Belfast Stories draft equality impact assessment

5. Relevant research

Demographic make-up of Belfast’s resident population

A breakdown of Belfast’s resident population, drawn from the 2021 Census and 2023 local council elections, is included in appendix 2.

Council policies and strategies

The Belfast Agenda

The Belfast Agenda, Belfast’s first community plan, was published in 2017 and reviewed and revised in 2024. It has five strategic themes:

Our people and communities
Our economy
Our place
Our planet
Compassionate city

At its core, the Belfast Agenda has the aim of improving the wellbeing of all Belfast citizens, and it has the potential to promote equality of opportunity and good relations, tackle and address issues of exclusion and marginalisation and have a positive impact on all Section 75 groups.

Intended outcomes include a city that is:

welcoming, fair, safe and inclusive of all
vibrant, attractive, connected
where everyone benefits from a thriving and prosperous economy
where everyone fulfils their potential

Investing in tourism infrastructure and city regeneration are identified as foundations for success.

Older people, younger people, addressing the legacy of conflict and division and welcoming and supporting people from new and minoritized ethnic communities are identified as priorities under the Compassionate city theme.

Corporate Plan

Belfast City Council’s 2020 to 2024 corporate plan supports the Belfast Agenda through its themes of:

Growing an inclusive economy
City development
Working and learning
Living here
Resilience and sustainability

Cross-cutting priorities include:

Develop and implement the city’s cultural strategy, A City Imagining
Continue to deliver a physical programme that brings about better social, economic and environmental conditions for Belfast
Promote a shared future and implement the Good Relations Strategy

It also introduces a number of organisational capabilities required to deliver excellent service and city leadership. These include data development, people development, customer focus, continuous improvement and equality, diversity and inclusion.

City centre regeneration and investment strategy

Published in 2015, the City Centre Regeneration and Investment Strategy recognises that Belfast:

“City centre is one of the most important places in Northern Ireland. [It is] where investment impact can be maximised, where rates are generated and where momentum can be built to support growth in the surrounding neighbourhoods.”

Inner North Belfast (including the North Street and Royal Avenue intersection) is recognised as a special action area which “should be home to Belfast’s growing learning and innovation culture” and considers opportunities for a “creative hub”.

A city imagining

A City Imagining, Belfast City Council’s cultural strategy for 2020 to 2030, places culture and creativity at the heart of civic development.

There are four themes within the strategy.

A City Belonging (active participation): Priorities under this theme will support citizens to be active agents of change and co-creators of cultural activity.
A City Challenging (diversity): Priorities under this theme will aspire to cultivate creative environments for dynamic co-creation and synergy in our placemaking.
A City Creating (new approaches): Priorities under this theme will facilitate and explore new ways of working, taking more risks and helping artists to have more autonomy to engage with citizens in new and creative ways.
A City Exploring (our place in the world): Priorities under this theme will sustain, strengthen and develop the city’s cultural ecosystem.

It identifies a major cultural attraction that will be shaped by the stories of local people, attract visitors and connect to the city’s wider cultural offering as a strategic project.

Make yourself at home

Belfast City Council’s tourism strategy (2022) places authentic, local stories as key to attracting visitors to the city. It identifies Belfast Stories as a physical home for some of these stories and the flagship investment in product development in the city:

“Belfast Stories is a transformational project designed to capture the unique spirit of Belfast. This major regeneration and tourism anchor will help revitalise our city centre, allowing people to connect with the city and one another through stories, screens and social spaces.”

It details how the physical building and its contents will be supported by wider programmes of storytelling and development.

Equality Scheme

The council’s revised Equality Scheme (approved in 2021) sets out Belfast City Council’s arrangements for complying with the equality duties under Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998. It includes a commitment to provide information in alternative formats on request were reasonably practicable. The scheme states that alternative formats may include Easy Read, Braille, audio formats (CD, mp3 or DAISY), large print or minority languages to meet the needs of those for whom English is not their first language.

Good Relations Strategy

Under Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, all public bodies, including Belfast City Council must have regard to the desirability of promoting good relations between persons of different religious beliefs, political opinion or racial group.

