Agenda item

The Area Council Manager introduced the item.  The Tidy Team continued to do well, and the number of new volunteers was sizable; with 52 new young volunteers and 45 new adult volunteers within the previous quarter.

The meeting noted that the Team would be focusing on the engagement of businesses in the next quarter, which would include working with a number of establishments that they had previously worked with.

The performance of Kingdom Security continued to be rated as ‘Green’.  However, most of the Fixed Penalty Notices related to littering, whereas the majority of complaints related to dog fouling. It was noted that, anecdotally, some dog owners would only pick up after their dog when being watched, but would leave it when not under surveillance, and therefore were difficult to prosecute.

The meeting went on to discuss the service level agreement which provided a Private Sector Housing Enforcement Officer.  It was noted that the previous officer had now secured a permanent position centrally within the Council. However, the position had been filled until the end of the contract through temporary internal moves.  The performance against the contract was exemplary, with every target being met or exceeded.  It was agreed for the Chair to send a letter to the outgoing officer, thanking them for their service to the Area Council.

The contract to provide advice services continued to be delivered effectively.  Since the service commenced over £2million of additional benefit had been gained, and over £2million of previously unmanaged debt was now managed.

The Area Council Manager referred to the high numbers of clients being referred to other sources of support with money management, and the corresponding low numbers of repeat clients.  Also noted was the high proportion of very vulnerable clients, who were unable to access help without face to face support.

Questions were raised regarding performance against the ‘Improving the Local Economy’ priority, given that the courses to support local businesses had finished some time ago.  The Area Council Manager responded by saying some work could be done to more accurately record the contribution of the existing contract to the local economy.  In addition it was noted that the Area Team had also previously supported this priority through encouraging local recruitment by businesses opening in the area.

Members noted the significant investment around Junction 36, and in Cortonwood, and it was suggested that it may be useful to further consider this priority, and how the local residents could benefit from the investment in the local economy.  It was suggested that a workshop be held to map the investment and programmes related to improving the economy, in order to more accurately understand how the Area Council could support. It was suggested that this may take place after the Area Council Meeting in December.

Members discussed and welcomed the recent expansion of Cortonwood and the benefits to the local area, however the pressure on infrastructure was noted and it was suggested that these concerns be brought to the attention of relevant officers in Rotherham Council.

RESOLVED:-

(i)        that the report be noted;

(ii)       that the Chair writes to the outgoing Private Sector Housing Enforcement Officer, thanking them for their hard work and contribution to the area;

(iii)      that a workshop be organised to consider the ‘Improving the Local Economy’ priority and to map the interventions taking place locally.