Agenda and draft minutes

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

The Mayor was deeply saddened to report on the death of Roland Benton, former Mayor and Councillor for Swinton. As a mark of respect, the meeting stood and observed a minute’s silence.

The Mayor was pleased to be able to welcome officers representing the winners of the Transport News, Northern Local Authority ‘Fleet of the Year’ award to the meeting. The award was made for being forward thinking over low carbon alternative fuels, by trialling 10 vehicles on Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil which has delivered a carbon saving of 65 tonnes over the 6 month trial period.  Had diesel been used in the sample vehicles for the trial, this would have emitted 70.35 tonnes, but the alternative fuel meant only 5.28 tonnes of carbon was emitted.

A full list of engagements was appended to the Mayor’s letter.

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

Resolved: That apologies for absence be received from Councillors Adair, Ball, T. Collingham, Fisher, Keenan, Knight, Lelliott and Stables.

To receive the record of proceedings of the ordinary meeting of the Council held on 11 September 2024 and to approve the accuracy thereof.

Consideration was given to the minutes of the previous Council Meeting held on 11 September 2024.

Resolved: That the minutes of the meeting of Council held on 11 September 2024 be approved for signature by the Mayor.

Mover:- Councillor Read                         Seconder:- Councillor Sheppard

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

Consideration was given to the report which outlined the one petition that had been received since the last Council meeting. The petition was titled: Traffic Lights to be Installed at the Junction of Wentworth Road/Stubbin Road B6089. It had received 77 valid signatures and as such the lead petitioner, Ms Walston, had been invited to address the Council in accordance with the Council’s Petition Scheme. Ms Walston did not attend and the matter was therefore referred directly to the Strategic Director of Regeneration and Environment for a response.

Resolved:

1.    That the report be received.

2.    That the Council received the petition listed at paragraph 2.1 of the report and the lead petitioner or their representative be entitled to address the Council for a total period of five minutes in accordance with the Council’s Petition Scheme.

3.    That the Strategic Director of Regeneration and Environment by required to response to the lead petitioner, as set out in the Petition Scheme, by Wednesday 20 November 2024.

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.

Councillor Currie made a declaration of interest in regard to the Minute 88 as a family member was a police officer.

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.

11 public questions had been submitted in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 12:-

1. Mr Jonathan Smith: Madam Mayor, to reiterate my colleagues email to yourself in September  can you confirm that  you have formally requested, on our behalf, our cordial invitations to all the Rotherham MPs, Councillors, council officers and local dignitaries to the solemn occasion of Raising the Palestinian Flag at the Town Hall on Friday the 29th of November?

The Leader explained that the Mayor had asked him to respond on her behalf. It was confirmed that the Mayor had not received the information relating to the event, neither had the Leader. If that information was provided, it would be circulated but not to all Council officers. 

In his supplementary, Mr Smith stated that Rotherham had a proud history in supporting humanitarian causes in South Africa, Chile and Ukraine. He asked the Leader to extend the historical precedent and to work with Rotherham residents, especially Rotherham Palestinians. Residents had invited the Mayor and the Leader to extend the invitation weeks in advance as a further step to developing a respectful working relationship. Mr Smith asked the Leader to confirm that those requested had been invited to the rising of the Palestinian flag for 5.30pm on 29 November as requested at the Cabinet meeting on 14 October? An email was sent but not responded to. Mr Smith also asked for how long the Ukrainian flag was raised on Council premises and asked for the appropriate documentation to be sent to their official email address. Finally, Mr Smith asked the Leader to confirm how the Council would be responding to the petition recommendations whilst involving the community.

The Leader reiterated that he had not received any information about an event people may be organising on the evening of 29 November and as such, could not send out an invitation. In relation to flag flying, the Leader explained that there were two separate processes. The first, which took precedence, was the guidance from the Government. The Ukrainian flag was flown in accordance with that guidance and was therefore flown for a number of weeks. The second process was that the Council could choose to make its own localised arrangements. Following the petition and recommendations from OSMB, the Palestinian flag will be flown on 29 November. This was a gesture of solidarity with the people suffering in Palestine. It was not helpful to anyone to compare how long flags flew for.

2. Mr A. Burton: How do you intend to proceed with the People's Palestine Petition recommendations whilst involving the community moving forward?

Mr Burton did not attend the meeting and, as such, would receive a written response.

3. Ms Carol Boote:  Who is the Cabinet spokesperson?

The Leader stated that Councillor Sheppard – Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Social Inclusion was the Cabinet Spokesperson in relation to the Gaza Petition recommendations.

In her supplementary, Ms Boote referenced a letter sent from Councillor Read to her colleague on  ...  view the full minutes text for item 76.

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 such items that required the exclusion of the press and public from this meeting.