The council’s Good Relations Strategy was adopted in 2019. It states that it “aims to promote sharing over separation and the economic, social and environmental benefits of such. We need to continue to create spaces for communities to interact and make connections with each other, moving from parallel living to meaningful relationships and casual interactions”.

It also sets down the five outcomes it seeks to achieve.

Outcome one: Strong, positive and transformative civic leadership – inclusive governance with community changemakers
Outcome two: Shared and connected spaces – a smart, connected city driven by inclusive and transformative place making
Outcome three: Shared services – focusing on co-design and social innovation
Outcome four: Structured collaboration and partnerships
Outcome five: An intercultural city and respectful cultural expression within the rule of law

Language Strategy

Belfast City Council’s 2018 Language Strategy aspires to create a place where linguistic diversity is celebrated and respected. It has two key purposes.

To protect and promote awareness of our indigenous languages of Irish and Ulster-Scots
To promote access to, inclusion of and awareness of other languages including sign languages, the languages of new communities who live in Belfast and languages and communication for disabled people

Draft Irish language Strategy

Belfast City Council is currently consulting on its draft Irish Language Strategy, a “natural outworking” of the Language Strategy, which aims to promote, protect and enhance the use of the Irish language in accordance with guiding principles including:

Changing the perspective on languages in our city to increase the profile of different languages along with awareness and understanding of associated cultures, heritage and traditions.
Engaging with language communities to increase equal opportunities and to enhance and protect good relations within the city.
Working in partnerships with others to promote linguistic diversity across the city to move towards our shared vision of inclusive growth, where no-one is left behind.

It includes provision for dual language signage and communications.

The draft EQIA of the strategy is also open for consultation. It finds that the draft strategy

“sits very comfortably alongside local, national and international minority language obligations, charters and guidance” and that “positive impacts […] will be embraced by one section of the community”.

However, there is also evidence that it has the potential to cause contention, particularly predominantly among Protestant, Unionist and Loyalist communities. In relation to equality of opportunity, this includes the potential to create a “chill factor” for those from particular communities wishing to access facilities and services with bilingual signage. In respect of good relations, it may also raise concerns with regard to the promotion of a good and harmonious environment across the city, with those from a Protestant, Unionist or Loyalist community background more likely to perceive the possibility of an adverse impact.

The draft EQIA concludes that

“elements of the draft Policy may be perceived to have the potential for an adverse impact but the extent of that impact is yet to be fully determined, and the consultation phase of the EQIA should be informative in this regard.”

Draft Changing Places Policy

Changing Places are specialised toilet facilities that are accessible and inclusive for everyone, particularly those with complex needs or mobility issues.

Belfast City council consulted on its draft Changing Places Policy at the start of 2024. It sets out the council’s approach and commitment to providing Changing Places toilet facilities in public places within council facilities and across the council area. This includes the provision of Changing Places in new council buildings with a capacity of over 350 people and at large-scale public events. It will also consider provision in refurbished buildings, playgrounds and smaller public events.

Consultation and Engagement Framework

Belfast City Council’s Consultation and Engagement Framework describes a broad spectrum of two-way communication (from consultation to engagement to involvement) between the council and its residents and stakeholders. It recognises that effective dialogue helps make decisions, policies and services that are better suited to the people they are intended to benefit.

Key Belfast Stories strategies and research

Equality framework

Belfast Stories Equality Framework was developed in 2021. It recognises that the project’s vision cannot be achieved unless equality, diversity and inclusion are placed at its core and supported by co-design and an inclusive process throughout all stages of development.

It recommends that engagement be:

“an ongoing cumulative process, enabling relationships, building trust and strengthening links over time […] Residents, voluntary and community groups, specialists and concerned or interested individuals, may want to participate at a range of levels – from providing advice to co-designing the process, undertaking some aspects of the engagement to delivering projects to meet some of the outcomes.”

It also recommends that equality screening and impact assessments should be carried out at different stages and on different elements of the project including the overall concept and story collection concept.

At this stage, it recommends that the purpose of consultation should be to:

Gathering peoples’ views around the concept and its key components
Identifying any barriers for specific groups/citizens in relation to proposal
Identifying clear issues for mitigation of any barriers
Raising awareness of Belfast Stories and the council’s commitment to inclusive and co-design principles with citizens and key stakeholders

Belfast Stories equality screening

Belfast City Council’s equality screening of the Belfast Stories outline business case found that:

“There is nothing inherent in the principles underpinning the concept of the Belfast Stories to indicate an adverse impact on one or more of the Section 75 groups. Instead, the concept will follow inclusivity principles for all residents and visitors […] will bring about advantages to Belfast citizens irrespective of their identity.”

