays, the findings of which were presented to the Joint Diversity Group in March 13. The Joint Diversity Group subsequently requested that the displays & memorabilia element be referred to the SP&R Committee as an Emerging Project as part of the overall City Hall project and that a composite SOC for all elements of the City Hall works be developed. This was agreed by SP&R in Sept 2013. 3.2 As part of the development for the SOC, the Council commissioned independent consultants to look at the creation of a memorabilia led visitor exhibition within the East Wing. A high level plan and designs were produced as part of this – the findings of which were reported back via Party Group briefings and to the Joint Diversity Group in early 2014. The results from this engagement were reported back to the SP&R Committee in March 2014 at which time the Committee - - noted that the memorabilia led visitor exhibition would enable the Council to fulfil its equality obligations under Section 75 by implementing the recommendations arising from the EQIA report, as agreed by SP&R Committee in November 2012 and ratified by the Council at its meeting in December 2012

- agreed to move the project to a ‘Stage 3- Committed’ project on the Capital programme with the project to be held at ‘Tier 0 – Scheme at Risk’ until all the outstanding issues, including agreement on the content, were resolved. This means that no construction contracts for the project can be let until all outstanding issues have been resolved. It was noted that a further report would be brought back to Committee at a later stage following agreement on the content

- agreed to allocate a maximum budget of £1.3m to the project - agreed that given the sensitive nature of agreeing the content of memorabilia led exhibition to engage external consultants to work up the content (with the costs to be funded out of the agreed budget)

- noted the inter-dependencies between the City Hall works project and a number of other related strategic initiatives including the reform of local government which would see the number of Members and Party Groups increasing, the Council accommodation and that a number of the proposed rooms for the East Wing exhibition space are currently used as offices and also the role of the City Hall itself whilst acknowledging it was a working building highlighting the other uses of the building – tourism, one-stop shop etc. 3.3 It was further agreed that all discussions in relation to the Memorabilia project would be brought forward via the Joint Diversity Group and will be taken in the context of the recommendations from the EQIA and the subsequently agreed guidelines around the City Hall memorabilia -

- Represent: to represent all the people of Belfast through the prism of the City Hall and its history

- Re-present: to ensure that all the interpretation presented to visitors within City Hall is balanced and inclusive

- Reach Out: to attract new visitors to City Hall, and to re-engage and enthuse existing ones

- Re-vitalise: to take the best of what is currently offered to visitors to City Hall and enhance the overall visitor experience. City Hall Memorabilia – Proposed content 3.4 Following the decisions in March 2104 as laid out above independent consultants were engaged to progress the content of the exhibition and discussions with Members to inform these. Members will appreciate the sensitivity of these discussions and the time that has been taken in progressing these. All Party Groups and Members have been involved in these discussions and the active role of Members in progressing the content is acknowledged. The content proposed to date has been informed by -

- a series of Party Group briefings at different stages as the project has developed

- one-to-one sessions with Members as requested during the process

- regular reports back to the Diversity Working Group

- two facilitated ‘walk-throughs’ sessions for Members in relation to how the rooms would be set out showing Members the layout and the flow of the proposed exhibition together with giving all Members an opportunity to look in detail at the proposed content

- visits to other best practice exhibitions including to St. Anne’s Cathedral 3.5 Feedback from the ‘walk through’ session has been received and as this report is being written there are ongoing cross party discussions on the final detail of content.

3.6 Members will therefore be familiar with the proposals for the visitor led exhibition which includes a number of theme based areas utilising the existing space within the East Wing as outlined below (See Appendix 1). The Exhibition has been designed so that people can enjoy it at their own pace and visit either all the exhibition or only those areas of interest. The space is divided up into a number of zones including 1. Welcome and reception 2. The City Governing 3. The City at work and at play 4. The City Speaks and it’s Streets 5. The City commemorates 6. Reflection Space 7. The City Celebrates 8. Café

3.7 Depending on the decision of Committee details of the operation of the new Exhibition Area can be finalised along with the necessary realignment of offices in City Hall. A further report on this will be brought back to Committee for consideration. 3.8 Financial & Resource Implications City Hall – £1.3m Operation and management – Dependent on the final option chosen in relation to the opening hours and whether charges should be applied for the Exhibition Resources – Ongoing resources in terms of project operation Equality or Good Relations Implications City Hall Visitor led Exhibition space – East Wing - complies with the recommendations contained within the report entitled Equality Impact Assessment on Belfast City Hall: Promoting a Good and Harmonious Environment.

4.0 Appendices – Documents Attached

4.1 Appendix 1 – City Hall for All zones

City Hall for All Zones

1. Welcome & Reception 2. The City Governing 8 3. The City at Work & Play 5 4. The City Speaks & Its Streets 5. The City Commemorates 6. Reflection Space 7. The City Celebrates 8. Cafe 4

7

6 3

1

2

STRATEGIC POLICY AND RESOURCES COMMITTEE

Subject: Contracts for award

Date: 18 September 2015 Ronan Cregan, Deputy Chief Executive and Director Finance and Reporting Officer: Resources Gerry Millar, Director of Property and Projects

Contact Officer: Donal Rogan, Head of Contracts

X Is this report restricted? Yes No X Is the decision eligible for Call-in? Yes No

1.0 Purpose of Report

1.1 The purpose of this report is to:  Seek approval from Members to the advancement and award of the tenders as outlined in Appendix 1 in accordance with the Scheme of Delegation. 2.0 Recommendations

2.1 It is recommended that Members: 1. Approve the public advertisement and acceptance of tenders as listed in Appendix 1 Table 1, through the Council’s electronic procurement system 2. Grant delegated authority to the appropriate Director using pre-agreed criteria the most economically advantageous tender and allow month by month extensions where contracts are under review. 3. Approve the extension of the contracts as outlined in Appendix 1, Table 2 3.0 Main report Key Issues 3.1 Section 2.5 of the Council’s Scheme of Delegation outlines that under Standing Order 60(a) any contract that exceeds the statutory amount (currently £30,000) needs to be made under the Corporate Seal. Under Standing Order 51(b) the Corporate Seal can only be affixed when there is a resolution of the Council. 3.2 The tenders submitted for approval in Appendix 1 have been forwarded by Departments for approval. Departments have been required to provide assurance that provision for the expenditure has either been made within their departmental budgets or approval has been sought from the Director of Finance and Resources that this expenditure has been provided for within a corporate budget.

3.3 As part of this process, Departments have also provided assurance that appropriate resources are available within their departments in order to effectively administer and manage any contract(s).

3.4 In accordance with Standing Orders these tenders shall comply with the relevant requirements of national legislation and European directives and be overseen by Corporate Procurement Services.

3.5 This report relates to corporate as well as departmental supplies and services only. The procurement of services and works contracts relating to the capital procurement is dealt with under the Capital Programme reports in accordance with the approved stage approval process.

Financial & Resource Implications 3.6 The financial resources for these contracts will be met within the current departmental budgets and the proposed departmental estimates process which are taken forward through the rate setting process.

Equality or Good Relations Implications 3.7 No specific equality or good relations implications.

4.0 Appendices - Documents Attached

4.1 Appendix 1 – Contracts For Award, Schedule of tenders for consideration Appendix 1

Schedule of tenders for consideration

Table 1- New Tenders

Title of tender Senior Responsible Proposed contract duration Officer

Supply and delivery of office furniture for Gerry Millar November 2016 – March new Adelaide Street building 2017

Consultancy works – waste action plan v2 Siobhan Toland One year

Treatment / recycling of various waste Siobhan Toland Three years streams

Hire of heavy plant for waste transfer Siobhan Toland Three years station

Collection and recycling of mixed waste Siobhan Toland Three years timer

Pest control for Parks, Cemeteries and Ronan Cregan One year plus two commercial sites no longer provided by the Council

Minibus/coach service (with driver) Gerry Millar One year plus two

Photography services Jill Minne Four years

Table 2 - Existing contracts requiring extension of contract period

Title of tender Senior Responsible Extension period Officer

Provision of a window cleaning service Gerry Millar Until 31 December 2016

Provision of Ulster Hall bar franchise Donal Durkan Until 31 March 2016

Supply and delivery of office supplies, Gerry Millar Month by month basis computer consumables and copier bond paper

STRATEGIC POLICY AND RESOURCES COMMITTEE

Subject: Fleet Management Unit Overspend

Date: 18 September 2015

Reporting Officer: Gerry Millar, Director of Property and Projects

Contact Officers: George Wright, Head of Facilities Management Philip Hynds, Business Manager, Property & Projects

Is this report restricted? Yes No x

Is the decision eligible for Call-in? Yes x No

1.0 Purpose of Report or Summary of Main Issues

1.1 In the Quarter 1 Financial Report presented to Committee 21 August 2015, the Property and Projects Department reported a Quarter 1 underspend of £24,000. Within this departmental underspend the Fleet Management Unit reported an overspend of £74,000 on the revenue budget for the unit and a forecast year end overspend of £300,000.

1.2 It should be noted that the Property and Projects Department still forecasts a slight underspend for the Department revenue budget as a whole for 2015/16 and will therefore remain within the limit approved by Council for the current Financial Year.

1.3 The Committee however requested that the Property and Projects Department investigate the forecast revenue overspend in the Fleet Management Unit and submit a report to the September 2015 meeting of the Committee outlining the corrective actions to be undertaken to address the overspend.

2.0 Recommendations

2.1 Members are asked to note and endorse the contents of the Report. 3.0 Main Report

Background

3.1 The Fleet Management Unit revenue budget has been running at a deficit for the last 4 years. This has been as a result of the escalating level of maintenance required on an increasingly aged fleet (unplanned maintenance has increased by 21% over the period). The increased age of the fleet was a result of only partial replacement of the fleet during the period 2009/10 – 2014/15. This has resulted in nearly 83% of the fleet being beyond the manufacturers’ recommended life-span. This has been reported to Committee over the period highlighting the issues that give rise to this situation.

3.2 Despite the Fleet Management Unit running at a deficit and this being reported, the Unit has had to absorb budgetary reductions to finance corporate efficiencies. This has lead to a situation where over this period the budget has been reduced by 5% whilst the cost of running operations has increased by 4%. Clearly this is unsustainable and we need to redress this position and ensure that the Fleet Management Unit is properly resourced in order to support the ongoing revenue operation of the fleet and services it provides.

The graph below illustrates the impact of the reduced budget and increased revenue expenditure over the last 4 years.

No full year expenditure is yet available for the 2015/16. 3.3 In the last two years the Fleet Provision within Belfast City Council has undergone significant change emanating from;

 The external review of the Fleet by Horwath Bastow Charleton (HBC) and

 Local Government Reform.

This has resulted in a 10% reduction in the council Fleet after the external review and then a significant increase in excess of this 10% following the introduction of vehicles acquired as part of the Local Government Reform (LGR) process.

3.4 It should be noted that significant capital efficiencies have been achieved by the Department in the cost of acquiring Fleet for the Council through reduced Livery (Paint Colour) requirements, standardisation of specifications and the use of national framework agreements. Corporate Procurement Services estimate that the Council to date has saved £42,000 (rising to approx. £100,000 over 4 years) as a result of the livery changes and approximately £300,000 in the acquisition of vehicles through improved specifications and the use of the framework agreements.

3.5 In addition to the overall Fleet improvements the Council has also acquired and is currently implementing a Global Positioning System (GPS) and a Route Optimisation System to better track, record, manage and report on the usage of its Fleet during operations.

3.6 These systems will allow the Council to better manage and control the use of the Fleet and also identify further operational efficiencies in the use of the vehicles. If the operational departments realise these efficiencies through the application of these new systems then these should be made available to assist in the reduction of the Fleet Management Unit deficit. These systems will however require a realignment of resources to maintain and run them and also to action identified issues in relation to both improved performance and increased efficiencies.

4.0 Action Plan

4.1 In the current year there will be limited opportunity to address the projected revenue overspend but the department and unit have identified a number of areas to make savings in relation to the cost of materials and by reducing the need to use external contractors. This will allow the unit to make savings in the region of £50,000 within the current financial year and therefore reduce the projected overspend within the unit to £250,000. 4.2 In the current year the remaining deficit will be managed within the overall approved Departmental limit by reprogramming planned building maintenance and upgrade work on the Council’s investment properties to begin in the new financial year 2016/17. This will ensure that the overall budget for the Department will remain within the approved limit set by Council.

4.3 In the medium term there will be a reduced cost of maintenance as the reinstatement of investment in and acquisition of new Fleet materialises. The recent replacement of over 70 vehicles during the 2014/15 and 2015/16 financial years will reduce the out-of-life problems considerably and will reduce the overall age of the Council’s total Fleet.

4.4 In addition we will also carry out a review of the Fleet Management Unit in order to assess the requirement for the realignment of existing staff and resources to take account of the implementation of new technologies such as GPS and Route Optimisation. It would be our intention that efficiencies derived from the introduction of these systems would be used firstly to redress any remaining shortfall in the Fleet Management revenue budget and subsequently to support the ongoing Corporate Efficiencies.

5.0 Financial & Resource Implications

There will be no additional financial investment over and above that which has currently been allocated. There will be a requirement to realign resources to facilitate the introduction of new Systems and redirect identified savings in operational budgets.

6.0 Equality or Good Relations Implications

There are no direct equality implications arising from this report.

7.0 Appendices – Documents Attached

None STRATEGIC POLICY & RESOURCES COMMITTEE

Subject: Equality Action Plan 2015-16 - Feedback from Consultation on and Audit of Inequalities - Pre-Consultation

Date: Friday 18 September 2015

Reporting Officer: Nicola Lane, Good Relations Manager

Contact Officer: Lorraine Dennis, Equality Officer

Is this report restricted? Yes No x

Is the decision eligible for Call-in? Yes x No

1.0 Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1 Members will be aware that approval was given at Council on 5 May 2015 for public consultation on a one year draft Equality Action Plan 2015/16, with a pre-consultation for an Audit of Inequalities running in parallel throughout the consultation period. This report summarises activity and feedback on the consultation and pre-consultation period.

2.0 Recommendations

2.1 Members are asked to:  Note the content of this report  Approve the Equality Action Plan for 2015/16 for submission to the Equality Commission Northern Ireland in line with the deadline of 30th September 2015. 3.0 Main report

Key Issues

3.1 Consultation on Equality Action Plan 2015/16 Consultation on the one year Equality Action Plan 2015/16 (Appendix 1) took place from 11 May 2015 to 14 August 2015, during this period key activities included:  Equality Consultative Forum notification;  Launch of consultation announced on Council website home page with 268 page views and an average time viewing of 3 minutes 55 seconds, the questionnaire was downloaded 83 times by 61 users;  Article in City Matters July – August 2015, reaching 157,000 households;  Article in intercom magazine for Council employees in June 2015;  Consultation promoted through Facebook achieved reach of 4.4k.

3.2 Consultation responses The extensive consultation process for the Equality Action Plan 2015/16 provided no public responses. Only one response overall was received from Equality Commission for Northern Ireland to highlight some key information on developing an effective Section 75 Audit of Inequalities and Action Plan; the information provided was issued to all Councils proactively as the Commission’s consultation comments.

3.3 Approval of Equality Action Plan 2015/16 For the purpose of complying with our Equality Scheme, the Equality Action Plan 2015/16 must be available from 30 September 2015 and approval of the final version is required from SP&R on Friday 18th September and Council on Thursday 1st October 2015. Accordingly, the Equality Action Plan 2015/16 will be posted on our website in late September 2015 with a note ‘pending Council ratificationl’.

3.4 Audit of Inequalities and Development of an Equality Action Plan from 2016 onwards Recommendations from ECNI regarding the Audit of Inequalities and Equality Action Plan onwards from 2016 have been received and will be taken forward by the relevant officers. 3.5 Financial & Resource Implications Met from within current Good Relations Unit and Departmental budgets.

3.6 Equality or Good Relations Implications These actions are in line with our compliance under Section 75.

4.0 Appendices – Documents Attached

4.1 Appendix 1: Equality Action Plan 2015-16.

1

Belfast City Council

Equality Action Plan 2015- 2016

Our Corporate Values and Supporting Principles: We are committed to promoting equality and good relations and believe these are key to improving the quality of life for everyone. We are committed to respecting each other, to being fair, promoting equality and good relations - improving access to our services; valuing diversity ensuring that everyone shares in the city’s success and tackling discrimination in all its forms by treating all communities and people equally. Please note this is a strategic level action plan. The Council has more detailed activities outlined in action plans that specifically address gender, disability, race, and LGB&T issues. 2

Equality Action Plan 2015 - 2016

S75 Category Affected Number

Issue Identified Desired Outcome Action Timescale status Ref. Age Dependents Disability Gender Marital Opinion Political Race Belief Religious Orientation Sexual Action

A STRATEGY, POLICY, IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES: Impacting on the organisation as a whole

. Complete timely and thorough 2016 screening exercises of all new and (ongoing) Need for a processes and revised policies for equality and structures to ensure that good relations implications equality of opportunity and Improved planning and 1 good relations are          decision-making . Establish an internal Equality and September incorporated and Diversity Network 2015 mainstreamed at the strategic level of the Council . Develop and deliver guidance on September EQIA process 2015

. Monitor and report on the progress 2016 and implementation of Action Plan (ongoing) Need to identify and tackle Improved awareness and both persistent and emerging 2          understanding of . Carry out a comprehensive Audit of inequalities in a strategic inequalities Inequalities to inform Equality January manner Action Plan from 2016 2016 3

S75 Category Affected Number Issue Identified Desired Outcome Action Deadline status Ref. Age Dependents Disability Gender Marital Opinion Political Race Belief Religious Orientation Sexual Action

A STRATEGY, POLICY, IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES: Impacting on the organisation as a whole

. Monitor and regularly report on 2016 Need to remain continually A more accessible progress of the new Disability (ongoing) vigilant of issues affecting 3  environment for staff and Action Plan disabled staff and customers customers . Revise and publish Disability Strategy September 2015

Improved decision making . Develop methods to record and through availability of : analyse data on the equality 2016 categories (ongoing) - accessible monitoring Need to improve equality information 4 monitoring and data          . Outcomes from equality monitoring collection to inform future screening and - up to date monitoring decision – making processes 2016 information through collation of mitigations (ongoing) 4

. Complete timely and thorough 2016 equality screening exercises of all (ongoing Need to ensure that equality Corporate plans and future and good relations underpin Investment Programme activity delivery of the Council’s A fair and inclusive Investment Programme Investment Programme for 5          . Ensure the employability initiatives 2016 everyone in the city. contained in the Corporate plans (ongoing) and future Investment Programme are all-inclusive and reach out to those furthest removed from the labour market.

