The Art of City Making The Belfast Experience

1. The Art of City Making The Belfast Experience • Peter McNaney • Chief Executive, Belfast City Council

2. Overview • The Past • The Present : Facts and Figures • Some issues • Re-politicisation : a virtue or a vice • What is good governance in a divided society • Some examples of public value • Key leadership attributes of a public service • Creating a Value Creation Map • The Future : Opportunities and Leadership

3. The Past “We Belfast people are proud of our city and its many activities. We are in the very front of the race of civic development...and we have a laudable ambition to keep there...” Belfast Newsletter 1899

9. Daniel Defoe there were seven different and more subtle categories: 1. The great, who live profusely.2. The rich, who live plentifully.3. The middle sort, who live well.4. The working trades, who labour hard, but feel no want.5. The country people, farmers etc., who fare indifferently.6. The poor, who fare hard.7. The miserable, that really pinch and suffer want.

10. The Present2008

11. BELFAST 2008

12. Recent context… • Industrial decline since the 1950s • A period of civil unrest known as ‘The Troubles’ began in 1969 • Government by ‘direct rule’ from London • Economic slowdown and a migration away from Belfast to surrounding areas from the 70’s • Devolved government: re-established 8 May 2007 • New investor confidence in NI

13. Belfast: a city in transition • Huge physical progress: major infrastructure programme throughout 1990s & ongoing • €5 billion of investment & 35,000 new jobs in last decade • Fastest growing economy in UK • Lowest unemployment on record • Tourist Boom - 6.8 million visitors in 2006, spending £324million • New landmark developments: Victoria Square, Cathedral Quarter, North Foreshore, Titanic Quarter

14. Laganside Clarendon Docks Layon Place Cathedral Quarter Donegall Quay Mays Meadow

16. Belfast: a tourist destination

18. Visitor numbers for Belfast 1994-2005

19. Facts and Figures2008

20. BELFASTWhere are we now? • Who are we? • 277,391 650,000 in BMAP • 21.6% U16 18% pensioners • 7500 recorded migrants since 2005 • Where do we live? • Population is highly polarised • 80% in majority of neighbourhoods • 42 peace walls • Home ownership 55%

21. BELFASTWhere are we now? • Economy • 182,957 employed in the City • ½ of all foreign owned firms based in the City • 37% Public Sector • Only 7% manufacturing • Unemployment 3.9% • Fallen by 6% since 1991 • High level of Economically Inactive • Education • 2001/2 42% of School Leavers achieved 3 A levels or more – 7% leave school with no qualitications • 24.9% Working have degrees • 26.9% Working no qualifications at all – 70% over 40

22. BELFASTSocial Inclusion • Economy • 9 out of the 10 most deprived wards are in Belfast in terms of multiple deprivation • 12 out of Belfast’s 51 wards account for 40% of the unemployment • Third of unemployed have been claiming benefit for over one year • Health • Belfast has the 10 worse wards in NI in terms of health • Death rate from heart disease, strokes and cancer is one of highest in Europe • Education • 8 out of 10 of the most deprived wards in NI in terms of education, skills & training • Environment • Air Quality Poor Waste will double by 2020 • 21% recycling rate Energy • Transport

23. How does Belfast compare?Michael Parkinson – State of English Cities

24. How does Belfast compare? Innovation

25. How does Belfast compare? Skilled Workforce

26. How does Belfast compare?Quality of Life/Population

27. Some Issues 1How does Belfast compare?Fragmented Governance • 55 strategies • Too many single focused agencies leading to fragmentation and dilution of limited resources. • - Substantial division between: • - local and national government • - city and the metropolitan area • - city and rest of the region • - within the city itself • Mismatch between strategy and delivery. • Lack of trust and ownership. • No commonly agreed development framework for the city. • Lack of belief and leadership.

