Agenda and minutes

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

The Mayor welcomed Councillor Harrison, newly elected Member for Keppel, to his first meeting following the recent By Election. John Edwards, the new Chief Executive of the Council, was also formally welcomed.

It was reported that Valerie May Hoyle, Secretary of Rotherham United Women’s Football Club had been awarded the British Empire Medal in the King’s Birthday Honours list. This was for services to Association Football and to the community in Rotherham. The Mayor offered her congratulations.

Congratulations were also offered to Sharon Kemp OBE, the former Chief Executive of the Council who had been awarded Chief Executive of the Year at the Municipal Journal Awards in June. Members joined the Mayor in a round of applause. The Council had also been successful in winning the Northern Housing Awards “Best Affordable Housing Development up to £5m” for the development at East Herringthorpe.  Housing Officers accepted the award from the Mayor and were given a round of applause.

The Mayor announced that Jo Brown, Assistant Chief Executive, would be leaving the Council at the end of the month. Members wished her well.

It was with great sadness that the Mayor reported on the passing of Sheila Walker, former Mayor and Keppel Ward member who had served on the Council from 2004 to 2012. The Mayor had attended former Councillor Walker’s funeral on 20 June and sent the Council’s deepest condolences to her family. Members observed a minute’s silence.

The Mayor had also attended the memorial service for Dame Julie Kenny, Freewoman of the Borough of Rotherham. It was noted that whilst this was a sad day it was also an occasion to celebrate Dame Julie’s life, success and legacy. A full list of Mayoral Engagements was attached at Appendix A to the Mayor’s letter.

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

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Adair, Baum-Dixon, A. Carter, C. Carter, Clarke, Duncan, Elliott, Hall, Hughes, Knight and Taylor.

To receive the record of proceedings of the meetings of the Council held on 16 May 2025 and 21 May 2025 and to approve the accuracy thereof.

Consideration was given to the minutes of the previous Council meetings held on 16 May 2025 and 21 May 2025.

Resolved:

That the Minutes of the meetings of Council held on 16 May 2025 and 21 May 2025 be approved for signature by the Mayor.

Mover:- Councillor Read                         Seconder:- Councillor Cusworth

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 set out the two petitions that had been received since the last meeting.

The first petition asked for a pelican crossing or zebra crossing to be installed on Station Road, Wath Upon Dearne and it had received 39 valid signatures. The Lead Petitioner, Christine Jones, was unable to attend but Councillor Jackson read out a statement on her behalf. The petition would be responded to by the Strategic Director of Regeneration and Environment within 10 working days of the meeting.

The second petition asked for improvements to road safety on Birks Holt, Maltby and it had received 38 valid signatures. The Leader Petitioner, Tina Bailey, attended the meeting and Councillor Tinsley read out a statement on her behalf. The petition would be responded to by the Strategic Director of Regeneration and Environment within 10 working days of the meeting.

Resolved:

1.    That the report be received.

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

3.    That the relevant Strategic Director be required to respond to the lead petitioners, as set out in the Petition Scheme, by Friday 30 July 2025.

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 record.

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.

There were five public questions:

1.    Mr Andrew Bates: Parishes are inundated by public concerns regarding land use. The absence of a resource showing the cumulative effect is not helping. Borough Councillors must have the same problem. The Land Development Plan is out of date. Can Parish/Borough Councillors look forward to a consolidated not piecemeal approach to planning to enable some proportionality to be taken during this unprecedented demand?

The Cabinet Member for Transport, Jobs and the Local Economy explained that Parish Councils, and local residents, could view the Council’s adopted Local Plan online. The plan identified areas of land which could be built upon, and which areas were to be protected by allocating all areas of land across the borough for identified land uses. The Plan did not show the cumulative effect of development, but the interactive map on the Council’s website showed areas where planning applications had been submitted.

The current Local Plan needed to be updated to reflect the new National Planning Policy Framework and the Government’s new housing targets. This was likely to require more land than was currently allocated to meet the requirement. This would be considered carefully, proportionately and in consultation with the local community when looking at allocating land as part of the preparation of a new local plan and it would need to consider the cumulative impact of growth over the Plan period. The Council would commence work on the production of a new Plan in 2026 but no changes to sites had yet been agreed or would be agreed some time yet.

2.    Ms Karen Kirby: Can the Council tell me why it has failed to share any information as to the extension of its Rotherham's Plans of Selective Licensing of Private Landlords?consultation via its recently revised published leaflet?

