Agenda and minutes

To consider and approve the minutes of the previous meeting held on 8 July 2025 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 8^th July 2025 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 Allen declared a personal interest in Minute No. 21 (Housing Strategy 2025-2030) on the grounds of being the former Cabinet Member for Housing.

Councillor Sheppard declared a personal interest in Minute No. 22 (Review of Selective Licensing 2020-2025) on the grounds that he resides in one of the areas subject to Selective Licensing, although in a privately owned property.

Councillor Tinsley declared a personal interest in Minute No. 22 (Review of Selective Licensing 2020-2025) on the grounds that he is a landlord and Selective Licence holder in an area subject to Selective Licensing.

Councillor Stables declared a personal interest in Minute No. 22 (Review of Selective Licensing 2020-2025) on the grounds that she is a landlord and Selective Licence holder in an area subject to Selective Licensing.

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 a report and presentation which provides information concerning the proposed Housing Strategy 2025-2030 and consider the Commission’s position with respect to the recommendations to be made to Cabinet in that regard in September 2025.

At the Chair’s invitation, the Cabinet Member for Housing, Councillor Beresford, introduced the item, explaining that housing affects every resident in the borough. Getting the Housing Strategy right was imperative to support the delivery of the overall Council plan and to ensure that everybody could live in a safe, warm and decent home.

Sarah Watts, Strategic Housing Manager, explained that the draft Housing Strategy was the fifth chapter of the Council’s 30-year strategy. The Strategy had changed in time period length from three years to five years in order to align with the Council Plan. The Strategy would be taken to Cabinet for approval on 15 September 2025. Cabinet would be asked to delegate approval to agree the final Action Plan for the Housing Strategy to the Strategic Director and it was planned to bring this draft Action Plan to IPSC in October so that members could help shape the Plan and then receive annual progress reports on its delivery.

The Strategic Housing Manager explained that there had been a slight revision to the wording of priority 3 since the papers had been published for IPSC – “Preventing homelessness and supporting our residents to live independently” had been altered to “Supporting our residents to live independently, including through the prevention of homelessness”.

Garry Newton, Housing Development Intelligence Coordinator, provided a summary of the consultation process that had been carried out since August 2024, to understand what residents’ main housing priorities were, as individuals and families. Feedback on the Strategy had been obtained from all relevant directorates across the council and from officers involved in the Council Plan. This collaboration had ensured that all aims and priorities within the Strategy were tied up to create a one council approach.

The Strategic Housing Manager went through the four key priorities of the Housing Strategy in more detail, and explained that there were three cross-cutting aims that flow through them, being:-

·            Keeping residents safe and warm

·            Reducing carbon emissions

·            Reducing inequalities in and between communities

Priority 1 – Building high quality, sustainable and affordable new homes

This priority would be about the Council leading by example with the homes that are built under its development programme and working across the housing sector to meet local housing need and provide good quality homes that are fit for the future. This would be done by continuing with the Council’s development programme to deliver more homes for Council rent whilst ensuring that 25% of affordable housing is delivered through planning policy.

Priority 2 – Improving the safety, quality and energy efficiency of our homes

This priority would be about holding all landlords to account to ensure that no residents are living in poor quality and unsafe homes. The Council, as a landlord, will ensure that it meets social housing requirements around decency, compliance, safety, and tenant satisfaction. The Council will also work with landlords to help them to address hazards within their properties and to support them with the introduction  ...  view the full minutes text for item 21.

To consider the presentation to provide a review of the Selective Licensing Scheme 2020-2025.

At the Chair’s invitation, the Cabinet Member for Housing, Councillor Beresford, introduced the presentation, which looked back on the former Selective Licensing Scheme that ran from 1 May 2020 to 30 April 2025. The Chair reminded members that this was a review, not a forward look, and that proposals for the new selective licensing scheme would come before OSMB on 8 October 2025, whereupon members of IPSC would be invited to comment. Questions for this forum should be on the former scheme.

Emma Ellis, Head of Service for Community Safety & Regulatory Services (Head of Service), explained that Selective Licensing enables the Council to work proactively rather than reactively – properties could be inspected without a complaint having first been raised. The proactive nature of the scheme had been key to driving improvements in living standards.

The Head of Service summarised for members the basis of the former selective licensing declaration criteria, which led to six areas within the borough becoming subject to Selective Licensing from 1 May 2020 – Maltby, Dinnington, Masbrough, Parkgate, Thurcroft and Eastwood.

The presentation provided information on the outcomes and achievements of the scheme and provided examples of the types of Category 1 hazards (serious and immediate risk to health and safety) and Category 2 hazards (less severe but still pose a potential risk) that were revealed from inspections. Many tenants would not have reported these issues to the Council so they would not have been uncovered and dealt with without Selective Licensing. The BRE Housing Health Cost Calculator had been used to calculate the level of potential savings to the NHS (£148,542) in identifying these issues before harm to health was done.

The Head of Service explained that the scheme had led to significant areas of criminality and anti-social behaviour being uncovered and dealt with. 311 cannabis cultivations were detected and £40m worth of cannabis seized (street value). A number of properties that were inspected had links to slavery, exploitation and organised crime.

The Head of Service explained that the service had been committed to carrying out 100% of inspections and most of the identified improvements did take place. The Head of Service reflected that it can be difficult from street level to see the real impact of Selective Licensing. However, in all cases, either the issues identified were dealt with and rectified or the landlords were held to account and this had made a real difference to people’s living conditions. Improvements had not been consistent across the areas though – Masbrough, for example, had a high hazard rate of 95.8% from the first round of inspections, and this area had been subject to Selective Licensing before. In contrast, Maltby had the lowest hazard rate (48%).