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

The Leader was invited to present his statement. He stated that he was conscious that it was a long agenda with many questions. If a significant numbers of Members had left the meeting before the end, the Leader confirmed that he would want to draw the meeting to a close. Members would receive answers to their questions in writing.

The Leader highlighted the following:

Work had started on the site for a new café at Rother Valley Country Park. The works were part of a series of £7.4m improvements at the park which  were long awaited.

Work had started on the new housing and independent living development on Warden Street in Canklow as part of the Castle Hill development. This was an £11m scheme which would bring state of the art facilities for people with learning disabilities.

Demolition works had started at Rotherham Markets with the demolition of the former Drummond Street shops – also known as the Guardian Centre buildings, paving the way for the development’s brand-new town centre library. This was the second biggest investment in the town centre.

Residents living in Rotherham could once again receive support with their energy bills this winter, as the latest round of the Council’s Crisis Support Scheme opened for application. The scheme offered payments of up to £250 for households that were struggling to meet the costs of their energy bills as a result of the significant rise in energy costs. The Leader urged Members to help residents access that support.

In conclusion, the Leader passed on his thanks to the team involved with the Bonfire Night event at Clifton Park which was very successful.

Councillor Currie stated that it would be better for the meetings to be held at 10am. He also asked that, if the meeting did finish early, could supplementary questions be emailed in for a written response? 

The Leader confirmed that they could if this happened.

Councillor Reynolds asked a question in relation to the laying of tarmac and why it was rippling. He also asked if the new entrance to Parkgate would be open in time for the Christmas rush?

The Leader confirmed that a written response would be provided in relation to the tarmac question. He also confirmed that he expected the new entrance at Parkgate to open shortly. The delay had been due to flooding and drainage issues.

Councillor Z Collingham stated that the way in which public questions were being presented and asked was not beneficial to the questioners, the Members or anyone watching. This was an ongoing issue and the rules continued to be broken. He asked if the matter could be looked at on a cross-party basis as it was detailing the meeting.

The Leader agreed entirely with the comments. The Constitution Working Group would look into the matters raised.

Councillor Bacon asked why the Leader did not mention the Budget in his statement.

The Leader stated that he believed the Budget was a triumph for public services and the best  ...  view the full minutes text for item 78.

To note the minutes of the Cabinet Meeting held on 16 September and 14 October 2024.

Consideration was given to the reports, recommendations and minutes of the meetings of Cabinet held on 16 September and 14 October 2024.

Resolved: That the reports, recommendations and minutes of the meetings of Cabinet held on 16 September and 14 October 2024 be received.

Mover:- Councillor Read                         Seconder:- Councillor Sheppard

To note the recommendation from Cabinet regarding their response to the scrutiny review recommendations on Nature Recovery.

Consideration was given to the report which presented Cabinet’s response to the Improving Places Select Commission Scrutiny Review on Nature Recovery. On 25 May 2022, Council resolved to declare a Nature Crisis for Rotherham. It noted that almost half of all UK wildlife was in long-term decline, with 15% of species at risk of extinction. The motion stated that the climate crisis was hastening the destruction of the natural environment, damaging habitats, and disrupting ecosystems. The declaration of a Nature Crisis was first taken up by local people and groups; the motion called on the Council to do the same, noting that a thriving natural environment underpinned a healthy, prosperous society.

The recommendations resulting from the 2023 review were endorsed by OSMB in March 2024, and presented to Cabinet in June 2024. On 16 September 2024, Cabinet approved its response. The key issues, risks and recommendations were therefore detailed within Appendix 1 and 2 of the report.

Resolved:

1.    That Council note Cabinet’s response to the recommendations summarised in the report – Cabinet Response to the Improving Places Scrutiny Review – Nature Recovery at Appendix 1 and 2.

Mover:- Councillor Sheppard                             Seconder:- Councillor Allen

To be moved by Councillor A Carter and seconded by Councillor Tarmey.

An amendment to the original motion was accepted by the mover and seconder of the original Motion and, therefore, further to Procedure Rule 18(14) the amendment was incorporated into the Motion for debate (inclusions highlighted in bold italics). 

The original Motion and amendment were moved by Councillor A Carter and Councillor Tarmey.

That this Council notes that:

1.    ?The Labour Party won a majority in the 2024 general election to form the Government of the UK with a ?manifesto that included a pledge not to increase taxes for working people.

2.    ??There was no manifesto commitment to the removal of universal winter fuel payments for pensioners.

3.    ??Rotherham Labour Group proposed a motion in recent years condemning the removal of the £20 Universal Credit uplift, which was passed by the Council.

4.    ??Inflation has recently returned to below the Bank of England target, and this has happened more rapidly than forecast earlier this year which provides the government with more fiscal headroom to support working people.

