Agenda and minutes

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

The Mayor was pleased to announce he and the Mayoress had already attended three engagements since his inauguration a few days ago.  He confirmed he would continue with issuing a written report on his activity between Council Meetings.

The Mayor also confirmed he would be working for the betterment of Rotherham and asked all Members to observe the rules of debate and ensure the code is adhered to.  All Members had a duty to match up to public perception and he made it clear from the outset that he would do his best to ensure every Member had the opportunity to express views where appropriate and looked forward to working in an atmosphere with mutual respect.

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

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Allen, Beaumont, Beck, Brookes, Clark, Hague, Jepson, Rushforth, Sansome, Senior, Julie Turner, Watson and Wilson.

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 no communications received.

To receive the record of proceedings of the ordinary meeting of the Council held on 28^th February, 2018 and to approve the accuracy thereof.

Resolved:-  That the minutes of the meeting of Council held on 28^th February 2018, be approved for signature by the Mayor.

Mover:-  Councillor Read                       Seconder:-  Councillor Alam

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.

The Mayor reported receipt of 2 petitions but they had not met the threshold for consideration by Council, and would be referred to the relevant directorate for a response to be prepared:-

·                Containing 40 signatures calling on the Strategic Director of Children and Young People’s Services to issue a statement regarding the return of 1,400 copies of a publication.

An adult survivor, on behalf of the lead petitioner, addressed the Council as part of the presentation of the petition requesting the Strategic Director of Children and Young People’s Services to issue a statement regarding the return of 1,400 copies of a publication.

·                Containing 38 signatures from users accessing Swinton Youth Club and their support.

Councillor Wyatt addressed the Council as part of the presentation of the petition outlining the continued support for Swinton Youth Club and confirmed he would be the contact for the appropriate response.

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.

There were no Declarations of Interest to report.

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.

Mr. D. Smith stated that he understood that the portfolio for Neighbourhoods had been given to the Deputy Leader and asked could he be told what his remit was and what did the Deputy Leader hope to achieve?

The Leader confirmed the Deputy Leader had taken responsibility for neighbourhood working and would be responsible for the new Neighbourhood Working Model about how Councillors engaged in their local communities taking over the good work that had commenced by Councillor Yasseen.

This work would focus on enabling Councillors to be effective champions in their communities and Wards and deliver and release benefits to facilitate community activity.

In a supplementary question Mr. Smith asked when Councillor Yasseen had neighbourhood working in her portfolio she chaired the Town and Parish Council Liaison Committee.  Councillor Watson had delegated this to someone else.  Councillor Yasseen also set out to meet the Town and Parish Councils in the Rotherham area by attending their council meetings.  Would Councillor Watson carry this on or had this been delegated too.

The Leader confirmed he himself determined the Cabinet Member portfolios so Councillor Watson had not delegated responsibility to anyone else.  The responsibility for Town and Parish Councils liaisons would sit in the new portfolio taken on by Councillor Allen.  The Leader had discussed with her about engagement and Councillor Allen would chair the Town and Parish Council Liaison Committee.   The Leader was sure that if Parish Councillors had any specific requests in her capacity Councillor Allen would be more than happy to consider those in the course of her work.

(2)  Mr. Harron referred to a previous question he had submitted to Council on the 26^th January, 2018 and the correspondence by email he had had with the Leader which had still not resolved the matter.  He referred back to what he had previously said about Ian Thomas’ Deputy, Jean Imray, who had sat in this Chamber in September and presented a report.  Councillors were aware that Jean Imray claimed that a so called independent expert gave her reasons for Rotherham returning 1,400 copies of the publication “Voices of Despair, Voices of Hope” 3 years ago and he asked again would the Leader please provide all Councillors and himself with the name and position of the so called independent expert who allegedly gave the reasons to Jean Imray and Ian Thomas.

The Leader confirmed again, as he had in the email reply, that he did not know the identity of that person so was unable to share this information with Councillors or Mr. Harron.

