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Macmillan on the Eastside Partnership. Thank you. Okay, Members, we will just get going on here. So, Item 11, Minutes of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee. Members will note that the items contained in the Minutes of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee of the 24th of May concerning City Centre Regeneration Scheme, Organisational Reviews and Change Programme, Pay and Grading Review, Living with Water Programme Update, North Foreshore Giants Park Belfast Limited Leisure-Led Development Update, City Hall Income Generation Proposals, Request for Use of City Hall Grounds, Invite to Participate in Building Cultural Networks Convention on Cultural Expression and the Meeting of 31st Concerning 2024 Summer Community Diversionary Festivals Programme. August Programme related the matters for which confidential information was supplied to the members of the committee. It should not be necessary for the Council to declare the meeting of the members of the press and public for the debate on those items. The Chief Executive will advise the Council of that situation changes. Menace off the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, Councillor Ryan Murphy. I move that the Minutes of the Proceedings of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee of the 24th and 31st of May 2024, emitting matters in respect of which the Council has delegated its powers to the committee, be approved and adopted. Do we have a seconder? Councillor Ferguson. The Minutes agreed? Councillor Collins. Thank you Chair. I wanted to raise an item relating to B541, an SPNR at City Hall Income Generator Proposals. I want to propose that the Council rejects plans to hike fees for weddings in the City Hall. I think when you look at the proposed price hikes for weddings in City Hall, it's an astronomical hike we are proposing. The proposals are to go from £100 to £350 on a weekday. That's a 350% increase and on a weekend the price will go from £100 to £500, a 500% increase. I think we should, I want to argue we should reject this and I want to formally propose that it goes back to committee. Part of the rationale for increasing the prices this much is that we are, we haven't done so in some time and that we are not competitive with other venues in the city centre that offer weddings and I think that this rationale is problematic for the Council because we are not a corporate entity that is in competition with other businesses in the city centre to provide wedding venues. We are a civic building which offers a service at a subsidised rate for repairs and I think it would be a shame if that were to go out the window. So I do want to propose that this goes back to committee and that committee seeks not to hike prices for weddings in the City Hall. Sorry, Councillor Collins, are you proposing that it is rejected or that it goes back to committee? I propose it goes back to committee for further consideration, okay. Is there a seconder for that proposal? Okay, there's no seconder so that's not going to go through. Councillor Donnelly. Thank you, Deputy Chair and listen, I'll take the stair from the chief here. It's item B588 just in terms of where we move in restrictive and clear the gallery, it's in relation to NI Waters and potential legal challenge? That depends how far we go with it. Okay, well you can keep me right. So yes, in terms of B588, it's around NI Waters' refusal to connect homes to the sewage system. We believe it's legally wrong. We have a bold and ambitious plan here as part of the Belfast agenda, 66,000 people to be living here, over 30,000 homes. That's great and that's our part of stuff but the real stuff is around the housing crisis, the housing crisis across Belfast. We have people sofa surfing, we have people living in overcrowded homes, we have people living, aspiring to get a house and what we have is developments sitting here ready to go and NI Waters are just point blank refusing to connect them. So I welcome the decision made by an ASPR committee that we will explore legal options but I just want to get that reaffirmed here tonight that we need to explore all legal options here to move this forward because it's morally wrong when we have people living in a housing crisis who can't get a house when homes are willing to be built. Thank you. I'm happy to obviously report back in terms of legal advice in that due course but the general course is that if a development has obtained full permission then it's not lawful for Northern Ireland Water to refuse to connect it. Thank you. Councillor Donnelly, Councillor Beatt. It's actually the same issue. We had a very robust discussion at SP&R about this and I think the chief executive has just actually stated the position. Northern Ireland Water have a statutory duty. If you're a domestic applicant for domestic property and you get plan approval they have a statutory duty and legal requirement to connect you to the network and that is when there are many cases failing to discharge. What they're also doing is they've created a new system where you now have to apply to Northern Ireland Water for approval before you submit a plan application for your domestic property, i.e. your home. When Northern Ireland Water possess no powers of approval or rejection of plan applications or anything else their role and responsibility as a statutory consultee is to respond to your plan application where they make their views heard and the plan authority for Belfast which is this council then makes a decision. So I think we supported Councillor Donnelly's proposal at committee but it's very important that all members understand and that when your constituents are contacting about this new level of application that Northern Ireland Water have put in their website that Northern Ireland Water do not have the power to approve or deny or reject any plan application that belongs to this council and I think that needs made very clear to Northern Ireland Water. Thank you. Thank you Councillor Wright. I've not seen any more indications to speak so we're going to move on to item 12. That's agreed. That's agreed. Great. So item 12, minutes of the People and Communities Committee. Members will note that the items contained in the minutes of the People and Community Committee of 2nd of May concerning the update on Exiled Booty legislation, Alli Gates Phase 5 consultation update, six monthly health wise and physical activity referral programmes update, GLL leisure management contract, six monthly update on contract compliance and performance, strategic cemeteries and crematorium working group update, update on the Venn Social Value Levy Fund, relate the matters for which confidential information was applied to the members of the committee. It shouldn't be necessary for the council to clear the meeting of the members of the press and public for the debate on those items. The chief executive will advise council of that such recent changes. Minutes of the People and Communities Committee, Councillor Verner. I move that the minutes of the proceedings of the People and Communities Committee of the 2nd of May 2024 be approved and adopted. We'll have a seconder. Councillor Bumping. The minutes agreed. Okay, we've got Councillor Maggie. Thanks, Deputy Lord Mayor. It's C4G8 on the branch of our stadium, the preferential use agreement, and yet it's just become a bit of a mess, hasn't it? On the night at committee when we initially voted to end this preferential use agreement, without speaking to the club concerned, we reviewed three partnership agreements, no questions asked. No issues with the partnership agreements, I just want to highlight that inequity at the start. A decision was made in this chamber to bring this decision back to committee for further consideration. Somehow the needs-based assessment of each of the clubs and a few more went on ahead. We've based that needs-based assessment on a crude count of numbers, which, as I've said before, I don't think adequately captures need. It doesn't take into account the particular needs of clubs who use the pitch or what they're using it for. The preferential use agreement covered eight hours a week. The needs-based assessment now looks to cover all the hours between five and ten. The most affected club by the decision asked to present to the committee, and unlike others who have asked in the past and been refused, they had no consultation to respond to, they hadn't written with their opinions, they were just flat-out refused. It's no secret that I'm a passionate sports person, but particularly women's sport is an area that I worry about in our city. Women's participation in sport is shockingly low. In 2022, 37% of women in our city played sport once. I don't think that's good enough. One of the key things that encourage women to take up sports are strong female role models, and those performing on the world stage. One of the best examples of this in Northern Ireland are the women's team at Glenthorne Football Club. They're multiple league champions, they participate in the Champions League, and the work under this needs-based assessment risks cutting off their talent stream with the natural knock-on impact that that will have on women and girls' sport in East Belfast. Glenthorne used their allocations to show their commitment to women's sport. 50% of their allocation was used for women or girls. With that in mind, I'd like to propose that when we get the needs-based assessment back to committee, it also echoes that 50/50 split across all of the hours, and I hope that people can support that and show their support for women's sport in the city in this way. Listen, I think it's a real shame how this has played out for us to have this fight all the time, and I would rather that we didn't have to do that for all of the clubs involved, but what it does show that we need, probably as part of the pitches strategy or more of the work that we do, particularly around pitches in East Belfast, is to look at how we allocate slots of pitches across the city that takes account of need, of gender and of disability and other groups who use our pitches. But yeah, that proposal that when we get the needs-based assessment back, it looks at a 50/50 split across women and men's football. Thank you. Thank you, Councillor Maggie. So you're making a, just to be clear, you're making a proposal for ... Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Do you have a seconder on that? Okay. Councillor Bowyer. Okay. So ... Yeah. Well, Jim will give us the, Jim, have you got the formal wording for that? Yeah. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. So just to be clear on the wording of the proposal, that the decision of the People and Communities Committee of the 2nd of May under the heading Blanche Forest Stadium preferential use agreement be amended to provide that, the plans that come back to committee include allocations that use a 50/50% allocation for men's and women's sports. Members, do we have agreement on that or do we need to go to your vote? I'm happy to agree. I'm not hearing any. Okay. No. Okay. We'll go to your vote then. Yes, Councillor Smith. Thank you. I'm not against this proposal but can we have some clarity here because what happens if a women's team plays in Avonlea? Is there going to be any sort of, will it upset pitch provision across the east? That's what I'm just confused about and does it also set a precedent for right across the city? I have no problem here in terms of women's sports getting sorted but I just want to know where we are on it. I mean properly this is probably something that we need to consider in the wider context of the pitches strategy because we do know that there is under provision at a number of levels not just based on gender but age et cetera et cetera and I know that that analysis has been undertaken and will be used to inform the pitches strategy going forward. I don't know whether that's something that could be taken into account at this stage. Councillor Maggott. Yes, just to be clear I'm happy that it comes back as part of the proposal and committee considers it there but we've already set a precedent with this needs-based assessment and allocating the pitches that way. There's a precedent set so let's include women's sport in that but I'm happy that the proposal forms part of the plans that are brought back to committee. So to be clear we're proposing it comes back to committee? Yes, okay so that's what we're voting on members. Councillor Beattie. Thank you. Yeah we have concerns around this too. I mean obviously we need to make it more open to all genders but the difficulties I think across the city is our booking system at the minute where it's basically first come first serve. I