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Structure

Partnership Structure

Who Is Involved?

The East Belfast Partnership Board, a registered company limited by guarantee, is made up of 24 nominees from each of four sectors as listed below:

local councils (8)
statutory sector agencies (5)
private sector businesses (3)
community sector organisations (8).

Both Belfast City Council and Castlereagh Borough Council are represented on the Partnership. The statutory bodies represented on the Partnership include the Belfast Education & Library Board (BELB), Belfast Regeneration Office (BRO), Department for Employment & Learning (DEL), Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) and South & East Belfast Trust (SEBT). A wide range of statutory agencies are also involved in the various working groups set up by the Partnership.

There are currently three private sector representatives on the Board including Brown’s Funeral Services, the Park Avenue Hotel, and an Independent Management Consultant.

The eight community Sector representatives are nominated by East Belfast Community Development Agency (EBCDA), which now has a membership of approximately 150 groups from across East Belfast.

The Partnership also works with a number of other organisations in a Belfast-wide context. These include the other Belfast Area Partnerships (BAPs) covering North, South and West Belfast along with Greater Shankhill, and a range of funding agencies. Our main day to day relationships are with the Department of Social Development1 (DSD) and Belfast City Council.

Organisational Structure

The East Belfast Partnership is a company limited by guarantee, with charitable status. Within the company are a number of sub-structures, including an Executive Committee and a range of Working Groups covering such themes as Employability, Physical & Economic Regeneration, Health, and Youth.

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee has delegated powers and responsibilities as outlined in its terms of reference. It currently consists of six members including the Chairman, Vice Chair and one representative from each of the four sectors. The Executive Committee is reappointed by the Partnership Board on an annual basis.

Working Groups

The Partnership sets the overall strategic direction and value base within which each of a series of thematic Working Groups is expected to operate. However, in determining what need to be done in practice and in drawing up action plans, the Working Groups have been granted a fair degree of freedom to act for the Partnership. This is achieved by asking each Working Group to present an annual programme of work to the Partnership for approval. They are expected to report quarterly to the Partnership on progress.

Neighbourhood Partnerships

In September 2004, DSD issued the Partnership with a one -year contract for funding with a target to establish two neighbourhood partnerships: the Inner East Neighbourhood Partnership and Tullycarnet Neighbourhood Partnership. The Neighbourhood Partnerships are currently in the form of ‘coalitions of interest’ and not separate legal entities. A memorandum of understanding between the Partnership and the two Neighbourhood Partnerships is to be established and approved by the end of October 2005.

Subsidiary Companies

The Partnership has a wholly-owned subsidiary, social economy company called the East Belfast Social Economy Company (EBSEC). EBSEC is a holding company for two businesses operating with a common board of directors appointed by the Partnership. These companies are:

Avec Solutions, a trading company providing IT and management consultancy to the voluntary and community sector

Landmark East, a property development company which acquires and redevelops derelict/vacant sites in East Belfast

The primary purpose of these companies is to improve the future sustainability of the Partnership by providing a source of income in future years. They will also add value to the regeneration process by creating profitable social economy businesses located in East Belfast and by attracting investment to improve the physical infrastructure of the area. Overall, the Partnership plans to build an asset base and generate a revenue stream that can be used for social, economic and regeneration activities in East Belfast.