6 Need to promote good Improve community Develop and deliver a Good September relations relations in Belfast Relations Action Plan 2015    5

S75 Category Affected Number

Issue Identified Desired Outcome Action Deadline status Ref. Age Dependents Disability Gender Marital Opinion Political Race Belief Religious Orientation Sexual Action

B COMMUNICATION, INFORMATION AND ENGAGEMENT ISSUES: Impacting on levels of interaction among and between staff and customers of the Council

. Complete stakeholder analysis for all S75 groups in new boundary October area 2015

. Engagement with S75 groups in A better informed decision- policy making processes through making process and November bi-annual meeting of Equality improved relations 2015 Consultative Forum Better communication and engagement with staff and Need to improve . Integrate measures in public customers across all 1 communication and   consultation and engagement        Section 75 groups February engagement with customers strategies to increase participation 2016 across all S75 groups among ‘seldom heard’ groups Better networking and support opportunities for . Establish staff forums to improve staff across all Section 75 March 2016 engagement, communication, groups networking and support for staff 6

. Develop and implement a communications programme for 2016 Improved knowledge and staff including: (ongoing) Need to raise levels of understanding of Equality  Induction & regular training, awareness and understanding and Good Relations activity  Planned events & speakers among staff of the full range of 2           Use of interlink & team briefs equality and good relations Better understanding services and activities among staff of available support services . Continue to develop and distribute November an Equality Toolkit for staff 2015

S75 Category Affected Number

Issue Identified Desired Outcome Action Deadline status Ref. Age Dependents Disability Gender Marital Opinion Political Race Belief Religious Orientation Sexual Action

C TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT ISSUES: Impacting on levels of understanding among our own staff

. Continue to deliver a suite of equality and good relations training Better informed policy to all staff development and decision-  Equality awareness training, Need to ensure all staff are making  Disability awareness training, fully trained to deal with the  Good relations awareness 2016 1 range of equality and good          Improved awareness of the training (ongoing) relations issues affecting the particular needs of S75  Screening training (relevant Council’s business groups staff only)  EQIA training (relevant staff only)  Online diversity training  targeted awareness raising 7

sessions on specific areas of disability

. Continue roll out of a diversity e- Managers and officers are 2016 Ensure managers and staff learning programme aware of and adhere to (ongoing) are aware of their equality Section 75 duties. and good relations duties . Communicate a protocol to assist 2 and responsibilities and have managers to deal effectively and Managers are competent in the knowledge and skills to sensitively with employee relations managing a diverse carry these out effectively issues 2016 workforce (ongoing) 8

S75 Category Affected Number

Issue Identified Desired Outcome Action Deadline status Ref. Age Dependents Disability Gender Marital Opinion Political Race Belief Religious Orientation Sexual Action

D REPRESENTATION ISSUES: Impacting on the composition of the Council and its related bodies

Need to review levels of Improved representation on representation on Councils  Review all aspects of recruitment to          forums and associated 2016 1 forums and partnerships forums, boards and groups to partnerships (ongoing) identify and remove barriers

 Identify gaps in community and employability outreach activity to The need for a diverse ensure all Section 75 groups are workforce which is broadly          Improved representation 2016 2 aware of employment opportunities representative of the within the workforce (ongoing) with the council and that they have community it serves access to any employability initiatives

E PARTICIPATION ISSUES: Impacting on people seeking to use our services

Improved Service use and reduced risk of exclusion Need to improve participation among marginalised groups  Develop a programme of targeted levels among under- actions to encourage participation 2016 1 represented groups in a          Improved relationships with among identified under-represented (ongoing) range of the Council activities relevant S75 representative groups and Services organisations STRATEGIC POLICY AND RESOURCES COMMITTEE

Subject: Good Relations Partnership Meeting – 14th September 2015

Date: 18th September 2015

Reporting Officer: Nicola Lane, Good Relations Manager

Contact Officer: Margaret Higgins, Senior Good Relations Officer

Is this report restricted? Yes No X

Is the decision eligible for Call-in? Yes X No

1.0 Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1 The purpose of this report is to report to committee on the key issues discussed at the Good Relations Partnership meeting held on 14th September 2015. While the meeting was inquorate, recommendations from the Members present at the meeting have been forwarded to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee for consideration.

2.0 Recommendations

2.1 That the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee approve the minutes and the recommendations from the Good Relations Partnership Meeting held on 14th September 2015 which includes: 2.2 The approval of £116,745 towards 39 organisations to deliver projects under Tranche 2 of the Good Relations Grant Aid Scheme and 2.3 The approval of £500 as a contribution to support the reimaging of an Ardoyne Kickham’s mural in Ardoyne. 3.0 Main report

Key Issues

3.1 The Good Relations Partnership is a Working Group of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee which consists of Elected members and representatives from various sectors across the city. The minutes from the Partnership are brought before the Committee for approval on a monthly basis.

3.2 The key issues on the agenda at the September meeting were:  Request to address the Partnership- NI Strategic Migration Partnership  Bonfire Management Programme  Report from review of the Good Relations Partnership Workshop  Response to NIHE Community Cohesion Strategy 2015-2020  Tranche 2 Good Relations Grants  Request for Funding towards Ardoyne Kickhams mural  Galvanising the Peace

3.3 More details regarding the above issues and recommendations are included in the note of the meeting with detailed reports provided on Tranche 2 Good Relations Grants and the request for funding towards the Ardoyne Kickhams mural as these need to be considered in a timely manner.

Financial & Resource Implications 3.4 While £100,000 is available to support projects under Tranche 2 of the Good Relations Small Grants Programme, given that in previous years claims were in the region of 88% of the amount awarded, it is anticipated this can be accommodated within the existing budget for the Good Relations Programme.

Equality or Good Relations Implications 3.5 The recommendations of the Partnership promote the work of the Council in promoting good relations and will enhance equality and good relations impacts.

4.0 Appendices – Documents Attached

4.1 Appendix 1 - Copy of the minutes of the Good Relations Partnership of 14th September 2015 GOOD RELATIONS PARTNERSHIP

MONDAY, 14th SEPTEMBER 2015

MEETING OF THE GOOD RELATIONS PARTNERSHIP

Members present: Councillor Kyle (Chairperson); and Councillors Attwood and Bradshaw.

External Members: Mr. M. O’Donnell, Department for Social Development; and Mr. U. Tok, Northern Ireland Inter-Faith Forum.

In attendance: Mrs. S. Toland, Lead Operations Officer/Head of Environmental Health; Ms. N. Lane, Good Relations Manager; Mrs. M. Higgins, Senior Good Relations Officer; Mr. S. Lavery, Programme Manager; Mr. H. Downey, Democratic Services Officer; and Mrs. S. Steele, Democratic Services Officer.

Apologies

Apologies were reported on behalf of Councillor Johnston, Ms. O. Barron, Mr. S. Brennan, Ms. A. Chada, Mr. K. Gibson, Mr. P. Mackel, Mrs. M. Marken, Mr. B. McGivern and Mr. P. Scott.

Lack of Quorum

The Partnership was advised that the meeting was inquorate. However, those Members in attendance agreed to meet informally, with any urgent matters which required a decision being forwarded to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee for consideration.

Minutes

The minutes of the meeting of 10th August were taken as read and signed as correct.

Declarations of Interest

Councillor Bradshaw declared an interest in respect of item 6, viz., Good Relations Grant Aid Fund 2015/2016, in that she was currently a Director of the Greater Village Regeneration Trust, one of the organisations which had applied for funding.

NI Strategic Migration Partnership

Those Members present agreed that an invitation be extended to the NI Strategic Migration Partnership to address the meeting of the Good Relations Partnership in November on its work in relation to migrants, refugees and asylum seekers.

39 Good Relations Partnership, Monday 14th September, 2015

The Good Relations Manager then provided an update on the work which had been undertaken since the Council’s passing of the following Motion at its meeting on 7th September:

“This Council abhors the terrible humanitarian and refugee crisis and the appalling deaths resulting from that crisis unfolding across Europe, parts of the Middle East and Africa, and welcomes the response from various European governments, including today’s (7th September) announcement at Westminster.

The Council and the people of Belfast are committed to opening our doors and hearts to welcoming a substantial number of refugees to the City. This City will treat those refugees with compassion, dignity and respect. The Council undertakes to provide practical support to ease distress, suffering and hardship and will work with other agencies across the City to do likewise. We will consider how we can best use our resources, including money, staff time and facilities to do this.

In addition, we call upon the OFMdFM to convene a task force involving councils, the NI Housing Executive, Health Trusts and other statutory agencies, as well as the community, charity and voluntary sectors, to plan a coherent and rapid humanitarian response for the region.”

She reported that The Lord Mayor had met with a number of relevant organisations and charities prior to organising the vigil on the evening of 7th September to highlight the issue and to assist in signposting the public as to how they could best provide assistance. A further meeting of this group was scheduled to be held on 23rd September. In addition, cross departmental meetings had been held within the Executive to discuss the implications of the Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme and she had been advised that an operational group was to be established, comprising those agencies which would be delivering practical assistance, including Councils.

At the request of Members it was agreed that further updates on this issue would be provided to the Partnership on a monthly basis.

Update on Bonfire Management Programme

The Members were advised that Dr. J. Byrne, University of Ulster, was in attendance in order to outline his findings in relation to the 2015 Bonfire Management Programme (BMP). Dr. J Byrne then presented his findings to the Members, which included an overview of the Programme, key observations and conclusions.

Dr. Byrne then addressed a number of questions which had been put to him by Members and left the meeting.

Those Members present proceeded to review, on a site by site basis, the locations where issues had been raised around compliance with the terms and

40 Good Relations Partnership, Monday 14th September, 2015

conditions of the Council’s BMP, with a view to determining whether there was a requirement for a penalty to be imposed. It was agreed that a list of recommendations arising therefrom be presented to the next meeting of the Partnership for its consideration.

It was agreed also that, in order to highlight the fact that many bonfires had operated in accordance with the Council’s Programme, that Officers submit to that meeting a list of all of the sites which had participated in this year’s initiative.

Review of Good Relations Partnership Workshop

It was agreed that this report be deferred to the October meeting of the Good Relations Partnership.

Response to NIHE Community Cohesion Strategy 2015 – 2020

Those Members present agreed to recommend to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee that the attached draft response to the Northern Ireland Housing Executive’s Community Cohesion Strategy 2015 – 2020 be approved and submitted to the Housing Executive, pending ratification by the Council at its October meeting:

COUNCIL RESPONSE

Introduction

The Council welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Housing Executive’s Community Cohesion Strategy 2015 – 2020, particularly given the relevance of the strategy to the various responsibilities and workstreams of the Council from a strategic and operational perspective.

We note the themes identified within the Strategy:

 segregation/integration,  race relations,  Communities in Transition,  Interface areas and  Flags, Emblems and Sectional Symbols and acknowledge how these fit not only with the themes identified within the Council’s Good Relations Action Plan but also impact on the Council’s overall agenda. The Belfast Agenda which will form the framework for the City’s Community Plan has at its core the following key outcomes: more jobs and a strong economy; happy and healthy people and communities and an attractive and sustainable place. These outcomes which both Council and the Housing Executive state can only be delivered on a partnership basis with key stakeholders are essential in building a city which has citizens who are healthy, happy, with employable skills; who live in safe neighbourhoods which are both diverse and peaceful and will be one which attracts inward investment, tourism and be a place where people want to make their home and do business.

41 Good Relations Partnership, Monday 14th September, 2015

We recognise the cost that lack of community cohesion brings to the City in terms of duplication and segregation of services for example in housing and education, policing, the reputation of the City and the country, the human cost of conflict, the health impacts and the fact that young people leave and may not return, thus creating a brain drain and deficit of skills.

Therefore, the work outlined in the Strategy is key to delivering on the vision of both the Housing Executive and the Council.

Key Achievements - Regionally and Cohesion Strategic Themes

Belfast City Council recognises the work undertaken by the Housing Executive through its Shared Neighbourhood, Shared Communities and BRIC Programmes to date. We acknowledge the challenges which are inherent in such Programmes and have been delighted to work with the HE on many projects in the Belfast area which include environmental, social, physical elements and necessitate good relations, community safety and community capacity skills. Some of these have been supplemented or funded through the Peace III funding administered by Council and have given rise to best practice or have enabled our learning so as to meet the need of the communities in which we serve such as that mentioned in the Blackmountain Shared Space Project case study.

The HE’s work in supporting advocacy workers for those who suffer from hate crime is of utmost importance and is welcomed as the Council has made hate crime the subject of a motion and has been condemned on a cross party basis.

We welcome the fact that the HE sits in the Migrant Forum which is facilitated by Council and aims to be an information sharing group for those providing services to BME communities including Refugee and Asylum seekers.

THE GRU has led on the Bonfire Management Programme within the Council supported by the HE and other agencies to positively address the issues of bonfires in areas and recent reviews have outlined the positive impact such a Programme can have despite the challenges it can present.

Key Drivers

The strategic drivers detailed in the document are the same as those which frame the work of Council in the area of community cohesion. The HE will also be aware of the new powers which have been given to Council in terms of planning and the forthcoming regeneration powers which will play a role in looking not only at how we develop relationships within the City, but also how we ensure good relations considerations are taken into account when making decisions about the physical plans for Belfast and how we shape places.

As well as the new powers of planning and regeneration, council will also receive powers for community development which provides the basis for an enhanced strategic role in the building of community infrastructure across the city. As the HE will know a

42 Good Relations Partnership, Monday 14th September, 2015

sound, capable infrastructure is crucial for addressing neighbourhood issues. The Council’s Community Development framework will enable this and facilitates Council’s ability to build community infrastructure across the city in conjunction with strategic partners and further enables the development of sustainable community initiatives which will contribute to the regeneration of their areas. These additional powers will enable council and partners to engage with residents and communities to address issues that matter to them, build capacity and support them to improve their neighbourhoods. The HE’s Community Cohesion policy would contribute to this as will the Council’s own policies to build more cohesive, vibrant and engaged communities.

In addition, the Council is currently awaiting guidance from SEUPB in relation to the development of a local Peace Action Plan for which Councils have been given responsibility and we have been advised these are likely to be forwarded in the Autumn. However, an emerging draft of a Peace Action Plan has been noted by Council in the interim and work is being undertaken with Officers and officials from the HE around key areas such as interfaces and leadership etc which are themes identified within the HE’s Strategic Plan 2015-2020.

Performance Key Impacts

Council would welcome and share the view that the performance key impacts listed within the Strategy would contribute significantly to community cohesion. It would also be worthwhile to note the good relations indicators laid down by OFMDFM as part of the monitoring of the Together: Building a United Community Strategy which Council has to address and monitor through its Good Relations Action Plan. In areas where information from both agencies can contribute to addressing these indicators, it would be beneficial to look at ways in which this could be undertaken on a joint basis.

Strategic Plan 2015-2020

Belfast City Council welcomes the fact that the Housing Executive sits on the Council’s Good Relations Partnership as a key member along with Elected Members, statutory agencies and external representatives. This not only ensures joined up thinking and policy development but also ensures we can identify areas of collaborative delivery such as the Bonfire Management Programme, Interface work and avail of future opportunities which will arise under PEACE IV. The Good Relations Partnership is currently reviewing the role it plays within the life of the City and how it can further contribute to moving forward in the hard issues outlined within the Strategy.

Residential Segregation/Integration

BCC would welcome the facilitation and engagement of mixed housing schemes in the social and affordable sector as far as practicable, desirable and safe. As mentioned earlier, this would lessen the duplication of services but we do recognise the issues in Belfast where a large percentage of the population live in segregated housing.

We acknowledge that work has to be undertaken to address the sensitive issues presented by shared housing schemes and the factors which contribute to living together positively should be identified and supported, just not at the beginning of the

43 Good Relations Partnership, Monday 14th September, 2015

project but also on a long term basis. This includes consideration of surrounding physical infrastructure, connectivity particularly in terms of transport and the services both public and private which residents require access to. These are factors which cannot just be addressed by one agency but require a coordinated approach.

The Council welcomes the HE’s action to work with young champions to develop programmes to tackle segregation/integration. In Belfast in particular, over a third of the population is aged 24 and under. The Council’s Youth Forum encourages citizenship by supporting young people to reach their potential and are keen to engage on issues affecting young people in the city, work in partnership and offer advice on how best to address these issues.

Race Relations

The Council endorses the commitment by the HE to addressing race relations issues and would offer examples whereby both agencies can feed into this work.

This includes our Diversity Initiative which seeks to promote understanding for our staff and citizens around difference and to engender discussion around the positive impact which diversity has on our society.

In relation to Hate Crime, the Council and the PCSP have supported research which informs work around hate crime, dispelling myths and presenting factual information, providing clear positive messages around diversity. In addition, Council facilitates a multi agency Steering Group of agencies focused on Racial Hate Crime to bring about a more coordinated approach of which the HE is a member.

Communities In Transition

The information gathering exercise proposed to identify communities at risk would be helpful, particularly in allowing timely interventions. Data from other agencies would be useful in this regard and the PCSPs would hold a wealth of information which could inform a coordinated approach. The Community Tensions Group facilitated by OFMDFM would also have a role to play in this arena.

It should be noted that OFMDFM require Councils to undertake a good relations audit every 2 years to inform their Good Relations Action Plans and that these also have to link with the PCSPs’ Action Plans. However, these audits are conducted at a city wide level and therefore, it would be useful to augment these by more localised audits were available so that these could inform Action Plans in a more detailed way.

Interface Areas

The Council welcomes the Housing Executive’s commitment to supporting interface transformation and the regeneration of interface communities. Council and NIHE have worked collaboratively on a number of interface initiatives to date and aim to continue with a partnership approach to the delivery of good relations initiatives, reimaging programmes and capital schemes that support those communities wishing to transform and regenerate the interface areas in which they live.

44 Good Relations Partnership, Monday 14th September, 2015

Council agreed a Notice of Motion in January 2015 which reaffirmed Council’s commitment to supporting interface working and although not directly responsible for any identified peace walls, is determined to work in partnership with NIHE and Executive Departments to deliver on the headline actions within the all-party ‘Together: Building United Communities’ strategy.

The Council is currently in the process of drafting the Peace Action Plan for Belfast and a number of proposals are being developed which will support many of the key themes within NIHE’s Community Cohesion Strategy such as interfaces, race relations, community leadership initiatives etc. The Peace Plan will identify and offer further opportunities for Council to continue to collaborate with NIHE as strategic partners.

Flags, Emblems, Sectional Symbols

We note the holding of a comprehensive database of all sectional symbols on NIHE land and property and would consider looking at this in relation to Council’s assets. As this is a sensitive issue, protocols, guidelines and good practice need be shared and lessons learned to facilitate communities which wish to address these issues.

In addition, the HE makes a significant contribution to the Council’s Bonfire Management Programme and we would wish to continue discussions with the HE and other relevant partners on how to move the programme forward to enable safe and positive cultural celebrations.

Conclusion

Belfast City Council welcomes the opportunity to comment on the Housing Executive’s Community Cohesion Strategy and would concur that while considerable progress has been made, there is still a lot of work to be undertaken to foster vibrant communities and to create a city in which people love to live, invest, work and visit. The Council through its new powers of community planning and the roles and responsibilities which it has retained is committed to working with all of its partners to realise this vision.

Good Relations Grant Aid Fund 2015/2016

The Good Relations Manager submitted the undernoted report:

“1.0 Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1 To seek the approval of Good Relations Partnership to approve an allocation of funding towards supporting organisations to deliver Good Relations Projects through the Good Relations Fund 2015/16 Tranche 2

2.0 Recommendation

45 Good Relations Partnership, Monday 14th September, 2015

2.1 To recommend to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee that £116,745 be approved as a contribution to support 39 organisations to deliver Good Relations Projects.

3.0 Main report

Key Issues

3.1 The second tranche of funding under the Good Relations Small Grant Fund for activities taking place between 1st October 2015 and 18th March 2016 closed on 10th July 2015. St Patrick’s Day celebration grants and other Belfast City Council small grants for a similar period all closed on this date.

3.2 The purpose of the Good Relations Small Grant Fund reflects the Together: Building a United Community strategy which outlines the vision of ‘a united community, based on equality of opportunity, the desirability of good relations and reconciliation’.

3.3 By the closing date of applications, the Good Relations Small Grants Fund had received 100 applications totalling approximately £551,000. The St Patrick’s Day Celebration grants fund had received 82 applications totalling approximately £72,250.

3.4 The Good Relations Small Grants Fund is co-funded by OFMDFM (75%) and Belfast City Council (25%) through the District Council Good Relations Programme.

3.5 As the grants under the Good Relations Fund are aimed at activities taking place between 1st October 2015 and 18th March 2016, these have been assessed first and have been scored against set criteria by Good Relations Officers as outlined in the guidance notes. Following this, an independent assessment panel was set up to review a sample of applications. This was chaired by the Senior Good Relations Officer, attended by 3 other officers independent of the Good Relations Unit and facilitated by Central Grants Unit (CGU).

The role of these panels is to ensure that the scoring of applications has been undertaken in an appropriate fashion and to provide verification of sampled applications and the overall process. Members should note that projects which scored under 45 were not deemed to have met the Good Relations criteria of the Scheme and were not recommended for funding. The independent panel was satisfied with the scoring and application of the criteria and agreed to

46 Good Relations Partnership, Monday 14th September, 2015

recommend the officer’s recommendations for awards and these are attached.