certainly have experienced pitches being black booked by teams some not even using it and then we have hundreds of kids across the street squeaking into a half size pitch and they can't access all their facilities that are vacant. So there needs to be a tightening up of our booking system and I understand that is going to be part of the pitches strategy. I do think we need to get this bit of it sorted as soon as possible because the new bookings really start the other side of the summer and we've already experienced a lot of problems throughout this year so I think I know the pitches strategy is not going to be done quickly but I do think the booking element of it needs to be accelerated and needs to be brought forward as soon as possible. Okay, I'm not seeing any more indications to speak. Sorry, Councillor McIntyre, any issues? It's a different issue. Okay. Okay. I would like to speak on the social levy so I don't know if there's a restriction around that or not. So Councillor Maggie, I've been speaking to the strategic director. He informs me that the report will go back and it will contain analysis based on gender and from what he's been telling me, I think that you might not have an issue. Fingers crossed. So are you content just to allow to go back to committee is the question. Thank you. Okay. Agreed, members. Okay, thank you. Thank you, Councillor Maggie. Apologies, Councillor McIntyre. First of all, congratulations on the deputy membership and I hope you have a great year ahead. So the reference for me is page 72C348 and it's just to welcome the fact that the social value fund has begun to work itself out now through the processes of City Council. I have to say that I was at a meeting last week that was organised by council officials in Musgrave Park and there were many residents there. It was a review of how things had went at the recent concert about your plan fees and we discussed the whole business of the social fund being open now. So a very, very positive response to that. Lots of ideas from local residents around things like family fund days, community days, some environmental improvements in the area because quite apart from them being sort of fenced in while the concerts and so on go on, it is an area that has very, very poor air quality. So there was a great discussion around how this could be used to some effect in that area and we let people know that recommendations would be going via councillors to the South Belfast Area Working Group for approval further on down the line at SPNR. So it's great to see it and welcoming the fact that we now have this up and running and that local residents and businesses will benefit from it. And I'd also like, by the way, to thank the council officials for their very hard work in facilitating quite a number of meetings both before the concerts and after and certainly facilitating the residents last week. Thanks. Thank you, Councillor McTeer and for the well wishes as well. Councillor Donnelly. Sure. The point's been covered by Councillor Beatty, so I'd indicated earlier on but Councillor Beatty covered it so. Okay. No worries. We want the Councillor to feature them. Thanks Lord Mayor. It's the same issue in relation to the social value fund. I have a proposal to make in relation to it as well. I also welcome the fact that we've finally moved to a point where we're able to get movement on this because it has been a bone of contention for councillors, particularly around the Oromo area where we've worked across party on a number of proposals over the years and we've worked very closely with officers and with the promoters and with others to get to a point where, for the large part, we are seeing a reduction in problems and issues that have been raised around major concerts and events and we're seeing more co-operation towards tackling some of those issues. So welcome that work. I hope that it continues and I hope that other areas and other places in the city can learn from that and I know that that has started to happen around Boucher. The SDFP first raised the idea in relation to the social value fund and it was my colleague Councillor Lyons. So we are particularly glad to see it now coming forward but we have some concerns in relation to the minutes and the proposals around what happens for Oromo Park. Oromo Park falls in a strange gap between two area working groups, the south area working group and the east area working group, with councillors from three different district and electoral areas that are directly affected by events that take place in it and we've had a good working relationship across the parties and those three DEAs to develop our proposals as to how this money might be spent. For instance, one of the things I know that we have been talking about in the SDFP and that we've talked to others about is the potential for using some of it to establish a dedicated dog run in Oromo Park. But I'm concerned that given the good level of relationships between councillors, officers and local residents that this proposal is to send the decision straight to SPNR rather than having a proper engagement process for councillors from those three affected DEAs. So I'd like to formally make the proposal that before any recommendation goes to SPNR that there is a meeting of the councillors from the Listnashara, Botanic and Titanic district electoral areas to discuss any potential recommendations for what happens with that money before it comes as a proposal to SPNR so that we can continue on that good work. And finally, I would say, certainly from the engagement that we've had with some of the promoters, there's an indication and I would be very upfront in saying this, in some indications that we got from some officers also that there was slightly more money in this pot than we're now discovering that there is. And I would hope that we would maybe get assurances from councillors, from officers at some point as to how much exactly is brought in each year for each of the venues because what's sitting in the pots at the moment has accrued from over a number of years and it would be good I think for local councillors to get a sense of just what is brought in every year so that we can realistically set principles and priorities for what we want that social value money to be spent on. Okay members, so I have a proposal, do I have a seconder? Councillor Smith, cut you down. Is there to be an agreement with that or do we need to go to a vote? Okay, so that's agreed. I'm not seeing any more indications to speak on, sorry, Councillor Cavan. Yeah, look thank you, it's in C346 page 7, this is the alleyway to phase 5. Look, it's just to say it's great that we now have a number of streets that have met the threshold and that the committee has approved the enacting legislation and hopefully we can see those alley gates erected ASAP. But it is just in relation to those other gates, it is unfortunate that it has taken longer than anticipated. I don't recall any other alley gate phase taking this long and I know this process was tweaked a little, but it hasn't worked and hopefully lessons can be learned from this. And I know that canvassers will now call out their residents to complete surveys and that was something I think that was agreed as far back as late last year at the start of this year and I was disappointed just to recently learn that the council can only get one canvasser to go door to door. I think people turned up and they decided that the rule wasn't for them, even though there was a job description that outlined the rule and what it involved. So we'll have one canvasser that's to cover north, south, east and west. So that's going to add to the delay, which is concerning. Now it is good to hear that there was a healthy reply received from the recent consultation form that was sent out to residents along with the free post envelope. To be honest that's what should have been done from the start rather than sending out a letter with a QR code and that's something that I did raise at the time. I would just ask officers to continue to liaise with those representatives in relation to the streets that are still well below the threshold. So we can do all that we can to help the process along and get the remainder of the gates erected ASAP because after all these gates are being installed to offer extra security due to ASB so the sooner that they're erected then the better. Deputy Lord Mayor it's really just to echo what Councillor Callan said. I do have concern about the length of time it has taken to undertake and conclude this process. I think it was August nearly two years ago that in south Belfast we shortlisted the gates or the locations of gates that we were approving for going forward and yet the communities are still waiting and there is a degree of frustration aside from the fact that these are designed to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour. There is also reputational risk for the council that we say we're going to do something and then we don't do it for a very long time and this is the case over and over. I know for example there was money set aside by DFI when the SDLP minister was there for improving entries and that was supposed to go in parallel to the work that's being done on this and I don't know what's happened to that as well. There is a real energy that came out of COVID around trying to improve local communities. Some people thought the gates were a good idea and they've pushed for those, others believe there's other ways of doing it and they're perfectly entitled to promote that approach as well but unless we as a council are able to be nimble and respond quickly to these issues there is a degree of frustration that builds up in communities that the council isn't listening to and isn't responding to I suppose what they're identifying as the ways they want to improve their eyes as we live in. So I do think we need to learn from how this process has proceeded or not proceeded and how things should be streamlined to ensure that the process is robust but also expedient and fast and is done in an appropriate way and also look at how we can complement processes such as the alligator scheme to support communities and improve in the area in which they live because I think some of the energy around COVID that built up communities is dissipating because we have lost the momentum behind it. That isn't to say that we shouldn't still try to push for that so I'd really urge us to look at how we conclude this process as soon as possible and appropriately, how we learn from it in terms of how we do this in future and urge that we look at the wider context in which communities improve what they do through the support of council because I think we are missing the trick and think there is more we need to be doing to support those communities particularly in highly built up areas where there isn't much green space because it really is good for both physical and mental health and I think on the back of COVID we need to be continuing that momentum around trying to improve communities rather than forgetting about it and returning to the pre-COVID status quo in which communities really just kind of are left to language and start brick walls without any kind of focus on biodiversity or mental or physical health. Thank you. Thank you, Councillor McKeown. Aldermen McCulloch. Thank you, Chair, or Lord Mayor. That be Lord Mayor. To echo the previous point, I think there is a real degree of frustration in relation to the alley gates in the scheme. I know we announced a number of years ago now that residents who are living in the streets that are plagued by anti-social behaviour and associated issues and you think you will get your gates within a reasonable time frame. These are still plagued by anti-social behaviour. We have had numerous requests as to the status of alley gates and to be fair to officers any time that I have went and saw clarity on that. The clarity has been prompt. The process has been explained. I appreciate that officers are stressed and resources are under pressure but it comes back to the point that alley gates are part of our core business and that is one of the initiatives that should be at the forefront of this council. It is the same with bins. There are areas where we are waiting years on a litter bin and you can't get a litter bin. It is the same with streets and getting street swept. Rather than focusing on all these highfalutin, phantasal ideas that people have that cost time, resources and money, we can sit here and do time and time again saying well if I can't get my street swept, if I can't get a litter bin and if I can't get an alley gate, what is the point in all this other stuff? So for me as a council, we need to get back to what are the core services that this council ought