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Published in May 2022
Contents
Section 1 - Defining the activity subject to Section 1(1) of the Rural Needs Act (NI) 2016
Section 2 – Understanding the impact of the policy, strategy, plan or public service
Section 3 – Identifying the social and economic needs of persons in rural areas
Section 4 – Considering the social and economic needs of persons in rural areas
Section 5 – Influencing the policy, strategy, plan or public service
Section 6 – Documenting and recording
Section 1 - Defining the activity subject to Section 1(1) of the Rural Needs Act (NI) 2016
1A. Name of public authority
Belfast City Council
1B. Please provide a short title, which describes the activity being undertaken by the public authority that is subject to the Section 1(1) of the Rural Needs Act (NI) 2016.
Music Matters: A roadmap for Belfast (draft screening)
1C. Please indicate which category the activity specified in Section 1B relates to.
| Activity | Category | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Developing a | Policy | Strategy | Plan |
| Adopting a | Policy | Strategy | Plan |
| Implementing a | Policy | Strategy | Plan |
| Revising a | Policy | Strategy | Plan |
| Designing a public service | |||
| Delivering a public service | |||
Belfast City Council's activity relates to developing a policy.
1D. Please provide the official title (if any) of the policy, strategy, plan for public service document or initiative relating to the category indicated in Section 1C.
Music Matters: A roadmap for Belfast (draft screening)
1E. Please provide details of the aims or objectives of the policy, strategy, plan or public service.
The aim of ‘Music Matters – a roadmap for Belfast’ is to support the stabilisation and post COVID-19 recovery of the music sector in Belfast whilst also delivering on the ambitions laid out in the UNESCO City of Music commitments and ensuring cultural policy is embedded into wider city development and growth. Belfast was awarded UNESCO City of Music designation in 2021, celebrating the city’s rich musical heritage and recognising the importance of music to its future.
Music Matters: A roadmap for Belfast draft strategy, will deliver on the strategic ambitions of the council’s Cultural Strategy. Music has a central role to play in achieving these ambitions. The Belfast Agenda is expanded upon in Belfast’s Cultural Strategy 2020-2030, A City Imagining. It is focused on promoting cultural rights, sustainably growing Belfast’s cultural ecosystem, expanding local and international connections and increasing competitiveness. Supported initiatives include a green policy for festivals, a visitor experience plan harnessing Belfast’s uniqueness, and a start-up programme for creative entrepreneurs, all of which complements the City’s music strategy.
Belfast will be a city:
- where everyone benefits from a thriving and prosperous economy.
- that is welcoming, safe, fair and inclusive for all.
- that is vibrant, attractive, connected and environmentally sustainable.
- where everyone experiences good health and wellbeing.
- where everyone fulfils their potential.
The draft strategy focuses on four strategic themes (with associated priorities and actions):
- Theme 1: Place artists at the heart - Recognising the value of creators
- Theme 2: Nurture the sector - Strengthening the structures to support those who guide and invest in creators
- Theme 3: Ignite the live experience - Liberating the live music sector as a major catalyst for cultural and economic growth
- Theme 4: Unlock the unifying power of UNESCO - Sharing the gift of music with the people of Belfast
The strategy also puts forward recommendations for these areas:
- Leading the Way – The Belfast Music Governance Model including recommendations on a dedicated music officer/office working on strategic delivery
- Take Back the City – The Belfast Music Leadership Model including the recruitment of a new Belfast Music Board to oversee the strategic delivery
- Friends of Belfast Music – Partners and Allies including developing partnerships with Arts Council Ni, Tourism NI and BBC to deliver on shared ambitions
- Something to Sing About – Belfast Music Branding and Communications Strategy including promotion of our UNESCO City of Music status locally and internationally
Section 2 – Understanding the impact of the policy, strategy, plan or public service
2A. Is the policy, strategy, plan or public service likely to impact on people in rural areas?
Yes
No
If the response is 'No', go to Section 2E.