3.6 Members should note that the recommendations for the St Patrick’s Day Celebration grants fund will be brought to the October meeting of the Good Relations Partnership for approval.

3.7 A total of £691,334 has been allocated to the Belfast District Council Good Relations Programme. The Good Relations Partnership had previously agreed that a total of £226,616 should be allocated to the Good Relations Small Grants Fund, £126, 616 of this was allocated in Tranche 1; this leaves a figure of £100,000 to be allocated in Tranche 2.

3.8 In previous grants rounds funding was awarded on the basis that funded organisations do not normally claim 100% of the amount that has been awarded through grant aid. For the year 14/15, claims were in the region of 88% of the amount awarded.

Projects scoring under 45 did not meet the Good Relations criteria and were not recommended for funding.

Officers would recommend that given the approach outlined above, option 1 listed below is the most appropriate funding route, given that there is a budget of £100,000.

Option 1- Fund 39 organisations that have scored 55% and above which would require an amount of £116,745

Option 2 - Fund 37 organisations that have scored 56% and above which would require an amount of £111, 585.10

Options 3 - Fund 32 organisations that have scored 58% and above which would require an amount of £99,507.10

Financial & Resource Implications

3.9 £100,000 is available to support project under Tranche 2 of the Good Relations Small grants programme. Any allocation that substantially exceeds this amount would impact on the delivery of the wider Good Relations programme. However, given that the previous years, claims were in the region of 88% of the amount awarded, it is anticipated that this can be accommodated within the existing budget for the Good Relations Programme.

Equality or Good Relations Implications

47 Good Relations Partnership, Monday 14th September, 2015

3.10 The Good Relations Small grants programme supports activity that will promote good relations.”

After discussion, those Members present agreed to recommend to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee the adoption of Option 1, as set out in paragraph 3.8 of the report, with the successful groups being listed hereunder:

Group Title Project Amount Award Score Description Request

1 South Belfast Small Worlds These are cafe- £3,280.00 £3,280.00 77.12 Roundtable Workshops style events where people circulate around tables hosted by individuals from different nationalities. 2 Annadale Multicultural This project will £5,526.00 £2,855.00 73.5 Haywood Education enable socially Residents Project deprived young Association people to participate more effectively with young people from the wider community. 3 Greater Village Building a To give young £2,855.00 £1,805.00 72.875 Regeneration United Village people a better Trust understanding of what sectarianism and racism is and to create knowledge and understanding. 4 PlayBoard NI Spaces to Be The project will £8,440.00 £3,780.00 72.875 (Belfast) provide opportunities for children from different communities to come together through a series of play based activities to explore their understanding of community identity and belonging.

48 Good Relations Partnership, Monday 14th September, 2015

5 Northern Asylum and The project is to £3,660.00 £2,700.00 72.5 Ireland Refugee deliver refugee Community Of Awareness awareness Refugees And Training training to Asylum statutory bodies, Seekers professionals and community groups in order to bring about knowledge and understanding of asylum process and refugees rights and responsibilities. 6 Terra Nova Arrivals 3D This project will £9,355.00 £7,245.00 72.25 Productions Roadshow enable participants to explore issues around immigration in an interactive workshop following an immersive performance. 7 The MAC Untitled (For The MAC will £8,930.00 £5,320.00 71.375 Belfast) create the space for a series of unique conversations to take place in contentious areas of the city in response to an exhibition. 8 Colin N’hood Colin/ This initiative £3,050.00 £1,665.00 71 Partnership Dunmurry will target all Positive generational relations Project. groups, enhancing trust and community cohesion. 9 Ballymac East Belfast A programme of £8,200.04 £3,700.00 70.37 Friendship together culturally Trust diverse workshops to the young people they work with.

49 Good Relations Partnership, Monday 14th September, 2015

10 NIACRO STEM Heart STEM HEART £7,700.00 £5,015.00 70 is an open forum to identify and tackle issues that affect minority ethnic people's ability to integrate into society

. 11 Cairde New Neighbours Social event to £450.00 £400.00 68.875 Bhunscoil introduce two Bheann school Mhadagáin communities Bunscoil Bheann Mhadagáin & Cliftonville Integrated Primary 12 Ormeau Road Unite the Youth 7 week fully £2,660.00 £1,950.00 68.875 Boxing Club - Ballynafeigh inclusive programme involving teenagers and parents in workshops focusing on respect. 13 Impact Training Beyond Bias at This project will £9,619.00 £4,060.00 68.25 NI Ltd the Shankill positively interface engage 12 young people from the Shankill interface area, to challenge stereotypes, explore self and community identity and history. 14 Poleglass Civic Pride This cross £8,910.00 £4,650.00 67.875 Community community Association @ project will Sally Gardens promote respect and difference of different cultures through accredited training

50 Good Relations Partnership, Monday 14th September, 2015

15 Dreamscheme Re:build the City The project will £5,028.00 £3,400.00 66.75 Northern 2 assist the Ireland development of young people aged 13-18 years by: helping them to understand respect and to value diversity and difference. 16 Northern Islamic cultural We seek to £1,640.00 £1,640.00 65 Ireland Muslim awareness support Family facilitated community Association workshops cohesion through the delivery of Islamic cultural awareness training in Belfast. 17 LIGONIEL Older Women’s This project will £600.00 £600.00 64.25 FAMILY Outings build good CENTRE relations through shared activities and learning together, between women in Ligoniel and Ballysillan. 18 British Red Tackling Stigma We will work £6,974.00 £2,682.00 64.25 Cross Project with young people to help them understand, cope with and respond to prejudice, hate and intolerance which is the key purpose of the fund. 19 Mornington Relations This is a cross- £3,090.00 £2,850.00 64.25 Community through a community Project Community garden involving Garden Donegall Pass Community Forum and Mornington to create a garden and build relationships.

51 Good Relations Partnership, Monday 14th September, 2015

20 South Belfast Battle of The project is a £3,925.00 £2,775.00 63.875 Alternatives Britain’s Polish shared Flyers programme with South Belfast alternatives , South Belfast Action for community transformation and Polish Ex- flyers association to study the joint history of the second World war and around the Battle of Britain 21 WOMEN'S Celebrating To encourage £7,900.00 £3,500.00 63.875 INFORMATION Diversity & interactive NI Strength of engagement Women in 1916 from across the political, religious and ethnic divides in Belfast through a series of interactive workshops, 22 Rethinking Rethinking To work in east £9,312.00 £4,180.00 63.625 Conflict Conflict Belfast using the principles of conflict transformation, peace building and reconciliation. 23 Charter NI A Tale of Two This project is £3,949.00 £2,747.00 63.5 Cities: aimed at Discovering and inspiring comparing residents in Belfast - East Belfast and Short Strand to understand their local heritage and discover historical and heritage links...

52 Good Relations Partnership, Monday 14th September, 2015

24 Youth Link: NI Apprenticeship To offer 20 £10,000.00 £5,570.00 63.25 Programme for young people Building a (18-24 years), United from differing Community community backgrounds, training to enable participants to be proactive in building community relations within and between communities. 25 Training For Women's This cross- £8,806.83 £4,325.60 62.875 Women Dialogue Across community Network Ltd Belfast City project is designed to increase women's participation in decision- making, particularly women who have not engaged in meaningful relationship- building or active citizenship. 26 EPIC World Host EPIC is working £3,440.00 £2,420.00 62.5 Training for with Corpus Young people Christy on a cross- community basis with 16 young people, 8 from each partner to organise the delivery of the World Host Programme. 27 Ligoniel Women’s The project £2,764.00 £960.00 62.125 Improvement empowerment aims to share Association programme. experiences of traditions, to focus on commonalities and diversities of backgrounds

53 Good Relations Partnership, Monday 14th September, 2015

and to promote integration through personal development in a safe inclusive respectful environment. 28 Belfast Communities in Using The £9,689.00 £3,002.50 60.375 Exposed Focus Belfast Exposed Archive young people, living in some of Belfast’s most marginalised communities, will gain an understanding of the history of their community. 29 Holy Trinity Creating Peer Holy Trinity in £10,000.00 £4,920.00 60 Youth Centre Leaders Across partnership with Belfast Ledley Hall Boys and Girls Club will deliver a series of accredited OCN programmes for a group of 16 youths (8 Holy Trinity, 8 Ledley Hall) 30 The HUBB Act of Union- This project will £3,200.00 £2,800.00 59 Community famine-home bring our shared Resource rule-conflict- historical past to Centre Partition the community by way of be- spoke courses as part of the HUBBs series of history as a medium for good relations. 31 EPIC World Host EPIC works with £2,850.00 £2,310.00 58.875 Training for Tour Coiste on a Guides cross- community basis providing joint tours for tourists, visitors, academics and community groups... This project will train

54 Good Relations Partnership, Monday 14th September, 2015

12 people in the World Host Programme.

32 Sudanese Sudanese A Sudanese £1,860.00 £400.00 58.25 Community Awareness cultural Association NI Event awareness day which will include traditional music and food to celebrate New Year. 33 Belfast YMCA Youth in Youth in £7,079.00 £2,963.00 57.875 Government Government is a 6 month cross community, political education and citizenship programme for 16-18 year olds. . 34 Lagan Village Trash to Fash Our project £2,000.00 £920.00 57.125 Youth And group will Community participate in a Group good relations programme that will reuse materials for use and exhibition. Lower Ormeau Developing This project is £8,615.00 £4,245.00 57.125 Residents Intercultural designed to Action Group Strength solidify (LORAG) relationships between the mums, men and families by continuing to support regular, structured, meaningful dialogue and shared experiences. 36 Short Strand changing the This project £5,170.00 £2,200.00 56.75 Women Group future for our provides young women workshops and basic training for young women provided by local women

55 Good Relations Partnership, Monday 14th September, 2015

from the Short Stand to keep them away from interfaces...

37 ArtsEkta Celebrating Celebrating £4,300.00 £1,750.00 56.125 Navratri Navratri will work on a cross city, cross community basis to bring together communities to be part of celebrations throughout October based on the festivals of Navratri, Diwali & Dusherra. 38 Apac Citizens Looking through £3,615.00 £2,730.00 55.375 (associated Wallpaper Walls is an Photojournalis Project: Looking innovative m For Art & through Walls - project where Culture Phase 2 we look through interface walls and glimpse the other side. Using cameras, projectors and Street Art Apac’s virtual reality makes the walls seem to come down while they are of course still securely in place. 39 St Malachy's Cross St Malachys £4,160.00 £2,430.00 55 Youth Centre Community Youth Centre in Diversionary partnership with Project Charter Sandy Row have devised a project which will significantly enhance a cross community relationship through a specific Arts and Drama project.

56 Good Relations Partnership, Monday 14th September, 2015

Request for Funding - Ardoyne Kickhams Mural

The Good Relations Manager reported that a request had been received from Ardoyne Kickhams GAA club seeking a contribution of £500.00 from the Council towards the reimaging of a mural in Ardoyne. The total cost of the project would be in the region of £5,000, which would be sourced through various funders and fundraising activities.

The Members were advised that there was adequate funding available within the current budget and, accordingly, agreed that the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee be recommended to approve the allocation of £500.00 to the project.

Galvanising the Peace

The Good Relations Manager advised the Members that the Community Relations Council had published recently a discussion document entitled “Galvanising the Peace”, which examined key issues for building a united community.

The Members agreed that it would be beneficial to receive further details on the initiative and approved the hosting of a workshop, to which all Members of Council would be invited.

Chairperson

57

STRATEGIC POLICY & RESOURCES COMMITTEE

Subject: Diversity Working Group Meeting – 10th September 2015

Date: 18th September 2015

Reporting Officer: Nicola Lane, Good Relations Manager

Contact Officer: Nicola Lane, Good Relations Manager

Is this report restricted? Yes No X

Is the decision eligible for Call-in? Yes X No

1.0 Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1 The purpose of this report is to report to committee on the key issues discussed at the Diversity Working Group meeting held on 10th September 2015.

2.0 Recommendations

2.1 That the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee approve the minutes and the recommendations from the Diversity Working Group meeting held on 10th September 2015. 2.2 That the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee note that in relation to the Belfast Blitz item, a budget would be required to be identified for additional commemorative events. 3.0 Main report

Key Issues

3.1 The Diversity Working Group is a Working Group of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee which consists of 2 Elected members from each of the political parties. The minutes from the Diversity Working Group are brought before the Committee for approval

3.2 The key issues discussed at the August meeting were:  City Hall Memorabilia Update  Belfast Blitz  Decade of Centenaries 2015 and 2016  Update on Spanish Civil War Stained Glass Window

3.3 More details regarding the above issues and recommendations are included in the attached minutes.

Financial & Resource Implications 3.4 A budget has been set aside for the mapping exercise of the 10-15 key sites. Additional commemorative events as suggested will require a specific budget to be set aside.

Equality or Good Relations Implications 3.5 The recommendations of the Working Group are aimed at assisting the work of the Council in promoting good relations to enhance equality and good relations impacts.

4.0 Appendices – Documents Attached

4.1 Appendix 1 - Copy of the minutes of the Diversity Working Group of 10th September 2015 MEETING OF DIVERSITY WORKING GROUP

Minutes of the Meeting of Thursday, 10th September, 2015

Members present: Councillor J. Dudgeon (Chairperson); Alderman Kingston; Councillors Beattie, Corr Johnston, Hutchinson, Long, McAllister, and McVeigh.

Also in attendance: Alderman Convery and Councillor Craig.

In attendance: Mrs. S. Wylie, Chief Executive; Mr G. Millar, Director of Property and Projects Ms. N. Lane, Good Relations Manager; Mr. S. McCrory, Democratic Services Manager; and Miss. E. McGoldrick, Democratic Services Officer.

Apology

An apology was reported on behalf of Aldermen R. Patterson and Rodgers.

Minutes

The minutes of the meeting of 7th August were taken as read and correct.

Declarations of Interest

No declarations of interest were reported.

City Hall Memorabilia - Update

The Working Group was reminded that, at its last meeting, it had agreed to defer consideration of the City Hall Memorabilia report to allow the Unionist Parties to meet to discuss the Memorabilia Project further, so that the Group’s final recommendations could be submitted to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee in September.

A number of Members informed the Group that these discussions had started and would continue into next week in an attempt to gain maximum consensus on the project.

During the discussion, some Members pointed-out that a decision would need to be taken on the City Hall Memorabilia report at the next Strategic Policy and Resources Committee as previously agreed and that the recommendations from the independent consultants should also be taken into account.

During questions from Members regarding the general principle of the project and the impact of the cost, the Director of Property and Projects explained that the costs for decanting of some staff from the City Hall to allow the exhibits to be installed were minimal and had been included in the budget, and associated costs had been factored in to the agreed budget for the new building. Meeting of Diversity Working Group, Friday, 10th September, 2015

He also advised that options would be presented to the Group regarding the future running costs of the project, one of which would be a self-financing model.

After discussion, the Working Group noted that discussions were continuing between Party Groups on the issue and agreed that a report would be submitted to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee in September on whether to proceed to the next stage.

Belfast Blitz Memorial Proposal

The Good Relations Manager outlined the contents of the report regarding the Council’s planned events to commemorate the Belfast Blitz-75th anniversary. She summarised the Council’s proposed events to mark the Commemorations as budgeted for and agreed at the last meeting.

The Group noted the arrangements regarding the service at St Anne’s Cathedral on 17th April and agreed that arrangements be made for Members to the visit the graves located in the City of the victims of the Blitz.

The Group also suggested that the Good Relations Manger give consideration to the following amendments to the proposed programme of events:-

 3.2 Cathedral Service – Suggest to the Dean of St. Anne’s Cathedral to extend the invitation to the service to representatives from the German and Irish Governments; and

 3.2 Programme – Investigate the possibility of an additional commemoration event in the grounds of the City Hall on 15th April and explore the suggestion of incorporating the sky spotlight and siren at such an event.

Decade of Centenaries – Oral Update

The Good Relations Manager updated the Members on the current situation with regard to the Council’s Decade of Centenaries Programme.

The Group agreed that representatives from Redhead Conference and Exhibition should be invited to attend the next meeting of the Diversity Working Group to discuss the themes of the exhibition for 1916.

Update on Spanish Civil Stained Glass window

The Good Relations Manager provided an update on Spanish Civil War Stained Glass Window Working Group. She advised that Alpha Stained Glass had requested additional time to complete the window.

After discussion, the Working Group agreed that the unveiling of the window would be held on 24th November, 2015 at 6.30pm in the foyer of the City Hall. Meeting of Diversity Working Group, Friday, 10th September, 2015

Chairperson

Minutes of Budget and Transformation Panel Meeting 10th September 2015 Attendance

Members: Councillor Declan Boyle (chair) Alderman Brian Kingston Councillor Billy Hutchinson Councillor J McVeigh, Councillor M Long Councillor K Mullan

Apologies: Alderman Patrick Convery Alderman Davy Browne

Officers: Suzanne Wylie, Chief Executive Ronan Cregan, Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Finance and Resources Gerry Millar, Director of Property and Projects Jill Minne, Director of Organisational Development Emer Husbands, Strategic Performance Manager

1. Belfast Waterfront The Chief Executive took the Panel through the main points in the report which would be presented to SP&R on 18th September outlining the next steps required to form the new council owned company. She highlighted the importance of the new extended venue to the city and members discussed the need for ongoing communication around this. It was agreed that this should also include joint marketing initiatives with partners in the city. A further report on the composition of the Board would be brought to Committee in October.

2. City Centre Development Team The Director of Organisational Development outlined to the panel the proposed functional elements that the city centre team would be involved and discussed with members the recommended recruitment process for the City Centre Development Team Lead. It was highlighted that the team would also draw on experience and resources from across the council and where appropriate also support additional programmes of work.

3. City Centre Investment Fund The Deputy Chief Executive outlined the proposed City Centre Investment Fund Framework including the due diligence framework which underpins the framework and the proposal that four pipeline projects could progress to the due diligence stage. He also recommended the establishment of a City Centre Social Outcome Fund totalling £4m financed through the ring fencing of the 2015/16 and part of the 2016/17 recurrent Belfast Investment Fund rates contribution. If the fund is approved by SP&R a detailed framework would be developed to support its implementation.

4. Member Development The members of the Budget and Transformation Panel agreed to establishing an elected member development working group to focus on elected member capacity building issues.

5. Council Launch The Chief Executive updated the panel on the agenda for the launch of the new council which was scheduled for 22 September in the Waterfront Hall. A short summary document outlining the Council’s ambitions for the city was also being developed for the launch event which would be distributed alongside the City Centre Regeneration Strategy at the Event.

6. City Positioning The Director of Organisational Development outlined the key strands of the Council’s City Positioning Strategy and in particular the need to work closely with members to move this forward. The SP&R report therefore requests that a workshop with members should be held in October as part of this engagement process.

7. LGR – Transfer of Regeneration The Deputy Chief Executive informed members that an update report on the transfer of regeneration would be presented to SP&R on 18th September 2015. The report will ask the committee to agree that an urgent meeting be sought with the Minister for Social Development to: (a) discuss the Council’s concerns regarding the delay in the Regeneration Bill making passage through the NI Executive and the associated implications of this; and (b) explore what contingency arrangements could be put in place, in the event that the Bill does not proceed, which would enable the Council and DSD to work collaboratively to take forward key regeneration schemes and funding programmes within the city.

Members of the Panel agreed that this was an important issue and that there was a need to raise their concerns with the Minister. 8. City Hall Update The Panel noted that a report on the City Hall would be discussed with the Diversity Panel with a view to taking a recommendation to SP&R on Friday 18th September.

9. AOB Members raised the issue of the timing of the SP&R meeting given the volume of business at the previous meetings and the fact that the meetings were running into the early afternoon. It was agreed that this would be raised at the next SP&R meeting with a proposal of either starting the meeting at 9.00 am or holding two meetings per month.

