1. SOLACE (NI) /CCMA Workshop Economic Downturn Challenge for Local Government Peter McNaney Chief Executive Belfast City Council 3 November 2010

2. “Time present and time past Are both perhaps present in time future. And time future contained in the past.” T S Eliot Four Quartets

3. Bad Times..  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

4. Turkey

5. MEXICO

6. SOUTH KOREA

7. UKRAINE

8. RUSSIA

9. ITALY

10. TAIWAN

11. INDIA

12. JAPAN

13. The Good Times  Huge physical progress: major infrastructure programme throughout 1990s & ongoing  €5 billion of investment & 35,000 new jobs in last decade  Third fastest growing economy in UK  GVA up 99% in 10 years  Lowest unemployment on record 4.1%  Tourist Boom - 6.9 million visitors in 2008, spending £324million  New landmark developments: Victoria Square, Cathedral Quarter, North Foreshore, Titanic Quarter

14. Laganside

16. Place shaping Belfast Civic Renewal City Hall 1906 £13m refurbishment Open June 2009 Ulster Hall 1862 £7.5m refurbishment Open May 2009 Belfast Institute of Technology £20m Ulster Museum £12m refurbishment Open Sept 2009 Belfast Central Library 1888 £60m new build Open 2011

18. Visitor numbers for Belfast 1994-2008 199419992007 Visitor600,0001.6m6.9m O/N Visitors200,000500,0001.4m Day Trippers400,0001.1m5.6m Spend£40m£110m£313.3m Rooms9001,5007,522 Jobs4,0007,00017,231 % of NI Tourism17%22%57%

19. Building a Better Belfast Rate Base over last 5 years  Industrial down 17m  Retail/office up 35m  Application value over 1m – continues to rise  Notional value of construction work making 1 billion  Big increase in dwellings until this year  Crane count 26

21. Economic Downturn…..

22. Impact on Belfast….  Unemployment rate doubled  Increase in vacant properties in the City Centre  Retail and residential lead developments frozen  ROI recession impacting on Retail Sector  £1m square ft of Vacant City Centre Office Space  Falls in property values  Growing tension between City Centre and ‘Out of Town’ Development

23. We live in Challenging and Uncertain times

24. How should we respond? Like an ostrich?

25. How should we respond? Or like a Chameleon?

26. What is the most important quality in coping with change?

27. Belfast City Council Response

28. City Leadership – Capital Investment

29. INVESTMENT CYCLE

30. What we can do ourselves

35. Other steps taken….  New Corporate Plan (2011-2015)  Economic Downturn Task Group and Action Plan  Framework to Tackle Poverty and Inequalities.  Improvement and Efficiency programme - Service improvement - Deliver ‘More for less’ - Demonstrate VFM

36. What next for Belfast?  City Investment Framework  Integrated Economic Development Strategy  Asset Management & Rationalisation programme Total Place Approach - integrated service delivery at local level Exploring alternative funding mechanisms

37. Invest in Hope, Aspiration & ‘Can Do ’ “The sense of danger must not disappear The way is certainly both short and steep However gradual it looks from here Look if you like but you will have to leap Tough minded men get mushy in their sleep And break the by-laws any fool can keep It is not the convention but the fear That must be made to disappear.” W H Auden Leap before you look