Agenda and draft minutes

To consider and approve the minutes of the previous meeting held on 23 June 2026 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 23 June 2026 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.

Councillor Bennett-Sylvester declared an interest in Minute No.16 (Introducing Housing Involvement and Governance) on the grounds that they are a council tenant.

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 receive the presentation which provides a Review of the Rotherham Investment and Development Office (RiDO) Business Centres.

At the Chair’s invitation, Councillor Williams, Cabinet Member for Transport, Jobs and the Local Economy (Cabinet Member), introduced the item and explained that the presentation would provide Members with an overview of the RiDO Business Centres (Business Centres), covering areas such as: occupancy; financial performance; market competitiveness; economic impact; and future opportunities for the service.

The Cabinet Member commented that the Business Centres played a key role in supporting start-up businesses in Rotherham. The Business Centres supported more than 180 businesses, which equated to approximately 850 jobs. This represented a significant contribution to growth in the local economy.

The Cabinet Member shared with Members that they had recently visited one of the Business Centres and had been impressed with the level of support and guidance available for local businesses, along with the high-quality buildings and facilities. The Cabinet Member expressed the view that the Business Centres were an “unsung success story” and expressed pride in what the Council delivered for local businesses. 

Martin Beasley, the Head of Economic Development, took Members through the presentation highlighting the following points:-

·       There were currently five Business Centres across the borough – Century Business Park 1 & 2 in Manvers, Fusion at Magna, Matrix at Dinnington and Moorgate Crofts, which was close to the town centre.

·       Across the five sites there were 242 business units, including 156 offices. The Business Centres provided a mix of office accommodation, workshop units and specialist laboratory space. Two wet laboratory spaces had recently been introduced at the newest Business Centre, Century Business Park 2 in Manvers, in order to meet specific demand in that area. Co-working office space was also available at Moorgate Crofts.

·       The mixed-use units available provided flexible accommodation that could meet the needs of businesses at the different stages of their growth - from a nascent entrepreneur through to businesses wanting to move out into larger premises elsewhere in the borough.

·       Businesses who used the Business Centres benefitted from flexible one month licence agreements, access to administrative and digital services, experienced staff on site and direct links to the wider RiDO business support programmes.

·       The importance of providing flexibility to new businesses was explained, as it would reduce risk for entrepreneurs and would allow businesses to scale up or down as required, before eventually moving on to larger commercial premises across Rotherham.

·       There were 50 businesses on average who utilised the virtual office space offered by the Business Centres. This service was useful for start-up businesses who may not be able afford to rent an office space, but required a professional business address and call and post-handling services.

·       It was explained that the Launchpad Programme (Launchpad), which was a South Yorkshire initiative, had been established in Rotherham for around 10 years. Each South Yorkshire local authority had been able to put their own stamp on the support offered in their area, which made it an agile service.

·       Launchpad provided support to entrepreneurs looking to start up a business through to businesses with three  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15.

To receive and consider the report and presentation which provide an introduction to the Housing Improvement and Governance team, which was created in February 2025 in response to the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023. 

At the Chair’s invitation, Councillor Beresford, Cabinet Member for Housing (Cabinet Member), introduced the item and explained that the Housing Improvement and Governance Team (HIG) had been created in response to the regulatory requirements introduced by the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023.

The aim of HIG was to ensure that the Council  monitored and complied with the statutory Consumer Standards. This activity would be reported into the Housing Regulation Assurance Board (HRAB).

Louise Robson, Head of Service for Housing Improvement and Governance (Head of HIG) took Members through the presentation accompanying the report, highlighting the following points:

• HIG had been established by the Council following the implementation of the new Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 (Act), which made the provision of social housing a “regulated” service following the tragic events of the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017.

• This meant that all social housing providers would be subject to an inspection by the Regulator of Social Housing every four years, with the Council’s Housing Service due its first  inspection under this regime within the next 12-18 months. Once inspected, the Council would receive a grading between C1 to C4, where C1 would be the top grading and a grading of C4 would require significant improvements to be made.

• Five Consumer Standards had been introduced under the Act:

1.    Safety and Quality;

2.    Transparency, Influence and Accountability;

3.    Neighbourhood and Community;

4.    Tenancy; and

5.    Competence and Conduct (in force from October 2026)

There was also the Rent standard, which ensured that the Council was charging tenants the correct level of rent.

• Alongside evidence required to demonstrate compliance with the Consumer Standards, the Council was required to conduct an annual tenant satisfaction survey, abbreviated as TSMs (Tenant Satisfaction Measures). The Council’s tenants were asked how satisfied they were with Housing services provided and how well the Council handled any complaints.

• The Inspector would consider how well the Council had complied with the Housing Ombudsman’s Handling of Complaints Code, alongside compliance with response times for urgent maintenance issues under Awaab’s Law.