28. Some issues 2What is hindering our competitiveness? • Fragmented governance – Review of Public Administration • Public Sector dominance & lack of entrepreneurship • Under populated city centre (although depopulation has been arrested) • Slow planning process • Deprived Neighbourhoods • Lack of connection to growing prosperity • Skills/Employability • City v region • Learning to share and integrate • Learning to govern

29. Re-PoliticisationA virtue or a vice? • Return to devolution • What does it mean for us? • What is politics? • What is the value of representative democracy? • What is good governance? • What skills do we need to make it work

30. What is the value of representative democracy? • Connection to the citizen • Virtues of bureaucracy -v- drawbacks • Fairness • One size fits all • Slowness – wait your turn • Professional judgement, eg A1 -v- M1, and political vision

31. Virtues of representative democracy • Politics understands symbolism • Politicians can overarch professional disagreements • Politicians demand action • Political choices are difficult to criticize at Audit • Winston understood: “It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.”

32. What are the necessary ingredients for good governance? • Legitimacy • Must be fair • Recognise true nature of differentiated choice • Must be VFM • Accountability • Must be connected • Must be answerable and responsive • Must have ethical framework Consent to be governed by the citizen Shared responsibility for social outcomes Co-production and public value Eg Upper Springfield Safer Neighbourhoods, Brighter Belfast, Falls Leisure Centre, Gasworks site, Grove Wellbeing Centre, Connswater Greenway + = + =

33. Gasworks

34. Gasworks

35. Gasworks

38. INTEGRATED PUBLIC SERVICESGrove Health & Well-Being Centre

41. A Good Vision Must touch the heart and not just the mind. It must create a City to which Its citizens can identify In which they share a sense of pride To which they are willing to commit. The Poem Imagine BelfastVision

42. So hope for a great sea change On the far side of revenge Believe that a further shore is reachable from here Believe in miracles And cures and healing wells. Seamus Heaney The PoemThe Cure of Troy

43. Key Leadership Attributes in the Public Sector • What do our staff want? • “Leading change in the public sector” – Chartered Management Institute survey • Key findings • Clarity of vision • Integrity and Values • Sound Judgement • Only 30% saw those skills in their leaders

44. Key Leadership Attributes in the Public Sector contd… • Challenges • Low rating given to leading innovation – 20% • Low priority given to leadership development • Greater priority needed to develop leaders with capacity to manage the political dimension • Those developing policy/targets need to reconnect with frontline – those directly engaged in service provision • Must be revitalisation of the values agenda – commitment to public service and authority to make a difference • Highest morale exhibited by staff authorised to do this and recognised for their contribution

46. Key Leadership Attributes in the Public Sector Key roles • Civic entreneurship – solving problems by drawing on the resources and capabilities of others • Managing risk – pushing the boundaries of aspiration and being aware that public, media and politicians often want someone to blame • Managing legitimacy – win consent, persuade, explain, share responsibility

48. Emerging Strategic Objectives (1) The Council takes a leading role in improving quality of life now and for future generations for the people of Belfast by making the city a better place to live in, work in, invest in and visit (2) Providing leadership and strategic direction for shaping, developing and managing the city (3) Meeting the needs of local people through the Effective Delivery of Quality and Customer-Centric Services Strong Leadership Economic Growth & Wealth Creation Community Cohesion & Well-being Environmental Sensitivity & Sustainability An Organisation Fit to Lead and Serve

49. Community Cohesion and Well-being Building stronger relationships between communities and individuals. Promoting and improving the well-being of communities and individuals. • Working to improve the health and well-being of people in the city • Working to make areas safer • Promoting good relations between communities by:- • securing shared city space, • transforming contested space, • developing shared cultural space, and • building shared organisational space • Working to improve the experience of young and older people living in the city • Providing high quality facilities that make it easier for people to access services • Providing modern, fit-for-purpose leisure facilities as part of a wider Leisure Strategy for the city • Working to ensure that people across the city are treated with respect and have the same life opportunities

50. Why These Strategic Objectives? • 86% of people believe BCC is important to the everyday lives of the residents of Belfast • 56% believe BCC is the organisation best placed to shape the future development of the city • 59% agreed that BCC should take a lead role in promoting community relations in the city Top 4 things that would most help improve quality of life: • activities for teenagers (41%) • cleaner streets (29%) • facilities for young children (25%) • access to affordable, decent housing (18%) What should the Council’s priorities be? • making local areas safer (54%) • making local areas cleaner and greener (42%) • creating a clear vision for the city’s future (37%) • promoting good relations (34%) • helping to create a better city for children (29%)