However, it continues “The Belfast Stories aspects of this project needs to ensure equal representation of residents and visitors of different [identities]”.

As a result, it recommends that an EQIA should be carried out, potentially at key milestones such as concept, design and content stages.

Findings from consultation to date

Engagement around the concept of Belfast Stories (previously known as Belfast Destination Hub) has been ongoing since 2014 when the need for a new major visitor attraction in the city was identified. It has subsequently been formally consulted on during public consultations on the council’s Belfast Agenda, Belfast City Centre Regeneration and Investment, A City Imagining and Make Yourself at Home strategies.^{Footnote Four}

The concept Belfast Stories has been broadly welcomed in all consultation and engagement carried out to date. Findings relevant to the draft EQIA included:

Cost may be a barrier, particularly to families and younger people
Transportation can be a barrier, particularly for older people
Need to follow inclusive design principles
Equality considerations should “go beyond” the statutory requirements

RIBA Stage One public consultation

The 14-week public consultation focused on gathering ideas and evidence to help shape the design brief to make sure that the building is welcoming and accessible and everyone can see themselves reflected in its stories.

An online consultation hub was created on Belfast City Council’s Your Say platform. It included a survey inviting feedback on the Belfast Stories proposal and draft EQIA and the consultation document in a range of formats. The council’s Equality Scheme consultees (appendix 1) were invited to comment. Leaflets, information, display boards and pop-up exhibitions were distributed across the city and a series of meetings, workshops and events were held. Overall, over 4,000 people engaged in the consultation.

Organisations that engaged with the public consultation are listed at appendix 3.

Relevant findings from this consultation are included at appendix 4.

RIBA stage 1 EQIA

During the RIBA 1 public consultation period, the draft EQIA report was available on Belfast City Council’s Your Say consultation website. It was accompanied by a survey inviting feedback, and the council’s Equality Scheme consultees were notified and invited to comment.

Responses were to the RIBA stage 1 EQIA are included at appendix 5.

Following the public consultation, the EQIA final decision report drew the following conclusions and recommendations.

Support for the Belfast Stories concept

During the public consultation, the engagement plan ensured that Belfast City Council gathered feedback across a broad range of equality groups, and there were exceptionally high levels of support including across all Section 75 equality categories. Many consultees also reflected on the potential positive impact on equality of opportunity and good relations.

Nevertheless, there were concerns that Belfast Stories could present a partisan, binary or narrow perspective of Belfast that would exclude the stories or identities of particular groups. The council should continue to embed equality, diversity and inclusion in the development of Belfast Stories, ensuring that early potential for positive impact can be realised throughout the project design, delivery and implementation.

Ongoing engagement

During the public consultation, consultees offered further insight in relation to groups of people at risk of missing out and tactics to mitigate potential differential impact.

Ongoing engagement should continue to focus on those most at risk of missing out, and the engagement plan and stakeholder mapping should be reviewed and revised in light of lessons learned and additional evidence uncovered during the public consultation.

Story collection

This should focus on action learning by testing processes and tools with groups that are less likely to share stories (because of their culture, identity or circumstance), in particular older people and the very elderly whose stories are otherwise at risk of being lost.

Irish and Ulster Scots

The Belfast Stories concept was broadly welcomed by the Irish language community as an opportunity to explore and celebrate the history of the language and the city’s Irish language community. This may in turn enhance good relations by affording respect and recognition to a native minority language in keeping with local and international policy and best practice.

Belfast City Council should continue to consult closely with Irish language and Ulster Scots stakeholders, including in relation to the development of the building, story collection, exhibition and overall experience. Resulting language policy or practice should be subject to an equality screening and (if required) a full equality impact assessment.