The Cabinet Member for Housing explained that the revised leaflet which had been circulated to properties in the affected areas had been circulated precisely to inform people about the extension of the consultation. This had been done to respond to previous feedback where people felt that the locations had not been made clear enough. The consultation had been extended to ensure that anybody affected by the proposal had the opportunity to comment. The Council valued feedback and sought that feedback in multiple ways. There was an online survey, paper-based surveys and meetings had been held. All responses would be transparently reported.

In her supplementary, Ms Kirby asked if the Council was aware that a specific reason should have been given for the extension?

The Cabinet Member explained that there was no specific reason other than taking on board feedback from residents, landlords and tenants on information that had not bee made clear. It was not a new consultation, merely an extension of dates.

3.    Ms Tracy Cartland-Ward: What is the reason for the Council making an exceptional decision to re-open the consultation for the proposed 2025-2030 Selective Licence, especially considering this was done before notifying the Ward Councillors?

The Cabinet Member  ...  view the full minutes text for item 34.

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 welcomed the new Chief Executive, John Edwards, to his first Council meeting and congratulated Councillor Tony Harrison on his recent victory in the Keppel by-election.

The Leader noted that the Crematorium had achieved Green Flag status and Clifton Park had achieved Green Heritage status. Further, the next stage of funding for the mainline Gateway Station proposal had been secured which was a big step forward.

Reference was made to the significant stagging challenges recently faced by the Household Waste Service which had resulted in delays to collections, especially garden waste collections. The Leader sought to reassure Members that additional resources were being put in place and the team were working hard to address the backlog. The position had improved over the last few days, but further changes were required to get things back on an even keel.

The Leader wished to focus on Marcia Grant. The Inquest into Mrs Grant’s death had closed earlier in July and had found grounds to believe that Rotherham Council had played a contributing role in her death. Mrs Grant had been a much-loved and highly respected foster carer, and a central figure within Rotherham’s fostering community. She was caring and compassionate, providing a home and support to some of the borough’s most vulnerable children. The Leader offered the Council’s deepest and sincerest condolences to Mrs Grant’s family, stating that he was truly sorry for their loss and for any failings on the Council’s part.

Whilst the Leader was limited in what could be discussed due to potential legal action, he did want to assure everyone that changes had already been made following the incident two year’s prior. The Council was awaiting the Prevention of Future Death report and would take robust action in response to that report. The Fostering Service had already begun making improvements to strengthen processes before the inquest began, including in relation to record keeping and risk assessment recording. They continually strove to improve the way that the Council worked with and interacted with children, young people and foster carers.

The Council continued to invest heavily in creating new residential homes for Rotherham’s children, because the national market for placements was both full and broken. The Leader had asked the Strategic Director of Children and Young People’s Services to produce a comprehensive action plan which would be reported to the Improving Lives Select Commission for scrutiny.

The Leader stated that social work teams made incredibly difficult decisions every day that change the course of people’s lives in profound ways. Every decision balanced risks and challenges. The Leader was enormously grateful for what they did with care and professionalism. When it went wrong, as it had in this case, there were nothing more serious.

The Leader of the Majority Opposition Group, Councillor Z Collingham, was invited to respond to the statement. He also welcomed the new Chief Executive to his role.

Councillor Collingham stated that the conclusion by the coroner that failures of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 36.

To consider the recommendation from the Senior Officer Appointments Panel in regard to the appointment of a Director of Public Health.

Consideration was given to the report which recommended that Council agree with the recommendation of the Senior Officer Appointments Panel in regard to the Director of Public Health appointment.

On 23 January 2025, Staffing Committee approved the recruitment process

for the Director of Public Health. An appropriate recruitment process was undertaken which resulted in Emily Parry-Harris being the preferred candidate to take the role as the Director of Public Health. This appointment had been approved by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. It was confirmed that all guidance had been followed throughout the recruitment process.

Resolved:

That Council appoint Emily Parry-Harries to the post of Director of Public Health.

Mover: Councillor Baker-Rogers                       Seconder: Councillor Bacon

To receive an update on the activities of the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny bodies in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 14.

In accordance with the Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rules, the report provided an update to Council of the activities and outcomes of Overview and Scrutiny activity at the Council. It summarised the work carried out by the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board (OSMB) and the Select Commissions - Health (HSC), Improving Lives (ILSC) and Improving Places (IPSC).

