Agenda item

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.

Seven public questions had been submitted for the meeting.

1.     Tariq Abdulkarim:

Having clear public art guidelines would help ensure that all communities feel represented and that artistic expression is treated equitably.

Would the council create formal public art guidelines outlining: 

1. Criteria for approving or rejecting public artworks

2. Ensuring equal opportunities for cultural expression

3. The process for reviewing and challenging decisions

4. Ensure Fair consistent and transparent decisions

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

2.    Michael Suter:

I ask that RMBC draw up a new housing plan to end homelessness and house those on the housing register. Will the council consider the following:

·       Building a minimum of 2500 new council properties over the next 5 years.

·       To consider compulsory purchasing some of the 3500 empty properties in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham.

Councillor Allen explained that the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy, approved by Cabinet in March 2023 and available on the Council’s website, set out the Council’s priorities for addressing all forms of homelessness in the Borough. An Empty Homes Plan would be published later in 2025 detailing the Council’s approach to this issue.

The Council were successful in bringing empty homes back in to use and since 2021, 87 private sector properties had been brought back in to use, as a direct result of the Council’s intervention. To achieve 3,500 would not only require funding and legal staffing on a scale far beyond what any council could provide, but those properties would not all be able to be legally CPO-ed anyway.

The Council were already building as many Council homes as they could within the funding available – it was the biggest council homes building programme in Rotherham since the 1970s. Since 2018 the Council had delivered over 600 new homes through the Housing Delivery Programme and were on track to deliver the target of 1,000 new Council homes by Summer 2027. It was not possible to achieve 2,500 additional Council homes in that timescale.

In his supplementary question, Mr Suter stated that Rotherham Council had sold off 1600 properties through the Right To Buy Scheme but only built 600, which led to a deficit and the housing stock going down. He stated that the current plan was not solving the Rotherham housing crisis. He asked if the Council would consider linking up and leading a political campaign to get more money from the government to build council houses on the scale previously set out or would they just be managers and watch the slide into chaos and the development of the far right.

Councillor Allen expressed her disappointing at having to make the sales under the Right To Buy Scheme. It was not a Labour policy, however, the new Labour government had introduced new rules around Right To Buy. These included reducing the discounts available which would ultimately stop the drain on council housing stock.

The Council were also part of the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authorities working group on homelessness. This showed that the Council were not managing chaos but actively working with other authorities to address the issue on a regional basis.

3.    Carol Boote:

Following my colleagues' request for the rules on public questions and the documentation for them, dated Monday 11th of November 2024 to the Mayor, we did not receive an answer. Please could you provide the rules on public questions and the documentation for them to be forwarded to myself?

Councillor Sheppard explained that the Mayor’s Office and the Governance Team had checked all correspondence logs to confirm receipt of the request from 11 November and nearby dates.  Unfortunately, this check had proved to be unsuccessful, and no such request had been found.  Councillor Sheppard was sorry if there had been a delay in receiving the requested information.  However, he understood that the information which was contained in the Council’s Constitution had not been provided.

In her supplementary, Ms Boote stated that an email had been sent on 11 November 2024 asking for emails to be checked for the missing flag raising invitation dated 15 September 2024. She asked if the Council’s I.T. support had given explanation as to why the email was missing.

Councillor Sheppard explained that there was no evidence that the email referred to had been received by the Council. As it had not been received, there was nothing for the I.T. team to investigate. Councillor Sheppard asked that evidence be provided of the email address it was sent to so further investigations could be undertaken.

4.    Nida Khan:

As we have now come into the New Year and we are fast running out of Grave spaces what progress has Rotherham Borough Council made in resolving the situation?

Ms Khan did not attend the meeting and as such would receive a written response.

5.    Anthony Carberry:

The Rotherham NHS trust are evicting workers from 3 accommodation blocks. I ask the council to put pressure on the trust board to stop the eviction threats and find a solution that is acceptable to existing tenants.

Will the council consider buying/ managing these blocks from the NHS trust in order to retain NHS staff working in the borough?

Councillor Allen explained that the Council had been working very closely with the NHS to help identify alternative accommodation for those households affected. The Council had actively engaged in supporting residents who may have been displaced due to the closing of NHS accommodation and had successfully rehomed some of the residents. Housing Advice sessions had been undertaken in the hospital and the team had liaised with private landlords.  

The Council understood that the NHS Trust were not considering selling the blocks and would be using the buildings in the future. If they were for sale, it was unlikely that the Council would be in a position to acquire them given their location and likely refurbishment costs – of course the more the Council would spend on refurbishing buildings, the fewer new homes they would actually be able to provide. Instead, the focus remained on delivering new council homes via the Housing Delivery Programme, which was the best way to support all Rotherham residents who were in housing need.

6.    Tariq Ali:

We have been told by the Council solicitor at a recent meeting that when councillors send letters or requests to the national government you normally don't receive a reply or if you do it could be 3 years later.

Council Leader Chris Read is this your personal experience?

Councillor Read explained that it was very hit and miss. Sometimes a reply was quite quick (within a couple of weeks); a number of months was not unheard of; and there were occasions where no reply was received.

In his supplementary, Mr Ali addressed Councillor Alam and stated that he understood that Councillor Alam had sent two letters to Sarah Champion MP and a letter to the former Secretary of State, James Cleverley MP, to ask for an international peacekeeping force to protect the people of Gaza and Palestine. Mr Ali asked Councillor Alam if responses had been received to those letters and if the letters achieved anything.

As the supplementary did not relate to the original question, Councillor Alam did not answer. However, the Leader confirmed that any responses received to the Gaza letters would be provided.

7. Mohammad Ashraf:

Council Leader Chris Read during the last Council meeting you implied finality in regard to the Palestine Petition points that were agreed by the Cabinet despite myself and my colleagues having received assurances to the contrary. 

Could you provide details on what the Council and yourself can do after last years Cabinet agreement and what restrictions there are?

Councillor Sheppard explained that the Council had set out what it would do in the Scrutiny Report and subsequent Cabinet Report. It had also set out the restrictions. Officers had continued to engage and answer questions and would continue to do so.

In his supplementary, Mr Ashraf raised various points that did not relate to the original question and as such did not comply with the Standing Orders.

Councillor Sheppard did however state that if there were any future requests regarding the petition, the Council would assist where they were able. Councillor Sheppard hoped that the talks that were ongoing would bring peace and a permanent rebuilding of the area.