to provide and I need to provide them in a timely fashion and I need to provide them based on those areas of need. I have an area in Alexander Park Avenue that is plagued day and night. We interface issues, drugs, substance misuse, flag-tippment, a whole host of issues and anti-social behaviour and they can't even get engagement on the matter. So listen, we need to focus on our core business and get back to that and we need to expedite some of these things. Thank you. Thank you. Alderman McCulloch not seeing any more indications. So are we agreed? Agreed. Okay, members, moving on to item 13 which is minutes of the City Growth and Regeneration Committee. Members will note that the items contained in the minutes of the City Regeneration Committee of the 8th of May concerning vacant the Vibrant Scheme, updating coach parking and hop-on hop-off operators, Belfast Zoo collection and update and the meeting of the 29th concerning TransLink Belfast Grand Central update relate the matters for which confidential information was supplied to the members of the committee. It should not be necessary for the council to clear the meeting of the members of the press and public for the debate on those items. The chief executive will advise the council if that situation changes. Minutes of the City Growth and Regeneration Committee. Councillor Nelson. Thank you. I move that the minutes of the proceedings of the City Growth and Regeneration Committee of the 8th and 29th of May 24 be approved and adopted. Do I have a seconder? Councillor Duffett. All agreed? Sorry, indication to speak. Councillor Smith. Thank you, Deputy Lord Mayor. It is on the Vacant Vibrant Scheme but I hope the chief executive, I'll try and I don't want to go too much into details. I just want to praise the work that the Vacant Vibrant Scheme has had over the last year or so. It's reduced vacancy rates from 23 per cent to 21 per cent in the city centre. I know that there's a lot of work ongoing in the city centre. That provides 40 odd per cent of our non-domestic rates. So it is a very vital, important area for this council to work on, and I want to praise the work that officers have done. I believe as the Vacant Vibrant Scheme comes to its conclusion in this form, I believe that we need to kind of broaden its scope. Yes, that we need to continue with the city centre, but we also now need to look across the four quadrants of the city. There is areas of multiple deprivation, high vacancy rates that we need to maybe also work on, and I think -- I believe that we need to -- we need intervention from Stormit here. We need support here to take this forward through the various government departments. So I hope that other political parties here would share -- would share some of our opinion to myself and ourselves as Greens here, that if we want to take this forward and we want to transform this city, I think that we need to look outward and we need to be brave, but also that we need to look to Stormit to come on board and back us here. Thank you, Councillor Smith. Not seeing any more indications. Agreed? Great. Okay, so moving on to item 14, minutes of the Planning Committee. Minutes of the Planning Committee, Councillor Carson. Thank you, Andrew, and congratulations on taking on the role of Deputy Mayor and also to Mickey for his role as Mayor. I'm sure you'll have a brilliant year and you'll do yourself proud, your family proud, your party and the city proud, so have a great time. Oh, in the interest of goodwill, just to take a wee bit of stress off you on the first night, if you want me to go over and sit beside Dean, I'm happy to do it, alright? That's the type of guy I want. No one deserves that feeling. You've got my condolences. Well, you can tax me. Okay. I move that the minutes of the Proceedings of the Planning Committee of 14th of May, '24, admit matters in respect of which the Council has delegated its powers to the committee, be approved and adopted. Thank you. The most entertainment reduction the minutes of the Planning Committee have ever heard, so there's another first for Belfast City Council. We'll have a seconder. Councillor Murphy. Are the minutes agreed? Agreed. Okay. Moving on to item 15, which is minutes of the Standards and Business Committee. Aldermen Lawler. Thanks, Lord Mayor. I move that the minutes of the Proceedings of the Standards and Business Committee of 23rd of May, 2024, be approved and adopted. Do I have a seconder first? Councillor Kelly. Councillor Di Ficci, you want it to come in. Yes, thank you, Lord Mayor. I read with dismay from the minutes of the meeting in relation to questions being raised around official announcements and it comes as no surprise, though, I have to say that there is a further attempt to try and limit speech in this chamber, or certainly that's how it appears, and I think it is in terrible fashion in which that has tried to be done. In my view, official announcements are used in this place by councillors from all parties as an opportunity to congratulate people within the city, to thank members of staff for their hard work in relation to council projects or major events, and to recognise the contribution of people to the city, to pay tribute to people who we have lost who have made a contribution to the city or to individual neighbourhoods, and I think, frankly, it is distasteful that we're getting to a point and a suggestion where there may be some curtailing of that and there is, I think, an opportunity to not go down that path and reject that as an option, so I would propose, Lord Mayor, that we do not move forward with the report on changing procedures around official announcements, and that we continue to give councillors across all parties and all sections of the city the opportunity to mark the special commitment and dedication and work of people or the impact they've needed in Belfast. Morning. Thank you very much Arthur, and listen, I'm not trying to stay for anyone talking. What I simply ask is for a report to come back and just look at the absence and the trend to sort of probably modernise how we do things. I know maybe the SDLP likes to stay in the past, but I'd maybe try and move this place forward a bit to see what we can do. All we're simply doing is to ask for a report to see how we can actually maybe look at things, making it more effective, and I don't think anyone thinks that sitting here for 45 minutes on official announcements is sometimes a good thing to do. I understand what the Member is saying, that there's significant things that happen within the city, and I think they should still be recognised at the sort of council. This was for simply backed as an options paper. If the Member wants to then engage with the officers and how to try and shape that option paper, he's in his right to do so, but I think it's a bit crass at this stage just to reject the report outlining future options. Alderman McCulloch. Thank you, Lord Mayor. It is interesting to hear a councillor who has been at the forefront of a speech permit agenda, attempting to talk about free speech in this chamber, so I welcome him supporting our campaign, which is to uphold free speech and the speech of all citizens across the city. I can understand the laughter. The irony is not lost on us on these benches, but the previous speaker is absolutely right. It is a report to look at the efficiency of council and council business, and there are people who, quite frankly, attend for abusing the process under official announcements, so we will not be at all attempting to prohibit anybody that has a legitimate official announcement that falls in line with the business of this council, but some of them are being hijacked for political purposes and other causes, so if people want to raise those, raise them under the relevant section of business, but I look forward to Councillor de Vite supporting our campaign against speech departments in the city. Thank you very much, Lord Mayor. Councillor Long. Yeah, I mean, to be honest with you, I share a number of the reservations that Councillor de Vite would have, but I don't see in any harm in terms of bringing back a report to look at the options at this stage. Certainly for me, it is something that gives people the opportunity to laud and to praise those who have done good things in the city and who may otherwise be ignored, so I think there's definitely a rule for this, and I would hope that any kind of proposals to come back are certainly not going to limit that at all, but I do think it's maybe just the format of it or whatever can be looked at, so we're content for that to come back, but certainly we wouldn't be content if there is going to be a specific sort of curtailment of people's ability to raise issues, and so we will look forward to the debate whenever that comes back, but happy for a paper to come back. Councillor Beattie. Yeah, I mean, I suppose when Councillor MacLachlan brought this, I mean, I think there was 14 official announcements at one council meeting in particular, and probably the same to the previous one, and this isn't about curtailing free speech, this is about looking at a proper framework where actual issues can be addressed, because even the one tonight, the official announcement tonight, around casement, the official announcement tonight should have been the SDLP actually support casement now, because they've fought for ten years against it. That should have been the official announcement. So... Seamus, do you have a seconder for your proposal? Are we agreed? [No audio] Okay, would you like to do it by show of hands? Yes. Okay. [No audio] Forward? [No audio] And those against the proposal? [No audio] Lord Mayor, they're voted for six, and against forty, so the proposal is lost. Not seeing any other indications for this evening? No? Okay. So that conducts our business for this evening. Thanks. [No audio]

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[BLANK_AUDIO] [BLANKAUDIO] [BLANKAUDIO] [BLANKAUDIO] [BLANKAUDIO] [BLANKAUDIO] [BLANKAUDIO] [BLANKAUDIO] [BLANKAUDIO] [BLANKAUDIO] [BLANKAUDIO] [BLANKAUDIO] [BLANKAUDIO] [BLANKAUDIO] [BLANKAUDIO] [BLANKAUDIO] [BLANKAUDIO] Members, we want to make a start. 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And I'd like to thank my party colleagues, my party members, and the residents of Balmoral for giving me this opportunity. Growing up as a young gay person, I never imagined that my future would lead into this chamber and this chair. In fact, I never imagined my future would be in this city. I thought the only way to live my authentic self would be to leave and find greener pastures. But the opportunities which presented themselves to me led me here. Me sitting in this chair wearing this chain will cause some controversy. Not because of me personally, hopefully not, but because of what I represent. This may just be another Lord Mayor to some, but for my community this day is particularly symbolic. We've never been represented in this office yet we make up a significant proportion of society. There will always be those people who ask, who question why my sexuality matters, and to those, it will never matter and that's okay. But as just as it was important for when Arlene Foster became the first female leader of the DEP, or more recently when Michelle O'Neill became the first nationalist first minister, this is also an important milestone for my community. This year I want to connect with the people who make our city what it is. Those who have been making a difference in our city, whether that be those who are welcome passionately in the homeless sector, supporting those who are experiencing homelessness, community workers who are driving change for the local communities, sporting organizations who are breaking down classes outside of barriers, or thriving artists and musicians who bring our city to life. I love this city and I want to show people just how amazing it is and I promise to represent Belfast with determination, ability, passion and enthusiasm. Thank you. [Applause] So, I'm happy at this point to take remarks from the floor. Shims, thank you. Thank you, Chief Executive, and thank you, Lord Mayor. This will be the one time I'll say something really nice and glowing about you this year, so take as much out of it as you get. I suppose to look, first of all I would say I thought I was competent up a wee bit in terms of the flowery shirt tonight, and I'm glad to see that Michael joined me, and then the robes came out, so we've definitely got a spectacle and occasion for you this evening. As this in your installation, this is a historic moment and a very important night. A community that has been marginalized in this city for so long, that has been outside of this building rather than inside of it, that has been seen as being outcast and looked