Agenda item

To receive a statement from the Leader of the Council in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 9.

The Leader congratulated the Mayor on his appointment and Councillor Brent on his appointment as Deputy Mayor. He also welcomed Councillor Allen back to Cabinet as Cabinet Member for Communities.

Since the last meeting:

-       The Crisis Payments scheme had launched, which offered payments of between £80 and £200 to residents who found themselves in a critical financial situation.

-       The 800^th Council house had been completed and the Council remained on track to deliver 1000 Council homes by Summer 2027.

-       The topping out event at Larch Road/Addison Road in Maltby had taken place.

-       The housing service had celebrated the Housing Staff Awards.

-       Foster Care Fortnight had started which celebrated the incredible work done by Foster Carers.

-       The Great North Investment Summit had taken place in Leeds where multi-billion pound investment opportunities were launched.

-       The Chancellor announced plans for major regeneration projects in South Yorkshire which included support for the development of the Rotherham Gateway proposal.

The Leader of the Majority Opposition Group, Councillor Zach Collingham, was invited to respond to the statement. He too welcomed the Mayor to his new role. Councillor Collingham asked questions relating to:

-       The bin lorry fire that had taken place the day before the meeting. He asked if there were any preliminary findings that could be shared in case there were any concerns for the rest of the fleet.

-       The re-appointment of Councillor Allen to Cabinet. He welcomed the appointment but asked what it was designed to achieve.

-       The results from the Local Elections held across the country in May 2026. Councillor Collingham stated that the results were a staggering rejection of the status quo and the Labour Party. He stated that, if there had been an election in Rotherham, the Labour group would have been removed and would still likely be removed in two years’ time. Councillor Collingham therefore asked if the Leader would deliver actions further and faster in the time remaining. This included reviewing the capital project delivery programme and ensuring the mistakes that had been made in relation to the Markets project were not replicated in the Housing Capital Programme.

-       Basic service failures such as not collecting the bins, not cutting the grass and not knowing what was happening with lampposts. He asked should the Council should be focussing on these rather than on the Street Safe Team, or the High Street Business advisors.

In response, the Leader confirmed that an internal review was taking place regarding the bin lorry fire and he was happy to share the findings when they were available. The reason for returning Councillor Allen to Cabinet and giving her the communities portfolio was to champion the issues that mattered most to residents.

In regard to improving the pace of delivery, the Leader stated that the ongoing work was the largest regeneration of Rotherham for some decades and this had coincided with a difficult economy and rising interest rates, particularly for the building sector. He was not satisfied with the way in which some schemes had been delivered, particularly the markets and the Chief Executive had been instructed to conduct a review into that. Given the Housing Programme was now 80% complete, the Leader did not envisage the same issues.

In response to the comments on the Local Election results, the Leader stated that he did not think any of the Conservative members should feel confident going into an election as the results for the Conservative Party nationally were cataclysmic. He stated that the Rotherham Labour Group would continue delivering their promises, supporting the high streets and supporting communities. The Leader said that the Conservatives would remove measures to help high streets and communities.

Questions from Members were invited. Councillor Currie firstly stated that he was happy to see Councillor Allen return to Cabinet. He asked if Scrutiny could look more closely at the Council’s finances and possibly have a separate commission for finance. The Leader stated that it was not up to him how scrutiny was organised, but the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board did review financial monitoring reports and the Medium Term Financial Strategy on a regular basis.

Councillor Thorp queried the strategy behind the replacement of bin lorries, stating that the ones ordered two years ago were still not in the ownership of the Council. He asked how the service would function with one less bin lorry and more houses being built. The Leader confirmed that the Council were pursuing the purchased vehicles. He stated that the Conservatives had suggested a strategy that would have seen older vehicles in service for longer which would not have helped.

Councillor Bacon referenced the regeneration schemes and stated that law and order was needed to maintain confidence. He asked the Leader and Mayor Oliver Coppoaard to come up with a proper plan to combat anti-social behaviour. The Leader stated that, as Rotherham had the fastest growing economy in the north of England for the last 10 years, that should be a good sign for law and order. The Cabinet Member for Community Safety continued to work with the police and other partners on a regular basis to tackle anti-social behaviour. The Leader also noted that the Labour Group had invested money into the high streets and via select licensing to improve anti-social behaviour. This was a proactive approach.

Councillor Bennett-Sylvester asked for clarification on what the crisis payments could be used for and what long term help was available for those that required it. The Leader confirmed that additional money was going into the Open Arms service and the Council’s partners were being encouraged to work more closely with libraries and the food bank network to make sure they were co-located where possible. The Council also continued to provide support to the Laser Credit Union.