2B. Please explain how the policy, strategy, plan or public service is likely to impact on people in rural areas.
| How the policy, strategy, plan or public service is likely to impact on people in rural areas |
|---|
| This is not applicable |
2C. If the policy, strategy, plan or public service is likely to impact on people in rural areas differently from people in urban areas, please explain how it is likely to impact on people in rural areas differently.
| Explain if the policy, strategy, plan or public service is likely to impact on people in rural areas differently from people in urban areas |
|---|
| This is not applicable |
2D. Please indicate which of the rural policy areas the policy, strategy, plan or public service is likely to primarily impact on.
| Rural policy | Impact | |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | No | |
| Rural businesses | not applicable | |
| Rural tourism | not applicable | |
| Rural housing | not applicable | |
| Jobs or employment in rural areas | not applicable | |
| Education or training in rural areas | not applicable | |
| Broadband or mobile communications in rural areas | not applicable | |
| Transport services or infrastructure in rural areas | not applicable | |
| Poverty in rural areas | not applicable | |
| Deprivation in rural areas | not applicable | |
| Rural crime or community safety | not applicable | |
| Rural development | not applicable | |
| Agri-environment | not applicable | |
| Other (please state) | not applicable | |
If the response to Section 2A was 'Yes', go to Section 3A.
2E. Please explain why the policy, strategy, plan or public service is not likely to impact on people in rural areas.
Areas of Belfast outside the main urban area, including the three rural settlements are within relative proximity to the urban service centres in the main metropolitan area, and to the city centre. In Belfast City Council area, there are 1,484 rural residents (0.0043 per cent) out of a total 339,579 residents. The rural settlements are:
- Hannahstown 4km west of Belfast city centre
- Loughview 6.5km south east of Belfast city centre
- Edenderrty 8km south of Belfast city centre
This draft strategy cascades from the ten-year Cultural Strategy, A City Imagining. In October 2019, Belfast City Council agreed a new ten-year cultural strategy to drive transformation in the city. It brought together several areas including tourism, culture, heritage, arts, events and festivals. The Cultural Strategy provides the overarching strategic approach and this draft strategy is part of the overall approach with strong alignment and interdependencies. Already, the Cultural Strategy has been subject to an Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) and a Rural Needs Impact Assessment (RNIA). Associated investment programmes are subject to appropriate screening.
On 9 March 2022, members of the council’s City Growth and Regeneration Committee gave approval to hold a 12-week public consultation on the draft Strategy. Recommendations and feedback will be taken back in August to implement the strategy from September 2022.
It is also anticipated that any significant investment programmes emerging from this plan, will be subject to appropriate equality considerations.
This draft strategy applies to all areas of the city, recognising the importance of cultural diversity and inclusion as core elements and therefore, does not differentiate impacts on any specific community. It is therefore considered that this draft strategy will not have any major impact on people living in rural areas communities directly. Implementation of the four strategic themes and three catalyst projects that will be developed will specifically address the need for targeted initiatives and will be screened for Equality and Good Relations and Rural Needs (as detailed in 1E) and it is expected that this process would be more likely to identify any particular impact on people in rural areas.
Section 3 – Identifying the social and economic needs of persons in rural areas
3A. Has the public authority taken steps to identify the social and economic needs of people in rural areas that are relevant to the policy, strategy, plan or public service?
Yes
No
If the response is 'No', go to Section 3E.
3B. Please indicate which methods or information sources were used by the public authority to identify the social and economic needs of people in rural areas.
| Indicate methods or information sources used by the public authority to identify the social and economic needs of people in rural areas | |
|---|---|
| Consultation with rural stakeholders | not applicable |
| Consultation with other organisations | not applicable |
| Surveys or questionnaires | not applicable |
| Published statistics | not applicable |
| Research papers | not applicable |
| Other publications | not applicable |
| Other methods or information sources (include details in Question 3C) | not applicable |
3C. Please provide details of the methods and information sources used to identify the social and economic needs of people in rural areas including relevant dates, names of organisations, titles of publications, website references, details of surveys or consultations undertaken.
| Provide details of the methods and information sources used to identify the social and economic needs of people in rural areas including relevant dates, names of organisations, titles of publications, website references, details of surveys or consultations undertaken. |
|---|
| This is not applicable |
3D. Please provide details of the social and economic needs of people in rural areas which have been identified by the public authority.
| Provide details of the social and economic needs of people in rural areas which have been identified by the public authority |
|---|
| This is not applicable. |
If the response to Section 3A was 'Yes', go to Section 4A.
