Agenda item

Report from the Assistant Chief Executive.

Recommendations:

That Cabinet:

1. Note the overall position in relation to the Year Ahead Delivery Plan activities.

2. Note the Quarter 4 data for the Council Plan performance measures.
    
3. Note that the Council has been using a new Council Plan from June 2025 with this being the final report for the 2022-25 Council Plan. 

Members welcomed John Edwards, Chief Executive on his appointment to the Council.

At the Chair’s invitation the Leader of the Council, Councillor Read introduced the report, indicating that this was an overview of the final year-end report for the 2024–25 delivery plan, whilst noting that the Council had already agreed on the new plan for 2025–26. He described the current moment as a transitional phase, wrapping up the previous plan while the new one was already in motion.

The Leader noted that 77% of the actions committed for 2024–25 had been delivered and 60% of measurable performance indicators were on target. A number of actions were delayed, and one action may be abandoned due to feasibility issues.

The Leader structured his update around the five themes of the Council Plan:

1. Thriving Neighbourhoods:
   • PSPO consultation and community safety strategy completed.
   • The years Cultural events programme had been delivered.
   • Delays in local neighbourhood road safety schemes and CCTV software procurement.
   • The Maltby East scheme caused delays in the Towns and Villages Fund.

2. People are Safe, Healthy and Live Well:
   • Repairs and maintenance policy approved in November 2024.
   • The temporary accommodation offer had expanded by 17 homes.
   • Domestic abuse delivery model review had been completed but decisions deferred to align with strategy review.

3. Every Child Able to Fulfil Their Potential:
   • The baby packs had been commissioned and distributed.
   • Increase in family registrations which was welcomed.
   • The SEN hub building work scheduled.
   • Independent training delivered to 24 young people.
   • Work on the water splash area at Clifton Park had begun.
   • Delays in children’s care home programme due to staffing and registration.

4. Expanding Economic Opportunity:
   • 464 attendees at business workshops for start-ups and new businesses.
   • 132 grant offers for financial assistance issued through UKSPF grants.
   • Public realm improvements at Riverside Gardens and Co-operation Street were underway.
   • Delays in Temple Brook Business Zone due to ownership and stakeholder challenges.
   • Local Plan revision delayed due to government target changes.
   • Progress had been made on flood alleviation schemes and community energy engagement.

5. Cleaner, Greener Rotherham:
   • Delays in works at Thrybergh Country Park and some flood defence schemes.
   • Fleet replacement plan behind schedule; 23 of 60 vehicles procured.
   • Heat decarbonisation plan agreed, but solar canopy work at Riverside House delayed.
   • One project—Low Carbon Energy Regeneration Plan—likely to be abandoned due to site issues and feasibility concerns.

6. One Council:
   • 75,000 online transactions recorded in Q1 2025.
   • The continued development of self-service forms and website improvements.
   • Early Careers Hub launched in December 2024.

The Leader acknowledged the breadth of the report, noting that while much had been achieved, there were areas requiring further attention or re-evaluation.

The Chair invited members of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board (OSMB) to raise questions and queries on the points raised earlier.

Councillor A Cater asked about the decision timeline and status for the projects considered as part of the Our Places Fund. The Leader explained Consultation had been completed and two decisions (Maltby East and Swinton Centre Public Realm Scheme) were made earlier in the year. A further report with more detailed proposals is expected by autumn.

Councillor Yasseen noted the decline in satisfaction and safety perception and asked if there was a deeper understanding of the reasons. The Leader noted that these results were based on a 500-person annual survey. Results could fluctuate and may be influenced by external factors like weather or national sentiment but generally it was moving in the right direction. Long-term trends are more reliable.

Councillor Yasseen felt there could be a correlation between satisfaction and the hate crime outcomes. The Leader acknowledged the concern. Hate crime outcomes were police-led but included for visibility. Further analysis was needed to understand the drop.

Councillor Yasseen went on to query the accuracy of the working-age population employment data? The Leader agreed the data had limitations, but it was the national standard. Supplementary data (e.g. benefit claims) was used internally for programme evaluation.

Councillor Tinsley queried if the Maltby High Street targets were realistic and felt there was a lack of ward member engagement. The Leader believed targets were realistic and he encouraged ward members to initiate direct contact for any concerns. The Strategic Director for Regeneration and Environment indicated he would arrange a session with ward members to improve engagement.

Councillor Monk noted the home-to-school transport savings had been reasonably successful but asked if there had been any family feedback? The Leader clarified that the overall home-to-school transport budget was rising. The policy was re-visited, and public consultation was undertaken involving parents and families. The team had done well to improve the cost efficiency of each journey.