STRATEGIC POLICY & RESOURCES COMMITTEE

Subject: Report from the Audit & Risk Panel (including the minutes of the Audit & Risk Panel Meeting of 4 September 2015)

Date: 18 September 2015

Reporting Officer: Ronan Cregan, Director of Finance and Resources and Deputy Chief Executive

Contact Officer: Andrew Harrison, Head of Audit, Governance and Risk Services (AGRS)

√ Is this report restricted? Yes No

√ Is the decision eligible for Call-in? Yes No

1.0 Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1 The Audit and Risk Panel is constituted as a working group of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee. The purpose of the Panel is to provide an independent assurance on the adequacy of the Council’s risk management framework and associated control environment. The Panel also oversees the Council’s financial reporting process.

1.2 The purpose of this report is to advise the Committee of the key issues discussed at the 4 September 2015 meeting of the Audit and Risk Panel. This approach was agreed back in 2014/15, as a means of enhancing the profile of the work of the Panel and keeping Committee apprised of issues arising. 2.0 Recommendations

2.1 That the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee notes the key issues discussed at the Audit and Risk Panel of 4 September 2015 (see 3.1 below) and approves the attached minutes of the meeting. 3.0 Main report

3.1 Key Issues discussed - Audit and Risk Panel 4 September 2015

3.1.1 The minutes of the Audit and Risk Panel are attached at Appendix 1. To summarise, the Panel considered the following reports (brief detail is provided on each one):

1. Appointment of External Member & Proposed Training for Audit & Risk Panel In line with good practice, the Panel has appointed a new external, independent member, Mr Richard Cox, who attended his first meeting. Training for all members of the Panel is being held on 29 September 2015.

2. Management report on Capital Programme Improvement project The Director of Finance and Resources described the ongoing work to review the control / governance framework for the capital programme and indicated that further reports on progress / proposed changes would be brought back to the Panel and Strategic Policy and Resources Committee.

3. Complying with the local government performance duty 2015/16 The Northern Ireland Audit Office (NIAO) were in attendance to explain their role regarding the audit of the Council’s performance management / improvement arrangements. Officers explained the Council’s statutory duties and preparations for this audit.

4. Local Government Auditor’s Annual Report 2015 The NIAO presented their summary of issues arising from their audit work across local government (mainly relating to the 2013/14 financial year). There were no new issues of concern for the Council, although reference was made to the 2013 bank mandate fraud and the arrangements the Council had put in place to prevent recurrence.

5. Corporate Risk Management Update for Quarter Ending June 2015 A report detailing the results of risk management activity / review in the last quarter was presented and discussed. Future plans to relate and report on risks relating to the work of the new Committees were discussed.

6. AGRS Progress Report (August 2015) AGRS provided updates on ‘follow-up’ audits of Good Relations / Peace III and Property Maintenance and updates on the other activity of the Service in the last quarter. A further report on Property Maintenance was requested by the Panel.

7. Update on Corporate Health and Safety Performance Report The Corporate Health and Safety Manager reported on the number of accidents in the first quarter of 2015/16, highlighting trends and also provided further information on the results of health and safety inspections, highlighting the good progress made in implementing actions arising from the inspections undertaken by the Corporate Health and Safety Unit.

8 / 9. Employee Costs & Absence Rates Quarter Ending June 15 Quarterly reports showing employee costs for quarter 1 (broken down to also show agency and overtime costs) and quarterly absence figures for the same period were provided.

10. Update on Annual Governance Statement 2014/15 AGRS provided an update on proposed changes to the Council Annual Governance Statement for 2014/15, as recommended by the NIAO during their audit. The main issue related to a post-balance sheet note on the position regarding the Robinson Centre.

3.1.2 On a separate matter, the Panel also requested a report be brought back on the recording of Committee meetings.

3.1.3 The next meeting of the Panel is scheduled for October 2015 and will be mainly to receive information arising from the NIAO’s audit of the Council’s 2014/15 financial statements.

4.0 Appendices – Documents Attached

4.1 Appendix 1 – Minutes of Audit & Risk Panel 4 September 2015

Appendix 1

Audit and Risk Panel Minutes

Friday, 4th September, 2015

MEETING OF AUDIT AND RISK PANEL

Members present: Alderman Rodgers (Chairperson); Councillors Haire, Hutchinson, Jones, Mullan, Ó Donnghaile and Mr. R. Cox.

In attendance: Mr. R. Cregan, Director of Finance and Resources; Mr. M. McBride, Head of Finance and Resources; Mr. A. Harrison, Head of Audit, Governance and Risk Services; Mr. L. Mulholland, Audit, Governance and Risk Services Manager; Ms. C. O’Prey, Audit, Governance and Risk Services Manager; Ms. T. Higgins, Acting Corporate Health and Safety Manager; Mr. T. Wallace, Financial Accounting Manager; and Mr. B. Flynn, Democratic Services Officer.

Also attended: Mrs. C. Kane, Northern Ireland Audit Office.

Minutes

The minutes of the meeting on 8th June were taken as read and signed as correct.

Declarations of Interest

No declarations of interest were reported.

Audio-Recording of Committee Meetings

With the permission of the Chairman, a Member referred to a decision, which had been taken by the Council at its meeting on 1st September, which related to the audio recording and publishing online of the proceedings of Committee meetings.

It was agreed that a report be submitted to a future meeting by the Town Solicitor which would outline any potential legal implications which the Council’s decision might have on Elected Members, specifically of the Licensing and Planning Committees.

Appointment of Independent Member/Panel Training

The Panel was advised that, in response to a public advertisement, Mr. Richard Cox had been appointed as the external non-executive member of the Panel. It was reported that Mr. Cox’s appointment was for an initial period of one-year,

1 Audit and Risk Panel, Friday, 4th September, 2015

with an option to extend, by mutual agreement, that arrangement for a further two- years.

The Chairman, on behalf of the Panel, welcomed Mr. Cox to the meeting and wished him well on his appointment.

The Panel noted the appointment of Mr. Cox and noted further that a half-day Members’ training session would take place on Tuesday, 29th September, at the Belfast Castle.

Capital Improvement Programme – Update

The Panel considered the following report:

“1.0 Purpose of Report

1.1 The give an update on the work underway on the Capital Programme Improvement work

2.0 Recommendations

2.1 The Audit and Risk Panel is asked to –

 note the work undertaken to date in relation to the Capital Programme Improvement work including the appointment of consultants, the establishment of an internal reference group, that a number of best practice visits have been undertaken to inform options and the timetable for the next steps as outlined at 3.3 below.  that it is anticipated that initial options in relation to next steps will be presented in early Autumn. The Panel is asked to note that actions will be implemented as soon as they are agreed

3.0 Main report

KEY ISSUES

3.1 CAPITAL PROGRAMME IMPROVEMENT WORK

The Audit and Risk Panel agreed in May of this year that a major improvement of the capital programme was undertaken following a red audit review which was undertaken by external consultants.

Governance and resources

The Panel will note that this is a complex piece of work and requires a co-ordinated cross council approach. External specialist consultants have been appointed to advise on this work. The consultancy team is based in Council offices in

2 Audit and Risk Panel, Friday, 4th September, 2015

Adelaide Exchange to ensure a close working relationship with the Council is developed. In addition, a day to day lead has been assigned to the project (Physical Programme Manager) and a reference group made up of relevant officers from Property & Projects, Financial Services and Audit has been established to guide the work internally.

The consultant team is reporting on a fortnightly basis to the Chief Executive and the Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Finance and Resources.

Progress to date

The Panel is asked to note that the consultants were appointed in July and to note that the first phase of the work – the discovery phase, has already been completed and has included –

 Interviews with key officers from across the Council involved in all aspects of capital programme appraisal, development and delivery in order to build an understanding of the current project governance and processes  Interviews with the Finance team in order to understand the financial requirements and how these link into the Project Management team and ultimately project delivery.  Review of good practice elsewhere which has included best practice visits to Hampshire County Council, Sheffield City Council and Manchester City Council – all of which have gone through similar improvement process around their capital programmes.  Collating and reviewing current standard documentation and understanding consistency of use across individual projects.  A review of existing processes within the Council including the Stage Approval process and the Gates process  A review of the suitability of the existing delivery team structure including internal and external resources  A review and understanding of current technology and support systems both in project appraisal and delivery.

Next step and links to other Council initiatives

3.2 The next step is the proposal and review of options. There are two key components to this, which will include a recommendation on -

3 Audit and Risk Panel, Friday, 4th September, 2015

 The Process required at a programme, project and financial level - It should be noted that it has been highlighted that any process adopted needs to be flexible to accommodate what is inevitably an evolving capital programme - not just in value but also type. It is also key that these are aligned to other programmes including the Leisure Transformation Programme  People – it is likely that the proposed process changes will require staffing and/or governance structures to support them. The options proposed will take into consideration the skills needed for delivery. The consultants have been working closely with the Director of Organisation Development to ensure any changes align with the developing work being taken forward at a corporate level on organisational development and the new structures

Initial options are due to be presented in early autumn.

3.3 Next stages

The next stages and target dates, which will follow feedback on the initial options, are outlined below for the attention of the Panel.

Action Timescale Consolidate options through detailed End of discussions with BCC September Develop documentation October- Mid November Trial the processes November Finalise the methodology and publish End of supporting documentation November Facilitate awareness, training and coaching December Propose future maintenance Mid January

The Chair enquired about future updates on progress and the Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Finance and Resources confirmed that such updates would be reported to the Audit and Risk Panel (on control arrangements) and SP&R Committee on the new processes as these may affect the Committees role. The Panel adopted the recommendation.

4 Audit and Risk Panel, Friday, 4th September, 2015

Local Government Performance Duty – 2015/2016

The Director reminded the Panel that, as a result of the Reform of Local Government, the Local Government Auditor had introduced an ‘emerging performance duty’ to all local authorities. That ‘duty’ sought to measure the performance of councils’ and the arrangements which were in place to meet with the Audit Office’s performance improvements objectives, specifically as they related to Community Plans.

Given that work was ongoing on the Council’s Community Plan, the ‘emerging performance duty’ applied only to the Corporate Plan in 2015/2016. The Audit Office would be seeking to undertake a limited performance improvement assessment to ascertain whether the Council had met with its statutory performance improvement responsibilities during its initial year of operation. Should the Local Government Auditor be satisfied that the Council had suitable arrangements in place to provide for continuous improvement, a Letter of Assurance would be issued by 31st October.

The Director outlined the key indicators against which the Council would be assessed and pointed out that many objectives, as published within the Corporate Plan, would deliver improvements to Council services and to the District in accordance of the priorities set out within the legislation. He referred also to the Council’s well-established planning and consultation processes, which met with Local Government Audit requirements.

The Panel noted the information which had been provided and the Director’s comments in this regard. The Panel commended the hard work and efforts of staff involved in this area.

Local Government Audit Report 2015

The Panel considered the contents Local Government Auditor’s report on district councils in Northern Ireland, which covered the financial period ending 31st March 2014. The Director outlined the references within the report to the Council and referred to a range of findings within the report on local government reform, the management of resources, good governance, theft, fraud, whistle-blowing and wide-ranging matters. He reminded the Panel that updates on the issues which had been highlighted were reported to on an ongoing basis, and had been the subject of recent corporate reviews.

Noted.

Corporate Risk Management – Quarter 1

The Panel reviewed the Corporate Risk Register for the period ending 30th June. Ms. O’ Prey outlined the main issues which had arisen from a review of the Register which had been undertaken by Chief Officers, including an update from the Director of Property and Projects on some of the ‘high risk’ projects. She confirmed that, as at 30th June, all Chief Officers in post had signed their Quarterly Assurance Statements, which had confirmed departmental compliance with the risk management process.

Arising from discussion, the Panel agreed that information on the management of corporate risks should be submitted periodically to the appropriate Committees for information in future.

5 Audit and Risk Panel, Friday, 4th September, 2015

Mrs O’Prey indicated that the new Director of Planning and Place and Town Solicitor would be completing quarterly assurance statements from the next quarter.

The Panel requested that all critical services prepare their business continuity exercise reports before their next meeting.

The Panel note the information which had been provided.

Audit, Governance and Risk Services – Progress Report

The Panel considered a report which provided an update on the work which had been undertaken by Audit, Governance and Risk Services up to 31st August, 2015. It was reported that two specific reviews had been undertaken in respect of the Council’s Good Relations Unit and the associated management of the PEACE III fund, together with an interim review of the Property Maintenance Unit.

Arising from discussion, the Panel requested that a report from management be submitted to a future meeting which would outline the Council’s planned maintenance programme, and the progress against this programme.

The Panel noted the information which had been provided.

Corporate Health and Safety - Update

The Acting Corporate Health and Safety Manager provided the Panel with an update in relation to the Council’s Health and Safety performance during the quarter ending 30th June. She reviewed particularly the progress which had been achieved in relation to the key performance indicators.

She reported that the Corporate Health and Safety Risk Register had been reviewed at the end of Quarter 1, and it had been established that no changes were necessary at that time. It was indicated that work was ongoing on the development of effective assurance arrangements for the monitoring and reporting of key risks. The Panel was informed that an Assistant Health and Safety Manager had been appointed, whose remit would be to deal specifically with policy matters relating to corporate risk, compliance and health and safety. The Panel was informed that figures for accidents which had occurred within the Council’s leisure facilities were now recorded and compiled by Greenwich Leisure Limited and that, in future, such statistics would be reported to the Panel in conjunction with the Council’s accident statistics. Noted.

Employee Costs – End of Quarter 1

The Panel considered a report which provided an overview, on a corporate and departmental basis, of staffing, overtime and agency costs for the first quarter of 2015/2016. He reported that those costs had been £21,438,001 over that period, which represented an underspend of £570,134 (2.59%) of the annual budget. Overtime costs and agency costs had accounted for £920,567 (4.29%) and £946,951 (4.42%) respectively.

6 Audit and Risk Panel, Friday, 4th September, 2015

In response to a Member’s query, the Director undertook to provide information on the overhead element of agency costs. Noted.

Absence Report – Quarter 1 2015/2016

(The Director of Organisational Development attended for this item.)

The Panel was advised that sickness absence for the period 1st April to 30th June, 2015, stood at 2.31 days, meaning the Council was on target to meet its annual target of 10 days absence, per employee.

The Director of Organisational Development pointed out that the amount of absence that classified as long term (i.e., twenty days or more) during the quarter had been 60%, as opposed to 65.10%, for the corresponding quarter in 2014/2015. The Panel was informed that there had been a very slight increase in the number of staff who had been absent during the first quarter - 22.61% compared to 21.10% in the previous year. The Director outlined the steps which would be taken to manage sickness absence on a corporate basis throughout the remainder of the financial year.

The Panel noted the information which had been provided.

Annual Governance Statements

The Panel noted a number of amendments which had been recommended by the Local Government Auditor for inclusion within the Council’s Annual Governance Statements. It was noted further that those amendments would be presented to the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee for approval.

Dates of Next Meetings

 Monday 12th October at 1:00 p.m.  Monday 7th December at 1:00 p.m.

Chairperson

7

STRATEGIC POLICY AND RESOURCES COMMITTEE

Requests for the use of the City Hall and the provision of Subject: Hospitality

Date: Friday, 18st September, 2015

Reporting Officer: Mr. Stephen McCrory, Democratic Services Manager

Contact Officer: Mr. Stephen McCrory, Democratic Services Manager

Is this report restricted? Yes No √ √ Is the decision eligible for Call-in? Yes No

1.0 Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues 1.1 Members will recall that the Committee, at its meeting on 26th September, 2003, agreed to the criteria which would be used to assess requests from external organisations for the use of the City Hall and the provision of hospitality. Subsequently the Committee at its meeting on 7th August, 2009, further amended the criteria so as to incorporate the new Key Themes as identified in the Council’s Corporate Plan.

2.0 Recommendations 2.1 The Committee is asked to approve the recommendations as set out in the Appendix.

3.0 Main report 3.1 Key Issues 3.1.1 The revised criteria have been applied to each of the requests contained within the appendix and recommendations have been made to the Committee on this basis. 3.2 Financial and Resource Implications 3.2.1 Provision has been made in the revenue estimates for hospitality. 3.3 Equality or Good Relations Implications 3.3.1 Not applicable 4.0 Appendices – Documents Attached – Schedule of Applications

Appendix

Organisation/ Event/Date - Number Request Comments Recommendation Body of Delegates/Guests

The Girls’ Brigade Queen’s Award The use of the This awards ceremony will The use of the City Northern Ireland Presentation City Hall and the celebrate the achievements Hall and the provision of made by participants over the provision of 13th May, 2016 hospitality. past two years. The members hospitality in the Approximately 300 of the Girls’ Brigade have form of teas, attending participated in at least 48 coffees and soft hours of voluntary service drinks. within their communities, including hospital befriending, Approximate cost animal welfare sanctuaries, £500 charity shop work and helping in youth clubs. This work has given immeasurable benefit to the local communities. This event would contribute to the Council’s Key Theme of ‘Better Support for People and Communities’.

Orangefield Old 50 Year Celebration The use of the This event will celebrate the The use of the City Boys Football City Hall and 50th Anniversary of the club, Hall and the Club 17th September, 2016 provision of and recognise the work the provision of Approximately 200 Hospitality. club has undertaken in an hospitality in the attending area which has suffered, and form of a drinks continues to suffer social reception. depravation, high levels of rime and low levels of Approximate cost achievement. £500 Approximately 60 delegates from across Northern Ireland, the UK, Canada and New Zealand will be staying in accommodation with the city for at least one night. This event would contribute to the Council’s Key Theme of ‘Better Support for People and Communities’.

Law Society of The Law Society of The use of the This event, which has The use of the City Northern Ireland Northern Ireland City Hall and the previously been held in the Hall and the Council Dinner, 2016 provision of City Hall, seeks to provide an provision of hospitality. opportunity for hospitality in the 7th October, 2016 representatives from the form of a drinks Approximately 300 judiciary, business, voluntary reception. attending and community sectors to come together to Approximate cost acknowledge the £500 achievements of the Society. The event aims to highlight best practice and to develop relations with key stakeholders. This event would contribute to the Council’s Key Theme of ‘City Leadership – Strong, Fair, Together’.

Ulster University International The use of the This event will welcome the The use of the City Conference on City Hall and the conference delegates who hall and the Reproductive Justice – provision of consist of local, national and Provision of Conference Dinner hospitality. international academic hospitality in the 2nd June, 2016 researchers, policy makers form of a drinks and policy providers. reception. Approximately 150 attending This event will provide Belfast with the opportunity to showcase best practice and Approximate cost current innovations n policy £300 and provision. Approximately 150 delegates from Ireland, Canada, USA, South Africa and the Philippines will be staying in accommodation within the city for two nights. This event would contribute to the Council’s Key Theme of ‘Better Support for People and Communities’

Belfast Chamber Belfast Business The use of the This gala dinner awards The use of the City of Trade and Awards 2016 City Hall. ceremony will recognise the Hall. Commerce progress the member 27th May, 2016 retailers, along with many Approximately 350 statutory agencies, have attending made to promote and develop the city for the customer and local and over-seas visitors, and will aim to highlight the their contribution to a vibrant and diverse city. Approximately 85 delegates will be staying in accommodation within the city on the night of the event. This event would contribute to the Council’s Key Themes of ‘Better Opportunities for Success across the City’ and ‘City leadership – Strong, Fair, Together’

Polish Polish Independence The use of the This event aims to celebrate The use of the City Educational and Day City Hall and the and promote diversity by Hall and the Cultural provision of highlighting the contribution provision of Association/ 15th November, 2015 hospitality. that the Polish community hospitality in the Polish Saturday Approximately 100 makes to Belfast and will form of teas coffees School in Belfast attending showcase the culture and and soft drinks. history of Poland through poetry, music, dance and Approximate cost songs. £200 This event has previously been held in the City Hall in 2012 and 2014. This event would contribute to the Council’s Key Theme of ‘Better Support for People and Communities’.