In a supplementary question Mr. Harron referred back to the response on the 26^th January, 2018 where the Leader had indicated the information did not exist.  Mr. Harron had sent the Leader an email with the name redacted and he believed the Chief Executive knew the name of the person as he had tried to write to them.  He, therefore, asked now Ian Thomas had left, this provided an important opportunity for Rotherham  ...  view the full minutes text for item 185.

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 are no such items at the time of preparing this agenda.

Resolved:-  That under Section 100(A) of the Local Government Act 1972, that should the Mayor deem if necessary the public be excluded from the meeting on the grounds that any items involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in the paragraphs of Part 1 of schedule 12(A) of such Act indicated, as now amended by the Local Government (Access to information) (Variation) Order 2006.

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

The Leader wished to give formal notification of the Cabinet Member details and confirmed this had been publicised accordingly.  He confirmed:-

Councillor Gordon Watson              Deputy Leader – responsibility for Children and Young People's Services, Neighbourhood Working Model and Member Development

Councillor Saghir Alam                    Corporate Services and Finance

Councillor Denise Lelliott                Jobs and the Local Economy

Councillor David Roche                  Adult Social Care and Health

Councillor Beck                                 Housing

Councillor Hoddinott                        Waste, Roads and Community Safety

Councillor Allen                                Cleaner Greener Communities – responsibility for Streetpride Services.

The finer detail regarding which services fell into the remit of each Cabinet Member was still being finalised and would be circulated to all Members in due course.

The Leader wished to place on record his thanks and appreciation to Councillor Yasseen over the last 18 months for the work that she had undertaken.

The Leader also wished to report on the motion passed in January, 2018 regarding the overnight cover of the Rotherham 2 fire appliance in Rotherham and how this had been considered in detail at a meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board.  The view had been to request the Leader to raise the concerns with the Fire Minister, Nick Hird, which had been done. 

One of the recommendations made by Scrutiny had also been for minutes of joint authorities being included on the agenda at full Council meetings and these had today been included in the agenda packs.

In January the Leader had given an update on the Fusion Bid and the joint request with the partnership to support child sexual exploitation survivors coming through the Operation Stovewood process.  A partnership meeting was held on the 22^nd May, 2018 at the Town Hall.  Unfortunately, progress had not been made as it was hoped at this time, but the work would continue with Central Government for funding now there was greater understanding about the situation in Rotherham, the services required and the knock on consequences.  Agreement had not yet been reached with Central Government over what they would fund to move Rotherham forward, but the Council would continue to bang the drum for the Rotherham survivor community.

The Leader was also pleased to report on the great community sporting events over the last few weeks, which included the Tour de Yorkshire, Rotherham’s first 10k race and the UEFA Under 17 football tournament.  Rotherham United were also at the play off finals at Wembley this weekend and it was requested that, in accordance with the flag protocol, the Rotherham United flag be flown over the weekend in support.

Councillor Atkin reminded all Members that Wath Rugby Club was also successful at Twickenham and won the Senior Shield.

The Leader confirmed arrangements were in hand for them to visit the Town Hall to mark their achievement accordingly.

To note the minutes of the Cabinet and Commissioners’ Decision Making Meetings held on 19^th February and 12^th March, 2018.

Resolved:-  That the reports, recommendations and minutes of the meetings of the Cabinet/Commissioners’ Decision Making Meeting held on 19^th February and 12^th March, 2018, be received.

Mover:-  Councillor Read                           Seconder:-  Councillor Lelliott

To consider a recommendation from Cabinet to include the capital costs of vehicles and bins in the Capital Programme.

Further to Minute No. 133 of the meeting of the Cabinet/Commissioners’ Decision Making Meeting held on 16^th April, 2018, consideration was given to the report which proposed changes to introduce kerbside plastic collection as soon as practicable, and introduce an all year round green waste chargeable service from October 2018.   The lid colour of the new residual bin had also been open to public vote and this was now confirmed to be pink.

On this basis it was proposed that the capital costs of the purchase of vehicles and bins be added to the Capital Programme.

