Agenda and minutes

To consider any announcements by the Mayor in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 3(2)(ii).

The Mayor had been honoured to meet a diverse range of people from many different backgrounds, including the Sangeet Choir who came to visit the Town Hall and Rabbi Golomb who invited him to visit him at the Sheffield United Synagogue.

To receive the apologies of any Member who is unable to attend the meeting.

Apologies for absence had been received from Councillor Sansome, and Yasseen.

Any communication received by the Mayor or Chief Executive which relates to a recommendation of the Cabinet or a committee which was received after the relevant meeting.

There were none.

To receive the record of proceedings of the ordinary meeting of the Council held on Wednesday 18 January 2023 and to approve the accuracy thereof.

Resolved: That the minutes of the Council meeting held on 18 January 2023, be approved.

To report on any petitions received by the Council received by the Council and receive statements in support of petitions in accordance with Petitions Scheme and Council Procedure Rule 13.

There were no petitions.

To invite Councillors to declare any disclosable pecuniary interests or personal interests they may have in any matter which is to be considered at this meeting, to confirm the nature of those interests and whether they intend to leave the meeting for the consideration of the item.

RESOLVED that: the following declarations of interest were received:

To receive questions from members of the public who may wish to ask a general question of the Mayor, Cabinet Member or the Chairman of a Committee in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 12.

(1)  Ms. S. Yousaf referred to Councillor Alam mentioning during the last scrutiny meeting that £10,000 was allocated for a Qibla stone after discussions with the Council of Mosques and, therefore, asked why had RMBC not communicated with the liaison groups, which included the Rotherham Muslim Burial Council.  The Qibla stone served no meaningful purpose and the money would be better spent on  toilet facilities for all using the cemetery.

Councillor Alam noted the questioner’s view on the stone, but confirmed on 24^th October, 2019 a feedback action meeting took place at Herringthorpe Cemetery attended by mosques, mosque committees and burial committees and two issues were raised; one was for an independent group to be established to advise Dignity and the other was for an ornament with a Qibla direction.  This was a specific request from the community.

In a supplementary question Ms. Yousaf explained things had changed since 2019 and there were a lot more organisations and groups who were members of the liaison group. She asked had the Cabinet Member not considered discussing this with everyone now in 2023 rather than relying on what happened in 2019 and, furthermore, in terms of the Qibla stone technology had moved on and what was required was a compass to see what direction the Qibla was.  On this basis the member of the public totally disagreed with the Cabinet Member about spending £10,000 on a Qibla stone.

Councillor Alam further responded and confirmed that in terms of the liaion group all information had been passed onto Dignity who was now responsible for liaising with the community.

(2)  Mr. F. Tareen referred to Dignity promising to appoint a Hydrogeologist in October 2022 to investigate the source of the groundwater. RMBC was managing the contract and the current works were being carried out by Dignity.  He asked could RMBC confirm whether or not Dignity had instructed a Hydrogeologist and if not, please provide timeframes issued by RMBC to Dignity for this to be carried out.

Councillor Alam explained the question was really one for Dignity as the Council’s management of the matter was of the contract and not how Dignity decided to resolve individual issues.

However, he confimed Dignity have appointed a Hydrologist and a number of inspections have been carried out on site. A monitoring station was also installed as part of the drainage system to enable samples to be taken. 

The last two inspections on site were on 12^th of January and 6^th of February and Dignity have been asked if timescales could be shared with the community and a report of the Hydrologist’s results shared publicly when all of the data had been gathered.

In a supplementary question Mr. Tareen explained there were 1,250 community members who signed an objection letter against the planning application submitted by Dignity for the expansion of the Muslim burial area since the prime concern of the community was the water issue and asked if he was right to believe that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 138.

Should it be necessary, in the opinion of the Mayor, to consider excluding the press and public from the meeting in relation to any items of urgent business on the grounds that private information is likely to be divulged.

There were no items that required the exclusion of the press or public.

To receive a statement from the Leader of the Council in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 9.

The Leader opened his statement by welcoming the newly elected member for Keppel Ward, Councillor Carole Foster to the Council.

