Agenda item

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

The Leader started his statement by sending the condolences of the Council to the friends and family of Ann Widdecombe following her recent alleged murder. The Leader reiterated the Council’s commitment to political pluralism and condemnation of such a heinous crime that unfortunately now had links to Rotherham.

The Leader also reflected on the tragic events that unfolded at Rother Valley over the May Bank Holiday where teenager Muhammed Secka lost his life in devastating circumstances. The Leader expressed his heartfelt condolences to his family and also paid tribute to the staff on site for their professionalism during this difficult event. The Green Spaces team were taking all practical steps to enhance safety and the Leader urged everyone, especially school children about to start the school holidays, to stay out of open water unless it was a designated supervised area.

Since the last meeting, Lord Hardy Court had been rated “Good” by the Care Quality Commission; the Castle View Day Centre had opened; residents had moved in to the new Warden Street Council properties and work had commenced on two sites in Eastwood. Work had also started on the Templeborough Business Zone at Magna and on the Whiston Brook Flood Alleviation Scheme.

The Leader was pleased to report that Rotherham had been shortlisted to become the UK’s first Town of Culture in 2028. 398 towns had applied so making it to the final 4 in the “large town” category was a big achievement.

The Leader congratulated Kimberworth Park Partnership for their successful bid to the Cruyff Foundation for a multi-use games area. It was hoped that future international footballers would make use of the excellent facilities. Following on from this, the Leader expressed his and the Chamber’s support for the England Men’s football team in their World Cup Semi-Final match which would take place later in the evening. 

The Leader of the Majority Opposition Group, Councillor Zach Collingham, was invited to respond to the statement. He also expressed his condolences regarding the passing of Ann Widdecombe whom he described as a respected lady and a characterful politician. Councillor Collingham stated that, although a suspect had been arrested in Rotherham, this was not a reflection on the town or the borough. However, he did ask that it be established if anything could have or should have been done locally to prevent the killing.

Councillor Collingham referenced the number of residential fires in the borough, some of which might have been linked to the high temperatures but some of which could be linked to the charging of electrical devices at home, such as e-bikes and mobility scooters. He asked if any discussions could take place regarding raising awareness and improving education on the matter.

In relation to the Whitestone Solar Farm, he asked the Leader to give clear reassurance that the Council will submit initial representations at this stage but also prepare a comprehensive local impact report for the examination stage. Councillor Collingham also asked that the Leader lead the response, ensuring he was mindful that the Council had voted twice to not have the Whitestone development imposed on Rotherham.

Councillor Collingham also asked about the Town of Culture bid and asked what the Leader’s conception of the cultural future of Rotherham was.He also referenced the new Local Development Plan process and the government's target of over 1000 homes per year. Given this, he asked why Strategic Community Infrastructure Levy funds (CIL) were being spent on the Trans-Pennine Trail and not real choke points like the Todwick A57 roundabout or on providing extra school places.

Finally, Councillor Collingham asked if there was still an issue with scoping and planning. As was recently reported in the latest Year Ahead Plan update, road safety schemes were delayed due to contract issues; community facility refurbishments were behind because of issues with the buildings and flood works were delayed because the Council needed to access someone else’s land. He asked how much longer it would be before the timescales and deadlines provided could be relied upon.

In response, the Leader confirmed that a full suite of formal reviews would take place in relation to the alleged act of terrorism. Those would be fed back into the Council and shared through the appropriate channels.

In terms of fire safety, the Leader agreed to seek guidance from South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service and ask their advice on the best way of approaching that matter would be.

It was confirmed that the Council’s planning service had already submitted the initial response regarding the quality of consultation undertaken by Whitestone. The Leader was staggered that the Planning Inspector saw fit to overrule all of the negative feedback relating to the consultation. He confirmed that he would be making further representations and was in discussion with South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppoard on what kind of community engagement could be organised.

Regarding the themes associated with the Town of Culture bid, the Leader confirmed that they would look at how to create a fair economy, how to reward work, what the future of former industrial areas might look like and how to tell the story of Rotherham.

The Leader stated that more school places were created only when necessary and it was not currently necessary to do so. Most children in Rotherham got offered a place in at least one of their three preferred schools. Further, pupil numbers were expected to fall over the course of the next ten years. In relation to the spending of CIL on the Trans-Pennine trail, the Leader fully supported this scheme as it would improve access to vital outdoor spaces for many communities in the north of the borough.

Finally, the Leader explained the reasons behind the delays referenced and highlighted the many successes of the regeneration projects. This included the refurbishment of every library in the borough, the start of the process to refurbish play areas, the building of over 800 new Council homes, the Forge Island development, the markets development and works in Dinnington, Wath, Swinton and Maltby.

Questions from Members were invited.

Councillor Currie thanked the Leader and Councillor Collingham for their words relating to the Ann Widdecombe suspect arrest which had been in his ward. He stated that he was very proud of the people and communities within Keppel ward and encouraged everyone to remember that people have more in common than that which divides, echoing the comments made by Jo Cox MP.

The Leader agreed that the arrest was not a reflection on Kimberworth Park or the residents in the Keppel ward.

Councillor Adam Carter expressed the condolences of the Liberal Democrat group to the family and friends of Ann Widdecombe and Muhammed Secka. He also asked the Leader what financial implications were associated with the Town of Culture bid. Councillor Carter wished the England Men’s football team the best of luck for the Semi-Final match.

The Leader confirmed that the Council had a £60,000 grant to develop their bid for the Town of Culture. If successful, there would be a grant of £3million available to deliver the project. The Council had not committed any further funding.

Councillor Bacon acknowledged the benefit of improved community facilities but stated that in order to encourage use of those facilities, residents needed to have confidence that they would not suffer from anti-social behaviour. He asked if the Leader would finally commit to instructing officers to look at all  available powers the Council had to tackle anti-social behaviour since the rates were significantly higher in Rotherham that the rest of the country.

The Leader agreed regarding the need to do everything to stop anti-social behaviour wherever it arose. The additional investment into the Street Safe team was having an impact and rates of anti-social behaviour were falling in the town centre. The Community Protection Unit had also been protected throughout the austerity years. In relation to instructing officers in operational matters, the Leader stated that this would not be in accordance with the Nolan principles. He would instead continue to work in partnership to set out the strongest possible approach.

Councillor Reynolds stated that Rotherham was being railroaded regarding the Whitestone development. He reiterated his objections to the development and criticised the developer's choice to use green belt land as opposed to brownfield sites. Councillor Reynolds also paid tribute to Ann Widdecombe.

The Leader agreed with the comments made by Councillor Reynolds but acknowledged that was not how the planning process worked in reality. He confirmed that he would circulate the representation he had made to the Secretary of State because he had raised a number of the points made by Councillor Reynolds.

Councillor Hughes urged all members to let due process take its course in relation to the Ann Widdecombe investigation. The fact that someone had been arrested did not confirm guilt.

The Leader agreed with the comments.