5.    The Government has announced they are going to increase the bus fare cap to £3 per journey in 2025.

6.    The Government has announced that regulated rail fares in England are to rise by 4.6% from 2nd March 2025.

7.    The Government has chosen to keep a freeze on the personal allowance until 2028/29 financial year, increasing the amount of tax working people on the national living wage will pay.

8.    The Chancellor has listened to Liberal Democrat calls for an increase in the carer’s allowance earning threshold, meaning that 60,000 more carers will be able to keep Government support while continuing to work.

9.    The Government’s Budget will “leave the size of the economy largely unchanged at the end of the five-year forecast period”, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility analysis.

That this Council believes that:

1.    ?Promises made in an election manifesto of a party who wins a parliamentary majority should not be broken.

2.    ??Self-employed people, and employees of small and medium sized businesses are ‘working people’.

3.    ??Self-employed people may be liable for employee and employer national insurance contributions.

4.    ??The private sector is an essential part of our economy and is key to economic growth, job creation, and revenue for the Treasury.

5.    ??Increasing the tax burden for the self-employed and small and medium sized businesses risks fewer jobs, lower growth, and redundancies.

6.    The Government should reinstate the Universal Credit uplift as the council resolved in recent years.

7.    The borough’s three MPs - John Healey, Sarah Champion and Jake Richards - were wrong to vote to remove universal winter fuel payments for pensioners.

8.    Working people who use public transport should not be made to pay above inflation bus and train fare increases to get to work.

9.    It is wrong that low-income working people will have to pay more tax due to this Budget.

10.Carers in receipt of carer’s allowance should be able to work alongside their care responsibilities, without being penalised for  ...  view the full minutes text for item 81.

To be moved by Councillor Tarmey and seconded by Councillor C Carter.

An amendment to the original motion was accepted by the mover and seconder of the original Motion and, therefore, further to Procedure Rule 18(14) the amendment was incorporated into the Motion for debate (inclusions highlighted in bold italics). 

The original Motion was moved by Councillor Tarmey and seconded by Councillor C Carter. The amendment was moved by Councillor Tinsley and seconded by Councillor Baum-Dixon.

That this Council:

1.    Thanks military veterans for their service to our country.

2.    Recognises the sacrifices that military personnel have made during their service to our country.

3.    Commits to always remember those who have lost their lives in their military service for our country.

4.    Is grateful of the work charities such as the Royal British Legion and others do in supporting all our military veterans.

5.    Recognises the role played by local charities for their invaluable work in supporting the financial, physical health, and mental health needs of our military veterans.

6.    Believes that historical armed forces policies that were in place as late as the year 2000, discriminated against LGBT+ people and have done significant harm to those military personnel: both by discharging them from the military; or the effect that hiding that their identity had on mental health during someone’s military service.

7.    Notes that the Royal British Legion have introduced Pride Poppies to commemorate the contribution of LGBT+ military personnel to the armed forces and resolves to fully support this initiative.

8.    Believes that the Poppy Appeal and Remembrance Sunday are inclusive events where we remember and thank all our military personnel and veterans irrespective of background, orientation, religion, or personal beliefs.

9.    Reaffirms its commitment to supporting Remembrance parades across the Borough, including providing Traffic Management Orders to ensure safety.

10.Notes the importance of cenotaphs and war memorials as spaces for veterans, residents and communities to gather, show respect and participate in acts of remembrance.

11.Commits, where the Council is the custodian of memorials and cenotaphs, to maintaining these sites with adequate funding and resources, recognising their significance for veterans and local communities.

On being put to the vote the motion was carried.

To note receipt of the Audit Committee minutes.

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

Mover: Councillor Marshall                     Seconder: Councillor Baggaley

To note receipt of the Health and Wellbeing Board minutes.

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

Mover: Councillor Baker-Rogers             Seconder: Councillor Cusworth

To note receipt of the Licensing Board Sub-Committee and Licensing Sub-Committee minutes.

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

Mover: Councillor Hughes                      Seconder: Councillor Beresford

To note receipt of the Planning Board minutes.

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

Mover: Councillor Williams                     Seconder: Councillor Mault

To note receipt of the Standards and Ethics Committee meetings.

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

Mover: Councillor Monk                          Seconder: Councillor Clarke

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, South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority and South Yorkshire Pensions Authority, in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 11(5).

There were 6 questions for the designated spokespersons:

1.    Councillor Baum-Dixon: Please could you give the council an update on the situation regarding the errors in the South Yorkshire Police accounts and forecasts, which we are led to believe could total almost £65m, including an overview of the error and why it happened, what steps are being taken to prevent this happening again and the potential impact upon policing in Rotherham?