He also highlighted the following:

·       that planning permission had been granted for a new café at Thrybergh Country Park and for the first phase of a regeneration project at Rother Valley Country Park to create a new Village Centre with new waterfront buildings, cycle hub and improved car parking.

·       A new battery manufacturing centre was being created by Ultimate Battery Company in Thurcroft which would create 500 jobs. This followed a significant business investment award made towards the end of 2021.

·       The new Rothercard scheme was approved, and tens of thousands of local residents will have access to the discounts from April.

·       The cost-of-living summit was in development and was expected to take place on 16 March, but more details would follow.

·       Referring to the protest outside of the Holiday Inn on 18 February, he noted that the divisive politics of racial hatred were not welcome here. The government should note that it was no good for anyone to have desperate people, seeking sanctuary in this country, trapped in hotels for months on end. The government must move more quickly to ensure the national asylum system was fit for purpose.

·      A year had passed since the war in Ukraine had begun and he was very proud that Rotherham had opened its homes and hearts to people from Ukraine and who were doing good work for the Council.

Councillor Foster was welcomed to the Council by a number of the members.

Councillor Bennett-Sylvester thanked the Leader, noting that members of the SEND Youth Club at Dalton had been able to choose where to spend the free school meals vouchers. He had found being part of the Rothercard review very rewarding and thanked, Councillors Sheppard, McNeely, Cooksey, and but queried going forward if there was a way of understanding how residents interact with services through using things such as the Rothercard service to monitor access?

The Leader welcomed the progress made with the meal vouchers. He acknowledged the benefits being able to understand how residents interacted with the Council’s services. The principle, that people regardless of their incomes and backgrounds are able to enjoy the full range of services, particularly the cultural services that make a difference in people’s lives is right and should be part of the work going forward.

Councillor Ball noted that the Council had been successful in attracting funding for Rother Valley Country Park and queried if this would be shared across the rest of the borough. He felt there was no priority given to peripheral towns and villages. The Leader indicated the challenge of how to ensure that all parts of the borough were getting access to investment opportunities was fair. It was why some funding had been moved into neighbourhood budgets, it was why the Council had tried to build multi-agency neighbourhood teams to ensure all members were getting access to those services and were able  ...  view the full minutes text for item 140.

To note the minutes of the Cabinet Meetings held on 23rd January and 13th February, 2023.

Resolved:

That the reports, recommendations and minutes of the Cabinet meetings held on 23 January and 13 February 2023 be received.

Mover: Councillor Read                                       Seconder: Councillor Allen

To consider and approve the Cabinet’s recommendations in respect of the Budget and Council Tax for the 2023-24 financial year.

Further to Minute No.118 of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 13 February 2023, consideration was given to the report that proposed the Council’s Budget and Council Tax for 2023/24.

In moving the budget report, the Leader thanked all members who had worked so hard to put together the proposals for this year. He thanked Judith Bader and the Finance team, Chief Executive and Senior Leadership team who commitment and professionalism served our borough so well. He looked back to when the last budget was set, which was three Prime Ministers, three Secretaries of State and five Housing Ministers ago in the wake of the Covid pandemic.

He noted the first Prime Minister declared social care to be fixed through a levy, which the second one cancelled. The second local government minister said there was fat to trim, with the third being forced to bail out councils in trouble. The second Prime Minister delivered what was called a ‘true Tory budget’ which the third one making us all pay for it. Councils across the country were facing the most challenging financial environment in the history of local government.

He commented that Thurrock issued a Section 114 notice three months ago and were now looking at a 10% council tax rise. Slough a 10% rise and Croydon as much as 15%. If the Council had gone with the council tax proposed by the opposition last year, then it would be imposing the highest council tax increase in the country. Instead, due to the choices made, the Council’s was the third lowest increase of any upper tier authority in Yorkshire and was below the government’s referendum cap saving the typical household £85 over the period.

He explained that additional funding was available for Adult Social Care to ensure services remained sustainable and for helping providers to increase basic rates of pay for staff who carried out such critical work.  Home care services were being prioritised with an above inflation increase in spending, at a time when hospital beds were under incredible pressure.