NI Science The Turing Lecture The use of the This prestigious event, The use of the City Festival City Hall and the previously held in the City hall Hall and the 25th February, 2016 provision of during February, 2015, will provision of Approximately 500 hospitality. provide an opportunity to hospitality in the attending promote Belfast as a city of form of teas coffees knowledge. It is hoped that and soft drinks. the event and festival can act as an anchor in the branding Approximate cost of Belfast as a city in which £500 technology supports and drives its daily operation and growth. This event would contribute to the Council’s Key Theme of ‘City leadership, strong, fair and together’ and ‘Better services – listening and delivering’

Belfast Hospital Night of Celebration The use of the This event, previously held in The use of the City School for the Pupils of City Hall and the the City Hall each year since Hall and the Belfast Hospital provision of 2011, will celebrate the provision of School hospitality. academic success of children hospitality in the who attend this special school form of teas, 16th December, 2015 and will recognise the coffees and soft Approximately 140 courage, resilience and sheer drinks. attending hard work and determination of children who are unable to attend school due to their Approximate cost illnesses. of £300 This event would contribute to the Council’s key theme of ‘City Leadership – Strong, Fair, Together’ and ‘Better Opportunities for Success Across the City’ and in addition would contribute to the Council’s thematic area of Children and Young People.

STRATEGIC POLICY & RESOURCES COMMITTEE

Subject: Notice of Motion - Internal Stress Audit

Date: 18 September 2015

Reporting Officer: Jill Minne, Director of Organisational Development

Contact Officer: Jill Minne, Director of Organisational Development

x Is this report restricted? Yes No x Is the decision eligible for Call-in? Yes No

1.0 Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1 This report is in response to a notice of motion raised at Strategic Policy and Resources Committee on 19 June 2015 by Councillor Corr Johnston, requesting a Stress Audit be carried out, identifying the locations, causes and effects of stress within the organisation (Appendix 1).

2.0 Recommendations

2.1 The Committee is asked to approve the development and implementation of a structured programme of activities, incorporating the identification and management of stress within the council, as part of the Council’s Health and Wellbeing Strategy year two and year three action plan.

3.0 Main report

3.1 Key Issues

Work to date 3.2 In 2004, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) introduced the ‘Management Standards’ -

1 a process for organisations to carry out stress risk assessments. In association with the Health and Safety Executive Northern Ireland (HSENI) the Council, over the last eight years, undertook stress audits across the organisation to implement the Health and Safety Executive management standards.

3.3 Audits have taken place in the Environmental Health Service, Leisure Services, Parks and Cemeteries and Cleansing Services and continue to be conducted as necessary.

3.4 Training for staff has taken place in the Parks and Leisure Department over the past number of years on managing your stress; mental health and suicide awareness; mental wellbeing and stress management; and stress awareness and the Parks function is currently conducting a stress audit to assess the impact of the training and establish whether or not any further issues have been raised. Questionnaires have been distributed to staff and the Council’s Occupational Health provider is conducting confidential focus group meetings with staff and management groups, as well as individual meetings with those who request them.

3.5 During Councillor Niall O’Donnghaile’s term in office as Lord Mayor in 2011-2012 he introduced an initiative to increase suicide awareness and was keen that as many council staff as possible attend awareness raising training in this subject. Subsequently a half day course focusing on positive mental health and emotional wellbeing was developed (since then 685 employees have attended) and a half day course on stress awareness was provided for managers and supervisors (since then 315 managers and supervisors have attended). See Appendix 2 for more detail on the training session’s content.

3.6 Health & Wellbeing Strategy One of the four key themes in Belfast City Council’s Health and Wellbeing Strategy is ‘Better Support’, which sets out that early intervention and proactive management of physical and psychological health issues are key to wellness and recovery. As part of year one of this strategy the Council has:

 Developed a strategic partnership with the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust (BHSCT) to put in place the following training sessions: o Mental Health First Aid ; o Applied Suicide Intervention Skills (ASIST); and o Top Tips for Looking after Yourself programme

2  Piloted an 8 week Mindfulness Programme;  Delivered a series of one day mindfulness workshops.

3.7 Next steps While there has been significant work and emphasis on the management of stress and positive mental health over the last number of years, the Council’s approach would benefit from the development of an integrated plan in respect of the management of stress, this being in line with Cllr Corr-Johnston’s notice of motion requesting “…a formal organisational approach to a risk assessment, which identifies the locations, causes and effects of stress within the organisation”.

3.8 It is proposed therefore that a planned and structured programme of activity that will concentrate on the identification of stressors and underlying causes of stress within the council, highlighting any “hot-spot” areas and making prioritised recommendations for interventions and improvements is developed and delivered. The programme will also focus on communications, employee engagement/involvement activities and implementation of pro-active, self-empowered health and wellbeing techniques.

3.9 This programme of activities will form the basis of the Health and Wellbeing Strategy year two and year three action plan. Members will of course be updated on this work.

Financial & Resource Implications 3.10 The development and implementation of a structured programme of work will be led by corporate HR and will require input from officers from the corporate Health and Safety Unit and from across the Council and will be overseen by the Director of Organisational Development through a cross-council Health and Wellbeing Working Group.

3.11 Any programmes developed will be funded from existing departmental budgets and the OD budget.

3.12 Equality or Good Relations Implications None at this stage. Any issues identified following the implementation of the work programme will be addressed.

4.0 Appendices – Documents Attached

4.1 Appendix 1 - Councillor Corr Johnston’s Notice of Motion

3 4.2 Appendix 2 - Overview of Positive Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing course and Manager/Supervisor Stress Awareness course

4 Appendix 1

Councillor Corr Johnston’s Notice of Motion

Internal Stress Audit (Cllr Corr Johnston to raise)

"I ask this committee to join me in calling for a Stress Audit, a formal organisational approach to a risk assessment, which identifies the locations, causes and effects of stress within the organisation.

I should hope, if agreed, this audit will:-

 identify if stress is actually a problem in the organisation  if stress is a problem, identify what the underlying causes of stress are, in order to develop a strategy for combating stress, be it at home pressures, financial concerns or work related stress.  Identify whether certain areas within the council are more affected by stress than others; this enables resources to be targets effectively.  identify the results of stress , in terms of employee's performance and health.  if a problem does exist, gauge employee opinion and suggestions on how best to reduce or prevent stress within the council.

This audit should offer confidentiality and anonymity to enable our employees to speak openly and honestly, the only requirement would be the department in which they are employed.

Opinion should also be gauged on the following key areas:

 working schedule and type of work  working relationships with managers and colleagues  communications and reporting  the physical environment  confidence in their employer

Should this motion pass committee, I would like a detailed report made available to the committee with the outcome of a completed audit and detailed recommendations brought forward by officers on how best to act upon the results."

1

Appendix 2: Training Session content

Overview of Positive Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing course

 understand the concept of stress and its implications for BCC and its employees;  consider and identify potential stressors both organisational and personal;  reflect on strategies to help teams, and individual team members, to respond in a resilient way to the challenges in their personal and organisational lives;  recognise signs of suicidal thinking and how to respond to such signs;  work collaboratively to apply their learning to a case study; and  identify relevant sources of help.

Overview of Manager/Supervisor Stress Awareness course

 raising line managers and supervisors awareness of their responsibilities when managing employees who present with stress;  enabling managers and supervisors to identify early signs of stress;  providing guidance on managing the workplace issues arising from individual causes of stress; and  explaining the sources of help and guidance available.

1

STRATEGIC POLICY & RESOURCES COMMITTEE

Subject: NIHE Regional Services Corporate Plan 2015/16-2017/18

Date: 18TH September 2015

Reporting Officer: Siobhan Toland, Head of Environmental Health / Lead Operations Officer HESD

Contact Officer: Stephen Leonard, Environmental Health Manager

√ Is this report restricted? Yes No √ Is the decision eligible for Call-in? Yes No

1.0 Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1 In 2013 the then Minister for Social Development Nelson McCausland announced a series of changes to the role of the NIHE. This included the creation of a Landlord Services Division and a Regional Services Division. The former is responsible for managing the NIHE stock. The regional services Division are responsible for a range of functions including:

1. Identification of Housing need and the delivery of programmes to meet Housing need, 2. Using vesting powers to support neighbourhood renewal, 3. Providing Housing advice and Delivering homelessness services, 4. Providing grant funding for private sector repairs, adaptations and energy efficiency improvements, 5. Planning and commissioning of supporting people services, 6. Statutory consultee and partner in the Community planning and development Planning process.

1.2 Representatives from the NIHE Regional Services body presented the draft District Housing Plan to the Council’s People & Communities Committee on 11th September 2015.

Members’ views expressed during this meeting have been reflected in this response.

2.0 Recommendations

2.1 To endorse the draft written response attached as Appendix One.

3.0 Key Issues

3.1 The Draft Corporate Plan contains five specific objectives and proposes a number of projects under each of these objectives. The objectives include

. Identification of Housing Requirements across Northern Ireland . Investment in Homes and neighbourhoods, . Improving People’s homes, . Helping transform people’s lives; . Enabling sustainable neighbourhoods.

3.2 Specific projects and initiatives mentioned in the plan include

. Develop a Housing Investment plan for each of the 11 new councils and present them to them; . Administer grant-aid to Housing Associations in NI to start 1500 new social homes and complete 1,200 new social homes; . Targets for the registration and inspection of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) . Implementation of the Affordable Warmth Scheme and a boiler replacement programme; . Deliver the Homeless Strategy; . Delivery of the DSD ‘Small Pockets of Deprivation’ and ‘Building Successful Communities’ programmes; . Develop a programme to acquire development lands for social and affordable housing; . Implement the DSD’s Empty Homes Strategy.

3.3 There are many areas contained within this draft Corporate Plan that are strategically relevant to the functions of this Council. The draft plan makes specific reference to linking to the Council in relation to community planning and Development control. The draft plan also includes measures relating to HMO Regulation and neighbourhood Regeneration.

Members are aware that these latter functions are due to transfer to Councils.

3.4 A copy of the Draft Plan is attached (Appendix 2) to this report to enable Members to formulate questions for consideration at the meeting. Some key areas for consideration might include: . how to best ensure alignment of investment between NIHE and local councils to maximise outcomes; whether through capital or revenue . how to ensure there are synergies between emerging policy (e.g. Local Development Plan, City Centre Regeneration and Belfast Agenda) and the housing-led regeneration programme referred to in this plan

Financial & Resource Implications 3.5 Costs associated with the delivery of the Strategic Study have been estimated and provisions are accounted for within existing budget estimates.

Equality or Good Relations Implications 3.6 There are no relevant equality considerations associated with the delivery of the strategy.

4.0 Appendices – Documents Attached

4.1 Appendix 1 – Draft Officer response Appendix 2 - NIHE Regional Services Draft Corporate Plan 2016/17- 2017/18

Appendix One

Draft Council Response

The Council welcomes the opportunity to comment on the NIHE Regional Services Draft Corporate Plan 2015-16/2017-18. The Council notes that the Draft Corporate Plan contains five specific objectives and proposes a number of projects under each of these objectives. The objectives include

. Identification of Housing Requirements across Northern Ireland . Investment in Homes and neighbourhoods, . Improving People’s homes, . Helping transform people’s lives; . Enabling sustainable neighbourhoods.

The Council also notes the following specific projects and initiatives in the plan;

. Develop a Housing Investment plan for each of the 11 new Councils and presenting them to them; . Administer grant-aid to Housing Associations in NI to start 1500 new social homes and complete 1,200 new social homes; . Targets for the registration and inspection of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) . Implementation of the Affordable Warmth Scheme and a boiler replacement programme; . Deliver the Homeless Strategy; . Delivery of the DSD ‘Small Pockets of Deprivation’ and ‘Building Successful Communities’ programmes; . Develop a programme to acquire development lands for social and affordable housing; . Implement the DSD’s Empty Homes Strategy.

There are many areas contained within this draft Corporate Plan that are strategically relevant to the functions of this Council. The draft plan makes specific reference to linking to the Council in relation to community planning and Development control. The draft plan also includes measures relating to HMO Regulation and neighbourhood Regeneration. Members are aware that these latter functions are due to transfer to Councils.

The draft plan makes specific reference to linking to the council in relation to community planning and Development control. The draft plan also includes measures relating to HMO Regulation and Neighbourhood Regeneration. These functions are due to transfer to Councils however there is no specific mention of liaising with the Councils in relation to this.

Objectives 1 & 2 - Identification of housing requirements As statutory bodies it will be important to have a shared vision on outcomes for the city and it will be important that our assessments do not conflict. The document refers to the development by the NIHE of an Intelligence Capacity that will be used to inform an assessment of housing need and also to provide housing and regeneration knowledge to Councils under their statutory role in the Community Planning Process. The document

does not make reference however to how this work might also be aligned with the local development planning process.

Objective 2 - Investing in homes and neighbourhoods The document also refers to the role of housing-led regeneration and it would be important to understand if NIHE have considered the need to align physical redevelopment with broader regeneration policy.

One of the examples of housing-led regeneration cited is the re-development of the Village area. Neighbourhoods often have complex needs and therefore require a broader approach than purely physical redevelopment. The Corporate Plan does not provide further insight as to how housing-led regeneration will align with broader regeneration outcomes in neighbourhoods in Belfast and also the city centre. It is understood that more detail in relation to this will be provided in the Local Housing Plan for the Belfast City Council area.

Objective 3 – Improving People Lives

The plan reports a rise in the number of properties unfit for human habitation (17,500 to 35,000). The plan reports on proposed performance measures for HMO regulation. The HMO bill published on Wednesday proposes new powers for Councils including a new HMO definition, licensing scheme, new enforcement powers etc.

The Draft plan provides no indication of the reason for this significant rise. The Council would also like to have seen more information provided in the plan of the resource the NIHE currently attribute to the dealing with unfitness. Also, as this function will transfer to Councils, will NIHE ensure that a resource that reflects this increase transfers to councils?

The recent HMO Bill sets out the powers Councils will be given to deliver the new HMO licensing regime. Given the HMO FUNCTION will transfer to Councils during the life of this plan, there is no reference in it to working with Councils to prepare for the transfer and to consider what arrangements and funding will be required to deliver what will be a new regulatory regime. The Council would request that this is acknowledged and reflected in the plan.

Affordable Warmth

The plan gives details and targets for the Affordable Warmth and Boiler Replacement Schemes currently operating across Belfast. The Council are involved as a key partner in this scheme, carrying out the initial surveys, and as a stakeholder we are keen to see it succeed. There are concerns with the scheme in relation to the percentage take up of works in comparison to the number of surveys carried out. Whilst it is recognised it is a customer driven scheme, it is also process heavy. The Councils are keen to work more closely with the NIHE to identify any areas that are preventing successful take up and see where we could improve that process.

Objective 5 – enabling sustainable neighbourhoods The document references the potential role of NIHE’s land bank in stimulating regeneration through a strategic asset management approach.

The council also has a significant asset base and will also acquire further assets and land from DSD in April 2016. The Council would like the plan to include provision for work to be undertaken in conjunction with other public sector bodies, including council, to map land ownership and to explore the collective potential for regeneration.

The Council would request that the plan includes more information on NIHE support in respect of the DSD small pockets of deprivation programme and whether they envisage a similar role when urban regeneration powers transfer to council.

Please note that this response has been considered and endorsed by the Council’s Strategic Policy & Resources Committee. It is subject to full ratification at the October Council meeting. Should any matters be raised at full council that require the amendment of this response we will notify you as soon as possible.

DRAFT

CORPORATE BUSINESS PLANS Regional Services 2015/16-2017/18

regeneration

transforming lives sustainable

planning & investment market intelligence Draft Corporate Plan – Regional Services 2015/16 – 17/18

2

Draft Corporate Plan – Regional Services 2015/16 – 17/18

Contents

Preface ...... 4 Regional Mission ...... 5 Introduction...... 6 The Challenge of Change ...... 7 Working in Partnership ...... 8 Giving our time - Corporate Social Responsibility ...... 8 Funding our Plans ...... 9 Measuring our progress ...... 10 Objective 1 – Identification of housing requirements across Northern Ireland ...... 11 Objective 2 – Investing in homes and neighbourhoods ...... 13 Objective 3 – Improving People’s Homes ...... 16 Objective 4 – Transforming people’s lives ...... 19 Objective 5 – Enabling sustainable neighbourhoods...... 22 Finance and Corporate Services Divisions ...... 25 Improving the way we work ...... 28 Appendix 1 Regional Housing Services & Support Services contact details ...... 29 Appendix 2 DSD Action Plan and NIHE Supporting Actions...... 30

We can let you have a copy of the plans in a language that meets your needs and in different formats, including:

Large print

Braille

Computer disk

DAISY

Audio cassette

3

Draft Corporate Plan – Regional Services 2015/16 – 17/18

Preface

This document sets out the separate Corporate and Business Plans for Regional Services and should be read alongside the overview document for the Housing Executive as the overarching body.

Because our Journey to Excellence aims to ensure that we deliver top class regeneration and housing solutions that meet the needs of our communities and partners now and in the future, it is essential that we give equal attention to the people, property and place aspects of our work.

Although NIHE, as a whole currently, has responsibility for the entirety of the homes and sustainable place agenda, the Landlord Services Division has a particular responsibility for managing our social housing stock. The Regional Services Division has the major responsibility for ensuring the effective delivery of the people, property and place programme in collaboration with a wide range of partners. Crucially, the work of the Regional Services Division also provides the Department for Social Development and other central government departments with expertise and knowledge through local understanding and experience.

Put simply, NIHE has to maintain a balance between delivering good housing and ensuring the long-term future of all neighbourhoods in Northern Ireland. To do the first of these tasks without the other would be to fail to maximise the use of public resources. This wider mission, set out on page 5, is at the core of the Regional Services Division, will require innovation both in terms of what we do and how we do it.

4

Draft Corporate Plan – Regional Services 2015/16 – 17/18

Regional Mission

“to ensure the provision of all forms of housing in sustainable neighbourhoods across Northern Ireland.”

Our Values

As part of the work towards the Journey to Excellence programme, our Board agreed to provide staff with the opportunity to review our current organisational values and, where necessary, to propose new values to reflect what they believe should be the guiding principles for the organisation. Our staff have developed a new set of values for this new business year. Whilst these values retain the most important elements of our previous work, they have been refreshed to capture other elements that staff feel are important for them to aspire to when carrying out their work on our Journey to Excellence.

Making a difference through Fairness, Passion and Expertise… Making a We strive to make people’s lives better; difference We put our customers first and deliver right first time; We build strong partnerships and share great ideas.

Fairness We treat our customers, staff and partners fairly; We respect and promote diversity and equality for all; We work in an open and transparent way.

Passion We are professional in all that we do; We strive for excellence; We look for new, creative, better ways to do things.

Expertise We believe in our people; We are constantly learning, developing and innovating; We provide strong confident housing leadership.

5

Draft Corporate Plan – Regional Services 2015/16 – 17/18

Introduction

This year’s Corporate and Business Plans present the work of the Regional Services Division and the Landlord Services Division through separate documents, each with its own mission for delivering these distinct services. As noted in the corporate overview document for the Housing Executive, both divisions continue to work together to deliver our one single overall vision:

“One in which housing plays its part in creating a peaceful, inclusive, prosperous and fair society.”

To help the Regional Services Division contribute to our overarching vision we have developed a more specific mission. This provides a clearer focus for the Division’s objectives and outcomes which are aimed at delivering the best services for our customers. Our mission is:

“to ensure the provision of all forms of housing in sustainable neighbourhoods across Northern Ireland.”

Five specific objectives (and work programmes) allow for the refinement and delivery of this mission:

 Identification of housing requirements across Northern Ireland;  Investment in homes and neighbourhoods;  Improving people’s homes;  Helping to transform people’s lives;  Enabling sustainable neighbourhoods.

These objectives, which are developed further in this plan, inform the Corporate Plan and reflect statutory obligations, government priorities and, in particular, the Department for Social Development’s ‘Facing the Future’ Housing Strategy Action Plan 2012–2017.