Pre-consultation (August 2021 to August 2022)

Between August 2021 and August 2022, over 160 meetings and presentations took place with organisations and groups across the city including older people, youth, disability and women’s interest groups and geographic community groups. Findings relevant to this EQIA include:

Need to follow inclusive design principles
Importance of co-design
Equality considerations should “go beyond” the statutory requirements
Need to include the stories of people who come to work in Belfast from minoritized ethnic groups
Transportation can be a barrier, particularly for older people
Ticket price can be a barrier, particularly for younger people. Open and public spaces should be free of charge.

Make Yourself at Home tourism strategy consultation

Responses relevant to equality provided through the online survey included:

“4 out of 5 young people surveyed in Belfast this year said that they planned to leave the city as 'Belfast had nothing for them' – we believe we need an initiative that includes them in tourism development”

“More Consultation with the BAME led organisations. The Neighbourhood experience should include like China Town or Leicester, London or Glasgow Cultural experiences”

“Belfast has an unfair reputation of being not welcoming for LGBT+ people, if our city wants to establish as a international destination it needs to address this by ensuring community infrastructure and making sure that LGBT+ community are safe and recognised and even celebrated.”

Participants also took part in workshops, which included breakout sessions on Belfast Stories. Barriers identified included costs, particularly for families.

Other relevant research

Engagement with culture among equality groups

Belfast Stories will use expressions of culture to attract visitors. Stories can relate to heritage as well as about the present and the future. They can be drawn from existing archives, libraries, museums and other collections. They may be expressed through film, literature, visual arts, sound, digital technology and other creative mediums.

The following section considers how different people and groups across the different equality categories may engage with culture.

The main source of statistical information is the Continuous Household Survey. It is used by the NI Statistics and Research Agency to produce official statistics for the Department for Communities (DfC)^{Footnote Five}. Its figures relate to the whole of NI.

Thrive, the audience development agency, carried out Belfast-specific research in 2016/17. It also looked in more detail at different types of culture (such as popular and cultural film, music, heritage and outdoor events).

Religious belief

According to DfC in 2022/23, at 87 per cent, people of no or other religion were most likely to engage in culture (including arts, libraries, museums, science centres, PRONI and places of historic interest). People from the two main religions, Catholic and Protestant, were equally as likely to engage at 79 per cent and 80 per cent respectively.^{Footnote Six}

Ethnic group

There is currently no regularly published local government or NI data relating to the ethnic background, social status or class or occupation of those engaging in culture and arts.

In GB, research has found that people from White or Mixed ethnic backgrounds are more likely to engage with the arts than people from Black or Asian minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds.^{Footnote Seven}

People from minority ethnic groups can face multiple social, economic and cultural barriers to sports, arts and other cultural engagement. These barriers to participation may include communications and language; perceived irrelevance of arts to own culture; money; lack of transport; and lack of time and timings of events.

Diversity means that people see others “like them” involved in culture and have their culture and experience reflected back in activity that is relevant and authentic. In 2024 the Arts Council of Northern Ireland (ACNI) reported that 5 per cent of artists surveyed identified as being from a minoritized ethnic community background^{Footnote Eight}. In 2023/24, it also found that 15 per cent of activity funded through ACNI’s annual funding programme specifically targeted minority ethnic groups,^{Footnote Nine} a reduction from 24 per cent in 2020/21.^{Footnote Ten}

Age

People tend to engage less with culture and arts as they get older, and those aged 65 and over are least likely to engage. The decline continues as people reach 75 and older. A lot of research identifies older people as the demographic group where there is greatest inequality and that is most difficult to engage. However, there are also differential impacts depending on type of culture and activity (sports, arts, heritage, participation, attendance, and so on).

Thrive’s 2016/17 audience baseline found that older people are more likely to watch a cultural film (arthouse, documentary or foreign language), participate in museums and heritage activity, attend literature events and use public archives than other ages.

It also identified that there is a likely correlation with marital status: that is, older, single people are less likely to engage with culture.

Having someone to go with may also be a barrier. According to the 2021 Belfast Residents Survey, people aged 60 and over were more likely to feel lonely often, always or sometimes (26.8 per cent) than the general Belfast population (18.7 per cent). The Age-friendly Belfast Plan 2018–21 further found that one in five older people in Belfast do not have any close friends. This is higher for men (22 per cent compared to 16 per cent for women) and for those in the oldest age group.

