Agenda item

Cabinet Portfolio: - Leader

Strategic Directorate: - Assistant Chief Executive

Consideration was given to a report that was submitted for pre-decision scrutiny ahead of the Cabinet meeting scheduled for 21 June 2021 that provided information on the on progress made in delivering the key activities as set out in the Council’s Year Ahead Plan in the plan. The Leader of the Council, the Chief Executive and the Head of Policy, Performance and Intelligence attended the meeting to present the report.

The report noted that the Year Ahead Plan was the Council’s plan for operating in and recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and that it set out key activities for the Council for the period September 2020 to May 2021. The report stated that the plan detailed in the key activities that would be undertaken in order for the Council to support residents, communities and businesses through the ongoing challenges and uncertainties of the pandemic and also direct the Council’s ambitious plans for Rotherham’s future.

The Leader noted that of all the activities contained in the Year Ahead Plan:

·       36% (27) of the activities outlined within the Year Ahead Plan have been completed

·       47% (36) are on track

·       13% (10) are behind schedule

·       4% (3) are off track.

The Leader advised that the three activities that had been delayed had been impacted by the restrictions surrounding the pandemic. The Leader provided further information surrounding the activity that had been taking place to deliver on the actions detailed in the Year Ahead Plan. The Leader also noted the activity that had been carried out regarding the cross-cutting objectives contained in the plan regarding climate change and equalities. The Leader advised further that it was also being proposed to extend the Year Ahead Plan to November 2021 in order to provide time to develop a longer-term Council Plan that would establish medium-term priorities and actions.

A document that outlined progress against all the actions contained within the Year Ahead Plan was attached as an appendix to the officer’s report.

Members asked for further information on plans surrounding flexible working at the Council, noting that working from home had been a very isolating and difficult experience for some members of staff. The Leader advised that while working from home had provided many advantages for staff, there were also disadvantages. The Leader noted the procedures that had been put in place to support staff work effectively and comfortably from home during the pandemic and advised work would be continuing to look how the Council’s existing pre-pandemic flexible working policies could be developed and strengthened. The Chief Executive noted that the feedback received from staff on the positives and negatives of home working would be used in the development of future flexible and hybrid working policies. The Chief Executive assured members that whatever policies were developed that the primary focus would always be to ensure that services were always delivered to residents in the most effective way.

Members asked whether the absence of office-based staff from Riverside House had negatively impacted on town centres businesses during the pandemic. The Strategic Director – Regeneration and Environment who was in attendance at the meeting advised that Rotherham town centre, was less dependent on office workers and their related spend than other town and city centres across the country so the impact of office staff at Riverside House and other town centre offices working from home had not been as significant for Rotherham.

Members asked whether work had been carried out to fully evaluate the impact of office-based staff working from home on Rotherham town centre and on the other local centres across the Borough. The Leader noted the national trend that had been seen in many cities and towns regarding increased trading and footfall in local centres as office-based staff worked from home. The Strategic Director – Regeneration and Environment advised that there was no data currently available on how the pandemic had impacted on footfall in local centres. The Leader reaffirmed the Council’s commitment to local centres with further investment in local centres across the Borough and the roll out of high-speed internet across the Borough. The Chief Executive noted that for the Council that the pandemic had not introduced flexible and home working, but had instead accelerated trends and practices regarding how and where staff worked that were already in place.

Members asked for further information about planned activity to support small and medium sized business in the Borough as the Year Ahead Plan appeared to focus on supporting and attracting large businesses to the Borough. The Leader noted that the Council had a good track record of supporting small and medium sized business via established processes and the provision of business centres. The Leader advised that activity had been highlighted in the Year Ahead Plan surrounding large businesses as Rotherham had in the past struggled to attract large companies, and as such this was a priority in supporting the Borough’s recovery from the pandemic. The Leader assured members that the Council continued to be fully committed to supporting small and medium sized businesses.

Members noted the crucial support that the Council’s Food Banks and other services had played during the pandemic in supporting vulnerable people and asked how prepared the Council was for supporting vulnerable residents when furlough and other support schemes ended. The Leader advised that crisis support would always be provided to those in critical need, as had been the case prior to the pandemic and that services that offered support to residents with longer term needs would also continue to be provided. The Leader noted that the best way to support local residents in the long term was to generate the economic activity that would create high quality jobs and prosperity across the Borough.

Members acknowledged the impact of the pandemic on the delivery of some of the actions contained in the plan but noted that the reasons for the activity of “£425,000 of investment in the borough’s other business centres” being off track appeared to be around problems with the allocated budget being insufficient and asked for further information about this. The Leader advised that the initial budget allocation for the project appeared to be insufficient and that work was ongoing to review the project to establish whether it could fit the allocated budget. The Leader noted that if this was not possible then the budget would have to be reviewed as the project included essential maintenance works that needed to be completed.

Members welcomed the activities contained in the Year Ahead Plan that focussed on neighbourhood working. Members asked how the planned youth-based activities over the summer would be communicated with residents. The Leader noted the importance of youth work activities being focused on local needs and communities and that the communication of activities would be based around local circumstances. The Leader noted the impact of austerity on the provision of youth activities but advised that the Council had created a new role to enable the coordination of Council youth service provision with the provision of partners in order to remove the potential for duplication and to enable the delivery of the services that were available to be maximised.

The Chair thanked the Leader of the Council, the Chief Executive and the Head of Policy, Performance and Intelligence for attending the meeting and answering member questions.

Resolved: -

1)    That Cabinet be advised that the recommendations be supported.

2)    That Overview and Scrutiny Management Board members are consulted and involved in the development of both the format and the contents of the new medium-term Council Plan.

3)    That Overview and Scrutiny Management Board members receive regular updates, at a frequency and in a format to be determined, on performance against the objectives contained in the new medium-term Council Plan.