The Strategic Director for Regeneration and Environment highlighted that considerable work had been undertaken to look at the efficiencies in journeys and over a three-year period a 20% cost reduction had been achieved and put Rotherham on par with neighbouring authorities for costs on home-to-school transport. Positive feedback had been received regarding the independent travel training. A graduation ceremony was held each year, and some parents had indicated that it had transformed their children’s lives, given them more self-confidence in their day-to-day lives.

The Strategic Director for Finance and Customer Services clarified that once work had been completed regarding routes and making the service as efficient as it could be then additional funding would be allocated to reset that budget. That work had now been completed and they were satisfied that they knew how much budget to reallocate, whilst recognising the number of children and their needs may vary over time. It was confirmed that the budget had been reset based on efficiency work.

Councillor Keenan welcomed the increased availability of temporary accommodation but queried if the additional posts in the Homelessness team had been filled and if the team was running at its increased capacity? The Strategic Director for Adult Care, Housing and Public Health confirmed the Homelessness team had gone through a restructure and was now fully staffed and operating under a new, prevention-focused model.

Councillor Monk sought clarification on the workforce data regarding young people with disabilities. The Assistant Chief Executive clarified that 13% of council workforce were young people with disabilities, slightly below the borough average (14%). A range of initiatives were in place to improve representation, including outreach and supported apprenticeships.

Councillor Yasseen noted climate emergency declared by the Council in 2019 and the missed climate and tree planting targets, querying if the Council was treating it as an emergency. The Councillor suggested that the word ‘emergency’ should be removed, and the Council should move towards a more sustainable plan to achieve that agenda. The Leader indicated there were two trends, one was the return to the workplace following Covid, which placed more energy pressures on the Council. The second was the national grid decarbonisation had not progressed at the expected pace. There were programmes of work, particularly around fleets, fleet procurement, buildings and assets which had not borne fruit but would deliver results. In terms of tree planting, the numerical targets had been met but not area-based ones. The Leader acknowledged future challenges in meeting net zero.

The Chair asked what interventions were in place to improve phonics screening results and reduce attainment gaps? The Strategic Director for Children and Young People's Services explained that the results were not where they would like them to be, and a development programme had been put in place. English Hubs were available which linked schools together and were meant to provide specialist tuition and support to schools in terms of how phonics sessions were delivered. They hadn’t been as successful as hoped. She highlighted that there was a bespoke specialist phonics programme for children with SEND which as been successful but there was still work to be done in this area.

Councillor Allen queried the accessibility of the performance reports such as this, asking if a simplified version was available. The Leader noted that a simplified version did not currently exist. The Communications team tried to translate key messages and consideration would be given to producing the information in a more digestible format.

Councillor Allen asked if a summary of missed targets could be included going forward? The Leader agreed to provide a summary of missed targets in future reports.

The Chair noted the shortfall in meeting the apprenticeships target, asking why? The Assistant Chief Executive felt it was a combination of factors. Managers may not fully understand the flexibility of apprenticeships and the levels at which they could be undertaken. The Assistant Chief Executive explained that work was underway to improve awareness and promotion. In response to Councillor Brent’s point, it was noted that work was ongoing with schools and colleges. Cross-directorate efforts were in place to improve employability and promote apprenticeships.

The Chair sought clarification around the road resurfacing delays and what was being done to address them. The Leader explained some works were scheduled for school holidays and weather could cause delays. The Leader indicated that overall, the road condition targets were still being met.

The Chair queried what the implications were of exceeding the target for older adult admissions to long term residential care? The Strategic Director for Adult Care, Housing and Public Health explained the increase reflected higher needs and complexity. Efforts continued to find alternatives, but some admissions were necessary and based on individual choice.

Resolved: That the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board supported the recommendations that Cabinet:

1.    Note the overall position in relation to the Year Ahead Delivery Plan activities.

2.    Note the Quarter 4 data for the Council Plan performance measures.

3.    Note that the Council has been using a new Council Plan from June 2025 with this being the final report for the 2022-25 Council Plan.

Further actions that arose from discussions were that:

·       Further consideration was given to the development of an easy-to-read summary version of the Council Plan and the Year Ahead Delivery Plan, with the aim of improving accessibility, transparency, and public engagement.

• That future update reports would contain a summary sheet, clearly detailing:
  • Which targets have not been met,
  • The reasons for non-achievement, and
  • The anticipated timescales for completion or resolution.