Last year investments were made in street cleaning with more Street pride staff working on the streets since the start of austerity. This investment meant that 160 more roads had been repaired and the number of potholes had reduced by 60% since 2015.

He said that extra money had been put into youth work, which was taking place regularly now, in Parkgate, Dinnington, Kimberworth, Maltby and Blackburn.

He felt this was a budget the protected the basic services that residents relied on, and this was the choice being made during the meeting.

He explained that investments were being made in the following areas:

·       Household Waste Recycling Centres,

·       New bin lorries for household waste collections,

·       Maintenance equipment for street scene services and green spaces,

·       Urban parks and woodlands,

·       Rother Valley Country Park, referring to the new café, events space, car parking and cycle hub,

·       Centenary way,

·       Minor road improvements

·       Traffic light improvements,

·       Support to South Yorkshire’s bus services.

The cost  ...  view the full minutes text for item 142.

To consider and approve the Housing Revenue Account Rents and Service Charges 2023-24.

Further to Minute No. 122 of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 13 February 2023, consideration was given to the report which was seeking approval for the proposed values of the housing rents, non-dwelling rents, District Heating and service charges and the draft Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Budget for 2023/24.

The report was also considered alongside the HRA Business Plan report for 2023/24.

The council was required to produce an annual business plan that covered a 30-year period. The plan was refreshed annually.  The key priorities that influenced the plan remained largely as they were previously.  These were:

·      Investing in future housing growth.

·      Replacing homes lost through Right to Buy.

·      Maintaining Decent Home standards and service standards.

·      Ensuring compliance to statutory functions, part of which was achieving energy performance C across the housing stock.

·      Sustaining the current levels of investment in front line services.

·      Safeguarding and supporting the most vulnerable tenants.

A critical consideration of the plan was to set the rents at a level to enable the Council to meet those priorities and ensure long term viability over the plan.

A significant change that the plan responded to this year was the national introduction of the social rent cap had set rents at a maximum of 7%.  The report was very clear on what could and could not be achieved.  The proposed way forward meant there would be no cuts to existing housing stock, there would be no reduction to current build standards, there would be continued delivery of new homes to replace those lost through right to buy. 

The proposal within the report was that dwelling rents were increased by 7% which included shared ownership. A 6% increase to service charges, which included garages and parking.  District heating costs were proposed to in-line with national Government’s proposed dual fuel cap. 

It was recommended to support the proposals presented at the meeting.

In seconding the reports Councillor Allen explained the Council was legally required to review rents and make such changes as required.  The circumstances everyone found themselves in were significant, challenges from increasing gas and electricity costs and high inflation. The Authority had a duty to balance the financial considerations as affected by those considerations and then impact on tenants.  Under the proposal of a 7% increase, the average weekly rent would increase by £5.54 per week. 

The Council had 19,807 properties and 16,227 of those households, who were in receipt of benefits would not be directly affected by those rent increases.  Similarly on the district heating charges, there was an increase, but the increase would remain within parameters that all other tenants were experiencing.  She explained that there were some drop-in sessions planned for residents to talk about what support was available around the district heating charges.

She explained that other options had been considered.  A 5% increase had been considered.  The difference between a 5% and a 7% increase was significant.  If the Council levied a 5% increase it would not raise enough income to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 143.

To consider and approve the proposed 2023-24 Base Case Option 1 for the HRA Business Plan.

Further to Minute No. 123 of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 13 February 2023, consideration was given to the report which explained that the Council was required to produce a Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Business Plan setting out its investment priorities over a 30-year period. The report also provided a detailed technical overview of the current position and the reason for changes to the Business Plan.

The report was also considered alongside the Housing Revenue Account Rents and Service Charges 2023/24.

The council was required to produce an annual business plan that covered a 30-year period. The plan was refreshed annually. The key priorities that influenced the plan remained largely as they were previously. These were:

·      Investing in future housing growth.

·      Replacing homes lost through Right to Buy.

·      Maintaining Decent Home standards and service standards.

·      Ensuring compliance to statutory functions, part of which was achieving energy performance C across the housing stock.

·      Sustaining the current levels of investment in front line services.

·      Safeguarding and supporting the most vulnerable tenants.