down upon by people, now occupies the chair in this chamber, and we have our first goth Lord Mayor of Belfast. [Laughter] But it is an incredibly important moment for you, Mickey, personally, and I know some of the struggles you've been through to get here, because some of us in this chamber have shared some of those struggles, the abuse we take for being openly LGBT in public life, for wanting to fight on a whole range of issues for the benefit of people in this society, but constantly having to come back to talk about our sexuality because people decide to use it to deride us, or to stop us from delivering change within our communities. So, revel in it, soak up as much of it as possible and enjoy it, and enjoy as much of the year as possible. I will be recruiting, as you know, and we've talked about this, as much of your support as possible for the LGBT hub, and making sure that that happens in two Royal Avenue, and I think that is an incredibly important addition to the city, that we're saying that we're not just going to make massive grand statements, like making sure that we have the first open LGBT mayor of the city, but that we as a council continue to deliver where others haven't, and I look forward to working with you on that in the year ahead. This is, as Michael has already pointed out, a historic night for Northern Ireland. My friend and party colleague, Lillian C. Noibar, will become the first black lord mayor in Northern Ireland, and the first female black mayor of Ireland. That is historic, and it means so much to her community and to so many other people who, like Lillian, have found themselves in this place as a refugee, and I think it sends a huge message. Similarly, in Nurey Morning Down, my friend and colleague, Pete Burton, will become the first open LGBT mayor of that council. This place wasn't built for that type of progress. Northern Ireland, as a place where no matter what your political outlook or perspective, it was built to continue the interests of a small number of wealthy people who shared wealth and power together. This was never meant to happen, but it has. And that, to me, demonstrates just how much this place has changed. And it has changed through cooperation amongst LGBT elected representatives, through people from an ethnic minority background, through people from different party views and opinions as well, and I hope that change continues. I am in the business of trying to build a new Ireland, and that is the type of new Ireland that I want to see us build. One that is welcoming, one that is inclusive, one that gives people from all sorts of backgrounds this type of opportunity, so that it's not just that we had Mickey Murray as the first open LGBT Lord Mayor of Belfast, but that that chair in the future welcomes the first refugee Lord Mayor of Belfast, and many more open LGBT mayors of Belfast and many more people from different backgrounds so that we truly represent the whole of the city. Well done, Mickey. I am looking forward to working with you throughout this year. Thank you, Councillor Flynn. Thank you very much, Chief Executive. Thank you, Lord Mayor, Mickey Murray. I have to say, when I've seen it, it was going to be, I was absolutely glad it, Mickey. Obviously, we've known each other a long time and we've known each other for years, both as political rivals in different parties and all of that, but as friends, most importantly, and that's essentially what's the most important thing to me. I know that you're going to bring so much to this room as well. For a lot of reasons, that's already been outlined, but for me, I'm just glad to see you only doing one job now, because it's been mentioned already, your work ethic is absolutely through the roof. I think for many members around here, we can be in this council at any time during the week at any moment, and you are sitting doing work. I know all the different committees that I'm on, you're on every single one of them, but if you're great to see, not on some of those committees and just doing this job, as you can, and it's great to see that Paul has given you the time off to do so as well. And so, good luck with that. And I just want to mention, because you mentioned it, Lord Mayor, in terms of visibility of the rule, and I've talked about visibility before in this chamber, and just to talk about how unbelievably important visibility is for our community, and you mentioned it yourself, and to see the progress that we've made tonight, and other members have talked about the various other councils as well, that we're seeing massive progress, and I would agree that that is not the North Ireland that many people envisaged 100 years ago, or many people envisaged even now, and it's great to see that now we're starting to see some real progress, and right now we're in the general election campaign, right? I'm not going to get too political, but we're seeing a lot of campaigns that are built upon cultural worship, that are built upon hatred and division, and built upon separating people from one another, especially towards queer people, towards a trans community in particular, and I have to say some parties in this chamber as well have gone down that route, and I would hope that they've stopped. But it's appointments like this that actually show us, you know what? We're going to stop that, and we're actually going to show North Ireland, we're going to show the people of Belfast that what we can do in this chamber and what we can do to lack of representatives is much more important than the type of hatred that they are trying to bring upon all of us. And I know that you yourself have had a difficult couple of years as well in the past as James' Outline in terms of some of the hatred and vitriol that we received online and in the papers and all the rest of it, but again, stand up proud and say, Uppercrears, thank you, nigga. Thank you, nigga. [APPLAUSE] Thanks a lot, Bunting. Thanks to our new Lord, Marr. I just want to wish you all the very best for the year ahead. I know you've been to an end at the deep end with an international visit in your first couple of days, so I know that you'll go out there and absolutely sell all the best attributes of our fabulous city. We look forward to seeing your engagement across the city with all communities. And I hope you have a fantastic year. Councillor Beatty. Thank you. Congratulations, Arfra. I know, again, a couple of years now, I think, and you're a good person. So, I've no doubt whatsoever. You will do a good job over this time. I've no doubt that you will reach out to all sections of the city and you will continue on with the previous motion. I have done in terms of reaching out that made it ours to be a better place. So, congratulations, and well done. Thank you. I think that concludes. Oh, sorry. Councillor Collins. Thank you, Chair. I just wanted to wish that Gohmer and Deputy Mayor Beaufran and Anja all the best. And thanks for all our hard work. And just to say, congratulations to both the Mickey and the incumbent Deputy Mayor on the new appointment. And then especially to Mickey, I think it is an important progressive step for inclusivity and a city and a historic day for yourself and for the LGBT community. So, we look forward and people before profit to working with you both in the year ahead. Congratulations. Thank you, Chief Executive. At your own behalf of the Ulster Unionist Party, we would like to congratulate you on your appointment. And with no doubt whatsoever, you will have a year to remember. And I would just say one thing to you. It's key that you represent the whole of Belfast and you put politics in the back burner until your year in office is eight through the door. It's a position, which is a great honor to hold, and I've had it for two occasions. And again, it's all about working with people, helping people, and being a real beacon for this great city of Belfast. So, all the very best and God's riches blessing in the future. Thank you, Lord Mayor. Okay. It's a lot of love. We'll give them a round of applause. What do you think? [APPLAUSE] Before we move to the installation of the incoming Deputy Lord Mayor, I would ask the outgoing Deputy Lord Mayor, Angela Grigan, if you would like to say a few words about her term of office. And of course, members can also speak after that on you. Thank you, Chief Executive. Yeah, this is a point I try not to get emotional. Done well up to this point. Yeah, like this, I don't think there's anything you can say that doesn't sound just like a cliche when you're in this role, but honestly, it's felt surreal from this time last year, when I was run around like an absolute headless chicken with two and a half hours notice that I was going to become Deputy Lord Mayor, looking at haircut. And to everything else that's happened throughout the year, it's been a whirlwind, but a complete notter honor and privilege. And that's what's made it so special, is the people that I've encountered along the way and people that have supported me from my party colleagues, who supported me into the role with a wonderful game of rock, paper, scissors, to all their support and encouragement and advice throughout the year, keeping me right and staring me through everything. To the Lord Mayor's office, honest to God, to you don't know how lucky you are, coming in with the support that you receive from Philip Nigel, Sandra, Michael, Barry, Sharon, Ralph, Colin, the whole crew are just absolutely fabulous. You won't want for nothing, they'll keep you right, they'll steer you right on everything. They're just absolutely lovely people. I couldn't say any warmer things about them, and they've really just made the role as well as the entire Democratic Services, the Chief Executive, the Deputy Chief Executive, the whole office and your management team keep you right for everything. You never go into anything where you haven't been briefed and know exactly what you're walking into. It's been amazing. One of the great joys of this role has been able to work with four incredible charities throughout the year. To Artverse the Career Arts Festival and see the incredible stuff that they were doing across our city, and I can't wait to see what they're doing later on in the year for Belfast 2024, keep your eyes peeled. Friends of the earth made an amazing event in here, so people came along as well from other parties in terms of some of the ecological crisis that we all know we're facing as a city and just draw attention and highlight those issues. The Women's Resource and Development Agency, or do some incredible capacity building work with communities right across Belfast and indeed Northern Ireland, and I've had the honor and the joy of being able to attend, speak at a number of their events, could a celebration event for one of their northern wide 11-up projects earlier on this year, and of course DKMS as well in terms of getting people registered on the stem cell donors, and I appreciate everyone in the chamber who really rode in behind that donation drive as well and supported that, and I really hope we were actually able to save people's lives from that event as well in terms of getting the sign-ups on the register. It was at the cost of my heart, and it was something I was delighted to be able to do something in this year to highlight. I'm trying to think of what else I need to say at this stage, but also thanks to Ryan, he was a fabulous LORD MAYOR. He worked really well with me as well and really appreciated the good working relationship that we had, likewise to our high sheriffs, Joel and Ileron and Sami as well. I think we've done the study quite, I hope, over the last year in terms of everything that we've done. Nothing can prepare you for the role, it really can't, but it's an absolute honor and a privilege to see the best and the brightest of Belfast and further feed the people that you make, the people that make Belfast what it is. I'd be here all day if I started speaking about them all, but honestly, honor and privilege of my life, and I just, I'm so grateful for the opportunity, and thank you so much. I'm best of luck to Mickey and Andre and your forthcoming term. I know you need to be so proud, but I can't wait to see what you can do with the role. Thank you. Councillor Smith. Thank you Chief Executive Anya. On behalf of us, you have excelled in this this year. You've made your own little bit of history of the first green to take up such a role in Northern Ireland and I know very much so that one of the big things was highlighting the ecological crisis that we're facing, not just in Northern Ireland, not just in this island, but across the planet. I think you've done fantastic on it. I know you're a bit of an introvert, and this for this was a bit of a shock, but you've been brilliant in