Belfast City Council: A decade on from local government reform

The last 10 years have seen a period of considerable change for the better in Belfast. Local government reform in 2015 saw councils assume a greater leadership responsibility for a range of additional strategic and delivery areas.

Enhanced responsibilities – including planning; economic development; and community planning – have allowed Belfast City Council to really drive the city’s economic growth and prosperity and indeed that of the wider region.

Through building strategic alliances and focussing on attracting additional resources to provide quality services, the council has been helping to shape the city’s future.

Belfast was not subject to the same level of geographic changes which many other councils experienced a decade ago. There were some minor boundary changes, and a population increase – but more significantly there was an increased ambition to focus on city leadership to build strong partnerships, to address key city challenges, and to maximise opportunities.

This manifested itself in a commitment to sustainable, inclusive growth – a cornerstone commitment of the Belfast Agenda, which was initially launched in 2017 and refreshed last year.

The Belfast Agenda sets out the guiding principles for the development of the city. It provides a framework for inclusive economic growth. This focus is complemented by four other key strategic themes – our people and communities; our place; our planet; and creating a compassionate city.

The city is now a global innovation hub, a knowledge-based economy, and home to high growth sectors such as advanced manufacturing, creative industries, fintech, life and health sciences cybersecurity and film production. These sectors help drive economic growth not just in Belfast itself but in the wider city region, and indeed right across Northern Ireland.

The numbers tell their own story. Since 2012, there has been a net increase of more than 30,000 jobs in Belfast – about a quarter of all jobs created in Northern Ireland over that period. The average annual economic growth rate in Belfast between 2012 and 2022 was 5 per cent. Belfast’s economy has grown by £6.4 billion – or 58 per cent – over the last decade, while the city has a low unemployment rate of 2.4 per cent.

And with one in seven businesses in Northern Ireland based in Belfast, the importance of the city to Northern Ireland’s economic health is clear to see.

There is more to do to continue to realise the ambition and commitment of making Belfast a great place to live and work.

We have seen the benefit that extensive devolution agreements have had for cities such as Manchester and Liverpool, with greater control over transport, housing and skills development. These powers have been used to drive infrastructure investment, Manchester has become an internationally renowned hub for innovation and business growth and Liverpool has used its maritime strength and cultural economy to great effect and is now one of the UK’s fastest growing cities. These assets exist in abundance in Belfast, and Belfast City Council is well placed to work in partnership with local anchor institutions to unlock the economic potential of the Belfast City Region.

It is well established that, globally, cities drive economic growth accounting 80 per cent of GDP and close to 90 per cent of job creation. As the capital and largest city in Northern Ireland, Belfast plays a central role in driving economic growth across the region. Belfast acts as a net job creator for all adjacent areas. Almost half of those who work in Belfast do not live in the city and this is indicative of the city’s role as an employment hub for Northern Ireland, attracting a high proportion of commuters into the city for work.

However, challenges remain and while Belfast supports proportionately more higher-level jobs than other areas, it also has a disproportionate level of deprivation in many neighbourhoods. This apparent contradiction is behind the council’s commitment to focus on supporting sustainable and inclusive growth in Belfast – capitalising on the assets and the investments that have made Belfast a global business destination while ensuring that our residents have an opportunity to benefit from and contribute to that growth.

People are our most important assets and the council’s commitment to inclusive growth is demonstrated through interventions such as our Belfast Employment Academies – creating skills pathways to support those furthest from the labour market to move into well-paid roles in key growth sectors. We also want to inspire and support entrepreneurs to reach their full potential through the Go Succeed service – which offers a flexible menu of support for new and existing businesses, with a specific focus on under-represented groups.

And with a healthy development pipeline, we want to ensure that we focus on deriving maximum benefits from those capital projects for the people of Belfast. One critical element of this work is the programme of investment generated through the Belfast Region City Deal (BRCD). Signed in December 2021, this represents a new way of working between central and local government and regional partners. It secured a bespoke package of investment from central government and the BRCD partners of more than £850 million.

It aims to support the inclusive economic growth that delivers more and better jobs, a positive impact on the most deprived communities and a balanced spread of benefits across the region.

A huge undertaking, the Deal is coordinated by a team in Belfast City Council and is an exemplar of partnership working. It has already strengthened the region’s offer in growth sectors such as life and health sciences, the digital and creative industries, and advanced manufacturing.

With a goal of creating 20,000 new jobs, the deal will support next generation digital capabilities, boost tourism and support the region’s regeneration.

