To ask the Minister of the Environment to outline the urban regeneration and community planning functions that are yet to be scheduled for transfer to the new councils.

The Member’s question concerns two elements of the reform of local government.

The first is the provision to councils of urban regeneration powers currently exercised by the Department for Social Development and which requires primary legislation to be brought forward by DSD. As this is firmly the remit of the Minister for Social Development, I do not intend outlining this function in any great detail, other than to state that I have raised my concern in recent meetings with Ministerial colleagues, including Minister Storey, at the continued delay in reaching Executive agreement for the introduction of the DSD Bill to provide councils with regeneration powers to the Assembly.

Whilst a failure to provide councils with urban regeneration and community development powers will not prevent the rest of the reform programme from going ahead, it is, nonetheless, a very important element of the reform process. I believe that the re-coupling of regeneration with the planning functions transferring from my department will provide councils with the ability to shape their communities.

The second function raised by this question, relates to community planning. Councils will have duties and powers of community planning, but these are not transferring to councils – they are entirely new and have been provided by the Local Government Act (NI) 2014.

Community planning involves integrating the various streams of public life, such as the services and functions that are delivered in an area, and producing a plan that will set out the future direction of a council area. Councils will lead this process. However, they will not be able to achieve this on their own. A duty has been placed on all Government Departments to promote, encourage and have regard for community planning. Councils will also work with statutory

bodies, agencies and the wider community, including the voluntary, community and business sectors, to develop and implement a shared vision for promoting the well-being of an area and improving the quality of life of its citizens.

I recently launched a consultation on those bodies to be named in subordinate legislation as statutory community planning partners, and I would encourage anyone with an interest in community planning to respond to that consultation.

Local government has been preparing for the new community planning powers for some time, and capacity building work is ongoing with both central and local government to ensure that all key partners are able to fulfil their community planning responsibilities from April 2015.