it, and I've watched you grow. You've been fantastic. You're an absolute credit to this city. Even though sometimes you don't sing your praises high enough, and I think sometimes you need to because you've been brilliant. I want to also say that you've always sung the praises of the staff behind the scenes. Barry, everybody there, Sandra, all everybody. You've always said that. I think Mickey and Andre coming in, you'll see that as well. Just in terms of the support, and you said you could have done it without them. And again, also you've been highly support, highly praised around. So, well done this year. I hope this stands in good stead for the years to come, and you'll look back in this, the rest of your life for the sense of prayer, because you've done us proud. Thank you. Thank you, Brian. Councillor McDonough, Brian. Thank you. Just to really add, only congratulations on a really excellent year. You know, the charities that you picked I thought spoke really clearly to your values and your orientation, and that stands to your credits. And I enjoyed seeing you stand up for building arts and environments. And some of the challenges that we face there, and being a great defender of place making in the city. And also, something that is maybe a little bit less known as the work with refugees. It's one of the real privileges of that role is to welcome people to the city. And I know that was something that you really enjoyed. So, congratulations and best wishes for the future. Councillor Serra Bumping. Thanks, Sean. Congratulations on you and a very successful year in office. You seem to have been kept pretty busy. I do remember that meeting this time last year where you were quite perplexed. You had to try and pick somebody in a couple of hours. And when you suggested you were going to do three rock, paper, scissors, I thought you were joking, but apparently not. You have done a brilliant job, and you look to have really enjoyed it. So, congratulations and all the best for the future. Thank you. Councillor Ronan McLachan. Thank you, Chief Executive and Congratulations for a very successful year on you. I know when I spoke to Ryan, he was very happy and privileged to have you as his deputy as well, and that you were a great help to him. And I know some of the charities that you have supported such as DKMS, which is a charity very important to buy a heart as well. You could have really made a difference in this city and this year and the city of a life. So, I think you need to be privileged to that. Micky has the fortunate thing that he knew that he was coming to be the art for it today. You were scrambling about two yards before trying to get a heart-dresser. So, it'd be a fun and a deep end. I think you got thrown in slightly more than he did. So, and just to finish on a quote from Brian, you'll always be the Deputy Lord Merwin Clevver when there is come. Alderman Rogers. Thank you, Chief Executive. Deputy Lord Mer. A big thank you from the Ulster Unionist Party. You've had a great 12 months. New question about that. And the feedback from a wide range of people has been excellent. I'm one of which is a very successful future. With no doubt that you'll continue in public office, but you've been excellent. Giving tremendous support to the Lord Mer. I'm not so important because it's a team effort with the backing of the High Sheriff. Also, it proves that we can work well together. We may have disagreements, but at the end of the day, we're all pulling in the same direction to make sure that the couple of cities of Northern Ireland, Belfast, is one that's envied by many people. So, all the very best in the future. I look forward to working with you and the kind. So, thank you. Thank you, Chief Executive. I want to congratulate Deputy Lord Mer and your successful year in office. For anyone who's not aware, we all as group leaders have to play what I call political dingo. We have to sit down and sort out who gets walked under the De Hunt process. And the shock and the kind of look on everybody's face. And everybody realized, actually, this was going to happen in the Greens. We're going to have their opportunity to be Deputy Lord Mer. It was quite something. And I know that, you know, whilst it may have been a shock to you, you have relished in the year and got the most out of it and enjoyed it. I know that, you know, from a southbound perspective, you will continue to work in this same collegiate manner that you've always done. What I'm looking forward to most is the fact that down here in these troublemaking benches, we need some more guidance on standing orders over the next while. And certainly the SDIP group will be grateful to somebody nearby who can help us out with some of that troublemaking. I was happier with her up here. Councillor, the feature of him is really honest. Let's give on you a round of applause. I now call upon Councillor Bumpting to make nomination for Deputy Lord Mer. Thanks, John. I would like to nominate Councillor Andrew McCormick for Deputy Lord Mer. I'm delighted to be able to nominate Andy the same man as our new Deputy Lord Mer. Andy was elected last year and certainly had the ground growing. He certainly lives in love with East Belfast. So I think this is a great opportunity for him to get out into the community across the city. And I know that he will absolutely make the most of that. He came in last year and became our youth champion and has thrown himself into that. He has championed mental health since he came in. And he is certainly very well-known and works really well on the ground. So I congratulate him on his new appointment and wish him the best for the year ahead. So, Andrew, if you just come forward, please. [BLANK_AUDIO] [BLANK_AUDIO] [BLANK_AUDIO] [BLANK_AUDIO] [BLANK_AUDIO] [BLANK_AUDIO] [BLANK_AUDIO] [BLANK_AUDIO] [APPLAUSE]

Invite the new Deputy Lord Mer to make a few remarks. Thank you, Chief. And first of all, just two congratulations to the round and on you on a great year in the past. And we usually thoroughly enjoyed it. And hopefully enjoy a bit of a break now and get the enjoy being a husband. My wife has all that ahead of us, along with a three-week old baby. So apologies in advance, Kim. Could be up as a year. But it is an honor to have been selected for the possession of Deputy Lord Mer and Belfast. Really looking forward to the year ahead to supporting and deputating for Micky, as a member, really looking forward to building a good relationship, Micky. I know we're sure we're laughing the corridors anyway. So look forward to building on that. The reason I got involved in politics in the first place was principally to serve the represent and embody the people of East Belfast, especially at a political level as an extension of the work that I've done in the community for the town previous years. And I'll be able to say it's not just to serve the good people of East Belfast now, but the good people of the North-South on West Belfast too. Oftentimes people from working class communities feel as if their voices go unheard whenever it comes to the politics on issues affecting them. And I'm proud to say that they have a representative in me who does care, who does listen and does act. Really looking forward to working right across the city with communities. And despite the obvious political differences, we're very much the same affecting with the same issues. And I will echo their concerns and bring recognition to the valuable work carried out by all and our communities really looking forward to doing that. And together we are better together. We are Belfast. Thank you, Lord Mark. Thank you. Any comments from the floor at this stage? Alderman Rogers. Deputy Lord Mayor, it gives me great pleasure to offer the Australianist party. Congratulations on your new role as Deputy Lord Mayor. And the only advice that we give you is the more you put into the role, the more you get out of it. So there's a lot of hard work and it's important that you work closely with the Lord Mayor and bring about a team effort. You're very enthusiastic and we have loved every minute of being at Belfast City Council and serving on the various committees, but we want to assure you of our 100% backing. And whenever you're here in office, it's up that you can look back over and say to yourself, I'm glad that I went for the Deputy Lord Mayor's position and also put a lot of hard work into it. So all the very best. Take care. Thank you. Councillor McCullough. Now you chief executive, it is a privilege to congratulate Councillor McCullough as the new Deputy Lord Mayor of Belfast. Andy is a colleague, but a friend first and foremost. He has been a tremendous asset to our team. He serves as constituents and almost in on each Belfast with distinction. Coming from each Belfast, he is still an unfilled supporter, so contrary to the prior remarks tonight, he supports the most successful football team in the country. But I know far away from me to politics, I know you will serve the citizens of this city without distinction as well. I know it's a prior moment as well for your family, in particular your mother, your wife. Something for your new children, your new child and your children that look back on. I know they look back on it proudly as well. So listen, we are very proud of you. We wish you all the very best in the year ahead. And again, congratulations. Thank you. Councillor Flynn. Thanks very much. Chief executive. Deputy Lord Mayor, Councillor McCormack. Well done. Congratulations. I obviously first met you last year when you came into the Council. And I actually knew very, very soon after your election that you were going to be a really, really good representative for Almostan. Particularly some of the working class communities that you spent a year really trying to get behind in support. And I can see that with your politics, and I'm really delighted to see you in that role. And I look forward to working with you over the next year to see what else we can do for Almostan and Widery's Belfast. Of course, you said the Wider of the city as well, because that's the most important thing. It's a really important day for your family as well. I think I can see your mummy up there. I first met your mum outside the polling station in Braniel. It's just last year on election day. And she was wearing a T-shirt and I'd say, I dream of a comic on up. And I was a border. I loved it. It was the best thing I've ever seen. Because I just said here, Oh, here you hear support. It's very obvious. So you've got huge love in your family there. And it's great to see. Because the supportive family is the most important thing that any of us can help to achieve in life. And honestly, all the best. And obviously with the new child as well. Best luck to you, Andrew. So good luck. Thank you, Councillor Maggie. Thank you. Congratulations, Andrew. It's great to see your elevation and congratulations on the new BB2. I have absolutely no advice to give you on being a civic dignitary. But I have a baby who has stolen my watch this week. So be careful with that chain. I'm late for everything now because I can't find it. Andrew and I first met when I canvassed his house in the elections last year, which were a wasted five minutes for me, I'd guess. But I lovely would have been Jay. I lovely would have been your wife and your dog that day. And I guess it's probably fair to say that whilst we get on very well, we disagree on a fair few things. But what we absolutely agree on is that Belfast is brilliant. East Belfast is awesome. And Ormiston is the best part of it. So I really look forward to you championing that across your year and seeing what you do. Thank you, Councillor Ronan McLachlan. Thank you, Chief. And I just hope Anthony or Jenny got a number two and stands in number three. I don't think so. But, Andrew, congratulations on your post. It must have been the longest game of rock paper scissors that they have for this position. But listen, you show on three. And for a baby, I think you'll be a great representative for this city over the next year or so. And I look forward to bringing in the best part of Belfast, which is obviously West Belfast. And you'll be very welcome. And, sorry, what we'll be doing as a party, trying to support you in any way to come. But I have to give a shout out to Councillor McLACHLAN because I think he's going to miss you the most. You're like good. You're like the three chocolate brothers at the back there. So he's going to have no wonder nodes and start laughing at us. So we're going to have to find someone else for him. So congratulations, Andrew. And here, have a great year. Thank you, Councillor Lefecher. Thank you, Chief Executive. And similarly on behalf of the SDMP Group, I'd like to pass on my congratulations to the Deputy Lord Mayor. Similarly