Draft Good Relations Strategy

Strategic priorities - Together: Building a United Community (T:BUC) 

The Northern Ireland Executive launched its Together: Building a United Community strategy in 2013. Commonly referred to as T:BUC, this is the over-arching strategy for improving community relations and creating a more shared society in Northern Ireland. It guides what we and other public organisations do at a local level. T:BUC has four key strategic themes:

• Our Children and Young People.
• Our Shared Community.
• Our Safe Community.
• Our Cultural Expression.

We have aligned our new Good Relations strategy to the T:BUC themes, adopting them as our strategic priorities. Do you agree or disagree with this approach? 

Strategic pillars 

The strategy identifies five pillars (opens in new tab) for building a more cohesive city. We believe these pillars will help develop an overarching dynamic or sense of belonging for the city to which all people can buy in to. The proposed pillars are:

• Continuing to repair and refine relations within a reconciliation lens and re-embolden how those relations can improve the lives of people across the community.
• Developing capacity further to sustain and strengthen decision-making and project delivery across the community.
• Ensuring greater openness and transparency in decision-making and delivery. 
• Developing trust in key institutions by all people across the community.  Key institutions relevant to social cohesion include those members of the Shared City Partnership.
• Delivering better and meaningful social justice outcomes, with a focus on those interface areas that still suffer most from our divided society yet have many needs and issues in common.

We'd like to know what you think of these five pillars. Considering each one in turn, please tell us whether you feel the proposed pillar is appropriate or not? 

Guiding Principles

The draft strategy also outlines the following guiding principles, (opens in new tab) which will guide our work and behaviour as we continue to develop and implement our good relations strategy:

• Be ambitious and innovative in its approach and delivery of services
• Empower people, empower staff, empower communities and empower this city
• Share good practice, knowledge, learning and resources
• Be open and inclusive, understanding and transparent

Please tell us whether you agree or disagree with each of our guiding principles? 

We are proposing that the setting and measuring of good relations outcomes is overseen by the Shared City Partnership (opens in new tab). The Partnership is a formal council working group responsible for driving the good relations work of council. 

Do you agree or disagree with this proposed approach?

Programmes and actions

We have outlined the key programmes and activities (opens in new tab) that we are proposing to do to help us achieve the ambition of the strategy. Do you think that the proposed programmes and activities outlined in the strategy are the right ones?

Measuring cohesion 

We want to develop an outcomes framework for measuring cohesion and belonging in Belfast. Please tell us whether you agree or disagree with the concept of a cohesion framework for the city (opens in new tab) and our proposed approach for developing this?

Do you agree or disagree with the measurement of cohesion being linked with the Global Peace Index Framework?

Taking everything into consideration, do you think the draft Strategy meets the needs of Belfast in 2026?

Overall, to what extent do you agree or disagree with the general direction of the new Good Relations Strategy and our proposals for measuring progress?