A critical consideration of the plan was to set the rents at a level to enable the Council to meet those priorities and ensure long term viability over the plan.

A significant change that the plan responded to this year was the national introduction of the social rent cap had set rents at a maximum of 7%.  The report was very clear on what could and could not be achieved.  The proposed way forward meant there would be no cuts to existing housing stock, there would be no reduction to current build standards, there would be continued delivery of new homes to replace those lost through right to buy.

The proposal within the report was that dwelling rents were increased by 7% which included shared ownership. A 6% increase to service charges, which included garages and parking. District heating costs were proposed to in-line with national Government’s proposed dual fuel cap.

It was recommended to support the proposals presented at the meeting.

In seconding, the reports Councillor Allen explained the Council was legally required to review rents and make such changes as required. The circumstances everyone found themselves in were significant, challenges from increasing gas and electricity costs and high inflation. The Authority had a duty to balance the financial considerations as affected by those considerations and then impact on tenants. Under the proposal of a 7% increase, the average weekly rent would increase by £5.54 per week.

The Council had 19,807 properties and 16,227 of those households, who were in receipt of benefits would not be directly affected by those rent increases. Similarly on the district heating charges, there was an increase, but the increase would remain within parameters that all other tenants were experiencing. She explained that there were some drop-in sessions planned for residents to talk about what support was available around the district heating charges.

She explained that other options had been considered. A 5% increase had been considered. The difference between a 5% and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 144.

To report on changes to political groups, the political balance of the Council and the entitlement of each group to seats on the Authority’s committees and to consider the appointment of members to the Council’s committees, boards and panels.

Consideration was given to the report which detailed how under Section 15 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989, Local Authorities had the duty to allocate seats to political groups and set out the principles to be followed when determining such allocation, following formal notification of the establishment of political groups in operation on the Council.

There was a requirement to annually review the entitlement of the political groups to seats on the committees of the Council.

The allocation of seats must follow two principles:

(a)  Balance must be achieved across the total number of available seats on committees; and

(b)  Balance must be achieved on each individual committee or body where seats are available

There were presently 4 political groups in operation on the Council – the Labour Group (majority), Conservative Group (opposition), Liberal Democrat (Lib Dem) Group and Rotherham Democratic Party (RDP) Group – with 2 non-aligned councillors (members who are not in a political group).

The Political Balance of the Council had changed due to a by-election in Keppel Ward which took place on 26 January 2023.

There were 149 seats available on committees, boards and panels and under the calculation the Labour Group is entitled to 86 seats, the opposition Group (Conservative) 43 seats, the Liberal Democrat Group 10 seats, the Rotherham Democratic Party Group 5 seats. The seats allocated to the non-aligned councillors is 5.

Resolved: That Council agreed:

1.    To note the new political balance of the Council as a result of the by-election.

2.    That the entitlement of the membership of the political groups be agreed and such entitlements be reflected in Council’s appointments of members to committees.

3.    To agree the amendment of appointments of members to Committees, Boards and Panels to reflect the change in political balance as notified by Group Leaders and as detailed below:

NOMINATIONS TO COMMITTEES, BOARDS AND PANELS: as agreed:

Audit Committee

Councillor Sheila Cowen – to be removed

Councillor Tony Browne - to be added as a member and as vice chair

Councillor Charlie Wooding – to be removed

Councillor Simon Ball – to be added

Health Select Commission

Councillor Carole Foster – to be added

Councillor Charlie Wooding – to be removed

Improving Lives Select Commission

Councillor Ian Jones – to be removed

Councillor Joanna Baker-Rogers – to be added

Licensing Board

Councillor Ian Jones – to be removed

Councillor Carole Foster – to be added

Licensing Committee

Councillor Ian Jones – to be removed

Councillor Carole Foster – to be added

Overview and Scrutiny Management Board

Councillor Tom Collingham – to be removed as vice-chair

Councillor Joshua Bacon – to be added as vice-chair

Councillor Sheila Cowen – to be removed

Councillor Tony Browne - to be added as vice-chair of Audit

Planning Board

Councillor Charlie Wooding – to be removed

Councillor Simon Ball – to be added

Mayoral Combined Authority Overview and Scrutiny Committee

Councillor Tom Collingham – to be removed

Councillor Joshua Bacon – to be added

Substitute Member

Councillor Lee  ...  view the full minutes text for item 145.