to Councillor Flynn and Councillor Mahi. I'd never met Andrew until he came into the council. And I suppose it was aware of some of his political views and knew that we would find some areas where we disagreed on. Probably more that we disagreed on sometimes than we agreed on. But we've got to know each other through the Eastman Fast DPCSP, where we've worked together. And sometimes Andrew raises an odd eyebrow at some of the things that I suggest to propose. And I have to spend a little bit longer trying to explain some of my more hare-brained ideas. But we've got to know each other and I think I understand more that it is better to work the common ground to try and find solutions to problems that it is to spend all of our time against one another. Similarly, I think more than most I will probably notice the quiet nature of that corner. Now that you're over there, Deputy Lord Mayor and perhaps Councillor McCulloch will find another partner to Eggamond during meetings whenever I'm saying something that you want to intervene on. Otherwise I'm going to have a really boring year. Congratulations as well to your family and enjoy the year. So I think that completes the installation of the Deputy Lord Mayor, so let's give Andrew a round of applause. Member with your permission, the appointment of members to committee year two, it's meeting on the 2nd of May 2023, the council agreed the governance arrangements for the current council term 23-27. This included a non-review of the committee membership of members to be appointed for one-year terms and reappointed at each annual meeting. This in effect means that the membership falls down and committees will cease on the date of annual meeting to be held today, June 23rd of June 2024. Year two of the term commences on the CM date, a meeting of the nominating officers was held on the 16th of May, which the remaining committee places were selected on these have been circulated, so the council simply asked to note those. Thank you. Again Lord Mayor, with your permission, change of membership on night side bodies, notifications have been received from the lands party, the Councillor Abernathy replaces former Councillor McMillan on the third trade steering group. Notification has been received from the Democratic Union's party, car through Councillor Ruth Brooks replaces Councillor bumping on the Belfast Dublin economic corridor. Councillor Verner replaces Councillor Debbie Douglas on the Community Planning Partnership. The UP have also indicated that they are only able to nominate a member who can attend R21, so you're asked to note those changes. I think we can then move to the substantive agenda, however, I think Lord Mayor at this moment is going to depart and the Deputy Lord Mayor will take over the chair. Lord Mayor is going to do some media, so he will return without due course, and invite Deputy Lord Mayor to take control of the rest of the meeting. Thank you. Thank you. Just another one to note, Councillor Abernathy has taken the place of Councillor Mullen on the side partnership. Thank you. Okay, members, we'll just get going on here, so item 11 minutes of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee. Members will note that the items contained in the minutes of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee of the 24th of May, concerning City Centre Regeneration Scheme, Oregon Asia Snow Reviews and Change Program, Pay and Grading Review, Living With Water Program Update, North Foreshore, Jan's Park Bell, Fast Limited, Leisure Lead Development Update, City Hall and Comm Generation proposals request for use of City Hall grounds, invite to participate in building cultural networks convention on cultural expression on the meeting of 31st concerning 2024 summer community diversionary festivals program. August program related to the model for which confidential information was applied to the members of the committee. It shouldn't be necessary for the Council to clear the meeting of the members of the press on public for the debate on those items. The Chief Executive will advise the Council of that situation changes. Members of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee, Councillor Rammarfe. Chairman, I move that the minutes of the proceedings, the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee of the 24th and 31st of May, 2024, admit and moderate in respect of which the Council has delegated its powers and the Committee be approved and adopted. Thank you. You about the seconder? Councillor Ferguson. The minutes are great. Great. Okay. Councillor Collins. Thank you, Chair. I want to raise an item relating to B541, an SPNR at City Hall and Com generator proposals. I want to propose that the Council of the Jacks plans to take fees for weddings in the City Hall. I think when you look at the proposed praise hikes for weddings in City Hall, it's an astronomical hike we're proposing. The proposals are to go from £100 to £350 on a weekday. That's a 350% increase and on a weekend the price will go from £100 to £500 to £500 increase. I think we should, I want to argue we should reject this and I want to formally propose that it goes back to committee. Part of the rationale for increasing the prices this much is that we haven't done so in some time and that we're not competitive with other venues in the City Centre that offer weddings. And I think that this rationale is problematic for the Council because we're not a corporate entity that is in competition with other businesses in the City Centre to provide wedding venues. We're a civic building which offers a service at a subsidiary for repairs and I think it would be a shame if that were to go out the window. So I do want to propose that this goes back to committee and that committee seeks not to hike prices for weddings in the City Hall. Sorry, Councillor Collins, do you propose that it's rejected or that it goes back to committee? I propose it goes back to committee for further consideration, Chair. Okay. Is there a seconder for that proposal? Okay, there is no seconder so that's not going to go through. Councillor Donnelly. Thank you, Deputy Chair. I'll take the staff from the chief here. It's Adam B588, just in terms of where we moved and restricted and cleared the gallery. It's in relation to anti-water potential legal challenge. But depends how far we go with it. Okay, well, you can keep me right. So yes, in terms of B588, it's around anti-water's refusal to connect homes to the sewage system. We believe it's legally wrong. We have a bold and ambitious plan here as part of the Belfast agenda. 66,000 people to be living here over 30,000 homes. That's great and that's our part of stuff. But the real stuff is around the housing crisis. The housing crisis across Belfast. We have people sofa surfing. We have people living in overcrowded homes. We have people living a span to get a house. And what we have is development sitting here ready to go. And anti-water are just point blank refusing to connect them. So I welcome the decision made by an ASPNR committee that we will explore legal options. But I just want to get that reaffirmed here tonight that we need to explore all legal options here to move this forward. Because it's morally wrong and we have people living in a housing crisis. We can't get a house when homes are willing to be built. Thank you. I'm happy to obviously report back in terms of legal advice in that due course. But the general course is that if development has obtained food permission, then it's not lawful for Northern out of order to refuse to connect it. Thank you. You can start on late. It's actually a mission. We had a very robust discussion about this. That I think the chief executive has just actually stated the position. Northern out of order have a statutory duty. If you're a domestic applicant for domestic property and you get plan approval. They have a statutory duty and legal requirement to connect you to the network. And that is when there are many cases failing to discharge. What they're also doing is they're creating a new system where you don't have to apply to more on a water for approval. Before you submit a planning application for your domestic property, your home. When Northern out of order possess no powers of approval or rejection of planning applications or anything else. Their ruling responsibility is a statutory consultation is to respond to your planning application where they make reviews heard on the planning authority for Belfast which is this council then makes a decision. So I think we supported Council documents proposal of committee but it's very important that all members understand. And that when your constituents are contacting about this new level of application, the Northern out of order have put in their website. The Northern out of order do not have the power to approve or deny or reject any planning application. That belongs to this council and I think that needs made very clear to the Northern out of order. Thank you. Thank you Councillor B aye. I've not seen any more indications to speak so we're going to move on to item 12. That's great. That's great. Great. So item 12, minutes of the people and communities committee. Members will note that the items contained in the minutes of the people and community committee of Sacramento may be concerning the update on axial booty legislation. All it gets, phase 5 consultation update. Six monthly health wage and physical activity referral programs update. GLL leisure management contract. Sex monthly update on contract compliance and performance. Strategic, cemeteries and crematorium work group update. Update on events, social value levy fund. Relate the matters for which confidential information was applied to the members of the committee. It shouldn't be necessary for the council to clear the meeting of the members of the press. I'm public for the debate on those items. The chief executive will advise council of thoughts that's using changes. Minutes of the people and community committee, Councillor Verner. I move that the minutes of the proceedings of the people and communities committee of the 2nd of May 2024 be approved and adopted. We'll have a seconder. Councillor Pumping. The minutes are great. Okay. I've got Councillor Maggy. Thanks. Deputy LORD MAYOR, C428 on branch of our stadium, the preferential youth agreement. And yet, just become a bit of a mess, hasn't it? On the night at committee when we initially voted to end this preferential youth agreement, without speaking to the club concerned, we reviewed three partnership agreements. No questions asked. No issues with the partnership agreements. I just want to highlight that in equity at the start. A decision was made in this chamber to bring this decision back to committee for further consideration. Somehow the needs-based assessment of each of the clubs and a few more went on ahead. We've based that needs-based assessment on a crude kind of numbers, which as I've said before, I don't think adequately captures need. It doesn't take into account the particular needs of clubs who use the pitch or what they're using it for. The preferential youth agreement covered eight hours a week. The needs-based assessment now looks to cover all the hours between five and ten. The most affected club by the decision asked to present to the committee. And unlike others who've asked in the past and been refused, they had no consultation to respond to. They hadn't written with their opinions. They were just flat-out refused. It's no secret that I'm a passionate sports person, but particularly women's sport as an area that I worry about in our city. Women's participation in sport is shockingly low. In 2022, 37% of women in our city played sport once. I don't think that's good enough. One of the key things that encouraged women to take up sports are strong, female role models and those performing on the world stage. One of the best examples of this in Northern Ireland are the women's team at Glintorn Football Club. They're multiple league champions. They participate in the Champions League. And the work under this needs-based assessment risks cutting off their talent stream with the natural knock-on impact that that will have on women and girls sport in East Belfast. Glintorn used their allocations to show their commitment to women's sport. 