Agenda item

Report from the Strategic Director of Regeneration and Environment.

Recommendations:

That Cabinet:

1. Delegate authority to the Strategic Director for Regeneration & Environment in consultation with S151 Officer and the Leader of the Council to submit Rotherham’s PiP Phase 1 Regeneration Plan in line with the Government’s Pride in Place programme.

2. Delegate authority to the Strategic Director for Regeneration & Environment in consultation with S151 Officer, the Leader of the Council and the Neighbourhood Board Chair to approve the delivery of Rotherham’s interventions (as detailed in Appendix 1 and Appendix 2).

3. Delegate authority to the Strategic Director for Regeneration & Environment in consultation with S151 Officer, the Leader of the Council and the Neighbourhood Board Chair to reallocate funding and add, amend or replace a scheme or intervention should it become unfeasible or undeliverable.

4. Delegate authority to the Assistant Director for Planning, Regeneration and Transport, to draw down the 2025/26 allocation of £415,103 capacity funding, in line with the details provided at Section 2.

5. Delegate authority to the Strategic Director for Regeneration & Environment in consultation with S151 Officer and the Leader of the Council to approve allocations from the Pride in Place Impact Fund as outlined in section 3.4.

Consideration was given to the report which sought approval from Cabinet to submit Rotherham’s Pride in Place Phase 1 Regeneration Plan, a high-level indicative plan comprising a 10 year vision and 4 year funding profile, as detailed in Appendix 1 and Appendix 2 by 28 November 2025.

Pride in Place (PiP) was originally announced in March 2025 and named the Plan for Neighbourhoods. It was part of a wider strategy to ensure that nowhere was left behind. It was intended to “help revitalise local areas and fight deprivation at root cause by zeroing in on 3 goals: creating thriving places, building stronger communities, and empowering people to thrive”. Rotherham was one of 75 places in the UK to benefit from a £20m fund to be made available over 10 years.

A key stipulation of the funding was that MHCLG determined the area of focus. The boundary chosen by Government was Rotherham’s ‘Built Up Area’ (BUA) as defined by the Office for National Statistics. At the heart of Rotherham’s BUA was the town centre and it was surrounded by a concentration of the most deprived areas of the Borough. While £20m was a significant sum, the funding was spread over a large geography with a population of 71,627, and a long period of time; it was essential, therefore, that the allocation was carefully considered and concentrated to ensure it had impact. The list of places included in the boundary and a map were included in paragraphs 1.2.4 and 1.2.5 of the report.

Rotherham’s Pride in Place Phase 1 approach was born from the principles that:

·       A strong, well performing town centre provided for its local and extended communities by being attractive with a strong service provision and was well-maintained and accessible.

·       A strong and resilient community was one in which people felt a sense of belonging and mutual respect, with the ability to connect to opportunities, services and each other.

There were 6 investment themes, as detailed in paragraph 2.3 of the report:

1.    Regeneration, High Streets and Heritage

2.    Safety and Security

3.    Education and Opportunity

4.    Cohesion

5.    Health and Wellbeing

6.    Work, Productivity and Skills

Further, Government had allocated a revenue capacity budget to Pride in Place in order to support the development of Rotherham’s Regeneration Plan, as well as to build capacity in communities and prepare for the investment programme. The breakdown of the funding was set out in paragraph 3.3 of the report. A total of £415,103 had been allocated for this Fund.

Additionally, the Government had allocated £1.5m through the new Impact Fund to Rotherham Council, as one of 95 local authorities across the country, to deliver some short term capital interventions. £750,000 had been allocated in 2025/26 and a further £750,000 in 2026/27 to be spent within each financial year on improvements to community spaces, public spaces and high streets across the Borough. Delegated authority was sought to allocate this funding to be spent on projects that met the Government’s criteria within the timescales.

A requirement of the PiP funding was that a Neighbourhood Board must be established and it should bring together those with a deep connection to the local area. As encouraged by Government, Rotherham’s Neighbourhood Board originated from the established Town Board but had been adapted to ensure it was representative of the BUA geography and equipped to undertake its responsibilities within the PiP programme. Since the Fund was established, Rotherham’s Phase 1 Neighbourhood Board had been transitioning and its membership was expected to continue evolving up until the commencement of the programme in April 2026, so that representation was reflective of the geography and the investment themes. Presently the Neighbourhood Board was made up of representatives from the public, private and voluntary sectors, as well as statutory involvement from South Yorkshire Police, the MP for Rotherham Central and 2 Ward Councillors - the Cabinet Member for Transport, Jobs and the Local Economy (Councillor John Williams) and Councillor Thorp, Councillor for Sitwell Ward. The process of appointing a new Chair was underway.

Resolved:

That Cabinet:

1.    Delegate authority to the Strategic Director for Regeneration and Environment in consultation with S151 Officer and the Leader of the Council to submit Rotherham’s PiP Phase 1 Regeneration Plan in line with the Government’s Pride in Place programme.

2.    Delegate authority to the Strategic Director for Regeneration and Environment in consultation with S151 Officer, the Leader of the Council and the Neighbourhood Board Chair to approve the delivery of Rotherham’s interventions (as detailed in Appendix 1 and Appendix 2).

3.    Delegate authority to the Strategic Director for Regeneration and Environment in consultation with S151 Officer, the Leader of the Council and the Neighbourhood Board Chair to re-allocate funding and add, amend or replace a scheme or intervention should it become unfeasible or undeliverable.

4.    Delegate authority to the Assistant Director for Planning, Regeneration and Transport, to draw down the 2025/26 allocation of £415,103 capacity funding, in line with the details provided at Section 2.

5.    Delegate authority to the Strategic Director for Regeneration and Environment in consultation with S151 Officer and the Leader of the Council to approve allocations from the Pride in Place Impact Fund as outlined in section 3.4.