To approve a calendar of meetings for the Council and its committees for the 2023-24 municipal year.

Consideration was given to a report, submitted in accordance with the rules of procedure as detailed in the Council’s Constitution, that set out the proposed Calendar of Meetings for the 2023/24 Municipal Year.

Resolved: - That Council approves the calendar of meetings for the 2023-24 municipal year.

Mover: - Councillor Allen                                    Seconder: - Councillor Read

To receive and consider reports, minutes and recommendations of the Audit Committee.

To confirm the minutes as a true record.

Resolved: That the reports, recommendations and minutes of the meeting of the Audit Committee be adopted.

Mover:- Councillor Baker-Rodgers                     Seconder:- Councillor Cowen

To receive and consider reports, minutes and recommendations of the Health and Wellbeing Board.

To confirm the minutes as a true record.

Resolved: That the reports, recommendations and minutes of the meeting of the Health and Wellbeing Board be adopted.

Mover: Councillor Roche                        Seconder: Councillor Cusworth

To receive and consider reports, minutes and recommendations of the Licensing Board Sub-Committee.

To confirm the minutes as a true record.

Resolved: That the reports, recommendations and minutes of the meeting of the Licensing Board Sub-Committee and Licensing Sub-Committee be adopted.

Mover: Councillor Ellis                            Seconder: Councillor Hughes

To receive and consider reports, minutes and recommendations of the Planning Board.

To confirm the minutes as a true record.

Resolved: That the reports, recommendations and minutes of the meeting of the Planning Board be adopted.

Mover: Councillor Atkin                         Seconder: Councillor Bird

To receive and consider reports, minutes and recommendations of the Staffing Committee including approving the Pay Policy Statement 2023/24 for publication under Chapter 8 of the Localism Act 2011.

To confirm the minutes as a true record.

Resolved: That the reports, recommendations and minutes of the meeting of the Staffing Committee on 13 February 2023 including approving the Pay Policy Statement 2023-24 for publication under Chapter 8 of the Localism Act 2011 be adopted.

Mover: Councillor Alam                          Seconder: Councillor Allen

To receive and consider reports, minutes and recommendations of the Standards and Ethics Committee.

To confirm the minutes as a true record.

Resolved: That the reports, recommendations and minutes of the meeting of the Standards and Ethics Committee be adopted.

Mover: Councillor McNeely                     Seconder: Councillor Griffin

To put questions, if any, to the designated Members on the discharge of functions of the South Yorkshire Police and Crime Panel, South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority, Mayoral Combined Authority and South Yorkshire Pensions Authority, in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 11(5).

Councillor Burnett asked with the Police Precept increasing, could both Police Representatives inform the Council how they voted and the reasons for doing so?

Councillor Haleem thanked Councillor Burnett for his question.

At the Police and Crime Panel meeting held on Friday, 3^rd February, 2023, seven of the eight Members present voted to support the policing element of the Council Tax precept for 2023/24. 

Councillor Baum-Dixon was the only member present to vote against the proposal.

Councillor Haleem confirmed she voted in favour because more Police were needed on the streets. The Commissioner’s proposal would mean seventy-five more Police in Rotherham in the coming year giving:-

·              Thirteen more Police in Neighbourhoods Teams.

·              Four more response officers.

·              Thirteen more in investigations, including the Vulnerable Persons’ Unit.

·              Plus another forty-five student officers.

It also meant the whole of South Yorkshire, including communities, would benefit from one hundred and eighty-eight new force-wide posts which meant more to tackle off road bikes, more dog handlers, more mounted police, more firearms officers and more to tackle online sexual offences – something Conservative members would have been expected to support.

Residents indicated in the consultation what they want to see. The Conservative Government promised them to the country. Seeing Conservative Councillors undermine their own Government’s commitment to more Police for the second year running, and in doing so making communities less safe, was deeply disappointing.