A number of Members expressed their views regarding the cost of the replacement green bins, the lack of any trial for the new collection service in multi-occupancy properties, seeking best practice advice and visits to other Local Authorities and the U-turn on the recycling of plastic which were answered by the Cabinet Member.  The decisions were based on learning from others and how the consultation process and the Service had listened to the views of local residents.

Resolved:-  Councillor Hoddinott                        Seconder:-  Councillor Alam

To report on the establishment of political groups, the political balance of the Council and the entitlement of each group to seats on the authority’s committees.

Consideration was given to a report which detailed how Section 15 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 placed on local authorities 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 2 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 2 political groups in operation on the Council – the Labour Group and the UK Independence Party Group – with two non-aligned Councillors (Members who were not in a political group).

There were 169 seats available on committees, boards and panels and under the calculation the Labour Group was entitled to 129 seats and the UK Independence Group entitled to 35.  This left 5 seats which could not be given to members of the political groups and should be allocated to the 2 non-aligned Councillors.

Resolved:-  (1)  That the operation of two political groups on the Council and the detail of their designated Leaders be noted.

(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)  That approval be given to the appointment of Members to committees, boards and panels, and the appointment of Chairs and Vice-Chairs, as set out on the schedule tabled at the meeting as follows:-

Executive

REGULATORY BOARDS

Standards and Ethics Committee:-

(8 Council Members)

Licensing Board:-

(21 Members)

Licensing Committee:-

(15 Members drawn from Licensing Board)

Planning Board:-

(15 Members)

To consider proposed amendments to the Executive Procedure Rules, Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rules, Access to Information Procedure Rules and Council Procedure Rules.

Consideration was given to a report proposing approval of amendments to various parts of the Council’s Constitution following the external review of Executive Procedure Rules, Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rules and Access to Information Procedure Rules undertaken by the Association of Democratic Services Officers.

The report also proposed a minor amendment to the Council Procedure Rules to clarify and ensure consistency in respect of provisions for invoking a right to reply for proposers of amendments to motions.

The proposals had been reviewed and supported by the Constitution Working Group.

Councillor John Turner expressed his frustrations on the rules of debate and was advised by the Leader that the rules had been made clearer to avoid any confusion in the future.

The Mayor also confirmed that once the proposals were agreed he would ensure that a copy of the Council Procedure Rules be provided for all Members.

Resolved:-  (1)  That the proposed amendments to the Executive Procedure Rules, Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rules and Access to Information Procedure Rules be approved.

(2)  That Council Procedure Rule 18(30) be amended to read “Once an amendment has been determined, the proposer of the amendment does not have the right of reply at the conclusion of the debate on the original or substantive motion”.

(3)  That authority be delegated to the Assistant Director of Legal Services to make any consequential amendments to the Constitution arising from the changes agreed by Council.

Mover:-  Councillor Read                       Seconder:-  Councillor Steele

To report on the results of the consultation exercise and make recommendations as to the outcome of the Community Governance Review.

Further to Minute No. 110 of the Council meeting held on 13^th December, 2017, consideration was given to the results of the consultation exercise undertaken on the modified terms of reference for the Community Governance Review for Orgreave.

The issue which has prompted a community governance review was whether the continued expansion of the Waverley settlement and the increasing numbers of residents living there warranted changes to the arrangements for parish councils in that area.  At present the Waverley settlement was split between the parishes of Orgreave and Catcliffe by a boundary which did not relate to any features on the ground.

A consultation process was initiative and local residents asked their views on 4 options:-

·                No change to the existing parish arrangements.

·                Reducing the existing parish of Orgreave to cover only the settlement of Orgreave, and to create a new parish to cover the southern part of the Waverley settlement. This option was proposed in the original petition. 

·                Creating a new parish for the whole of the Waverley settlement. The parish of Orgreave would then cover only the settlement of Orgreave and the parish of Catcliffe would cover only the settlement of Catcliffe.

·                Creating a new area covering the whole of the Waverley settlement without a parish council. The parish of Orgreave would then cover only the settlement of Orgreave and the parish of Catcliffe would cover only the settlement of Catcliffe.

