Agenda and draft minutes

To consider and approve the minutes of the previous meeting held on 4 June 2024 as a true and correct record of the proceedings and to be signed by the Chair.

Resolved: That the minutes of the previous meeting held on 4 June 2024 be approved as a true and correct record of the proceedings.

To receive declarations of interest from Members in respect of items listed on the agenda.

There were no declarations of interest.

To receive questions relating to items of business on the agenda from members of the public or press who are present at the meeting.

The Chair advised that there were no members of the public or representatives of media organisations present at the meeting and there were no questions in respect of matters on the agenda.

To consider whether the press and public should be excluded from the meeting during consideration of any part of the agenda.

The Chair advised that there were no items of business on the agenda that would require the exclusion of the press or public from the meeting.

To consider the overview of the portfolio of the Cabinet Member for Housing.

The Chair welcomed Councillor Sarah Allen, Cabinet Member for Housing to the meeting.

The Cabinet Member for Housing provided an overview of the portfolio of the Cabinet Member for Housing and highlighted that housing wasn’t just about houses or homes of any description. She emphasised it was very much about people first and foremost, and then it was about looking after the Council's assets and residents of private properties. She believed the reason she was at the meeting was that both of these aspects contribute to our sense of place and the development of places within the Borough, as listed in the document provided.

Further, the Cabinet Member for Housing focused on Housing – People, Property, and Place by dividing it into seven sections.

Estate Management: It was informed that this section was led by Paul Walsh, Head of Housing and Estate Management which included the North, South, and Central locality-based housing teams. These teams consisted of housing officers who regularly interacted with residents within their wards. They conducted tenancy health checks and provided some estate caretaking services, while other services were managed by corporate asset management.

The borough had nearly 20,000 Council properties and was among the top 20 Council social landlords in the country. The ambition was to become the best among these 20. That morning, discussions were held with the other 19 councils as part of the "C20" initiative. This group aimed to lobby for necessary support from the new government for housing across the country.

Property services: It was informed that this section was led by Lyndsey Stevenson, Head of Housing Property Services who looked after the repairs and maintenance contracts. These contracts, which had been delivered by the Council, were recently renewed for two years. The Cabinet Member for Housing informed that in the coming year, everybody would have an opportunity to be involved in reviewing that contract.

She also informed that Mears and Equans, our partners in delivering housing services, handled over 90,000 repairs per annum. They were also responsible for compliance testing for lifts, and fire, gas, electric, and water asbestos, as well as managing the damp and mould service.

She highlighted that Awaab's Law brought about a review of how authorities deal with damp and mould, resulting in 29 points of action that we were now obliged to follow. The most significant point was the speed at which we handle damp and mould referrals. Given that referrals increased from tens to hundreds per year, this added considerable pressure in meeting the set timescales. Despite this, the service had significantly improved and would continue to do so.

Housing allocation: The Cabinet Member for Housing emphasised that a housing register wasn’t a waiting list, and that terminology was not applicable. There were just over 7,200 people on the register in Rotherham. She mentioned that the Allocations Policy, in place since 2014, had undergone various changes over the decade, including legislative updates, resulting in a somewhat piecemeal policy. The ongoing review aimed to make the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.

To consider the overview of the portfolio of the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Social Inclusion & Neighbourhood Working

The Chair welcomed Councillor Sheppard, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Social Inclusion and Neighbourhood Working to the meeting.

Councillor Sheppard provided an overview on each of the section of his portfolio as detailed below:

Member Neighbourhood Working and the Thriving Neighbourhoods Strategy: The Thriving Neighbourhood Strategy was introduced to ensure each ward had its own priorities. Meetings would take place with Neighbourhood Co-ordinators to agree the ward proprieties. These meetings would include a lot of data about the ward, including its demographics and information on the local community groups. He explained that he would attend some of those meetings to provide support where needed.

Towns and Villages and Our Places Funds: The Towns and Villages Fund was being replaced by Our Places Fund, which was delivering investment into communities. Although the Our Places fund was in its infancy, it was noted that previous works had improve localities and it was hope that the communities had welcomed the improvements to their areas. A number of the schemes had elements that involved working with our partners, such as colleagues in highways to join up projects to minimise disruption to residents.

Parish Council Liaison: In the south and central areas of the borough there were a number of parish councils. Whilst the Council did not have any direct control over the workings of the parish councils, as they had their own budgets, aims for their parishes, it did have a role in terms of liaising with them.  This was to ensure the parish councils were getting any support available from the Council and to ensure we worked in partnership to achieve the aims.

Member Development: He noted that for any member who wished to take advantage of training opportunities, for a specific role or to take up a specific role, there were lots of opportunities delivered by the Local Government Association (LGA).

Democratic Services: This team worked behind the scenes, putting together all of the meetings, ensuring members had everything they needed to enable the Council and members were able to function effectively.

Community Cohesion (supporting the Leader): This sat behind and alongside a lot of the threads within his and the Leaders role. Ensuring that the communities were working together, celebrating each other and learning from each other. One of the successes was the Rotherham Show, which had become much more of an event where different communities came together, supporting each other’s cultures.

Social Inclusion Cultural Services, including libraries, neighbourhood hubs, heritage, theatre and arts along with all matters relating to Leisure Services (including recreation, sport and the Leisure PFI): Rotherham had an incredibly vibrant cultural sector. The Council had a fantastic relationship with Arts Council England, which was important as it enabled funding opportunities to deliver great events. It was also valued for the support, the experience, the advice that was shared to assist with how the Council delivered events, how to ensure everyone was included within the cultural offer, where possible. The libraries were a vibrant community hub.

A  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14.

To consider any item which the Chair is of the opinion should be considered as a matter of urgency.

The Chair advised that there were no urgent items of business requiring the Commission’s consideration.  He also advised Members that the next meeting of the Improving Places Select Commission would take place on the Tuesday 3 September 2024 commencing at 1.30pm in Rotherham Town Hall.