Councillor Steele, Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board, moved the report and placed on record his thanks to the Assistant Chief Executive who had also been the Scrutiny Link Officer for OSMB. He also placed on record his thanks to the former Chair and Vice-Chair of the Improving Lives Select Commission and the former Chair of the Audit Committee. Councillor Steele provided an update on the informal grass cutting and grounds maintenance review and thanked Councillor Tinsley for his work on water safety.

Councillor Bacon, Vice-Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board, seconded the report and stated that OSMB was working on some important pieces of work such as the bins, the consultation process and holding the Leader to account.

Councillor Currie placed on record his thanks to Chris Jones, a Council Street Scene Officer who was extremely responsive and assistive to members. Councillor Currie asked for an update on the discussions that had taken place regarding weed killing. Councillor Steele agreed to provide a written response. Councillor Currie also stated that he would take a seat on a Scrutiny commission if it was vacant at the next Council meeting.  

Resolved:

That Council receive the report and note the updates.

Mover:- Councillor Steele                       Seconder:- Councillor Bacon

To receive updates from ward councillors from Anston and Woodsetts on the activities supporting Thriving Neighbourhoods across the Borough.

Further to Minute No. 55 of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 19 November 2018, consideration was given to the Ward update for Anston and Woodsetts as part of the Thriving Neighbourhood Strategy. An update report had been provided as part of the agenda and each Ward Member was invited to speak.

In moving the report, Councillor Blackham highlighted the work being done on cross border rural crime initiatives. Joint working with Dinnington ward members and South Yorkshire Police had resulted in increased patrols; improved reporting channels and future engagements events. Work had also been done with Thorpe Salvin Parish Council to install a new CCTV system throughout the village. Councillor Blackham thanked the officers from the Neighbourhoods team for the Anston and Woodsetts Ward, Nicky Whitehead and Andrea Peers. 

In seconding the report, Councillor Tarmey echoed Councillor Blackhams comments regarding the Neighbourhoods team. He also spoke about the CCTV in Thorpe Salvin which had been well received. Councillor Tarmey also noted the good working relationships between the Borough Councillors and the Parish Councillors. Work had been done to plant trees and work was ongoing on new crossings.

Resolved:

The update report was noted.

To receive updates from ward councillors from Aston and Todwick on the activities supporting Thriving Neighbourhoods across the Borough.

Further to Minute No. 55 of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 19 November 2018, consideration was given to the Ward update for Aston and Todwick as part of the Thriving Neighbourhood Strategy. An update report had been provided as part of the agenda and each Ward Member was invited to speak.

In moving the report, Councillor Allen thanked her ward colleague, Councillor Bacon, stating that they worked well together. She highlighted the ward priorities as set out in the report and explained that monthly review meetings were held to look at the actions being taken to achieve those priorities. Councillor Allen stated that more needed to be done to support local businesses however an application had been submitted for a banking hub in Todwick and the Towns and Villages Fund had helped upgrade the shopping area in Todwick. Partnership working had been important along with cross-ward working.

In seconding the report, Councillor Bacon thanked Councillor Allen for her kind words and concurred that they did work well together. He focused on the work that had been done to mitigate car meetings, racing and anti-social behaviour on the A57. Councillor Bacon referenced the repainting of the post-box in Aston and the banking hub.

Resolved:

The update report was noted.

To note the minutes of the Cabinet Meeting held on 19 May 2025 and 9 June 2025.

Consideration was given to the reports, recommendations and minutes of

the meetings of Cabinet held on 19 May 2025 and 9 June 2025.

Resolved:- That the reports, recommendations and minutes of the meeting of Cabinet held on 19 May 2025 and 9 June 2025 be received.

Mover: Councillor Read                          Seconder: Councillor Cusworth

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 Baggaley                   Seconder: Councillor Allen

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 and the Licensing Committee be noted.

Mover: Councillor Garnett                       Seconder: Councillor Steele

To note receipt of the Planning Board minutes.

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

Mover: Councillor Mault                          Seconder: Councillor Jackson

To note receipt of the Staffing Committee minutes.

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

Mover: Councillor Alam                          Seconder: Councillor Read

To note receipt of the Standards and Ethics Committee meetings.

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

Mover: Councillor Williams                     Seconder: Councillor Lelliott

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 three questions:

1.    Councillor Currie: Please could you tell me who I report broken or damaged hydrant location posts to in respect to public fire safety?  I have been emailing them to Councillor Knight however there does not seem to be any repairs or new location signs on lampposts.

Councillor Taylor, the Rotherham spokesperson on South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority was not present at the meeting and as such a written response would be provided.