3E. Please explain why no steps were taken by the public authority to identify the social and economic needs of people in rural areas.
| Explain why no steps were taken by the public authority to identify the social and economic needs of people in rural areas |
|---|
Engagement with the city, its people the music sector has been core to the development of this draft music strategy. Following the co-design and collaborative ethos of the cultural strategy, A City Imagining, the council has carried out robust pre-consultation and partnership building through continued work with the City of Music Steering group since 2019 as well as targeted engagement via the work of Sound Diplomacy and Fourth Pillar in researching and developing the strategic recommendations for the music strategy. This has included:
Throughout the consultation period, officers will respond to requests for one-to-one meetings and presentations with a variety of stakeholders across the city, giving the opportunity for focused and in-depth engagement with stakeholders. This will help to foster a greater understanding of how the draft music strategy can feed into their field of work, as well as identifying opportunities for city wide partnership working and collaboration. Much of the engagement will be online in line with current COVID19 restrictions and will therefore be digitally accessible. Any workshops, presentations and events will be organised to take place in various locations across the city, to enable maximum participation, including people in rural areas. This will enable any issues that are relevant to people in rural areas to be identified to inform the development of implementation and subsequent investment/delivery programmes. Previous research carried out by Thrive (2018) in the development of the draft Cultural Strategy (in which Music Matters: A roadmap for Belfast cascades from) did not identify any specific issues for people in rural areas in terms of accessing or participating in cultural activities. There are 1,484 residents (0.0043 per cent) out of a total 339,579 residents in the Belfast City Council area: Hannahstown (4km west of Belfast city centre), Loughview 6.5km south east of Belfast city centre and Edenderry 8km south of Belfast city centre. Engagement with stakeholders and residents and the evidence gathered to date has given no indication of any likely significant adverse rural impacts. This position will be kept under review during the consultation and in monitoring and reporting data. |
Section 4 – Considering the social and economic needs of persons in rural areas
4A. Please provide details of the issues considered in relation to the social and economic needs of people in rural areas.
| Provide details of the issues considered in relation to the social and economic needs of people in rural areas |
|---|
|
As part of the public consultation, events are planned to take place in various locations across the city and an online survey (YourSay Belfast), which will enable maximum reach and participation across the city, including people in rural areas participating in the consultation. We welcome comments during this consultation from rural dwellers regarding music development plans. Having consulted widely on the Cultural Strategy, we are aware of rural needs. Comments during this consultation will help inform the development and implementation of the strategy. Just over one third of the 95 people responding to the online Citizenspace survey as part of the Cultural Strategy answered the specific rural needs assessment question (31 responses). While the majority of these responses (70 per cent) stated that they had no further comments or issues, comments included the importance of equality of access and equality of opportunity and the need to consider accessibility issues when planning and delivering cultural events or activities, including the cost, pricing and infrastructure issues such as use of IT, transport and parking. |
Section 5 – Influencing the policy, strategy, plan or public service
5A. Has the development, adoption, implementation or revising of the policy, strategy or plan, or the design or delivery of the public service, been influenced by the rural needs identified?
Yes
No
If the response is 'No', go to Section 5C.
5B. Please explain how the development, adoption, implementation or revising of the policy, strategy or plan, or the design or delivery of the public service, has been influenced by the rural needs identified.
| Explain how the development, adoption, implementation or revising of the policy has been influenced by the rural needs identified |
|---|
| This is not applicable |
If the response to Section 5A was 'Yes', go to Section 6A.
5C. Please explain why the development, adoption, implementation or revising of the policy, strategy or plan, or the design or the delivery of the public service, has not been influenced by the rural needs identified.
| Explain why the development, adoption, implementation or revising of the policy has not been influenced by the rural needs identified |
|---|
|
Music Matters: A roadmap for Belfast has been developed with an overall city-wide focus and recognises the diversity and inclusion of all communities. The draft plan will be subject to a 12-week consultation period and will include a number of events in various locations across the city and an online survey in order to enable people in rural areas participate in the consultation. The consultation will be monitored to check if there are any specific rural needs to ensure access to events and activities is communicated and available to people who live in rural areas. |
Section 6 – Documenting and recording
6A. Please tick to confirm that the RNIA template will be retained by the public authority and relevant information on the Section 1 activity compiled in accordance with paragraph 6.7 of the guidance.
| Confirmation statement |
|---|
|
I confirm that the RNIA template will be retained and relevant information compiled. |
Documenting and recording table
| Rural Needs Impact Assessment records | Details |
|---|---|
| Rural Needs Impact Assessment undertaken by | Nora Quigley |
| Position or grade |
Business Research and Development Officer |
| Division or branch | Place and Economy Department |
| Rural Needs Impact Assessment approved by | Chris McCreery |
| Position or grade | Culture Development Manager |
| Division or branch | Place and Economy Department |
| Date | 5 May 2022 |