50% of their allocation was used for women or girls. With that in mind, I'd like to propose that when we get the needs-based assessment back to committee, it also echoes that 50/50 split across all of the Ours, and I hope that people can support that and show their support for women's sport in this city in this way. Listen, I think it's a real shame how this has played out for us to have this fight all the time, and I would rather that we didn't have to do that for all of the clubs involved, but would it all show that we need probably as part of the pitch strategy or more of the work that we do, particularly around pitches in East Belfast, is to look at how we allocate slots at pitches across the city that takes account of need, of gender, and of disability, and other groups who use our pitches. But that proposal that when we get the needs-based assessment back, it looks at a 50/50 split across women and men's football. Thank you. Thank you, Councillor Maggie. So, you're making it just to be clear you're making a proposal for... Yeah. Yeah. Okay, do you have a seconder or not? Okay, Councillor Bowyer. Okay, so... Yeah, well, Jim will give us the formal wording for that. Got the wording. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. So, just to be clear on the wording of the proposal, that the decision of the People in Communities Committee of the Second of May, under the heading Blanche Forest Aid in preferential use agreement, the amendment to provide that, the plans that come back to committee include allocations that use a 50/50% allocation for men's and women's sports. Members, do we have agreement or not? We need to go to your vote. We agree. I'll be here now. Okay. No. Okay. We'll go to your vote then. Yes, Councillor Smith. Thank you, Debbie Lourmer. I'm not against this proposal, but can we have some clarity here? Because what happens if a women's team players in the avenue? You know, is there going to be any sort of -- well, I'm upset. That's what I'm just confused about. And does it also set a precedent for a rate across the city? I have no problem here in terms of women's sports getting sorted, but I just want to know where we are on it. I mean, properly is probably something that we need to consider in the wider context of the purchase strategy. Because we do know that there is under provision at a number of levels, not just based on gender, but age, et cetera, et cetera. And I know that that analysis has been undertaken and will be used to inform the purchase strategy going forward. I don't know why that's something that could be taken into account this stage. Councillor Margot? Yeah, just to be clear, I'm happy that it comes back as part of the proposal and committee considers it there. But we've already set a precedent with this needs to be a assessment and allocating the pitches that way. Like, there's a precedent set, so let's include women's sport in that. But I'm happy that the proposal forms part of the plans that are brought back to committee. So, to be clear, we're proposing it comes back to committee. Yes. Okay. So, I'll sort of vote non-members. Can there be it? Thank you. Yeah. We have concerns around this, too. I mean, obviously, we need to make it more open to all genders. But the difficulties, I think, across the city is our boogin system at the minute, where it's basically first come, first serve. I certainly have experienced pitches that block booked by teams, some not even using it, and then we have hundreds of kids across the street squeezing into a half-sized pitch, and they can't access all their facilities that are land-fakened. So, there needs to be a tightening up of our boogin system. And I understand that is going to be part of the pitches strategy. I really think we need to get this bit of it sort of as soon as possible because the new boogins really start the other side of the summer. And we've already experienced a lot of problems throughout this year. So, I think, I mean, I know the pitches strategy is not going to be done quickly, but I do think the boogin element of it needs to be accelerated and needs to be brought forward as soon as possible. Okay. I'm not seeing any more indications to speak. Sorry. Councillor McK like to hear. It's a different issue. Okay. Okay. I'd like to speak on the social level. So, I don't know if there's a restriction around that or not. So, Councillor Maggie, I've been just speaking to the Strategic Directory. He informs me that the report will go back and it will contain analysis based on gender. And from what he's been telling me, I think that you might not have an issue. I think it's crossed. So, you can just allow it to go back to committee is the question. Thank you. Okay. Great members. Okay. Thank you, Councillor Maggie. All of these concerns are here. And first of all, congratulations on the Deputy Mayorship. And I hope you have a great year ahead. So, the reference for me is pH 72C348. And it's just to welcome the fact that the social value fund has begun to work itself out now through the processes of City Council. I have to say that I was at a meeting last week that was organized by Council officials in Musgrave Park. And there were many residents there. It was a review of how things had went at the recent concert and about your plan fees. And we discussed the whole business of the social fund being open now. So, they're very, very positive response to that. Lots of ideas from local residents around things like family fund days, community days, some environmental improvements in the area because, quite apart from them, you know, being sort of fenced in while the concert and so on go on, it is an area that has very, very poor quality. So, you know, there was a great discussion around how this could be used to some effect in that area. And we let people know that recommendations would be going via Councillors to the South Belfast area working group, you know, for approval further on down the line at SPNR. So, it's great to see it and welcoming the fact that we now have this up and running, that local residents and businesses will benefit from it. And I'd also like, by the way, to thank the Council officials for their very hard work in facilitating quite a number of meetings, both before the concerts and after, and certainly facilitating the residents last week. Thanks. Thank you, Councillor McTearan, for the valvices as well. Thank you, Mr. Donnelly. I'm sure our point has been covered by Councillor Beatty. So, I've been the kid earlier on, but Councillor Beatty covered it. So, okay, no worries. We're on the Councillor to feature them. And thanks, Lord Mayor. It's the same issue in relation to the social value fund. I have a proposal to make in relation to it as well. I also welcome the fact that we've finally moved to a point where we're able to get movement on this because it has been a bone of contention for Councillors, particularly around the OMO area, where we've worked across party on a number of proposals over the years. And we've worked very closely with officers and with the promoters and with others to get to a point where, for the large part, we are seeing a reduction in problems and issues that have been raised around major concerts and events. And we're seeing more cooperation towards tackling some of those issues. So, welcome that work. I hope that it continues. And I hope that other areas and other places in the city can learn from that. I know that that has started to happen around by chair. The SDP for sure is the ITA in relation to social value fund. It was my colleague, Councillor Lyons. So, we are particularly glad to see it now coming forward. But we have some concerns in relation to the minutes and the proposals around what happens for OMO Park. OMO Park falls in a strange gap between two area working groups. The south area working group and the east area working group. With Councillors from three different district electoral areas that are directly affected by events that take place in it. And we've had a good work in relationship across the parties and those 3DEAs to develop by proposals as to how this money might be spent. For instance, one of the things I know that we have been talking about in the SDP and that we've talked to others about is the potential for using some of that to establish a dedicated dog run in OMO Park. But I'm concerned that given the good level of relationships between Councillors, officers and local residents that this proposal is to send the decision straight to SPNR rather than having a proper engagement process for Councillors from those three affected DEAs. So, I'd like to formally make the proposal that before any recommendation goes to SPNR that there is a meeting of the Councillors from the Listen Shara Botanic and Titanic District electoral areas to discuss any potential recommendations for what happens with that money before it comes as a proposal to SPNR so that we can continue on that good work. And finally, I would say certainly from the engagement that we've had with some of the promoters, there's an indication, and I would be very upfront in sense, in some indications that we got from some officers also, that there was slightly more money in this pot than we're now discovering that there is. And I would hope that we would maybe get assurances from Councillors from officers at some point as to how much exactly is brought in each year and for each of the venues, because what's sitting in the pots at the moment is accrued from over a number of years, and it would be good, I think, for local Councillors to get a sense of just what is brought in every year so that we can realistically set principles and priorities for what we want that social value money to be spent on. Okay, members, so I'll have a proposal to have a seconder. Councillor Smith, got you down. Members are being the agreement with that, or do we need to go to your vote? Okay, so that's agreed. I'm not seeing any more indications to speak on, sorry, Councillor CUNNINGHAM. Yeah, look, thank you, it's in C346 page 7. It's the alligator phase 5. Look, it's just to say, it's great that when I have a number of streets that have met the threshold and that the committee has approved, the enacting, the legislation, and hopefully we can see those alligator-acted ASAP. But it is just in relation to those other gates. It is unfortunate that it is taking longer than anticipated. I don't recall any other alligator phase taking this long, and I know this process, but it hasn't worked and hopefully lessons can be learned from this. And I know that the Councillors and I call out the residents to complete surveys, and that was something I think that was agreed as far back as late last year at the start of this year. And I was disappointed just to recently learn that the Council can only get one Councillor to go door to door. I think people turned up and they had decided that the rule wasn't for them, even though there was a job description that outlined the rule and what it involved. So we'll have one Councillor that's to cover north-south, east and west. So that's going to add to the delay, which is concerning. Now it is good to hear that there was a healthy reply received from the recent consultation form that was sent out to residents along with it, the free post down below. To be honest, that's what you've been done from the start round and sent out a letter with a QR code, and it's something that I did raise at the time. I was just asked officers to continue to liaise with those rappers, but it was in relation to the streets that are still well below the threshold. So it's all we can do, all that we can, to help the process along and get the remainder of the gates erected ASAP because, after all, these gates are being installed that offer extra security due to ASB so the sooner that they're erected in the better. Thank you. Councillor Colleman. Councillor McKewan. Deputy LORD MAYOR, it's really just the echo. What Councillor Colleman said, I do have concern about the length of time it has taken to undertake and conclude this process. I think it was August, nearly two years ago. Up in South Belfast, we shortlisted the locations of the gates that we were approving for going forward, and yet the communities were still waiting, and there is a degree of frustration aside from the fact that these are designed to reduce crime, not the social behaviour. There is also a reputation risk for the council that we say we're going to do something, and then we don't do it for a very long time, and this is the case over and over. I know, for example, there was money set aside by DFI when the STLP minister was there for improving entry, and now it's just to go and parallel to the work that's being done on this, and I don't know what's happened with that as well. There is a real energy that can come out of COVID around trying to improve local communities. Some people thought it gets a good idea, and if pushed for those, others believe there's other ways of doing it, they're perfectly entitled to promote that approach as well. But less, we as a kind start able to be nimble and respond quickly to these issues. There is a degree of frustration that builds up in communities that the council is interested in and is responding to, I suppose, what