• It was explained that the majority of the functions within HIG were already in existence, but that they had been fragmented under different Heads of Service. This had not been conducive to the best experience for tenants and staff and meant that there had been no clear accountability for ensuring compliance with the new regulations.

• HIG would sit alongside the existing teams within Housing Services - Repairs & Maintenance, Asset Management, Housing Estate Services, Housing Income and Allocations – and would ensure that processes were streamlined to deliver the best service for tenants, whilst meeting the regulatory requirements.

• The tenant journey, from initially accessing Housing services to moving into their home and living well in that home, was of paramount importance. This journey could be improved by a “one team” approach with more coordinated, efficient and accessible systems.

• The functions of the four different teams that sat under the HIG umbrella were summarised as follows:

1.    Governance

The Governance Team would be responsible  ...  view the full minutes text for item 16.

To receive and consider the report on the findings and recommendations of the Improving Places Select Commission Scrutiny Review – School Road Safety.

The report is a result of the in-depth Review completed by a working group of Members of the Improving Places Select Commission, through meetings and evidence gathering sessions conducted between October 2025 and July 2026.

The Chair introduced the item and asked the Governance Advisor to explain to Members the governance process and next steps for the School Road Safety Review (Review).

The Governance Advisor explained that once IPSC Members had approved the recommendations set out within the Review Report, the Report would then go to OSMB for approval at its October 2026 meeting, with a recommendation to progress to Cabinet in November 2026. Once Cabinet had received the Recommendations, it would have 2 months to respond to them, as per the Council’s Constitution. A report would then come back into Cabinet setting out its formal response to the Review Recommendations.

Councillor Tinsley, as Chair of the Review Group, explained that the Review had originated from a motion presented to Council in 2023, which sought to address ongoing issues relating to road safety around schools. In particular, the motion looked to examine four key areas: crossing operative safety around schools; parking and zigzag enforcement; initiatives such as School Streets; and the development of school Active Travel Plans.

The Review Group had taken part in a series of meetings and research exercises over the nine-month period of the Review. The Review had drawn on a wide range of frontline expertise – from officers at the council and Sheffield City Council, along with partners at SYMCA. Feedback from elected members and local schools regarding issues experienced in their areas had also been considered.

Councillor Tinsley explained that from the information gathered, the Report and recommendations within it came under five key pillars that Members considered key to future progress with regard to school road safety:

·       Improved Cross-Directorate Working – a “one Council” approach, with better data sharing across council services.

·       Data, Monitoring and Strategic Alignment – enhanced data gathering and monitoring, with recommendations for a comprehensive borough-wide survey of schools, more robust tracking of near misses and the alignment of local interventions and strategies with broader regional transport strategies.

·       Funding Development - maximise on external funding opportunities via SYMCA and potential Active Travel grants.

·       School Engagement & Active Travel - further investment in this area would help to embed Active Travel initiatives and promote positive behavioural change.

·       Enforcement and Crossing Patrol - targeted enforcement and increased technical investment, alongside stronger support for frontline school crossing patrol operatives to tackle illegal parking and inconsiderate driving outside schools.

Councillor Tinsley stressed that it had become apparent to Members in the course of the Review that a holistic approach would be required to drive meaningful improvements in school road safety. None of the key pillars could work in isolation – for example: enforcement technology and mobile CCTV would mean little without safe infrastructure; travel plans would fail without dedicated Active Travel Officers supporting schools; and survey data would only be useful if cross-directorate teams collaborated under a unified School Road Safety Strategy.

Councillor Tinsley took the opportunity to publicly thank all of the Members involved in the Review, all of the officers that provided information and support, and the Governance  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17.

To consider and endorse the outline schedule of scrutiny work for the 2026-2027 municipal year.

The Governance Advisor referred Members to the Work Programme included in the Agenda Pack and drew Members attention to the following:

• Street Lighting Column Review – OSMB/IPSC

This review had been undertaken jointly by Members of OSMB and IPSC following a Notice of Motion approved by Full Council in April 2026, concerning the impact of structural testing requirements on community initiatives such as hanging baskets, festive decorations, remembrance displays and CCTV installations. The review examined the balance between public safety requirements and the financial and operational impact on Parish and Town Councils. Evidence was gathered from officers, Parish Councils, survey responses and examples of practice from other authorities.

Evidence gathering, stakeholder engagement and the development of agreed findings and recommendations were undertaken between May 2026 and July 2026. The Review Group considered evidence through a series of meetings, briefing reports, stakeholder feedback and benchmarking information from other local authorities.

It was reported that the findings and recommendations of the Review Group were due to be presented to OSMB on 8 September 2026, with a recommendation to progress to Cabinet in October 2026.

Resolved:- 

1)    That the current IPSC Work Programme be noted; and

2)    That the Governance Advisor be authorised to make any required changes to the Work Programme in consultation with the Chair/Vice Chair and will report any such changes back at the next meeting for endorsement.

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.