Among other age groups, Thrive’s research showed that cost is the main barrier for both 16- to 24-year-olds and 45- to 54-year-olds. Twenty-five- to 34-years-olds are time-poor because of their social lives, but 35- to 44-year-olds are time-poor because of family and work.

Marital status

According to DfC, in 2022/23 married or cohabiting and single people (83 and 82 per cent respectively)^{Footnote Eleven} were more likely than separated or divorced people (76 per cent) and much more likely than widowed people (59 per cent) to engage with culture. Barriers to engagement may include cost and lack of people to go with. Those who are widowed are also more likely to be older and face multiple, compound barriers.

Sexuality

ACNI’s Annual Funding Survey 2023/24 reports that 18 per cent of core-funded activity specifically targets LGBTQ+ communities,^{Footnote Twelve} down from 22 per cent in 2020/21.^{Footnote Thirteen} However, there is little information on rates of cultural attendance and participation among this community. Barriers to participation may include services designed on the assumption that the users are heterosexual and events and activities that are not reflective of their culture.

Men and women generally

Women are more likely to engage in culture than men. In 2022/23, for example, DfC found 83 per cent of women in NI engaged compared to 77 per cent of men.

There are differences depending on type of culture and activity (arts, heritage, participation, attendance and so on). DfC found that taking photographs, filmmaking, singing or playing a musical instrument, writing music or songs, wood crafts, digital animation may be slightly more popular with men^{Footnote Fourteen}. Areas that Thrive found to be slightly more popular with men included certain types of music (techno/electronic, jazz/Blues and folk/trad/world music), comedy and public archives.

There are also differences according to multiple identities: for example, young men are harder to engage than young women or men generally; they are much less likely to participate in activities such as reading; but they are much more likely to engage in some digital culture such as playing computer games.

Disabled people

According to DfC, in 2022/23 disabled people were less likely to engage in culture than people without disabilities (71 per cent compared to 84 per cent). Thrive found the difference greatest in these activities.

Watching a mainstream film on general released in a cinema or venue
Attending big outdoor event
Visiting a museum or historical exhibition
Attending rock, pop or country music
Visiting a National Trust property
Reading books or eBooks
Watching a mainstream film on general release: at home or in private
Visiting any other historic site (castle, ruin, historic church or cathedral)
Watching a documentary, foreign language or arthouse film: at home or in private
Attending a play or drama

According to the ACNI, disabled audiences are more likely to feel uncomfortable or out of place (10 per cent compared to 2 per cent compared to the general population), lack transport (11 per cent compared to 3 per cent) and have access to the facilities they need at an activity (4 per cent compared to 0.3 per cent).^{Footnote Fifteen}

People with dependants

People with dependants have been more likely to engage with culture (86 per cent compared to 76 per cent), which may reflect the volume and variety of programming aimed at children and families.

There may be differential impacts for different groups with dependants, such as lone parents. It is also likely that people with caring responsibilities for older people and disabled people face additional barriers including transport, cost, time and need for respite care.

Trust and participation in Public consultation

Younger people are less likely to respond to Belfast City Council consultations and surveys than older adults. However, according to the Belfast Residents survey, at just over 51 per cent, both younger people and older people are less likely to feel that they are able to influence public policy (“I am able to have a say on how services are run, what the priorities are or where investment is needed”) than those aged 25 to 59 (at 57.6 per cent).

Younger and older residents may be also slightly less likely to agree that the council responds to the needs of local residents. However, young people aged 16 to 24 are much less likely to feel that the council keeps them informed (66.2 per cent) than adults aged 25 to 59 (78.5 per cent) and 60 and over (78.4 per cent).

When asked about preferences for being kept informed, older people strongly preferred council’s magazine, newsletters, flyers and leaflets (75.9 per cent), while younger people preferred social media.

According to the council’s Equality Consultative Forum, people with caring responsibilities may find it difficult to take part in engagement opportunities, and the council’s Putting You First customer service strategy notes that people with dependants may prefer to carry out business digitally due to demands on their time.

However, digital solutions do not work for everyone: according to Age-friendly Belfast, 51 per cent of people aged 65 and over in Belfast have never accessed the internet.

Putting You First: Transforming Customer Experiences also notes increasing challenges serving all customers due to language barriers and cultural differences.