The aim of the Regional Services Division is to be the ‘Voice of the Sector’ on all matters relating to housing and neighbourhoods. This aim has to go beyond social housing and implies a remit for all housing tenures, as well as mixed use developments and, more generally, support for neighbourhood development. In order to ensure that we are leading change and innovation we will use our information exchange and intelligence forums to establish key trends and generate insights that can help inform and support decision making.

This ‘smart’ approach to service provision and change management will help in the delivery of a wide range of statutory functions, which are shown in Table 1:

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Draft Corporate Plan – Regional Services 2015/16 – 17/18

Table 1: Our statutory functions

 Identifying housing need  Delivering programmes to help meet housing need  Providing energy advice, and reporting progress on improving energy efficiency in the residential sector  Using our vesting Powers to support neighbourhood renewal  Delivering Homelessness services  Providing housing advice  Planning and commissioning of Supporting People Services  Providing grant funding for private sector repairs, adaptations , and energy efficiency improvements  Discharging our responsibilities as a statutory partner in the Community Planning process and as a statutory consultee in the Development Planning process  Reporting housing conditions through research and market intelligence

The Challenge of Change

At the heart of our service to customers is the quality and commitment of our staff.

During 2015/2016 and beyond it is likely that there will be many changes to the nature, provision and funding of public services as austerity continues to constrain the available resource base and drive cost reduction and greater efficiency. For NIHE there will be reductions in staff numbers and to the budget. Continuing to deliver high quality customer services with reducing resources will require substantial changes to the way in which we deliver those services.

Under our transformation programme we had already embarked on our ‘Journey to Excellence’ in order to improve all aspects of our business. A fundamental part of this programme has been the implementation of new structures within the Housing Executive. Processes will be reviewed continually and streamlined and a customer- oriented approach applied to how we do business. Inevitably there will be impacts upon the roles which staff had previously carried out and the number of staff required at certain grades, locations or functions will reduce. The Voluntary Early Severance programme will allow the Housing Executive to manage the reductions in staffing levels on a voluntary basis. While the voluntary retirement of many experienced staff in the year ahead will be challenging, we are confident that we will be able to adapt, respond and deliver high quality services during this period of considerable change.

Each retirement is being timed and managed to ensure minimal impact upon service and in the context of succession planning and effective knowledge transfer programmes to ensure that our staff are equipped to deliver excellent services in the years ahead.

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Draft Corporate Plan – Regional Services 2015/16 – 17/18

Details of the organisation’s Journey to Excellence are available on page 28 of this document.

There are a number of key strategic risks and opportunities in the changing public policy landscape, including the Reform of Local Government (which will introduce Community Planning), the Social Housing Reform Programme and the introduction of Welfare Reform in Northern Ireland. New challenges and opportunities emerge from these and other changes, including:

 Working with local authorities as a key strategic partner in the development of Community Plans from April 2015;  Introducing restructuring and enhanced systems thinking in order to meet changing delivery requirements and tighter budgets;  Bringing surplus public land to market and enabling the master planning of key mixed-use mix tenure sites;  Undertaking a strategic needs analysis of Supporting People in order to better inform long term investment decisions;  Carrying out a customer-focused redesign of all aspects of our homelessness work in order to ensure a more seamless delivery of the service.

Working in Partnership We recognise that we need to extend our work with others in order to deliver effective and efficient housing and related neighbourhood services. All of this has to be guided by considering the community’s wider needs. We currently work across Government and with a wide range of public, private and voluntary agencies, including local authorities, private landlords, housing associations, many businesses, the Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations (NIFHA), the Regional Health Board & Health and Social Care Trusts, the Probation Board NI, Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS), the Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action (NICVA), the Charities Commission, many community enterprises and organisations, private home owners, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), Traveller support groups and the general public.

In all of our work we place emphasis and values upon the aspirations and capabilities of our partners. A particular challenge over the next two years will be to work closely with the eleven new local authorities, generally through a ‘Comprehensive Conversation’ with each authority and through our support for the preparation and delivery of their Community Plans. These new plans will be critical elements of our people, property and places approach.

Giving our time - Corporate Social Responsibility We help our staff to support a range of charitable causes in the communities where they work and live. We and our staff gain from broadened experiences and team working. We are proud of our staff who help make a difference, working alongside local communities tackling issues which can improve peoples’ lives.

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Draft Corporate Plan – Regional Services 2015/16 – 17/18

We work with a wide range of charities and organisations involved in social responsibility activities including Business in the Community. A small example of our recent activity during 2012/2013 included staff participating in team events for Action Cancer Shop Challenge; Action on Hearing Loss; Belfast Lough Sailability; Camphill Community, Glencraig; Foyle Hospice; Giant’s Causeway, National Trust; NI Children’s Hospice; Riddle Nursery School; Sheils Houses; Strangford Lough and World Police & Fire Games.

Some of these projects are promoted annually through BITC’s ‘Be a Saint Day’, Silver Surfers Day, World Environment Day and Time to Read campaign. In 2013 we began a new programme with Marie Curie Helper Service to encourage staff to volunteer as Assessors & Helpers, with funding provided for 3 years through The Big Lottery. During 2015/16 we will be developing a new strategy for Corporate Social Responsibility.

Funding our Plans (All budget figures in the Plan are draft and subject to change) Whilst the NIHE is still a single organisation, for budgetary and statistical purposes there is now dual reporting whereby the Regional Services and Landlord Services divisions are regarded as separate entities. This dual reporting took effect on 1st April 2014, when NIHE was re-classified in-line with a decision by the Office for National Statistics and the Department of Finance and Personnel as follows:

• Non Departmental Public Body (NDPB) – Regional Services;

• Quasi-Public body - Landlord Services.

Stringent budgetary and reporting controls are applied to both the Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) and Annually Managed Expenditure (AME) of the Regional Services body, which is funded almost entirely through central government grant. The Landlord Services body, by comparison, is almost entirely funded, on the revenue account, through rental income.

Of the Regional Services total expenditure budget requirement of £282.0m, £136.9m is for capital investment and £145.1m is for revenue expenditure. The funding provided by central government is applied across two main areas:

 mainstream programme expenditure, including capital costs associated with the improvement programmes, together with the revenue costs, private sector grants and the Social Housing Development Programme;

 ancillary expenditure to support the mainstream programmes, including capital expenditure on land & property and accommodation, together with revenue expenditure, staff and related costs and other miscellaneous areas.

Some of the more significant elements of expenditure by the Regional Services Division are summarised in table 2.

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Draft Corporate Plan – Regional Services 2015/16 – 17/18

Table 2: Expenditure 2015/16 Regional Services expenditure £k Social Housing Development Programme 101,030 Supporting People 73,198 *Private sector grants/Warm Homes 31,200 **Land and Property acquisition 1,500 Support services 56,434 Capital Accommodation and IT Recharges 1,650 SPED Purchases 1,500 ***Miscellaneous functions 13,170 Depreciation and Impairment 2,300 Total 281,982 *Includes a pressure of £2.7m in respect of PSG for which funding bids will be submitted. ** Includes a pressure of £0.5m in respect of the value of o/s claim for ongoing URA sites for which funding bids will be submitted. ***Covers a range of items such as Travellers’ sites, energy marketing, Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) registration fees, Homelessness and sundry items such as fees, grants and inspections. It also includes Special Purchase of Evacuated Dwellings (SPED) acquisitions and disposals.

Measuring our progress After each of the Corporate Objectives we have set out the critical key performance indicators (KPIs) for 2015-2016. In the following sections, we outline the general nature and content of the actions we will undertake and these are illustrated by more detailed examples. Performance is monitored through the Performance Review Committee, which is chaired by the Chief Executive and at monthly Board meetings. We give an update on performance against our targets, at the end of each quarter, and can be found on our website at www.nihe.gov.uk

In addition, our Annual Report includes details of achievements against each of the performance indicators and these results are audited for accuracy and completeness.

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Draft Corporate Plan – Regional Services 2015/16 – 17/18

Objective 1 – Identification of housing requirements across Northern Ireland Under this objective, and as part of our statutory duties, we will use our expertise in research and market intelligence both to guide our plans and programmes, and also to support other decision-makers in Northern Ireland. As such we will act as the ‘Voice of the Sector’.

Each year our Research Department carries out a planned programme of client-led research into housing and associated matters, such as the characteristics of individual neighbourhoods in Northern Ireland. In addition, our Strategic Planning Department carries out annual housing needs assessments and undertakes Housing Market Analysis (HMAs) at three levels: the Northern Ireland level, individual Housing Market areas, and smaller studies such as housing market profiles and latent demand testing in rural areas (to help to identify areas of hidden need). Much of this work is undertaken by our staff who have considerable experience and expertise across these areas. This research supports a comprehensive understanding of the characteristics of Northern Ireland’s housing market and of the places and neighbourhoods of Northern Ireland.

Our research capacity provides a solid foundation for the entire work programme of the Regional Services Division. Based on the research, we have developed an intelligence capacity that can be used to help identify gaps in provision, support the need for new social housing, and provide a basis for intervention and investment in areas that require regeneration. This work will be essential in providing housing and regeneration knowledge to local councils and key players within the sector under our statutory role in the Community Planning process. This year we will change our

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Draft Corporate Plan – Regional Services 2015/16 – 17/18 approach from our 26 annual District Housing Plans to the delivery of a four year investment plan for each of the 11 new local councils.

In addition, we will also share our knowledge of regeneration and other associated matters with our partners. We consider that making available the best research and analysis of housing and regeneration trends, conditions and services, will ensure that all actors in the sector are better able to plan and direct resources more effectively in order to deliver housing and associated programmes and services across Northern Ireland. Our research programme also provides essential material to inform policy development by the Department for Social Development.

Although we already have strong research and policy networks, we are keen to extend and deepen our intelligence role. During 2014, we held our first Housing Market Intelligence Exchange, which was attended by representatives from the Housing Executive, housing associations, government departments, health, planning, the construction industry, the financial sector, the voluntary sector, universities, and the private rented sector. Members welcomed the new Intelligence Exchange and the provision of a ‘single voice’ for the housing and regeneration sector. A bi-annual newsletter will also be produced capturing the latest news from the sector.

During 2014 our research supported the Department for Social Development in its review of the housing fitness standard across all tenures. If implemented during 2015, we will use this new standard in our House Condition Survey to report on the levels of this new standard.

Our Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the 2015/16 financial year under Objective 1 are: What we are Why are we How will we Resource Date going to do. doing this? know it is successful?

RS KPI 1.1 To fulfil our Through the £500,000 All research Deliver the annual statutory duty evaluation of projects client-led Research and understand projects. commenced Programme. the housing by March market. 2016. RS KPI 1.2 To sense check On-going Facilitated by 2 HMIE Lead 2 Housing research/market participation at Research forums will Market Intelligence intelligence and HMIE forums Department. have taken Exchange forums disseminate and in other place. (HMIE). information with initiatives. the sector. RS KPI 1.3 To fulfil statutory Feedback from Strategic All Plans Develop 11 Housing duty to discuss Council Planning & presented to Investment Plans our plans and meetings. Research Councils and present them to programmes with Department. during 2015. councils. Councils.

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Draft Corporate Plan – Regional Services 2015/16 – 17/18

Objective 2 – Investing in homes and neighbourhoods

£101m investment for new social housing

Under this objective our aim is to deliver programmes for excellent sustainable places for people. We use our housing market/housing need assessments and research on the housing market and regeneration to plan programmes for new social housing and associated neighbourhood regeneration. In addition to grant funding of £101m, housing associations will also invest an estimated £95m towards the cost of providing 1,500 new social homes.

The latest results from the Net Stock Model indicate that there is a continuing need to provide 1,500 social housing units based on basic household growth. However, when backlog is taken into consideration the estimated need indicates that around 2,000 social housing units per annum are required.

The number of people registered on the waiting list for a social home at December 2014 was 38,779, and of these over 21,500 were deemed to be in housing stress. During 2014/15 8,326 allocations were made.

Our research shows that the occupied, self-contained social rented sector in Northern Ireland accounted for around 16 per cent of total occupied stock (11,850 units). Around 88,000 of these dwellings are owned and managed by our Landlord Services Division and around 30,500 are owned and managed by housing associations (March 2013). In addition, housing associations also own and manage around 4,500 units that are not fully self-contained.

Our key performance indicators (KPIs) for this objective aim to help address some of the above issues.

We are working to support the Department for Social Development to provide at least 3 intermediate housing pilot sites on NIHE land to test and evaluate the draft Affordable Housing Policy. A competitive bidding process was undertaken and expressions of interest were received for three sites which have now been allocated to two housing associations (Apex and Clanmil). The pilots are now in the early development stage and will be monitored through regular meetings with the Housing Associations.

In addition to the starts and completions KPIs, budget provision has been made to allow for advance land purchase of sites that will facilitate the delivery of 1,000 new housing starts in future years.

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Draft Corporate Plan – Regional Services 2015/16 – 17/18

The Social Housing Development Programme will also support the objectives of ‘Together Building United Communities’ (TBUC) through identifying and supporting schemes that can be developed as shared communities. This reflects the Executive’s commitment to improving community relations and continuing the journey towards a more united and shared society.

It is anticipated that six schemes will be supported during the year through extra funding and support from the Housing Executive’s Community Cohesion Team. Our work under Objective 5, enabling sustainable neighbourhoods, complements some of our work under this objective.

This year, we will be working to produce a Social Housing Development Programme Delivery Strategy, to be implemented from the 1st of April 2016. The aim of the strategy is to maximise social housing supply and minimise delivery risks. This will require a redesign of current procedures, whilst shaping a partnership- focused/strategic-enabling approach to regeneration, and facilitating the provision of mixed-tenure solutions to support the development of shared, sustainable communities.

Our Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the 2015/16 financial year under Objective 2 - Investing in homes and neighbourhoods are: What we are Why are we How will we Resource Date going to do. doing this? know it is successful?

New homes RS KPI 2.1 *To meet social Managing the (PfG 28) housing needs in Social Housing £101m grant Administer grant aid N.I. Development plus an By March to Housing Programme to estimated 2016. Associations to start start 1,500 new £95m private 1,500 new social social homes to funding). homes. help address housing need. RS KPI 2.2 *To meet social 1,200 new social Administer grant aid housing needs in homes are Development to housing N.I. completed to Programme By March associations to help address Group 2016. complete 1,200 new housing need. social homes. RS KPI 2.3 Providing more Smaller units Start 200 one-bed one bedroom have Development units (included in homes to meet commenced Programme By March the total of 1,500 the requirements which will Group 2016. starts). of Welfare provide a range Reform. of appropriately sized homes. *The Social Housing Need requirement is based on basic household growth and waiting list backlog.

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Draft Corporate Plan – Regional Services 2015/16 – 17/18

Investing in homes and neighbourhoods

The Village (Donegall Road) South Belfast

Faced with increasing dereliction and unfitness, we instigated an Economic Appraisal in the Village Area of South Belfast in 2007. The gross area of the site was 14.7 hectares and originally contained 1,300 dwellings and a population of almost 3,000 people. We vested just over 500 unfit properties and the approved economic appraisal recommended the demolition of 539 dwellings, the construction of 273 dwellings (on a mixed tenure basis) and the retention and improvement of 734 dwellings.

The regeneration of the area has progressed well with two phases of social housing successfully completed by Fold Housing Association (87 new homes), all built to a high degree of thermal efficiency. A third and final phase of social housing comprising a further 27 dwellings is under construction and is due to complete during 2015.

The remainder of the area has seen much of its housing stock improved via the acquisition and rehabilitation of derelict properties, grant aid and renovations.

The picture shows four, previously derelict, properties which we vested. These properties were rehabilitated by Fold Housing Association and are due to be occupied by the end of March 2015.

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Draft Corporate Plan – Regional Services 2015/16 – 17/18

Objective 3 – Improving People’s Homes

This objective is aimed at ensuring that the quality of people’s homes is improving and tackling other issues affecting our customers.

Through our grants programme we provide financial assistance to improve the quality of life for tenants living in their own homes or in rented accommodation. This work is focused on essential home repairs, improving energy efficiency, the inspection and regulation of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO), and helping disabled people to remain independent in their own homes through grants for adaptations. However, we start the current year with a reduction in our grants budget and this means that we will not be able to deliver all of the work that we would like to.

This year we will be developing a customer focused ‘Think Yes’ culture for our private sector activities through the ‘Systems Thinking’ approach, which is part of our ‘Journey to Excellence’.

Through our research on housing conditions we know that, for the first time, the rate of unfitness increased from 2.4 per cent (17,500 dwellings) in 2009 to 4.6 per cent (35,000 dwellings) in 2011.

In 2011, the private rented sector represented 16.5 per cent of housing stock in Northern Ireland with around 125,400 occupied dwellings.

According to the 2011 Census, the number of people aged 65 years and over increased by 18 per cent since 2001 and those over 85 years rose by 35 per cent since 2001. The proportion of the total population aged 65 and over is 15 per cent.

Poor thermal efficiency is one of the three main causes of fuel poverty, the other two being low household income and the cost of fuel. The 2011 (HCS) results showed that the overall rate of fuel poverty in Northern Ireland was 42 per cent (294,200 households), having peaked in 2009 at 44 per cent (302,300). Clearly this is an important issue for some of our most vulnerable citizens. Housing organisations have no influence on world fuel prices and very limited influence on household income, but housing policy can completely remove poor thermal efficiency as a primary cause of fuel poverty. Whilst it is for other agencies to deal with the other causes, improved energy efficiency deals with the worst effects of the problem for households.

Our key performance indicators (KPIs) are set out in the table overleaf.

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Draft Corporate Plan – Regional Services 2015/16 – 17/18

During 2014/2015 we worked with the Department for Social Development (DSD) and representatives from the new council structures to successfully develop and implement the New Affordable Warmth Scheme which replaced the Warm Homes Scheme. We implement the Affordable Warmth Scheme and the boiler replacement scheme on behalf of the DSD. We also provide a direct advice service to the public and a schools education programme through Bryson Energy.

In addition to our key performance indicators, we will be working to develop and deliver a loans pilot for repairs and improvement in the private housing sector as part of the DSD’s Review of Support for Repair Improvement in the Private Housing Sector. The Loans pilot will operate in parallel with the current discretionary scheme for improvement and repair.

As Home Energy Conservation Authority for Northern Ireland, we measure and report progress on improving energy efficiency of Northern Ireland’s housing stock. For more information see our website at www.nihe.gov.uk

We also promote energy efficiency awareness across a range of people. In 2014, the schools programme, funded by the Housing Executive, and partnering with Bryson Energy was delivered to 277 primary schools throughout Northern Ireland.

Our Home Energy Conservation Manager explained: “As the Home Energy Conservation Authority for Northern Ireland we want to promote energy efficiency where we can. The issue of fuel poverty and the need to save energy isn’t going away. The programme is designed to inspire children in Key Stage 2 - classes P5, P6 and Bryson Energy Schools Programme – Balloughry Primary P7 to take action to tackle energy School efficiency both in schools and at home. We considered that teaching children how to be energy efficient was more important than ever before.”

We are working to provide a policy framework for strategic adaptation work to ensure consistency of standards across housing tenures. In addition, we are developing an accessible housing register for our social stock which will provide information for the individual on where this type of housing is situated. This information will also be used for future planning purposes such as for the need for social housing for wheelchair users.

The responsibility for Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) was to transfer to the new Councils from April 2015. This will not now transfer until the out-workings of DSD’s Housing Strategy Action Plan 2012-2017 are completed. We will continue our work to ensure that standards for those who rent privately in Houses in Multiple Occupation are met through our programmes of inspection and registration.