In a supplementary question Councillor Burnett explained that a large portion of the South Yorkshire Police precept missed a couple of claims from the Hillsborough disaster and child sexual exploitation failures in Rotherham.  With this in mind how comfortable was the Spokesperson on the South Yorkshire Police and Crime Panel with Rotherham residents paying the price and the Council Tax for South Yorkshire Police’s failures.  Surely this was not fair.

Councillor Haleem confirmed she was comfortable with the Finance Team and the Police as they had more knowledge, the skillset and experience for the decisions they have made.

As a Point of Order Councillor Baum-Dixon wished to place on record that the original question asked for both South Yorkshire Police and Crime Panel Representatives to inform the Council how they voted and the reasons for doing so.  Councillor Haleem had been able to put across why she had voted in the way she did and indicated how Councillor Baum-Dixon had voted, but Councillor Baum Dixon wished to advise the Members present and the residents of Rotherham on the reasons why he voted the way he did.

The Mayor advised the Point of Order had been noted and that the question had been answered by the Designated Spokesperson for the Police and Crime Panel, who was also the Chair.

In a further Point of Order Councillor Bennett-Sylvester disagreed with the Mayor and confirmed the question had actually been to both Representatives.  In the answer Councillor Baum-Dixon was specifically mentioned and under Standing Orders Councillor Baum-Dixon should have the right to reply when so mentioned.

With competing ideas it was only fair  ...  view the full minutes text for item 153.

To put questions, if any, to Cabinet Members and Committee Chairpersons (or their representatives) under Council Procedure Rules 11(1) and 11(3).

(1)  Councillor Hoddinott asked what were the range of parish council tax rises - highest and lowest - for the forthcoming year?

Councillor Alam confirmed the highest percentage increases were for Wales Parish at 39.65% and Brinsworth at 23%. In cash terms, the biggest increase (£38.95 for a Band D property) would be in the Brinsworth parish.   The lowest was actually a reduction and was Laughton-en-le-Morthen at -6.18%.

A full list of changes to parish precepts would be supplied in writing.

In a supplementary question Councillor Hoddinott welcomed the information in writing and was amazed at the range.  She, therefore, asked, given the discussion that had taken place earlier on the agenda and the squeeze on households, if the Cabinet Member believed Parish Councils should also take responsibility to ensure they did not pass on large rises to residents. 

Councillor Alam agreed with Councillor Hoddinott and confirmed Parish Councils did need to take some responsibility to ensure people were not penalised more.  This information would be fed back to Parish Councils.

(2)  Councillor Bennett-Sylvester asked what had been the total cost so far to the HRA of providing hard standings, screening and any other capital works for communal bins linked to the pink bin changes of 2019?

Councillor Brookes explained the total costs charged to the Housing Revenue Account for works to provide hard standings, screening and associated ground works to accommodate communal bin provision to Council homes was £2,641,669.

The works have improved the waste facilities across 273 apartment blocks covering 1821 individual properties equating to a cost of £1,450 per property.

(3)  Councillor Bennett-Sylvester asked how many incidents have there been this last financial year of the caretaking service clearing fly tips and excess rubbish from around communal bin areas and have these incurred any extra costs to housing?

Councillor Brookes confirmed to date, this financial year, the estate caretaking service has attended to ten incidences where excess waste or tipped items had to be removed from communal bin areas. The associated extra cost to the service was £16,411.

In a supplementary question Councillor Bennett-Sylvester referred to his own experiences of having to contact relevant staff due to inconsiderate waste being discarded and believed these communal areas were being targeted and a magnet for fly tipping and non-residents’ cross-contaminating bins etc.

The pink bin changes were brought in during 2019 on the back of the change to kerbside plastic so asked was it time for a review of the operation, the caretaking staff looking after them and best results from the service.  In addition, not making residents having to look at eyesores as a result of non-residents coming and using and abusing the service.

Councillor Brookes was unable to accurately say when that contract was up for renewal, but would investigate and come back to Councillor Bennett-Sylvester.

(4)  Councillor Jones in November asked the Cabinet Member why RMBC had not ever registered Phase 1 of Watsons Tip as contaminated.  In his reply he said it was not  ...  view the full minutes text for item 154.

Any other public items which the Mayor determines are urgent.

There were no urgent items to consider.