Issue - decisions

Date of Decision:

09/06/2025

Title:

Council Homes Delivery Programme: Entering into a Grant Funding Agreement with the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) to enable the Council to receive Brownfield Housing Fund to support the delivery of 27 new Council homes.

Decision Maker:

(Including Job Title)

Ian Spicer

Strategic Director of Adult Care, Housing and Public Health.

Details of Specific Delegation

or

Delegation contained in the relevant Sub-Scheme of Delegation.

The decision is in-line with the Cabinet delegation most recently set out within the following meeting minutes:

1.    25 January 2021 Cabinet Meeting – ‘Resolved:- 2. That authority be delegated to the Assistant Director of Housing, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing and the Section 151 Officer, to enter into a Brownfield Housing Fund agreement with the Sheffield City Region where this will serve to increase the number of new homes delivered in Rotherham.’ Minute 103 refers.

Printed minutes Monday 25-Jan-2021 10.00 Cabinet.pdf

2.    11 July 2022 Cabinet Meeting –  ‘Resolved:- 1. That Cabinet approve the Council-owned sites listed in Appendix 2 being brought forward to deliver new homes, with developments which will deliver more than 10 homes being subject to further Cabinet approvals. 2. That Cabinet approve the purchase of homes from any of the schemes identified in Exempt Appendix 3.’ Minute 27 refers.

Printed minutes Monday 11-Jul-2022 10.00 Cabinet.pdf

3.    23 January 2023 Cabinet Meeting – ‘Resolved: 1. That Cabinet approved the Council-owned sites listed in Appendix 3 being brought forward to deliver new Council homes. 2. That Cabinet approved the appropriation of specified General Fund sites to the Housing Revenue Account. Further detail about the sites proposed for appropriation is provided in Appendix 4. 3. That Cabinet approved the purchase of homes from any of the schemes identified in Exempt Appendix 5.’ Minute 104 refers.

Printed minutes Monday 23-Jan-2023 10.00 Cabinet.pdf

Decision:

This decision seeks formal officer approval for the Council to

enter into a Grant Funding Agreement with the South

Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA), enabling

the drawdown of £432,000 in approved Brownfield Housing

Fund grant. The funding will support the delivery of 27 new

Council homes across the following four sites:

• Warden Street, Canklow – 13 homes
• Princess Street, West Melton – 6 homes
• Albert Road, West Melton – 4 homes
• Former Ship Inn, Swinton – 4 homes

Reasons for the Decision:

In October 2024, the Council submitted an Outline Business Case to SYMCA for nine housing sites. By December, it was invited to submit Final Business Cases for the four most advanced. In March 2025, SYMCA approved £432,000 in Brownfield Housing Fund grants to support 27 new Council homes on these sites. These schemes were already approved under the Council’s Housing Delivery Programme, and entering into the funding agreements will help improve overall programme affordability.

Details of alternative options considered and rejected:

Option 1: Do not enter into the grant funding agreements with SYMCA 

Grant contributions from SYMCA are crucial to delivering the new Council homes by March 2026. If the Council does not enter into the grant funding agreements with SYMCA it will be unable to drawdown the grant, requiring further funding to be allocated to the project from the Councils Housing Revenue Account. 

This option is not recommended.

Conflicts of interest declared by any Cabinet Member consulted by the decision maker which relates to the decision:

N/A

Dispensations Granted:

(If any)

N/A

Conflicts of interest declared by the Decision Maker if they sit as a Cabinet appointed representative to an outside body which relates to the decision:

N/A

Dispensations Granted:

(If any)

N/A

Reports or parts of reports considered

Cabinet Report 25/01/2021: Quarterly Housing Development Update - Minute 103

Cabinet Report 11/07/2022: Annual Housing Development Report 2022/23 - Minute 27

Cabinet Report 23/01/2023: Annual Housing Development Report 2023/24 – Minute 104

The report of Ian Spicer, Strategic Director of Adult Care, Housing and Public Health authorising the report - Council Homes Delivery Programme: Entering into Grant Funding Agreements with the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority to enable the Council to receive Brownfield Housing Fund to support the delivery of 27 new Council homes.