The Head of Service commented that the Covid pandemic had had an impact on the scheme, delaying the start of the inspections process and effectively reducing the operational lifespan of the scheme from 5 years down to 3.5 years. Other challenges experienced had been staffing shortages  ...  view the full minutes text for item 22.

To consider the presentation on the Plan for Neighbourhoods 2025-2035.

At the Chair’s invitation, the Cabinet Member for Transport, Jobs & the Local Economy, Councillor Williams, introduced the update presentation and explained that the Plan for Neighbourhoods was a rebranding by the current government of the former Long Term Plan for Towns - the funding and the geographical areas under consideration remained the same. The Plan was part of the government’s wider strategy for ensuring that no area was left behind and to help revitalise local areas to fight deprivation. Councillor Williams explained that there were three specific goals identified by the plan, namely:-

1)    Thriving neighbourhoods;

2)    Stronger communities; and

3)    Giving residents more control.

Councillor Williams confirmed the funding available to be £20 million over 10 years. Careful thought would need to be given as to how best to spend this significant amount of funding to provide maximum impact for neighbourhoods. At the heart of Rotherham’s plan for this funding is the town centre and outlying urban areas of deprivation. The areas to be included in the Plan for Neighbourhoods had been determined by a government analysis of urban features.

Councillor Williams encouraged members, when considering the Plan for Neighbourhoods, to avoid zoning in on their immediate areas of interest in their specific wards, but to consider the boundary of the area within the plan as one entity and community for the benefit of the whole Borough. The focus of Rotherham's Plan for Neighbourhoods would be supporting and strengthening communities identified from the inside and building up the offer in the town centre to serve those communities and beyond.

Councillor Williams explained that the allocation of the funding would be led by the Neighbourhood Board, in consultation with the community. Extensive consultation had been undertaken under the Long Term Plan for Towns and this would be continued into the Plan for Neighbourhoods. The Council’s key role would be as the accountable body for this funding.

Megan Hinchliff, Regeneration Programme & Strategy Manager, gave a presentation on the Plan for Neighbourhoods which covered the following points and issues:

·            A timeline of the Regeneration Programme from 2017 onwards, with details of specific projects and their funding streams. This demonstrated how Rotherham had been successful in securing and channelling regeneration funding.

·            An explanation that the fund aimed to focus on neighbourhoods and communities with the most need, with the emphasis on social cohesion and social connection, raising living standards and increasing opportunities for young people. This would be a place-based investment approach, tackling all areas of life.

·            An explanation of the area prescribed by the Government to benefit from this funding – the “built up area” – and how the boundaries had been determined, using date from the Office of National Statistics.

·            An explanation that the map provided within the presentation had been provided by the government and the boundaries on it were not sufficiently clear. The service would look to redraw the map and make it more readable for publishing. The boundaries incorporate a number of communities which immediately surround the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 23.

To consider and endorse the outline schedule of scrutiny work for the 2025-2026 municipal year.

The Chair introduced the work programme report and noted the following –

School Road Safety Review Update

·            The Chair confirmed that with the arrival of new Governance Advisor, Kristianne Thorogood, who would be supporting the Improving Places Select Commission going forward and taking over from Barbel Gale, she would be in touch with members of the panel for this review to re-start the process.

·            Councillor Thorp queried whether this would be the start of a new review of whether it was a continuation of the review which had started but then paused.

·            The Chair confirmed that it would be a continuation of the review which had been started but that it had paused due to considerations as to potential cross-over with a Cabinet review on a similar road safety issue. The scoping of both reviews had now been clarified and work can proceed on the IPSC review.

Councillor Allen proposed that, following mention of the proposed Bassingthorpe Farm housing development and Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) in the Housing Strategy item, it would be worthwhile for IPSC to be given the opportunity to scrutinise these plans, particularly in the context of the lessons that have been learnt from the other recent large scale housing development project within the borough at Waverley.

Councillor Allen also suggested that IPSC members consider a future visit to the Bassingthorpe Farm site, along with any other places of interest to the Commission in the borough. She mentioned that the Planning Board would be carrying out a full day of site visits later in September and felt that a similar trip would be of benefit to IPSC members.

The Chair confirmed that the Bassingthorpe SPD was due to go to Cabinet on 15 September 2025 for adoption. The Strategic Director for Regeneration and Environment,commented that whilst Cabinet were due to consider the SPD later in September, it would be a very long term development for the borough and there would be plenty of opportunity for IPSC to scrutinise and shape the plans for the site as they develop further.

The Chair supported Councillor Allen’s suggestion that the Bassingthorpe Farm development be looked at further by IPSC, particularly with the Waverley connection, and was also supportive of the suggestion that potential site visits were considered. The Chair mentioned as other possible sites/visits of interest – the construction of the new library and a visit to see the new grass cutting equipment in action. The Chair invited other members to put forward any further suggestions they had for potential site visits for consideration.

The Strategic Director for Regeneration and Environment, suggested that the Bassingthorpe Farm development would be a good item for a future dedicated Workshop for IPSC. The Chair and members agreed and the timing and scoping of this Workshop would be considered further.

Resolved:- 

(1)  That the update on the Work Programme be received and noted;

(2)  That the Governance Advisor be authorised to make any required changes to the work programme in consultation with the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 24.

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.