Inform Newsletter Spring Summer 2015

Functions and services of Fermanagh&OmaghDistrict Council Fermanagh andOmaghDistrict Council has awide range of functions and responsibilities. The Chief Executive’s Department will manage overarching issues such as corporate policy and community planning, while other functions and serviceswill be administered through four Directorates. 03 04 Director of Corporate Services andGovernance JoanMcCaffrey, has responsibility for democratic services, including council and committeemeetings, minutes, legal matters, and the civic and ceremonial functions of the Council. She also has responsibility for registration of births, deaths andmarriages and for themanagement of the Council’s corporate functions such as finance, payroll and audit, human resources, communications and customer services, IT and procurement and the management of the Council’s estate and facilities. Director of Regeneration and Planning AlisonMcCullagh, has responsibility for the Planning function, which is devolved to local councils, as well as for economic development, tourismdevelopment, urban and rural regeneration, managing funding and investment programmes, St. AngeloAirport, capital works commissioning and twinning. Director of Community, Health and Leisure Robert Gibson, has responsibility for leisure and recreation, sports development, countryside recreation, arts and culture, tourism facilities, events, environmental health, investing for health, museum and heritage services, community and good relations support and development, community centres and the Policing andCommunity Safety Partnership (PCSP). Director of Environment and Place KevinO’Gara, has responibility for waste management, grounds maintenance and cemeteries, capital works programme delivery, minor works and maintenance, building control, public conveniences, fleet management, dog licensing and control and animal welfare, licensing, environment and biodiversity, off-street car parks andwater recreation sites. Your Rates Rates are a levy on your property. The income collected by Land and Property Services (LPS) fromrates on domestic and business properties provides funding for services at a local level i.e. Fermanagh and OmaghDistrict Council area, and a regional (Northern Irelandwide) level. The total rates bill levied on ratepayers is made up of the district rate, which is set by the Council which funds the expenditure detailed in the table on page 3, and the regional ratewhichCentral Government determines. Regional rates help fund services such as water, sewerage, roads, education and housing. For the financial year 2015/16 the percentages of the total rates paidwhich go to the Council andCentral Government respectively are shown in the table below: Domestic Property Business Property Fermanagh&OmaghDistrict Council 44.48% 38.33% Central Government 55.52% 61.67% The domestic district rate for 2015-16 is 0.3238 pence in the pound and the business district rate is 19.8031 pence in the pound. Fermanagh andOmaghDistrict Council’s business rate is the lowest inNorthern Ireland for 2015-16whilst four councils out of the eleven have a lower domestic district rate. The Executive has set aside up to £30m to phase in the impact of rate convergence over a four year period. The scheme is directed solely at any increases that are due to the joining together of different “rate bases”, andwill provide an 80%discount this year to reduce the impact of this. Fermanagh ratepayers will avail of this relief whichwill be applied as a discount to the rates bill in 2015-16. The impact is summarised below: DOMESTIC Fermanagh Omagh Impact on ratepayer before transitional relief 11.50% -5.92% Impact on ratepayer after transitional relief 5.80% -5.92% Impact on bill withCapital Value of £125,000 £47 -£57 BUSINESS Fermanagh Omagh Impact on ratepayer before transitional relief -1.28% -9.35% Impact on ratepayer after transitional relief -3.98% -9.35% Impact on bill withNAVof £20,000 -£416 -£1,066 The business figures above do not take account of any changes to theNet Annual Value (NAV) from the business revaluation undertaken by Land and Property Services. For further information about rates, please contact Land and Property Services by calling 0300 200 7801 or visiting www.nidirect.gov.uk/rates Fermanagh andOmaghDistrict Council Expenditure During 2015-2016, Fermanagh and Omagh District Council plans to spend an estimated £32.3m (including financing and capital costs) on the delivery of high quality services and facilities within the district. This includes provision for the additional responsibilities which the Council will undertake from 01 April 2015 for those functions which are transferring from Central Government, including Planning and Off-Street Car Parking. The Council has committed 25%of its annual budget to the provision of leisure, community and tourism facilities, parks and play areas, and to fund the arts and culture programme of the Council. Ahigher amount of resource is required to provide an extensive range of environmental services which includes waste collection and disposal, cemeteries, public conveniences and street cleansing. Such services account for 41%of total expenditure. The remaining balance of the Council’s budget is earmarked towards supporting economic and community development and the urban regeneration of the district, as well asmeeting costs associatedwith financing the capital programme of the Council. Net Expenditure 2015-2016 During 2015/16, the Council will allocate its funds across the following key service areas: Leisure&Recreation Services Culture andHeritage £1,650,099 Recreation and Sport £4,686,275 Tourism £1,211,326 Community Services £ 585,114 Environmental Services Environmental Health £1,986,102 Other Cleaning £1,850,698 Other Environmental Services £1,358,504 Waste Collection&Disposal £8,097,211 MinorWorks £527,850 Planning&Development Services Economic Development £1,461,759 Other Planning & Development Services £334,785 Regeneration& CommunityDevelopment £1,105,125 PlanningDevelopment Control £850,912 Building Control £636,942 Off Street Car Parking £ (587,191) These services represent over 80%of all planned revenue expenditure for 2015-16. Capital Programme In addition, the Council has agreed a three year capital programme of £27,150,724 for the development of infrastructure and assets across the district. For 2015/16 the programme includes upgrades to a number of leisure facilities, civic amenity sites, play areas and recreation grounds and, subject to funding, the delivery of a range of public realmand environmental improvement schemes. Details of the 2015/16 programme are outlined below: • EnniskillenCastle Development Project £2.000m • Castle Street EIS £1.875m • Enniskillen Public Realm £1.030m • MUGAs £1.050m • Arleston& LisnamallardGardens £1.000m • Omagh RiversideWalk £795k • Vehicles £600k • GortinGlenDevelopment £500k • Play Areas £340k • RecreationGrounds £260k • Bawnacre Centre Redevelopment £500k • Fermanagh Lakeland Forum £240k • Cemeteries £330k • Recycling Centres/ Civic Amenity Sites £280k • GortrushDepot £280k • Public Conveniences £150k Leisure&Recreation 25% Environmental 41% Planning &Development 14% Corporate&Democratic 10% Financing &Capital Costs 10% 0300 303 1777 For information or to contact any of the council services use the newcouncil number listed above followus Formore news and events in the district you can followus on social media ourmission Leading & serving our community, workingwith others to promote quality of life, quality places and quality services for all Community Planning The introduction of Community Planning is one of themost significant and exciting changes brought about by the Local Government ReformProgramme. This will herald a newera of partnershipworking when the 11 newcouncils will eachwork in partnershipwith statutory agencies, the voluntary, community and business sectors towards the development of a shared, long- termvision and agreed outcomes for their newareas. The Community Planning Partnershipwill work to assign and deliver the key tasks necessary to achieve the agreed outcomes andwill produce regularmonitoring and performance reports. At present, Council officers areworking on an extensive data gathering process to provide an evidence basewhichwill support the identification of community planning priorities. Wewill be undertaking a comprehensive engagement programme in the near future to encourage communities to get involved in the process to develop our first Community Plan. Further informationwill be available in the local press and on our website. You can also contact our Community PlanningOfficer, SonyaMcAnulla, at sonya.mcanulla@fermanaghomagh.com or at 0300 303 1777 .