The consultation period finished on 16^th April, 2018 and the outcome of these responses were set out in detail as part of the report where it was recommended that a new parish for Waverley be constituted.  However, the process required the Council apply to the Local Government Boundary Commission for England for consent to the Final Recommendations insofar as they related to “protected electoral arrangements” for the purposes of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007.  If consent from the Local Government Boundary Commission for England was then forthcoming, the Assistant Director for Legal Services would then be authorised to publicise the Final Recommendations in accordance with Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007.

It was further requested that a further report be brought to Council to advise Council on the decision of the Local Government Boundary Commission for England and to seek approval of the Reorganisation of a Community Governance Order required to bring the Final Recommendations into effect.

Members were confident that this was the best possible solution for the Waverley new community and would lead to the best arrangements moving forward, but requested this be expedited in order to coincide with the election process in 2019/2020.

Resolved:-  (1)  That Council makes the following Final Recommendations for the purposes of Part 4 Chapter 3 of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007:

1.1      A new parish, comprising the Waverley North and Waverley South polling districts shall be constituted and:

·           The name of the new parish should be Waverley

·           The new parish shall have the alternative  ...  view the full minutes text for item 192.

To receive the report and recommendations of the Health Select Commission in respect of its review of Drug and Alcohol Treatment and Recovery Services.

Consideration was given to the scrutiny review report which set out the main findings and recommendations from the cross-party spotlight scrutiny review of Drug and Alcohol Treatment and Recovery Services for Adults undertaken by the Health Select Commission. 

Evidence was gathered by presentations, interviews seminars and a visit to the treatment centre at Carson House.  Thanks were paid to everyone who provided evidence for the review and in particular Anne Charlesworth, Ruth Fletcher-Brown, Louise Hayter and Teresa Roche from RMBC, Diane Graham and Matt Pollard from RDash, Gemma Hewitt from the CCG, Members of the Health Select Commission and Councillor Roche, Cabinet Member for their input and shaping the lines of enquiry.

The negative impact of drug and alcohol abuse not only affected the individual but also their families, children and communities.  For the Members that took part the knowledge of drug and alcohol misuse was enhanced and presented a detailed analysis about drug and alcohol dependency and suicides.  The findings were laid out in detail along with a comprehensive set of recommendations.

The report was presented for information to share the review findings with the wider membership of the Council. Following this meeting, the Cabinet and Commissioners would be required to respond formally to the recommendations and indicate agreement or otherwise and what action would be taken to implement the recommendations, together with details of timescales and accountabilities.

Members welcomed the report and its recommendations which would be looked at in due course.  Councillor Roche wished to refer to Recommendation 3 relating to the work in the south of the Borough which was excellent and which ought to be extended.  This was funded by what was the then Wentworth Valley Area Assembly and he had Ward Members welcoming them considering from their Ward funds this work continuing.  He welcomed people in getting in touch with the Cabinet Member or Terri Roche.

Councillor Steele, on behalf of Scrutiny wished to thank Councillors Evans and Short and the rest of the Members for their work on this review.  This highlighted the role of Scrutiny in policy decisions and that the work undertaken the Cabinet Members appreciate this and hoped this could be supported fully.

The Leader pointed out that this was the opportunity for a group of Councillors to influence and shape the policy in public.  He thanked the group for the work and others on the work they had done and the need to raise awareness of such an important issue.

Resolved:-  (1)  That the report and recommendations in respect of Drug and Alcohol Treatment Services be noted.

(2)  That the response of Cabinet be reported back to the Health Select Commission.

Mover:-  Councillor Evans                          Seconder:-  Councillor Short

To receive the report and recommendations of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board in respect of its review of the use of interim, agency and consultancy staff.

Consideration was given to a report which presented the views of a cross-party review group on the Authority’s use of agency, interim and consultancy staff following concerns about the forecasts of overspend.

The purpose of the review was to seek assurance that the Council measured performance and value for money in its use of agency staff and consultants and was taking appropriate action to maintain spend within acceptable limits. The recommendations made by Members were based on information and evidence collated during the course of the review and their challenge of existing practices and developing protocols.