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Draft Corporate Plan – Regional Services 2015/16 – 17/18

Our Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the 2015/16 financial year under Objective 3 – Improving people’s lives are:

What we are Why are we How will we Resource Date going to do. doing this? know it is successful? Grants for the Private Sector RS KPI 3.1 Local Councils 700 homes are Approve 700 serve a Statutory repaired and £1m March 2016 applications for Notice for repairs prevented from Repair Grants. to the property. falling into disrepair. RS KPI 3.2 To assist people 900 homes have Approve 900 with disabilities been improved, £9m March 2016 Disabled facilities improve their to assist people grants. homes. with disabilities to remain in their own home. Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs)

RS KPI 3.3 To ensure safety At least 320 Register 320 new standards are HMOs will have HMOs. maintained for been registered HMO Units March 2016 people who live in and comply with HMOs. safety standards RS KPI 3.4 Inspect To ensure safety We will have 1,800 HMO living standards are inspected 1,800 standards. maintained for HMO’s ensuring HMO Units March 2016 people who live in that HMOs HMOs. comply with the safety standards. Energy efficiency – helping to reduce fuel poverty

RS KPI 3.5 To help to reduce xxx customers’ (PfG 29) fuel poverty in homes are more Implement the targeted areas in energy efficient £16.5m March 2016 Affordable Warmth the private as a result of Scheme to (TBC) housing sector. improvements. properties. RS KPI 3.6 To increase the The energy Approve 2,500 energy efficiency efficiency of £2m March 2016 Boiler replacements of heating 2,500 boilers systems. has improved. RS KPI 3.7 As HECA we have The House Produce the Annual a statutory duty Condition Energy Home Energy to publish a Survey records Conservation March 2016 Conservation progress report. an improvement Unit Authority Progress in energy Report for efficiency. 2015/2016

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Draft Corporate Plan – Regional Services 2015/16 – 17/18

Objective 4 – Transforming people’s lives

£73m Supporting People funding

Many people find themselves in challenging or potentially vulnerable circumstances. Through the Supporting People programme and homeless services we will aim to provide people with the right housing options and support to enable and sustain independent living in the community.

According to the 2011 Census, the number of people aged 65 years and over increased by 18 per cent and those over 85 years rose by 35 per cent. The proportion of the total population aged 65 and over is 15%, compared to figures from the 2001 census (10 year period).

There were 18,862 Homeless presenters during 2013/14, of which 9,649 were accepted as Full Duty Applicants, and there were 1,537 households in temporary accommodation.

Supporting People Our Supporting People Service funds a range of housing-related support services for vulnerable people. This year, £73m will be invested, mainly to support the work of voluntary and community organisations in providing the Supporting People Programme.

The future commissioning of homeless and housing support services will focus on three priority groups: older people, those with learning disabilities and mental health problems, and the homeless. Commissioning will be based upon national and local strategic priorities and driven by identified needs across a range of client groups. Delivery will continue on a partnership basis with other key agencies, to enable those vulnerable people accessing housing related support services to achieve the best possible outcomes.

Putting our customers at the heart of service delivery

During 2015/2016 we will undertake and develop a needs assessment process to produce a comprehensive overview of housing support needs across Northern Ireland. This will help to inform the development and delivery of future housing support services, shaped around the requirements of our customers.

In addition, we will review our Supporting People Strategy and Programme to ensure that we are providing the right services to the right people. We will take into consideration any actions or issues emerging from the Supporting People policy review being undertaken by the Department for Social Development.

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Draft Corporate Plan – Regional Services 2015/16 – 17/18

Homelessness People can become homeless for a variety of reasons, including family disputes, debt, addiction, mental health issues, and a breakdown in living arrangements. In such circumstances it is crucial to find a suitable home, with follow up support, but we also believe that it is just as important to work with people at an early stage in order to avoid them becoming homeless. This will include implementing recommendation 16 of the Housing Repossessions Taskforce report which will provide information and support to those customers presenting with mortgage arrears.

Future delivery of the Homelessness Strategy will see a renewed emphasis being given to the prevention of homelessness. This will be achieved through focusing on delivering the five key preventative actions listed below:

• designing a Housing Options approach throughout Northern Ireland to ensure a better choice of sustainable housing solutions for our customers. The shape of this service will be informed by the ongoing work to improve the customer journey;

• developing a Common Assessment Framework which will produce a standardised system available to all providers for assessing and identifying the support needs of all homeless applicants regardless of where they present for assistance;

• establishing the introduction of a Central Access Point for better co-ordination and improved access to both accommodation and support services for homeless people;

• evaluating a ’Housing First’ model currently being piloted in Belfast and Derry/Londonderry. The model provides hard-to-reach individuals with wrap- around support and other services in their own independent accommodation rather than in a hostel; and

• working with Landlord Services to ensure a range of measures are developed, including putting in place adequate ‘Floating Support’ services, so that tenants are given the best chance of successfully maintaining their tenancy, or to prevent their tenancy breaking down.

We meet bi-annually with the Promoting Social Inclusion Steering Group to report on the progress of the Homelessness Strategy actions.

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Our Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the 2015/16 financial year under Objective 4 – Transforming people’s lives are:

What we are Why are we How will we Resource Date going to do. doing this? know it is successful?

Supporting People RS KPI 4.1 To ensure service During the year Supporting People - users receive we will develop Continue to provide appropriate levels a set of outcome SP Financial March 16 20,000 Housing of housing measures to Team Support Places. support. demonstrate the effectiveness of the service. Homelessness

RS KPI 4.2 *See below. Evaluation of Deliver the performance Homelessness against the Strategy as Strategy Action Homeless Ongoing to reprioritised in July Plan. We will Services 2017 2014. also develop new indicators to measure success. *To target/prevent homelessness; reduce the length of time people are homeless; remove the need to sleep rough; improve homelessness services; improve the customer journey.

RS KPI 4.3 To ensure that Through our Reduce the number our strategic Housing Options of Homeless focus on approach, less Homeless 31st March Presenters. homelessness people will Services 2016 prevention is require to effective. present as homeless. RS KPI 4.4 To ensure that Through our Reduce the average our strategic Housing Options length of time in focus on a approach, the Homeless 31st March temporary Housing average length Services 2016 accommodation. First/Housing Led of time our approach is customers effective. stayed in temporary accommodation reduced.

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Draft Corporate Plan – Regional Services 2015/16 – 17/18

Objective 5 – Enabling sustainable neighbourhoods.

Under this objective we aim to invest and use our public assets, our networks, and expertise to help develop sustainable, vibrant neighbourhoods that provide people in both urban and rural areas with a sense of belonging. Our KPIs help to, address housing need, stimulate demand, foster more cohesive communities through the creation of mixed use/mixed tenure developments, assist in town and city centre regeneration, and through our Rural Strategy we aim to help build and revitalise rural areas.

Our work under Objective 2, investing in homes and neighbourhoods, complements some of our work under this objective.

Northern Ireland’s multiple deprivation Index 2010 measures a combination of seven domains of deprivation (weighted): Income Deprivation ; Employment Deprivation; Health Deprivation and Disability; Education Skills and Training Deprivation; Proximity to Services; Living Environment; Crime and Disorder. http://www.nisra.gov.uk/deprivation/archive/Updateof2005Measures/NIMDM_2010_ Report.pdf

The Northern Ireland Multiple Deprivation Index 2010 reports that the majority of the most deprived areas in Northern Ireland are in Belfast and Derry, with some notable pockets of deprivation in Lisburn, Craigavon and Strabane Local Government Districts. A small cluster is also evident in Coleraine. The majority of areas in the least deprived decile are in the east of Northern Ireland.

Land and Property Services estimate around 28,000 homes in Northern Ireland are exempt from rate payment. 1,188 empty homes were reported to us through our web-site. We have a dedicated section set up specifically to help tackle the issue of empty homes in Northern Ireland. www.emptyhomesni.com

Housing-led regeneration In 2014-2015 we established our new approach to ‘housing-led regeneration’, which provides us with opportunities to explore new delivery models. We own a land asset of around 3,707 acres valued at £27.5m in 2013/2014, which can be utilised to support regeneration initiatives. We work in partnership with a range of stakeholders to invest our assets, to manage resources and actions for physical regeneration, and to help foster sustainable communities.

Our approach enables the growth of mixed use (residential and business) and mixed tenure neighbourhoods through 5 key themes:

1. Designing and developing contemporary neighbourhoods; 2. Addressing dereliction and bringing empty homes back into use; 3. Transferring our assets to local communities to foster social enterprise; 4. Maximising the use and value of our land assets; and 5. Creating opportunities to help to address social housing demand. 22

Draft Corporate Plan – Regional Services 2015/16 – 17/18

How we will achieve our Objective to enable sustainable communities is to:

 Implement a land asset management strategy to secure funding to acquire additional development lands, and increase the development potential and value of our existing land asset through the Land Asset Site Identification programme;  Deliver the DSD Small Pockets of Deprivation programme of £415k to support 17 community groups to deliver localised programmes to support community priorities;  Support the DSD Building Successful Communities pilot programme across 6 areas through neighbourhood-based housing investment programmes;  Invest in Rural Regeneration initiatives to help build and revitalise rural areas through latent housing demand testing and community investment programmes;  Develop a new rural strategy which will be published for consultation later this year as the 2013-15 Rural Action Plan will end during 2015;  Ensure that our work delivers in line with DSD’s commitments to the Sustainable Development Strategy.

The social housing scheme, shown above, is called McGurk’s Villas, Gulladuff. We carried out a latent demand test to find out if there was hidden demand in this rural area and following a positive response, the scheme was programmed in the Social Housing Development Programme. Triangle Housing Association delivered the scheme, which completed in 2014.

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Draft Corporate Plan – Regional Services 2015/16 – 17/18

Our Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the 2015/16 financial year under Objective 5 – Enabling sustainable neighbourhoods are:

What we are Why are we How will we Resource Date going to do. doing this? know it is successful? RS KPI 5.1 To provide mixed- A concept plan March 2016 Develop two large use; mixed tenure is agreed with for concept scale regeneration developments to the community A mix of plan and development regenerate and and a Master investors Master Plan opportunities. enable Plan developed but these sustainable with are 5-10 communities. stakeholders year during 2015/16. projects. RS KPI 5.2 Stimulate large Sites are March 2016 Develop a mixed use acquired to A business Programme to developments support new case is to be acquire and opportunities social homes made for development lands to help address and there is an funding this for social and social housing increase in programme. affordable housing. demand. mixed use developments. RS KPI 5.3 To remove blight 100 empty Implement the and provide much properties DSDs Empty Homes needed homes by brought back Strategy. bringing empty into use, Regeneration properties back providing much Services March 2016 into use in the needed homes. affordable housing sector. RS KPI 5.4 To assist in town 15 properties Housing & Heritage and city centre are supported (LOTS). regeneration. within designated Regeneration townscape Services March 2016 heritage areas providing homes and assisting with city centre regeneration. RS KPI 5.5 To agree a An agreed Develop a 2016 - Strategy to Strategy is Strategic 2020 Rural Housing address rural published Planning & March 2016 Strategy. housing issues, following public Research which often consultation to Department. require different be implemented solutions. during 2016.

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Draft Corporate Plan – Regional Services 2015/16 – 17/18

Finance and Corporate Services Divisions

Supporting the business

Our Finance and Corporate Services Divisions provide a wide range of technical and professional support to underpin the delivery of this business plan.

Finance Division provides a professional corporate accounting service across all areas of the Housing Executive. In addition, it provides financial support, counter fraud and Housing Benefit services.

Corporate Services Division is responsible for Human Resources, Information Technology, Legal Services, Facilities Management, Internal Audit & Corporate Assurance, Security, Procurement and Communications, Transformation and Corporate Strategy & Planning.

Welfare Reform

At the time of writing, the Welfare Reform Bill has not been passed through the N.I. Assembly. The Housing Executive will still be responsible for the administration of Housing Benefit for the foreseeable future and we are working to ensure that we have processes in place to deliver any changes to the service in the future.

Journey to Excellence Forum

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Draft Corporate Plan – Regional Services 2015/16 – 17/18

Key Performance Indicators for Support Services for 2015/16

What we are Why are we How will we Resource Date going to do. doing this? know it is successful? Finance SSKPI 1.1 To ensure Our expenditure, Ensure that Regional management of at the year end, financial resources public money is managed Finance March 2016 are managed effectively to within the Division effectively. deliver services for available funding our customers. allocation. SSKPI 1.2 To provide Expenditure at Work with each services to enable Divisional level Division to improve effective for the year end Finance March 2016 financial reporting management of is managed Division arrangements. public money at within the Divisional level, to available funding deliver services for allocation. our customers. Programme management SSKPI 2.1 To ensure that Programmes and Deliver the 2015/16 priority projects projects are Programme are scoped, delivered on Programme Management resourced and time, in line with Management March 2016 Programme. deliverable to our Corporate Unit provide great Strategy. customer services. Internal Services SSKPI 3.1 To facilitate the Human Resource Review of Human new organisational policies have Resource policies as environment. been agreed, Human March 2016 defined by our Board. approved, are Resources operational and effective. SSKPI 3.2 To provide key An ‘opinion on Deliver the Audit and stakeholders with the system of Assurance annual assurance that our internal control’ Internal Audit Plan. Governance and will be issued for and Assurance March 2016 internal controls NIHE’s Unit are effective. Governance statement. Procurement SSKPI 4.1 To maximise value Delivery of value Provide a for money for money professional, opportunities; is contracts with Corporate compliant and fully compliant little or no Procurement March 2016 innovative with national and compliance Unit procurement service. European issues. Client regulations. satisfaction with our service.

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Key Performance Indicators for Support Services for 2015/16 (Cont.)

What we are Why are we How will we Resource Date going to do. doing this? know it is successful?

Housing Benefit (HB) Services SSKPI 5.1 Provide a Customer Process New HB responsive HB satisfaction Monthly & claims within 25 service. results and HB Year to date days. scrutiny of our Department performance. SSKPI 5.2 Provide a As above. Process changes of responsive HB HB Monthly & circumstances service. Department Year to date claims within an average of 8 days. SSKPI 5.3 To manage public Accuracy results Ensure an accuracy money are stable or HB Quarterly rate of 97% for HB effectively. improved. Department assessments. SSKPI 5.4 To manage public We recover at Recover at least money least £14m or HB Monthly & £14m of effectively. more. Department Year to date overpayments. SSKPI 5.5 To manage public The level of Reduce the level of money fraud and error HB By March fraud and error by effectively. reduces. Department 2016. to 3.35% of HB expenditure. SSKPI 5.6 To prepare for a Our customers Regular Work with DSD to smooth transition are supported to meetings develop and agree a in relation to remain in their HB with DSD transition plan for changes in the homes, or Department throughout Universal Credit. welfare system. downsize if they the financial Introduce the social wish. year. size criteria.

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Improving the way we work

We are committed to putting our customers first.

Our Journey to Excellence Strategies are focused on improving the way we work across all areas of our business. These strategies, shown below, are underpinned by a series of specific delivery plans for each year. These are linked to PfG 81 presenting options for change and progress implementation of accepted changes to support the improved delivery of housing services to citizens of Northern Ireland.

Journey to Excellence Strategies 2014 - 2017

What we are Why are we How will we Resource Date going to do. doing this? know it is successful? J2E 1 - Implement To ensure we Our redesigned Lead – the Business make the best and streamlined Excellence Strategy. use of available systems will resources and deliver value Transformation 2014-2017 continually drive and improved Team to make positive efficiencies change. reflected in high levels of customer satisfaction. J2E 2 - Implement To ensure we Lead – the Customer meet the needs Increased levels Excellence Strategy. of every of customer Transformation 2014-2017 customer, every satisfaction with Team time, however our services. they contact us. J2E 3 - Implement To ensure that Lead – the People we recruit, High levels of Excellence Strategy. develop, support, staff satisfaction Transformation and retain the and increased Team 2014-2017 very best people customer to achieve our satisfaction with vision and our services. objectives. J2E 4 - Implement To ensure that Improvements Lead – the Technology we have a highly in the efficiency Strategy. resilient, flexible, of IT services Transformation scalable and and increased Team 2014-2017 robust leading customer edge technology satisfaction with environment. our services.

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Appendix 1 Regional Housing Services & Support Services contact details Position Name

All enquiries 03448 920 900 Chief Executive Mr Clark Bailie (Acting)

Director of Regional Services Ms Siobhan McCauley

Assistant Director of Strategic Planning Ms Esther Christie & Research Assistant Director of Land, Ms Elma Newberry Development, and Regeneration Assistant Director of Private Sector Mrs Kathleen Hicks Assistant Director of Supporting People Ms Anne Sweeney Director of Finance Ms Helena Carty (Acting)

Assistant Director of Financial Planning Mr David Lamb Assistant Director of Financial Support Mr Keith Megaw (Acting) Services Assistant Director of Housing Benefit (A) Mr Pat Durkin Director of Corporate Services Mr Trevor McCartney

Assistant Director Transformation Ms Caroline Connor Assistant Director Human Resources Mr Paul Lowe Assistant Director Legal Services Ms Frances Gallagher Assistant Director IT Mr Sean Nolan Head of Audit & Assurance Mr John McVeigh Head of Corporate Communications Mr Jonny Blease Assistant Director Procurement Mr David Salters (Acting) Assistant Director Corporate Strategy & Ms Lee Campbell Planning Company Secretary Ms Ashley Neill

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Appendix 2 DSD Action Plan and NIHE Supporting Actions

DSD Action plan 2012 - 2017

DSD Action Plan Regional Services Our supporting actions NIHE 2015/16 KPIs

DSD Action Plan No. 1 DSD are reviewing the NIHE has been assisting the Department Review the statutory fitness standard. for Social Development in reviewing the standard across all tenures. standard.

DSD Action Plan No. 3 DSD are developing proposals. NIHE carries out registrations and Improve the regulation of Houses inspections of Houses in Multiple in Multiple Occupations Occupation. This work is to transfer to local Councils when the out-workings of DSD’s Housing Strategy 2012 -17 are completed. DSD Action Plan No. 7 RS Corporate Objective 2 – NIHE have been working with DSD on the Increase the supply of affordable Investing in Homes and formulation of an Affordable Housing housing by developing and neighbourhoods. Policy pilot on NIHE Land and three launching a scheme to deliver potential sites are being examined. affordable homes.

DSD Action Plan No. 10 DSD are developing the NIHE has been working with DSD on a DSD will develop and implement approach. loans pilot for repairs and improvement a new strategic approach to RS Corporate Objective 3 – in the private housing sector as part of support repair and improvement Improving people’s Homes this review. in private housing sector.

DSD Action Plan No. 12 RSKPI 3.5 - Implement the We implement the Warm Homes Scheme Review the Warm Homes Scheme Affordable Warmth scheme to and Boiler Replacement Scheme on and further develop our work on 9,000 privately owned behalf of the DSD. The aim is to increase energy efficiency properties and improve SAP the energy efficiency of homes which in ratings by 15%. turn is one of the elements that helps to RSKPI 3.6 – 2,500 Boiler reduce fuel poverty. replacement approvals; RS Corporate Objective 3 – We provide energy advice to customers Improving People’s Homes & through the Bryson NI Energy Advice LL Corporate Objective 2 – Centre and through our own programme Delivering Better Homes. of visits we provide energy advice to schools.

RS KPI 3.7 – Produce the We have introduced an electricity Annual Home Energy brokering scheme. Conservation Authority Bryson Energy was recently appointed to progress report. develop a network of oil buying clubs across NI.

