To receive questions from members of the public who wish to ask a general question in respect of matters within the Council’s area of responsibility or influence.
Subject to the Chair’s discretion, members of the public may ask one question and one supplementary question, which should relate to the original question and answer received.
Councillors may also ask questions under this agenda item.
Minutes:
There were 3 questions:
1. Mr. Hussain thanked all those involved in working together to
fix the problems at East Herringthorpe Cemetery. A solution, albeit
short term, had been reached. However, Mr. Hussain raised some new
concerns regarding water getting into graves on the Christian side
of the graveyard. He stated that Yorkshire Water were not acting or
providing Dignity with any solutions. He asked if the Council could
help resolve the issue. Mr. Hussain also asked what the next phase
of the process would be so that the previous delays in trying to
rectify issues did not have to be repeated.
The Leader also thanked those involved for the progress that had
been made. He was not aware of the issues with water getting into
the graves in the Christian section but would raise the matter with
officers.
The Assistant Director of Legal confirmed that the Council would
continue to work with Dignity to evolve the next stages of the
plan.
2. Mr. Azam asked if a response could be provided in writing which clarified what the webcasting footage was used for and where on the website it said what the purpose of the recording was. He also asked about the East Herringthorpe Cemetery expansion and stated that there had been some confusion over what was due to happen. He asked if a strategic, long term plan could be produced for the entire Borough.
The Leader agreed to provide a written response in terms of the
webcast. He also agreed to provide a written response in terms of
what Dignity was commissioned to do in terms of their role and
responsibilities. This would also be published on the
Council’s website. This information would also include
clarity on the development of the next stage of the programme and
where responsibilities laid for that.
In his supplementary question, Mr. Azam stated that there had been
a site in East Herringthorpe Cemetery that had been reserved for
burial. However, since the reservation, the site had been paved
over. Mr. Azam had had to communicate with Dignity about making the
site available for burial following a bereavement. Following this
confusion, he asked for an update on when the contract negotiations
would conclude.
The Leader clarified that the Council were not in the process of
negotiating a new contract. It was in the process of holding the
current contractors, Dignity, to account for the things they were
contracted to do. If they were no longer able to deliver the
contract, the contract would be terminated. This was an ongoing
process and did not have an end date.
The Assistant Director of Legal confirmed that a report would be
presented to the Improving Places Select Commission along with the
service plan for that particular area.
the severe environmental, social and governance risk in addition to the extreme political and media risk. The question had been directed at either of the Council representative’s on South Yorkshire Pensions Authority, Councillor Sutton or Councillor Beresford.
The Leader confirmed that Councillor Sutton was not a Member of
Cabinet and was, therefore, not in attendance at the meeting. He
did, however, agree to pass on the question to South Yorkshire
Pensions Authority.
Councillor Beresford, responding as a representative on South
Yorkshire Pensions Board, explained that she served as part of the
Governance Board which was responsible for ensuring all operational
responsibilities were carried out. She had no input in investment
proposals but agreed to take the question back to the Pensions
Authority.
In his supplementary, Mr. Ashraf referenced the petition he had
delivered to South Yorkshire Pensions Authority in June 2025 and
asked what Rotherham Council could do, what the Pensions Authority
could do and when an answer would be provided.
Councillor Beresford could not commit to an exact timeline but
estimated a written response would take around 3 to 4 weeks.