The recommendations made by Members were based on information and evidence collated during the course of the review and their challenge of existing practices and developing protocols. The Workforce Management Board (WMB), led by the Assistant Chief Executive and attended by Assistant Directors from all Directorates, had been set up shortly before the commencement of this review to introduce a control process, with the use of agency staff requiring explicit Directorate and Board sign off. 

It was helpful that the review coincided with the development of the Workforce Management Board as Members were able to hold officers to account and see evidence of its work with associated improvement in performance; increased oversight and reduction in spend. Through this regular dialogue, Members were able to influence the development of procedures and clarification of definitions and reporting routes which has meant that some of Members’ recommendations were implemented during the course of the review.  

The report was presented for information to share the findings with the wider membership of the Council. Following this meeting, the Cabinet would be required to respond formally to the recommendations and indicate agreement or otherwise, what action, would be taken to implement the recommendations, along with details of timescales and accountabilities.

Councillor Cowles was happy to second and concurred with Councillor Steele.  He commended him for the in-depth work that was undertaken and the avenues pursued and challenges being faced.

Resolved:-  (1)  That the report and recommendations in respect of use of agency, interim and consultancy staff, as outlined in Section 4 of Appendix 1, be noted.

(2)  That the report is forwarded to Cabinet and its response to the recommendations be fed back to Overview and Scrutiny Management Board.

Mover:-  Councillor Steele                          Seconder:-  Councillor Cowles

This Council notes:-

·                That 100 years ago, the Representation of the People Act was passed allowing women over the age of 30 to vote for the first time. This followed a sustained campaign by women across the country, including many women in Rotherham. 

·                The first female Councillor for Rotherham County Borough was Councillor Mary MacLagen, who was elected in 1924 to represent Clifton ward. She was an active feminist, and was secretary of the Rotherham Branch of the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies.

·                That it took another 19 years to elect our first female Mayor, Councillor F. L. Green in 1943. Our first female MP for Rotherham, Sarah Champion was elected in 2012 and the Council's first female Chief Executive, Sharon Kemp, was appointed in 2015.

This Council believes:-

·                We are indebted to those that have fought for gender equality and remember those women who died, suffered and sacrificed for a woman’s right to vote today.

·                That a healthy democracy reflects the people it represents; all elected bodies should strive for equal representation of men and women.

·                That this is still much to campaign for to achieve equality – less than a third of MPs are female, more than 90% of limited company executives are male, and in 2017 in the UK, men earned 18.4% more than women.

This Council resolves:-

·                To erect a plaque to Councillor Mary MacLagen, the first woman Councillor in Rotherham and suffragette, in a prominent position in Rotherham Town Hall, to be paid for by public subscription.

·                To seek a blue plaque for Councillor Mary MacLagen’s home on Broom Lane, Rotherham. 

·                To encourage the next generation of women to play their part in politics in Rotherham, by reviewing carers, maternity and paternity arrangements for Councillors through a member’s working group.

·                To provide a political voice for women in Rotherham by ensuring that issues that matter to them such as equal pay, bullying and harassment, sexual violence, and domestic abuse are heard within the Council.

Proposer:- Councillor Hoddinott               Seconder:- Councillor Pitchley

Proposed by Councillor Hoddinott and seconded by Councillor Pitchley:-

This Council notes:-

·             That 100 years ago, the Representation of the People Act was passed allowing women over the age of 30 to vote for the first time. This followed a sustained campaign by women across the country, including many women in Rotherham. 

·             The first female Councillor for Rotherham County Borough was Councillor Mary MacLagen, who was elected in 1924 to represent Clifton ward. She was an active feminist, and was secretary of the Rotherham Branch of the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies.

·             That it took another 19 years to elect our first female Mayor, Councillor F. L. Green in 1943. Our first female MP for Rotherham, Sarah Champion was elected in 2012 and the Council's first female Chief Executive, Sharon Kemp, was appointed in 2015.

