Agenda item

To consider the recommendation from Cabinet on 15 September 2025, in relation to the adoption of the Community Safety Strategy.

Consideration was given to the report which presented the Community Safety Strategy, named the Safer Rotherham Partnership Strategy 2025-28, for approval. The Strategy had been recommended by Cabinet for approval at the 15 September 2025 meeting.

The Safer Rotherham Partnership (SRP), of which the Council was a key statutory partner, had agreed a new Safer Rotherham Partnership Strategy, setting out priorities and commitments for the period 1st April 2025 to 31st March, 2028. The previous Safer Rotherham Partnership Strategy 2022-25 guided the Partnership in delivering significant work to protect vulnerable children and adults, build safer, stronger communities and tackle domestic abuse, serious violence and organised crime.

The Safer Rotherham Partnership had used an evidence-based approach to agree the new priorities, drawing on analysis of partnership crime and community safety data and the outcomes of a comprehensive programme of consultation to capture the views of key stakeholders, including people who lived, visited or worked in Rotherham. This process identified 3 main priorities that shaped the new Strategy: Safer Neighbourhoods; Tackling violence, abuse and exploitation; and preventing offending and building resilience. The objective areas and commitments that sat under the priorities were detailed in paragraph 2.4 of the report.

Paragraph 2.5 of the report outlined the Cross Cutting Themes which impacted all community safety priorities. These were Online Crime; Service User Voice; and Equality.

Section 4 of the report and Appendix 2 to the report detailed the consultation outcomes. SRP partner agency consultation and data gathering took place from September 2024 and continued until the final draft strategy was circulated to SRP Board members prior to their meeting on 15th April, 2025, and the Strategy was finalised. The wider stakeholder, Elected Member and public consultation on the proposed priorities ran from September 2024 to December 2024.

The outcome of the consultation was broadly supportive of the priority areas identified. In relation to the areas of focus, there were some variances but generally people thought the partnership should focus on raising awareness and delivering prevention and early intervention activities. The full outcome of the consultation had been provided to each SRP priority lead to inform development of their action plans.

In accordance with Procedure Rule 16, Councillor Bacon moved the following amendment during the meeting: That the Council recommends to the Community Safety Partnership that they embed into the Strategy a way of combating antisocial behaviour. Councillor Bacon stated that the Strategy only mentioned tackling perceptions of antisocial behaviour and he simply wanted to ask the partnership to embed a way of combating antisocial behaviour to make residents feel safe.

Councillor Bennett-Sylvester seconded the amendment and asked if the idea could be explored, and proper structures put in place to deal with antisocial behaviour.

As the mover of the original motion, Councillor Alam addressed the amendment. He stated that, under legislation, the Safer Rotherham Partnership had a duty to tackle antisocial behaviour. Page 15 of the Strategy set out the Safer Rotherham Partnership Priorities for 2025-28 and that included Safer Neighbourhoods which involved all matters relating to antisocial behaviour.

On being put to the vote, the amendment fell.

The vote was then taken on the original recommendations.

Resolved:

That Council:

1.    Adopt the Safer Rotherham Partnership Strategy.

2.    Note the requirement for scrutiny of the Safer Rotherham Partnership Annual Report, which is discharged by the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board.

Mover: Councillor Alam                          Seconder: Councillor Cusworth