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DSD Action plan 2012 - 2017

DSD Action Plan Regional Services Our supporting actions NIHE 2015/16 KPIs

DSD Action Plan No. 13 RS Corporate Objective 4 - Our Homelessness Strategy 2012 - 17 Work with others to implement Transforming People’s Lives. focuses on prevention. We will design a the Homelessness Strategy for NI RSKPI 4.2 Deliver the Housing Options approach to ensure a Homelessness Strategy. better choice of housing solutions, a Common Assessment Tool and we will establish a central access point to co- ordinate and improve access to accommodation and support services. DSD Action Plan No. 15 RSKPI 4.2 – Deliver the Private Sector access scheme was Provide a Private Access Scheme. Homelessness Strategy. procured on the 6th of May 2014. DSD Action Plan No. 17 RS Corporate Objective 4 - We are working to provide a policy Consider additional form of social Transforming People’s Lives. framework for strategic adaptation work housing tenancy for adapted to ensure consistency of standards across social dwellings, and require housing tenures. social landlords to develop an accessible housing register and A project board is in place for developing set targets for better use of stock. an accessible housing register for NIHE and Housing Association stock. DSD Action Plan No. 18 RS Corporate Objective 4 - A policy review was initiated by DSD and Review the Supporting People Transforming People’s Lives. NIHE continue to meet with DSD in Programme, including its policy relation to the policy review, as part of and legislative framework. the project group. A policy framework for strategic Take forward recommendations adaptation work to ensure consistency of from consultation on standards -across housing tenures - a adaptations. final report and action plan have been forwarded to the two Ministers, and once approved, will be subject to a final consultation. DSD Action Plan No. 19 LLKPI 1.6 Welfare Reform & NIHE continues to meet with DSD on Gather information on the impact SSKPI 5.6 Housing Benefit Welfare Reform issues. of housing related changes of Welfare Reform Welfare Reform, to support the Department’s analysis of the broader impacts of Welfare Reform. DSD Action Plan No. 23 Objective 2 - Delivering Under this objective we will assess, plan Increase the availability of Better Homes RSKPI 2.3 and monitor for 200 one bed new smaller social housing units. social housing units to meet with the requirements of Welfare Reform.

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DSD Action plan 2012 - 2017

DSD Action Plan Regional Services Our supporting actions NIHE 2015/16 KPIs

DSD Action Plan No. 24 Objective 5 Enabling We are working to implement the action DSD will take forward an Empty sustainable neighbourhoods. plan. We aim to bring 120 empty Homes Strategy and implement RSKPI 5.3 - Implement the properties back into use over the an action plan. Empty Homes Strategy action 2015/16 financial year. plan. DSD Action Plan No. 25 Corporate Objective 2 Investing DSD are taking the lead in this action and Working with the NIHE, pilot a in homes and neighbourhoods NIHE is supporting where required. housing-led approach to & Corporate Objective 5 – regeneration in four areas. Enabling Sustainable Neighbourhoods. DSD Action Plan No. 26 Objective 5 Enabling We are working to assist in town centre Review Living Over The Shops Sustainable Neighbourhoods living and city centre regeneration (LOTS) as part of a broader RSKPI 5.4 Housing & Heritage through the Housing & heritage Scheme. package of town centre living. DSD Action Plan No. 29 RHS Corporate Objective 2 Belfast City Centre policy was subject to Develop a Shared Community Investing in Homes & EQIA and policy is in place. Policy will be Programme to include: Neighbourhoods. implemented when schemes for Piloting a Belfast City Centre development in Belfast City Centre Waiting List; and waiting list area have been secured. DSD action plan No.31 Journey to Excellence During 2014 we developed and Support business improvement in Strategies: commenced the implementation of our the social housing sector for the  Business excellence; ‘journey to excellence’ strategies which benefit of tenants and taxpayers.  Customer excellence; are focused on improving the way we  People excellence; work across all areas of our business.  Technology platform DSD Action Plan No. 32 Corporate Objective 3 In preparation for the transfer of Transfer agreed responsibility for Improving People’s Homes responsibilities to District Councils, NIHE regulation of HMOs and housing has been working closely with DSD and unfitness to district councils as liaising with the district council Solace part of the programme of local Group. The transfer has been delayed; government reform. pending implementation of the Housing Strategy Action Plan which includes the Social Housing Reform Programme. These will be included in the Regeneration Bill which will have a commencement date of 1st April 2016. DSD Action Plan No. 33. Corporate Plan Senior management from NIHE are Take forward the Social Housing working closely with the Department for Reform Programme. Social Development on aspects of the reform programme, to develop any resultant structural changes and protect the interests of our tenants.

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STRATIGIC RESOURCES & POLICY COMMITTEE

Subject: Belfast Streets Ahead Phase 3

Date: 18th September 2015

Reporting Officer: Gerry Millar, Director of Property & Projects

Contact Officer: Anne Doherty Planning & Transport Officer

X Is this report restricted? Yes No X Is the decision eligible for Call-in? Yes No

1.0 Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues 1.1 To outline the changes to traffic legislation as proposed by the Department for Social Development as part of the design for Belfast Streets Ahead (BSA) Phase 3 and provide a draft Council response to the proposals for consideration.

2.0 Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that Members consider the proposed response outlined in Appendix 1 and if appropriate agree its submission to DSD as the Council position. In summary:  it is suggested that the Council supports the changes to traffic legislation as part of the DSD Belfast Street Ahead Phase 3 proposals. The proposals support a number of policy areas identified in the Belfast City Centre Regeneration and Investment Strategy, for example the need to “create a green, walkable, cyclable city centre”.

3.0 Main report Key Issues 3.1 The Department for Social Development is progressing with the detailed design for Streets Ahead Phase 3 and is currently consulting on proposed changes to traffic legislation as a part of the scheme. The Belfast City Centre Regeneration and Investment Strategy identifies Belfast Streets Ahead as a key project for the north of the city centre area and the Director for Property and Project currently sits on the Project Board for the DSD scheme.

3.2 The BSA Phase 3 project area comprises Royal Avenue, York Street (from Royal Avenue to Frederick Street), Frederick Street, York lane, Cathedral Gardens, Talbot Street, Exchange Street West and Academy Street, Curtis Street, Clarkes Lane, Great Patrick Street (part), Little Donegall Street (part) and Library Street (part).

3.3 The drawing in Appendix 2 illustrates the changes proposed and in summary the main changes for traffic movement are as follows:  Library Street – stopped up to motorised traffic;  Academy Street – stopped up to motorised traffic from Donegall Street to Exchange Street;  York Street, 2 disabled parking lay bys and 4 bays for taxi ranks, new pedestrian crossing south of Curtis Street;  New coach parking bays on Frederick St & Great Patrick St;  Mandatory cycle lanes on Frederick Street and Great Patrick Street;  Lower Royal Avenue – new pedestrian crossing outside Castle court main entrance;  Upper Royal Avenue – new pedestrian crossing adjacent to Library Street; and  Prohibition of a left turn from Donegall Street onto Royal Avenue.

3.4 The Council previously supported the establishment of the Library Square as part of the original DSD Northside Village concept and the creation of this open pedestrian space will provide an enhanced access to the Northside comprehensive redevelopment area.

3.5 It is suggested that the Council also welcomes the stopping up of a short section of Academy Street to facilitate improvements to Cathedral Gardens and provide additional city centre open space areas. The open space should connect and enhance the setting for Cathedral and University whilst providing a new space accessible to students, staff, local residents and businesses. The potential to provide enhanced space and connectivity would outweigh the loss of on street parking resulting from the proposals.

3.6 It is suggested that the Council support the new space available for coach parking on Frederick St and Great Patrick St as this will improve access to the university for students by means other than the private car. 3.7 It is suggested that the proposals for new pedestrian crossings, disabled parking bays and taxi ranks are welcomed to increase capacity and improve accessibility throughout the area. The proposed loading / unloading facilities will also provide servicing to support the traders.

3.8 It should be noted that there are no proposed changes to access arrangements for Royal Avenue this will be restricted to bus and cyclist access only as per existing legislation. A recent request was received from DRD Transport NI to consider taxi access to Royal Avenue from 6pm to 6am each day, in order to collect or set down fares in the street, following a trial from the 1st October 2014 to 1st April 2015. A report to the City Growth and Regeneration Committee on the 9th September 2015 recommended that the trial be extended and that any amendment to the access in this area should be considered as part of the next phase of the Streets Ahead project. The Council would request that the proposal to allow restricted taxi access to Royal Avenue is assessed as part of the Streets Ahead Phase 3 scheme.

3.9 It is therefore suggested that DSD/ Transport NI reviews the current pilot for limited taxi access in the context of the changing land uses and emerging development proposals

3.10 The Council supports high quality segregated cycle lanes for Great Frederick Street and Great Patrick Street particularly as traffic volumes and speed may be high in this area. High quality cycle infrastructure in this area will support the Belfast Bikes scheme and offers a sustainable, low cost mode of transport for students.

Financial & Resource Implications 3.11 None

Equality or Good Relations Implications 3.12 None

4.0 Appendices – documents attached

4.1 Appendix 1 – Council Response to Belfast Streets Ahead Phase 3 Proposed change to Traffic legislation in Belfast City Centre Appendix 2 – DSD Correspondence and scheme overview layout drawings Appendix 1

Response to Belfast Streets Ahead Phase 3 Proposed change to Traffic legislation in Belfast City Centre

Belfast City Council welcomes the opportunity to respond to the DSD proposals for changes to traffic legislation as part of the design for Streets Ahead scheme Phase 3. The Belfast City Centre Regeneration and Investment Strategy identifies Belfast Streets Ahead as a key project in the north of the city centre area. The proposals support a number of policy objectives in the Belfast City Centre Regeneration and Investment Strategy, for example the need to “create a green, walkable, cyclable city centre”.

The Council previously supported the establishment of the Library Square as part of the original Northside Village concept and the creation of this open pedestrian space will provide an enhanced access to the Northside comprehensive redevelopment area.

The Council also supports the stopping up of a short section of Academy Street to facilitate improvements to Cathedral Gardens and provide additional city centre open space areas. The open space should connect and enhance the setting for Cathedral and University whilst providing a new space accessible to students, staff, local residents and businesses. The potential to provide enhanced space and connectivity would outweigh the loss of on street parking resulting from the proposals.

The proposals the inclusion of increased coach parking provision along Frederick St and Great Patrick St would also be supported as it will improve sustainable accessibility to the University and the northern city centre for students and other visitors.

The proposals for new pedestrian facilities, disabled parking bays and taxi ranks are welcomed to increase capacity and improve accessibility throughout the part of the city centre. The proposed loading / unloading facilities will also provide servicing to support the traders.

It should be noted that there are no proposed changes to access arrangements for Royal Avenue this will be restricted to bus and cyclist access only as per existing legislation. The Council would request that DSD/TransportNI review the current pilot for limited taxi access in the context of the changing land uses and emerging development proposals

The Council would support high quality segregated cycle lanes for Great Frederick Street and Great Patrick Street as traffic volumes and speed may be high in this area. The provision of high quality cycle infrastructure will support the Belfast Bikes scheme and offers a sustainable, low cost mode of transport for residents, visitors and students.

Appendix 2 DSD Correspondence and scheme overview layout drawings

Lower Royal Avenue Western Kerb Line - 3No. Bus stops (cages) in laybys - 2No. No waiting / double yellow line restrictions in Laybys Eastern Kerb Line - 2No. loading / Unloading bays - 2No. Bus stops (cages) in laybys Pedestrian Crossing – located outside Castle Court’s main entrance. Existing legislation remains - ‘No access to Royal Avenue except buses and cyclists’ BSA3 scheme to connect to existing kerb lines constructed as part of BSA1. Existing legislation outside scheme boundary not affected. Existing legislation to South remains - ‘No vehicles except buses, permit holders and for loading / unloading (6pm-11am)’

Upper Royal Avenue Western Kerb Line - Bus lane in the inside lane - 1No. Bus stop (cage) in bus lane - 1No. Loading / Unloading Bay - 4No. On-street Pay & Display Parking in laybys Eastern Kerb Line - Bus lane in the inside lane - 1No. Bus stop (cage) in bus lane - 9No. On Street Pay & Display Parking in laybys - 1No. Loading / Unloading Bay

Pedestrian Crossing – located adjacent to Library Square (Library Street) Prohibition of left turn from Donegal Street onto Royal Avenue.

York Street Western Kerb Line - Bus lane in the inside lane - 2No. Bus stop (cage) in bus lane - 10No. On-street Pay & Display Parking in laybys - 2No. Disable parking in laybys - 4No. Taxi Rank Eastern Kerb Line - Bus lane in the inside lane - 1No. Bus stop (cage) in bus lane - 4No. On Street Pay & Display Parking in laybys - 2No. Disable parking in laybys - 1No. Loading / Unloading Bay Pedestrian Crossing – located south of Curtis Street adjacent to University BSA 3 scheme to connect to existing kerb lines at Frederick Street’s junction with North Queen Street and Upper York Street. Existing legislation outside of the project boundary will not be affected.

Frederick Street Northern Kerb line - Mandatory cycle lane in the inside lane - 1No. Loading / Unloading bay Southern Kerb line - Mandatory cycle lane in the inside lane - 1No. Coach bay with limited waiting Pedestrian Crossing – located outside proposed University carpark BSA 3 scheme to connect to existing kerb lines at Frederick Street’s junction with North Queen Street and Upper York Street. Existing legislation outside of the project boundary will not be affected.

Great Patrick Street Northern Kerb line - Mandatory cycle lane in the inside lane Southern Kerb line - Mandatory cycle lane in the inside lane - 1No. Coach bay with limited waiting BSA 3 scheme to connect to existing kerb lines adjacent to Great Patrick Street’s junction with Academy Street and Upper York Street. Existing legislation outside of the project boundary will not be affected.

Little Donegall Street Southern Kerb line - 5No. Pay & Display Parking bays One Way Traffic Movement BSA 3 scheme to connect to existing kerb lines at Little Donegall Street’s junction with Union Street. Existing legislation outside of the project boundary will not be affected.

Library Street Southern Kerb line - 4No. On-street Pay & Display Parking bays - 2No. Disabled Parking One Way Traffic Movement Stopped up to motorised traffic – Between Belfast telegraph and City Library BSA 3 scheme to connect to existing kerb lines at Library Street’s junction with Union Street. Existing legislation outside of the project boundary will not be affected.

Donegall Street Northern Kerb line - 2No. Disabled Parking BSA 3 scheme to connect to existing kerb lines at Donegall Street’s junction with Academy Street. Existing legislation outside of the project boundary will not be affected.

Academy Street Stopped up to motorised traffic – Between Donegall Street and Exchange Street West Western Kerb Line - Amendment to On street Pay & Display Parking Eastern Kerb Line - Amendment to On street Pay & Display Parking Existing One Way Traffic Movement Remains 7.5 Tonne Weight Restriction legislation BSA 3 scheme to connect to existing kerb lines at Academy Street’s junction with Great Patrick Street. Existing legislation outside of the project boundary will not be affected. Exchange Street West Northern Kerb Line - Retention of existing On-street Pay & Display Parking One way Traffic Movement

Talbot Street Western Kerb Line - No waiting / double yellow line restrictions in Layby located outside Encore (hotel) Eastern Kerb Line - Retention of existing On street Pay & Display Parking Existing One way Traffic Movement remains BSA 3 scheme to connect to existing kerb lines at Talbot Street’s junction with Donegall Street and Dunbar Street. Existing legislation outside of the project boundary will not be affected. Docs 148645 v40 BIG SCREEN NI Game SP&R

STRATEGIC POLICY AND RESOURCES COMMITTEE

Subject: IFA Request to Create Fanzone re Belfast Big Screen

Date: 18 September 2015

Reporting Officer: Suzanne Wylie, Chief Executive

Contact Officer: Gerry Copeland, City Events Manager

Is this report restricted? Yes No x

Is the decision eligible for Call-in? Yes x No

1.0 Purpose of Report or Summary of main Issues

1.1 The purpose of this paper is to seek Members approval for the Irish Football Association to use the City Hall grounds and Big Screen on Thursday 8 and Sunday 11 October in regard to airing the Northern Ireland football team’s 2016 Euro Qualifiers against Greece and Finland. In addition Councillors are asked to recommend that Officers engage with the Irish Football Association in the delivery of the project. 2.0 Recommendations

2.1 Members are asked to:

- Approve the use of the City Hall grounds and Big Screen for the stated games subject to the Irish Football Association meeting costs connected to the event.

- Engagement of Officers to assist in the planning and delivery of the above request.

3.0 Main report

3.1 Key Issues On the 10 September the Council’s Chief Executive received a communication from the Irish Football Association (Appendix 1) in regard to the use of the Big Screen and City

Docs 148645 v40 BIG SCREEN NI Game SP&R Docs 148645 v40 BIG SCREEN NI Game SP&R Hall grounds for the broadcasting of the Northern Ireland football team’s two final qualifying matches in their 2016 Euro qualifiers. The Association has indicated that due to work on the new National Football Stadium that capacity is currently limited to 10,500 for the final home match, which could see the Northern Ireland team qualify for its first ever Euro Championships. Therefore, due to crowd capacity restrictions, at the old Windsor Park, the Association has asked that the game is relayed live on the Council’s Big Screen and an audience between 5,000 and 6,000 is allowed to access the grounds.

3.2 Initially the Irish Football Association indicated that they would like this as a free to access event with the Council covering all associated costs. However, they have also indicated in their email that they would be willing to levy a nominal fee for tickets for the event if it were approved by Council, which could be used to meet the costs of staging the relay event at City Hall on the 8 October.

3.3 As a cautionary note the Association has indicated that if Northern Ireland failed to qualify on the 8 October that they would like to repeat the exercise for the team’s final game in Helsinki against Finland, on 11 October, which could still see them qualify subject to other results.

3.4 Financial & Resource Implications Currently there are Council resources available to assist this request. Therefore, Members are requested to agree to the staging of the event, along with Officer input, but subject to the Irish Football Association meeting the costs of the event on the 8 October and possibly the 11 October. This can be achieved through the income received from the sale of tickets by the IFA.

Officers estimate that the total cost of staging both nights, for the suggested numbers indicated, could be in the region of £20,000 to £25,000. The bulk of these costs would be for: Sky broadcast rights; additional second screen (possibly for both dates); stewarding; site amenities; health & safety and security.

3.5 Equality & Good Relations Implications BCC Officers would work with the Irish Football Association to ensure that all sections of society in Belfast have the opportunity to attend the possible screenings.

4.0 Appendices – Documents Attached

4.1 Appendix 1 – Correspondence from IFA

Docs 148645 v40 BIG SCREEN NI Game SP&R Docs 148645 v40 BIG SCREEN NI Game SP&R Appendix 1 – Correspondence from IFA

From: Patrick Nelson [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: 10 September 2015 17:31 To: Suzanne Wylie

Dear Suzanne

I trust you are keeping well.

As you may be aware the Northern Ireland National Team are currently sitting top of Group F and if we get 2 points from our last two matches in October we will make history and qualify for UEFA Euro 2016 championship. This is a tremendous position for a country the size of ours.

Kantar Media recently conducted an independent survey of 1,000 people across NI, that was in line with the 2011 census, and one of the key findings was that 71% of the population stated that qualifying for a major tournament would help unite the people of Northern Ireland.

I believe if we qualify for a major tournament it will support your one of your aims which is to make a real difference to communities on a daily basis ensuring that Belfast is an attractive place in which to live, work, invest and visit.

We want to capitalise on this and get the people of Northern Ireland behind our team. The National Football Stadium is still under construction and our capacity is restricted to circa 10,500 – we have already sold out! In an effort to engage the people of Belfast and Northern Ireland we would like to show the Northern Ireland v Greece match on 8 October live at the City Hall.

Ideally we would like to have around 5,000 – 6,000 fans. The Irish FA could ticket this as a free event through Ticket Master to manage numbers. If you are agreeable we would appreciate it if Belfast City Council could manage the logistics, with associated costs, of the event along with relaying the match onto a second screen so that the experience is maximised for everyone in attendance. However, if the costs were significant we could even look at a nominal ticket price which may assist in staging an event that we believe as many of our fans as possible deserve to see!

Thursday 8 October could be a moment in history that we as a country can build on not just through football but by giving the people of NI something to unite behind.

On a slightly cautionary note, if NI fail to qualify from the Greece game we would like to look at a similar arrangement for the NI v Finland on Sun 11 October.

Should you require further information please do not hesitate to contact me.

Best regards Patrick

Patrick Nelson Chief Executive M: +44 7595 414317 | E: [email protected]

Irish Football Association 20 Windsor Avenue, Belfast, BT9 6EG, Northern Ireland T: +44 28 90688433 | W: IrishFA.com

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