This Council believes:-

·             We are indebted to those that have fought for gender equality and remember those women who died, suffered and sacrificed for a woman’s right to vote today.

·             That a healthy democracy reflects the people it represents; all elected bodies should strive for equal representation of men and women.

·             That this is still much to campaign for to achieve equality – less than a third of MPs are female, more than 90% of limited company executives are male, and in 2017 in the UK, men earned 18.4% more than women.

This Council resolves:-

·             To erect a plaque to Councillor Mary MacLagen, the first woman Councillor in Rotherham and suffragette, in a prominent position in Rotherham Town Hall, to be paid for by public subscription.

·             To seek a blue plaque for Councillor Mary MacLagen’s home on Broom Lane, Rotherham. 

·             To encourage the next generation of women to play their part in politics in Rotherham, by reviewing carers, maternity and paternity arrangements for Councillors through a member’s working group.

·             To provide a political voice for women in Rotherham by ensuring that issues that matter to them such as equal pay, bullying and harassment, sexual violence, and domestic abuse are heard within the Council.

On being put to the vote, the motion was carried unanimously.

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, recommendation and minutes of the meeting of the Health and Wellbeing Board be adopted.

Mover:-  Councillor Roche                         Seconder:-  Councillor Mallinder

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

To confirm the minutes as a true record.

Resolved:-  That the reports, recommendation and minutes of the meetings of the Planning Board be adopted.

Mover:-  Councillor Atkin                            Seconder:-  Councillor Tweed

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

To confirm the minutes as a true record.

Resolved:-  That the reports, recommendation and minutes of the meeting of the Staffing Committee be adopted:-

Mover:-  Councillor Alam                            Seconder:-  Councillor Read

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, recommendation and minutes of the meeting of the Standards and Ethics Committee be adopted.

Mover:-  Councillor McNeely                  Seconder:-  Councillor Andrews

To consider recommendations from the Standards and Ethics Committee concerning its membership and the appointment of Independent Persons under the Localism Act 2011.

Further to Minute No. 62 of the meeting of the Standards and Ethics  Committee held on 1^st May, 2018 consideration was given to the report in respect of its membership and the appointment of Independent Persons under the Localism Act 2011.

Resolved:-  (1)   That the appointment of the current Town and Parish Council representatives be confirmed until further nominations are received from the Town and Parish Councils.

(2) That the appointment of the current Independent Members of the Committee be confirmed until the end of the 2018/19 municipal year.

Mover:-  Councillor McNeely                  Seconder:-  Councillor Andrews

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, recommendation and minutes of the meetings of the Licensing Board Sub-Committee be adopted.

Mover:-  Councillor Ellis                             Seconder:-  Councillor Sheppard

To receive the minutes of the Sheffield City Region Combined Authority.

Resolved:-  That the minutes of the meeting of the South Yorkshire Combined Authority be received.

Mover:-  Councillor Read                           Seconder:-  Councillor Lelliott

To receive the minutes of the South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority.

Resolved:-  That the minutes of the meeting of the South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority be received.

Councillor Atkin pointed out that with regards to Minute No. 12 it was noted that the Stronger Safer Communities Research Sprinkler Fund had been set up from reserves that partners could bid into to make buildings safer.  Rotherham had been successful in securing £138,765 towards fitting sprinkler systems into some two storey accommodation for elderly and vulnerable people namely at Dawson’s Croft, Hampstead Green and Shaftsbury House.

Councillor McNeely welcomed the information given that Shaftsbury House was in her Ward.  She had recently been involved in a meeting regarding new build properties where she had asked them to make enquiries with the Fire Service about putting the sprinkler system in before they were built.

Mover:-  Councillor Atkin                            Seconder:-  Councillor Taylor

To receive the minutes of the South Yorkshire Pensions Authority.

Resolved:-  That the minutes of the meeting of the South Yorkshire Pensions Authority be received.

Mover:-  Councillor Ellis                         Seconder:-  Councillor Wyatt

To receive the minutes of the South Yorkshire Police and Crime Panel.

Resolved:-  That the minutes of the meeting of the South Yorkshire Police and Crime Panel be received.

