To receive a statement from the Leader of the Council in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 9.
Minutes:
The Leader was invited to present his statement. He noted the launch of a new campaign for Rotherham’s new “Gateway” station which was part of a £300million regeneration plan that would put Rotherham back on the mainline for the first time in 40 years. The Leader and Councillor Williams had visited the site of the new tram stop at Magna. It was expected that trams should be stopping at the new station from early 2026. The Leader also reported that Davies Court Care Home in Dinnington had been rated good following a recent CQC inspection. He placed on record his congratulations and thanks to the team for their hard work. The Steel Minister, Chris McDonald MP, had visited the Liberty Steel sites in Stocksbridge and Parkgate along with the Leader, Chief Executive and colleagues from across South Yorkshire. The Leader believed that the conversations had been fruitful. The Leader confirmed that there was considerable commercial interest in taking on the sites and a real determination locally to protect jobs. The Leader had also written again to the Minister.
Members were asked to note the following upcoming events: Bonfire Night festivities in Clifton Park (on the evening of the Council meeting); Armistice Day and Remembrance Day on 9 November and the Christmas Lights Switch-on on Saturday 15 November.
Finally, the Leader highlighted the Reclaim the Night walk taking place on Thursday 27 November. This year the walk was being dedicated to the memory of Kimberley Fuller who was stabbed to death on 5 November 2005 on a night out in Rotherham town centre after she confronted a man for touching her. Her killer was later convicted for separate child abuse offences as part of Operation Stovewood. The Leader stated that he did not know how people kept going after their families were violated by such crimes. He could not begin to imagine the bravery that it took. Being a Councillor meant coming into contact with people in all sorts of difficult situations – homeless people, broken families, victims of violence – and as a Councillor, the task was to organise against the evil in our midst. Kimberley’s family and friends had asked for her to be remembered as part of this year’s Reclaim the Night to mark 20 years since her murder and they would be attending the event. The Leader paid tribute to their courage and determination today as they continued to make the case against misogyny and sexual violence and for a more humane society. He asked the Chamber to pay their respects to Kimberley and her memory.
The Leader of the Majority Opposition Group, Councillor Z. Collingham, was invited to respond. He echoed the comments made in relation to Davies Court Care Home and he hoped the comments made by the Leader to the Steel Minister would lead to the retention of jobs for people in Rotherham and the wider region. He made references to the number of items on the agenda and stated that he hoped no one would curtail or close down debate. Councillor Collingham made reference to the letter which he had prepared in relation to opposing Whitestone Solar Farm and thanked the 41 Councillors who had co-signed it. He asked the Leader to tell John Healy MP to tell Ed Miliband MP to stop ruining swathes of countryside. Councillor Collingham also referenced the national CSE enquiry and the failure to appoint a chair as well as the rumours of a tax-rising budget on the horizon. He stated that regional business had warned the Chancellor that putting up taxes would be bad for business, and he asked the Leader how he would avoid passing tax rises onto residents and employers across Rotherham.
The Leader was invited to respond to Councillor Z. Collingham. With regard to the agenda, the Leader stated that it was not his intention to curtail debate, but he did ask Members to be reasonable and show restraint to ensure all motions could be debate. In relation to the Whitestone comments, the Leader stated that John Healy MP had already clearly stated his opposition to it. He noted that when Labour Councillors had asked Conservative Councillors to raise issues with the former Conservative government, not once did they agree to. Yet now, they were asking a Labour MP to do something that he had already done. In relation to the CSE enquiry, the Leader stated that he had always expressed caution and concern about the national enquiry as it had never been clear exactly what was going to be looked in to. However, the Leader stated that he would not take criticism from the Conservatives on this as their government had been in power for 14 years, had held a National Enquiry that Professor Alexis Jay had spent seven years producing, and had not implemented any of the recommendations. Regarding the Chancellor’s budget, the Leader stated that the Conservative government had cut personal taxes just prior to the General Election in 2024, knowing that it was unsustainable. The current Government therefore had to make difficult decisions in relation to the budget. The Leader did not think it would be the right to choice to embark on another round of austerity, cutting public spending, because that hurt those who could least afford it.
Questions on the Leader’s statement were invited from all other Members.
Councillor Currie thanked the Leader for mentioning Kimberley Fuller and Reclaim the Night. He noted that the Ward Councillors for Keppel were funding a memorial bench for her with the agreement of Kimberley’s family. Councillor Currie also thanked those involved for their work to try and keep the Steel plants operational. Finally, he noted that he, Councillor Bennett-Sylvester and Councillor Ryalls were putting on an event for Movember and welcomed all to buy tickets and attend.
The Leader thanked Councillor Currie for his comments.
Councillor Reynolds referenced the Whitestone development and the difficulties he had had trying to access information. In particular, he referenced the brownfield sites that had reportedly been rejected but he could find no evidence of them. He asked if the Council had received the rationale in the pre-planning process about not using the 41 brownfield sites.
The Leader confirmed that a written response would be provided by the planning service to Councillor Reynolds. He also agreed with the comments regarding the consultation and the inability to access simple information.
Councillor Ball referenced the death of South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority member Councillor Charlie Hogarth and asked to place on record his condolences.
The Leader stated that he had not been aware of this and thanked Councillor Ball for bringing it to his attention.
Councillor Bennett-Sylvester thanked the Leader for the work being done with Liberty Steel. He asked if anything was being looked at in terms of the brownfield sites around the Liberty Steel plants in order to support the steel industry and develop further communities and industries within Rotherham.
The Leader explained that the government were aware of what the different options were, but it all depended on what commercial bids came forward and how the receiver was able to assess the value and sustainability of each of those bids.