Councillor Harper, Spokesperson on South Yorkshire Police and Crime Panel, explained that the South Yorkshire Mayor had commissioned a review into the matter. The South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority and South Yorkshire Police were working with the Government to determine sustainable solutions. Work was also underway to determine the impact on services should savings be required. It would not be appropriate to speculate on the outcomes of the review and investigations.

In his supplementary, Councillor Baum-Dixon stated that this was a cross-party issue, and everyone needed to work together to stop it from happening again. Given that the auditors in this situation were Grant Thornton and Rotherham Council’s auditors were also Grant Thornton, Councillor Baum-Dixon suggested that the Audit Committee look into whether the Council still had confidence in Grant Thornton’s abilities to conduct a thorough audit of Council finances.

Councillor Harper confirmed that he was happy to work on a cross-party basis.

2.    Councillor Currie: What is the percentage of meetings you have attended since you were placed on the panel ?

It was confirmed that both Councillor Harper and Councillor Baum-Dixon had attended one out of the two meetings (50%).

In his supplementary question, Councillor Currie stated that Councillor Baum-Dixon had been on the Panel for a number of years. The £65m error was an accounting error and it should have been scrutinized by Members on the Panel. He asked if Councillor Baum-Dixon would resign?

As Councillor Baum-Dixon was not the Designated Spokesperson he was not asked to respond during the meeting.

3.    Councillor Ball: How much additional pressure will the increase in NI cause to the finances of SYP and will you provide a forecast of how much this will cost to implement these labour tax hikes?

Councillor Ball did not attend the meeting and, as such, would receive a written response.

4.    Councillor Ball: How much additional pressure will the increase in NI cause to the finances of SYFR and will you provide a forecast of how much this will cost to implement these labour tax hikes?

Councillor Ball did not attend the meeting and, as such, would receive a written response.

5.    Councillor A Carter: Do you think the £65 million black hole in South Yorkshire Police's Budget shows that the previous Police and Crime Commissioner, as well as the South Yorkshire Mayor have failed in their duty to local taxpayers?

Councillor Harper answered no to the question. He explained that it was too early to start blaming people. With regard to the South Yorkshire Mayor, he was not responsible for South Yorkshire Police  ...  view the full minutes text for item 88.

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

There were 41 questions:

1.    Councillor C Carter: Parents are rightly frustrated about the dangerous parking, lack of crossing patrol, and infrequent parking enforcement outside Brinsworth Manor Infant and Junior Schools. How will the council make things safer?

Councillor Taylor explained that this was a good example of how walking and cycling were important to communities, and dealing with parking and providing safe crossing points was part of that.

At present, available funding for transport infrastructure improvements was fully allocated until 2027. Brinsworth Ward Members had chosen to allocate their Local Neighbourhood and Road Safety Fund to a higher priority elsewhere in the ward. However, officers would record the concern so it could be considered should funding become available in future.

In her supplementary, Councillor Carter asked if patrols could be increased in the area or if patrols within the town centre could be diverted schools in villages in order to improve safety? She also asked what additional measures could be considered.

Councillor Taylor explained that there had been some patrols, but it was a finite resource. So far this year Civil Enforcement Officers had carried out patrols both on foot and in the CCTV vehicle on 4 occasions outside Brinsworth Manor Infant and Junior Schools to enforce the no waiting restrictions and had issued 2 Penalty Charge Notices. The Council would continue with the enforcement action. Councillor Taylor encouraged Councillor Carter to report the matter again if the situation continued or got worse and it would be looked into further. 

2.    Councillor Thorp: The Budget has raised employers NIC and lowered the threshold that the employer starts to pay employer NIC, could you confirm how much per year this is going to cost RMBC?

Councillor Alam explained that the Government had indicated that employer NI increases for local authorities would be funded by increases in grant. It was not anticipated that there would be any net loss of funding. The Council was awaiting detail on how any grant awards would be transacted.

Councillor Thorp stated that care workers and similar workers were employed by companies on behalf of the Council. He asked how the Council would pay the extra money since those companies would surely have to pay the raised employer National Insurance Contributions and therefore the cost to the Council would increase.

Councillor Alam confirmed that officers were looking at the details following the Budget announcement. The core cost to the Council would be funded by the Government.

3.    Councillor Ball: Can the Leader inform me if he will be applying to GB energy to supply small scale clean energy projects such as solar panels on council houses, schools and hospitals?

Councillor Ball did not attend the meeting and, as such, would receive a written response.

4.    Councillor Cusworth will you join with me in offering congratulations to the LEAF centre based at Rockingham J&I school in being awarded the title of "Alternative Provision of the Year " by NASEN (National Association for Special Educational Needs). in recognition  ...  view the full minutes text for item 89.

Any other public items which the Mayor determines are urgent.

There were no urgent items to consider.