they are identifying as a way as they are wanting to improve their as we live in. Do you think we need to learn from how this process is preceded or not preceded, and how things should be streamlined to ensure that the process is robust, but also expedient and fast and is done in an appropriate way, and also look at how we can complement processes such as the alligator in the scheme to support communities and improve in the area in which they live, because I think some of the energy around COVID that builds up communities is disappearing because we have lost momentum behind it. That isn't to say that we shouldn't still try to push for that, so I'd really urge us to look at how we conclude this process as soon as possible and appropriately, how we learn from in terms of how we do this in future, and how we look at the wider context in which communities improve what they do through the support of council, because I think we are missing a trick and think of it as more we need to be doing to support those communities, particularly in highly built up areas where there is much green space, because it really is good for both physical and mental health, and I think on the back of COVID we need to be continuing on momentum around the community's role in forgetting about it and returning to the pre-COVID status quo in which communities really just kind of relive the language and start brick walls without any kind of focus on biodiversity or mental or physical health. Thank you. Thank you. Councillor Killen. Alderland, McCulloch. Thank you, Chair. Councillor interjecting. Happy LORD MAYOR. The act of the previous point, I think there is a real degree of frustration in relation to the delegates in the scheme. I know we announced a number of years ago now that residents here are living in the streets that are plagued by anti-social behaviour and associated issues, and you think you'll get your gates within a reasonable time frame. These are, are still plagued by anti-social behaviour. We have had numerous requests as to the status of all delegates, and to be furry officers, any time that I have went, and saw a clarity on that, the clarity has been, has been prompt. The process has been explained. I appreciate that officers are stressed and resources are under pressure, but it comes back to the point that all the gates are part of our core business, and that is one of the initiatives that should be at the forefront of this Council. It's the same with bins. There's areas where we're at in years on a litter bin, and you can't get a litter bin. It's the same with streets and getting streetswebs, so rather than focusing on all these highfalutin, phantasal ideas that people have, the cost time, resources among them, we have constituents who come down time again saying, Well, I can't get my streetswept, if I can't get a litter bin, and if I can't get an alley, get lots of point knowledge. So our stuff, so for me, is a Council. We need to get back to one of the core services. This Council ought to provide, and it needs to provide them in a timely fashion, and it needs to provide them based on those areas in need. I have an area in Alexander Park Avenue that is plagued day and night. We interface issues, drugs, substance misuse, flight, and a whole host of issues, not the social behavior, and they can't even get engaged with all the matter. So listen, we need to focus on our core business and get back to that, and we need to expedite some of these things. Thank you. You all remember, I'm not seeing any more indications. So we agreed. Agreed. Okay, members, moving on to item 13, which is minutes of the City Growth and Regeneration Committee. Members will note that the items contained in the minutes of the City Red Regeneration Committee of the Itmae Concerning Vehicle in the Vibrance game, update and coach parking and hop-on hop-off operators, Belfast Zoo collection and update, and the meeting of the 29th Concerning TransLink, Belfast Grand Central update, relate the matters for which confidential information was supplied to the members of the committee. It shouldn't be necessary for the Council to clear the meeting of the members of the press, on public for the debate, news items, the Chief Executive will advise the Council of that situation changes. Members of the City Growth and Regeneration Committee, Councillor Nelson. Thank you. I move that the minutes of the proceedings of the City Growth Regeneration Committee of the 8th and 29th of May 24 be approved and adopted. You do have a seconder? Councillor Duffett. All agreed. Sorry, I'm in the case of the speak. Councillor Smith. Thank you, W. Lord. It is on the vacant development scheme, but I hope the Chief is out trying. I don't want to go too much into details. I just want to praise the work that the vacant development scheme has had over the last year or so. It's reduced vacancy rates from 23% to 21% in the City Centre. I know that there's a lot of work ongoing. The City Centre, that provides 48% of our non-domestic rates. So it is a very vital, important area for this Council to work on, and I want to praise the work that officers have done. I believe, as the vacant development scheme comes to its conclusion in this form, I believe that we need to kind of broaden its scope. Yes, that we need to continue with the City Centre, but we also now need to look across the four quadrants of the City. There are areas of multiple depravation, high vacancy rates that we need to maybe also work on. I believe that we need intervention from Stormit here. We need support here to take this forward through the various Government departments. So I hope that other political parties here would share some of our opinion to myself and ourselves as Greens here. Now, if we want to take this forward and we want to transform this, I think that we need to look outward and we need to be brave, but also that we need to look to Stormit to come on board and back us here. Thank you, Councillor Smith. Not seeing any more indications. Great. Great. Okay. So moving on to item 14, minutes of the Planning Committee. minutes of the Planning Committee, Councillor Corshant. Thank you, Youngrie. And congrats on taking on the role of W. Murray and also that Mickey for his role as Murray. I'm sure you'll have a brilliant year and you'll do yourself proud, your family proud, your party and the city proud, so have a great day. Oh, and the interest of you well, just to take a wee bit of stress, Alfie, on the first night. If you want me to go over and step aside, Dean, I'm happy to do it. All right. So that's the thing again. No one deserves that. You've got my condolences. That you can tax me in. Okay. I move the minutes of the proceedings of the Planning Committee of 14th May 24th. I've been to matters in respect of which the Council has delegated its powers to the Committee to be approved. I'll top it. Thank you. The most entered Hannah Mitroduction, the minutes of the Planning Committee. We'll have our hearts, and there's another first for Balfa City Council. I'll have a seconder. Councillor Marfait. The minutes are great. Great, okay. Moving on to item 15, which is minutes off the Standards and Business Committee. Alderman Noller. Thanks, Lord Mayor. I move that the minutes of the proceedings of the Standards and Business Committee of 23rd May 2024 be approved and adopted. Do Bob a seconder first? Councillor Kelly. Councillor Defeach, you want it to come in? Yes. Thank you, Lord Mayor. I read with dismay from the minutes of the meeting in relation to questions being reused around official announcements. And it comes with no surprise that we'll have to say that there is a further attempt to try and limit speech in this chamber. Certainly that's how it appears. And I think it is an terrible fashion in which that has tried to be done. And my view of official announcements are used in this place by Councillors from all parties as an opportunity to congratulate people within the city. To thank members of staff for their hard work in relation to Council projects or major events. To recognise the contribution of people to the city, to pay tribute to people who we have lost to and made a contribution to the city or to individual neighbourhoods. And I think, frankly, it is distasteful that we're getting to a point at a suggestion where there may be some curtailing of that. And there is, I think, an opportunity to not go down that path and reject that as an option. So I would propose, LORD MAYOR, that we do not move forward with the report on changing procedures around official announcements. And that we continue to give Councillors across all parties and all sections of the city the opportunity to mark the special commitment and dedication and work of people or the impact that they've made in Belfast. Good morning. Thank you very much, offer. And listen, I'm not trying to stay for anyone talking, what I asked somebody else is for a report to come back and just look at the options in the trying to sort of probably modernise how we do things. I know maybe the SLP likes to stay in the past, but maybe try and move this place forward a bit to see what we can do. All is simply doing is to ask for a report to see how we can actually maybe look at things making it more effective. I don't think any one thinks that sitting here for 45 minutes on official announcements is sometimes a good thing to do. I understand with the members saying that there's significant things that happen within the city. And I think they should still be recognised at the sort of council. This was for simply back as an options paper. If the member wants to then engage with the officers and hard to try and shape that option paper, he's in his right to do so. But I think it's a bit cross at the stage just to reject the report relating to future options. Alderman Mccollick. Thank you Lord Mayor. It is interesting to hear a Councillor who has been at the forefront of a speech permit agenda. Attempting to talk about free speech in this team as well. Welcome him supporting our campaign, which is the uphold free speech and speech of all citizens across the city. I understand the laughter. The irony is not lost on us on these branches. But the previous speaker is absolutely right. It is a reporter looking at the efficiency of council and council business. And there are people who quite frankly at times are abusing the process under official announcements. So we will not be at all attempting to bring anybody that has a legitimate official announcement that falls in line with the business of this council. But some of them are being hijacked for political purposes and other causes. So if people want the razors, raise them on their relevant section of business. But I look forward to Councillor Devita and support our campaign against speech permits in this city. Thank you very much Lord Mayor. Councillor Long. I mean to be honest with you, I share a number of reservations that Councillor Devita would have, but I don't see in any harm in terms of bringing back a report to look at the options of this stage. Certainly for me it is something that gives people the opportunity to load and to pre as those who have done good things in the city who may otherwise be ignored. So I think there's definitely a rule for this and I would hope that any kind of proposals that come back are sure you're not going to limit that at all. But I do think it's maybe just the form out of it or whatever can be left out. So we're content for that to come back but certainly we're not wouldn't be content. If there is going to be a specific sort of curtailment of people's ability to raise issues. So we will look forward to the debate whenever it comes back but happy for a paper to come back. Councillor Bity. You are correct. Yeah, I mean, suppose when Councillor McLACHLAN brought this, I mean, I think there was 14 official announcements that one council meeting in particular and probably the same the previous one. And this isn't about a free speech, this is about looking at a proper framework where actual issues can be addressed because even the one connect, the official announcement connect around casement. The official announcement connect should have been the STLP actually support casement night because the fourth for 10 years against it. That should have been the official announcement. So. Seamus, do you have a seconder for your proposal? Councillor interjecting. Are we agreed? No. Councillor interjecting. Okay, would you like to do it by show of hands? And those against the proposal? Councillor interjecting. LORD MAYOR, they're voted for six and against 48 to the proposal's lost. Not seeing any other indications for this evening? No? Okay, so I can talk to our business for this evening. Thanks. 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