The most advanced projects are now recruiting and upskilling staff, constructing new premises, co-designing projects with industry, procuring next generation technology and equipment, and moving fully into operation.

The council’s £105 million leisure transformation programme which has also successfully delivered cutting-edge facilities, with unique selling points to attract users from across the city such as Andersonstown, Olympia, Lisnasharragh, and the refurbished historic Templemore Baths – which won a heritage project RICS award. These investments have resulted in increased memberships and usage of the centres with the aim of increasing the wellbeing of our citizens.

And there are big plans afoot for other key sites. Giant’s Park – a £100 million public-private project which will see an adventure park and nature reserve created on the vast former landfill site on the North Foreshore.

Belfast Stories will be another landmark project for the city. Expected to open by 2030, the visitor attraction, public space and creative hub at the much-loved Art Deco former Bank of Ireland building and the surrounding 5,000 square metre site will aim to attract more than 700,000 visitors per year, with up to 1,200 jobs supported during the construction and launch phases. It will help drive regeneration of the north side of the city centre.

Indeed, the redevelopment and revitalisation of Belfast’s city centre are key priorities for the council.

The 10-year anniversary of local government reform coincides with the 10-year anniversary of Belfast City Council’s strategy to improve the city centre – Belfast City Centre Regeneration and Investment Strategy (BCCRIS).

Globally recognised expert in city place-making and regeneration and Urban Strategies Inc partner, Joe Berridge helped shape BCCRIS. Returning to the city almost a decade later, he was impressed by the progress made in that space of time – especially given the aftereffects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The city centre is in far better health. There has been significant development and regeneration activity across a number of sectors, including office, hospitality, hotel and tourism and purpose-built student accommodation. The retail sector continues to show remarkable resilience despite challenges,” he said.

“I noted during my recent visit a sense of vibrancy and positivity in the city centre. Footfall is up, and the impact of the Ulster University’s campus relocation and students in the city has been transformative, bringing vitality and activity to the city centre.

“High quality shops and restaurants have become an increasingly attractive feature, contributing to an urban environment that is welcoming of investment and activity.”

There has been a significant level of development and regeneration activity delivered by the private and third sector across a range of building classes, particularly in the areas of provision for offices, tourism and hospitality, student accommodation and retail. Strong, vibrant communities that border the city centre have played, and should continue to play, a key role in the city centre’s regeneration.

By early 2024, over 5,000 student beds had been completed (with more than 1,000 beds under construction). Students are an important source of city centre housing demand not only whilst studying, but after they graduate, commence their careers and consider making Belfast their home.

The goal of achieving more city centre living capacity received a massive boost in November 2024 when Belfast City Council selected GRAHAM as its long-term private sector partner to work alongside the council to deliver residential-led, mixed-use, sustainable developments across multiple sites.

With an overall development potential of around £630 million, this initial partnership phase leverages strategic council-owned city centre sites with a development value of £280 million, which will deliver mixed tenure homes to help meet the needs of those wishing to live in the city.

This innovative approach will help drive forward city centre living and housing-led regeneration across the city.

The city’s tourist and cultural offering has also evolved greatly over the 10 years since local government reform. Belfast became a UNESCO City of Music in 2021, the only one to date on the island of Ireland, and will host the globe’s largest celebration of Irish traditional music and culture – the All-Ireland Fleadh – in 2026. The Fleadh will attract at least 700,000 visitors from right across the globe to the city. And Belfast is now well equipped to cater for such an influx with its superb hospitality offer. Since 2015, Belfast has been rated as the number one region to visit by Lonely Planet in 2018 and more recently featured in the second spot in National Geographic Traveller Magazine’s ‘Cool List 2024’.

But the job of building a better Belfast is by no means finished. While we mark 10 years since local government reform and can be proud of the positive change in the city and the Belfast region in that time, it is worth remembering that there are another 10 years in the Belfast Agenda’s lifespan. Targets for 2035 include growing the city’s population by more than 60,000, enhancing options for city centre living in a clean, green and connected place and innovating towards net zero emissions.

To deliver these goals, Belfast must continue its journey of inclusive growth, remain competitive on the global stage for inward investment and drive economic development for the wider region.

And it is clear that key to success is confident leadership, combined with effective partnership working.

www.belfastcity.gov.uk
X: @belfastcc
Facebook: @belfastcitycouncil
Instagram: @belfastcitycouncil
LinkedIn: ‘Belfast City Council’