Mover:-  Councillor Steele                      Seconder:-  Councillor Roche

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, Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield Combined Authority and South Yorkshire Pensions Authority, in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 11(5).

Councillor R. Elliott asked, having been re-appointed to the Fire Authority, could he trust Councillor Atkin to remember this Chamber’s wishes for the second pump to be reinstated at Rotherham fire station.

With a predicted underspend of £2.2m, please confirm that you won’t accept no for an answer and you will push for its immediate reinstatement?

Councillor Atkin gave his assurance that he had already made it plain the Council’s position to the Fire Authority, and he would continue to do so, alongside Councillor Taylor.

This did not, of course, guarantee that the Authority would agree with the Council for the reasons discussed over the last few months, but he and Councillor Taylor would do what they could to persuade them.

In a supplementary question Councillor Elliott referred to the last Council meeting where Councillor Atkin stated that the second pump at Rotherham could be manned in an emergency by retained fire fighters by way of a 5 minute response call.  In such an emergency, as these personnel would be coming from Dearne and Birley Stations, was Councillor Atkin able to tell him the length of time it would take before the engine was active and started on the second pump.

Councillor Atkin confirmed when a pump was on retained duty fire fighters had 15 minutes to get active.  South Yorkshire was particular busy last night.  There was a major fire at Dinnington at a plastics factory.  This involved 8 ground appliances and one air appliance.  The fire was contained at 5.30 p.m. At approximately 9.00 p.m. there was a further fire incident involving Fosters Garden Centre which required 5 ground appliances, 2 were recalled back.   This showed that 11 pumps were working in Rotherham and highlighted the resilience across South Yorkshire.

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

(1)  Councillor Short asked what steps did the Council take to ensure the “Hand Car Wash” firms which operated in our town did not exploit workers?

The Independent Anti-Slavery Commission had concerns that car wash workers were being paid less than the minimum wage, were kept in squalid housing and subject to possible modern slavery.

Councillor Hoddinott confirmed this was an issue that affected many people including foreign nationals and UK victims.  Following the Modern Slavery Act and new legislation a national system was set up for dealing with victims called the national referral mechanism.  There was more information about referrals and the types of referrals coming through.  The Commissioner had quite rightly highlighted the use of car washes, nail bars and other cheap services as actually fuelling modern slavery and people were being trafficked and put into forced labour.

Work was taking place with partners to co-ordinate a response to modern slavery and at the next meeting of the Safer Rotherham Partnership this would be considered and plans put in place.

With regards to car washes and enforcement, the Police and Council would react to any concerns by the public or Councillors.  The service was aware of a couple of incidents and premises had been inspected based on reports.  Consideration would need to be given as to what could be done, how to be more proactive and raise awareness of the issue amongst the public.  This would be raised at the next meeting of the Safer Rotherham Partnership.

In a supplementary question Councillor Short made reference to a visit he had made to a car wash during a particular cold spell during the winter.  The young men working had no protective clothing, their clothes were sodden and they were shivering and shaking. The owner, who was usually chatty, when asked why his workers were not suitably equipped indicated he did not understand and walked away.  Councillor Short believed those who were licensed should comply with the relevant regulations and on this basis he wished to propose that a cross-party meeting look at this area to see if something could be done further.  He was aware of an initiative by Luton Council and how the Government’s Audit Committee was due to receive a report on this shortly.

Councillor Hoddinott further explained that incidents should be shared with the Police and officers so they could be looked into.   It was pointed out that if any member of the public or councillor had circumstances where they were particularly concerned they could telephone the national modern slavery hotline and make reports anonymously which would be picked up by the Police.  The points about cross-party working were welcomed and Councillor Hoddinott was more than happy to put this in place to see what more could be done.

(2)  Councillor Cowles asked, in light of the recent planning decision to allow Yorkshire Water to build a new reservoir in Boston Park as they requested, did the Leader accept that Labour could not now be trusted  ...  view the full minutes text for item 207.

Any other public items which the Mayor determines are urgent.

There were none.