2.    Councillor Currie: Please could you ask the Mayor to look at the self-regulation placed on wholesalers to only sell boxes of N₂O (Nitrous Oxide) bottles to legitimate users and ensure the wholesalers stop selling boxes of N₂O to anyone as they are doing now?

Councillor Harper, the Rotherham spokesperson on South Yorkshire Police and Crime Panel confirmed that he would pass on Councillor Currie’s request to the Deputy Mayor for Policing via email and would copy Councillor Currie in to that email.

3.    Councillor Yasseen: Do you agree that it is a fundamental responsibility of this Council to ensure our pension investments are not, directly or indirectly, complicit in the harm or genocide of innocent civilians, especially children?

Councillor Sutton explained that, whilst she understood the concerns about the use of pension investments, the ability of the Council/Pensions Authority to influence that was severely limited by law. In 2020, the Supreme Court in the Palestine Solidarity Campaign case made clear that funds invested in the Pension Fund whether by employers or scheme members should not be considered public money, but rather funds effectively held in trust to pay pensions.  Additionally, the Supreme Court held in its judgement on the Palestine Solidarity Campaign case that it was not appropriate for political preferences, whether local or national, to take precedence over what was required under this fiduciary duty. 

The power of SYPA to invest Pension Fund assets was therefore one which had to be exercised for investment purposes and not for other purposes.  Although within clear limitations it was possible to consider non-financial factors (generally described as Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues) when making investment decisions. It was also important to recognise that SYPA did not directly own the shares and bonds of individual companies (or government entities). Rather, it invested through pooled funds managed by fund managers. In most cases the fund manager was the Border to Coast Pensions Partnership, one of 8 local government investment pools. Any companies invested in who supplied arms would be doing so under the explicit terms of licences from the relevant government and it would be unreasonable (in terms of the legal principle known as Wednesbury reasonableness) to disinvest from a company acting with specific legal sanction. There was therefore little room to manoeuvre.

In her supplementary question, Councillor Yasseen stated that she disagreed with the response. All Pensions Funds across the Country have the ESG, Environmental, Social and Governance policies and this showed that pensions funds could  ...  view the full minutes text for item 47.

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 21 questions:

1.    Councillor Bacon: Does the Leader of the Council agree that only a national statutory inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation can get to the bottom of the worst atrocity in modern British history?

The Leader stated that it was now inevitable that the inquiry would take place. However he stated that it remained unclear about whether the Inquiry was proposing to look at gaining a retrospective understanding or what questions it was seeking to address. The Leader believed that it needed to be done in a way that kept children safe presently. It also needed to be done in a timely way, unlike the previous review which took seven years to complete with the findings still awaiting implementation.
In his supplementary question, Councillor Bacon asked, given what was now known and the local context, did the Leader think that Rotherham should have been an authority leading the call for a national inquiry?

The Leader explained that he did not think Rotherham should be leading the call. The Council needed to focus on its own obligations and the priority had to be to make sure that Rotherham services were as strong and effective as they could be. The Council would continue doing all it could to achieve justice for survivors who had been so badly let down. The Council would play its part in whatever national requirements there were.
 

2.    Councillor Bacon: What progress has been made on overflowing bins across the borough?

The Cabinet Member for Street Scene and Green Spaces, Councillor Lynda Marshall, explained that information had been provided to Councillor Bacon at the last Council meeting which confirmed that, thanks to investment in the bin stock, improvements in IT systems and investment in staff in the grounds and streets service, reports of issues with street litter bins had fallen by 73% since 2020.

In his supplementary, Councillor Bacon stated that the data might look good but on the streets it was a different story. He asked if the Cabinet Member would like to walk around the areas most affected and asked whether the Council would look at refunding taxpayers for the failure?

The Cabinet Member confirmed that she would be going out into the borough to see any issues first hand. She had not taken part in any discussions regarding a refund.

3.    Councillor Thorp: The new Walking Wheeling Bus and Cycle Scheme from the Brecks to Broom Road Could you confirm this only will go ahead if the cycle lane is built because that’s the reason SYMCA have allocated it, and none of the other benefits will go ahead if the cycle lane is not built?

The Cabinet Member for Transport, Jobs and the Local Economy, Councillor Williams, explained that any decisions on funding would ultimately be for the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority and Department for Transport. In response to the question, it was explained that delivering only the neighbourhood streets elements of the project would not meet the Government’s key requirement.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 48.

Any other public items which the Mayor determines are urgent.

There were no urgent items to consider.