Your Council Tax Guide

Our Aim: Every Neighbourhood Thriving

Ensuring every neighbourhood can thrive is at the heart of what we do.

Places are Thriving, Safe and Clean

We want to make every neighbourhood thrive and be a place residents can be proud of. Following on from the shop units grants programme and the introduction of the Street Safe Team, we’re looking to further invest in our High Streets in the town centre, Swinton, Wath, Dinnington, and Maltby.

• 14 urban parks and 3 country parks maintained.
• 96,000 people got involved in the Rotherham Show 2025 - the biggest and best show yet!
• Our events programme will continue through 2026 and 2027 with favourites like Roots, Signals, Armed Forces Day, and the Christmas Lights Switch On returning.
• 153,449 bins collected every week.
• 15 libraries and 4 leisure centres run across the borough

An Economy That Works For Everyone

Building a strong local economy is one of the Council’s key commitments. This is why the Council spends £122 million with Rotherham-based businesses and suppliers each year as part of its Social Value Policy, and why we ensure thousands of residents are paid at least the Real Living Wage. We’re also committed to providing residents with help and support in work through our Employment Solutions team, whether they’re looking to upskill or wanting long term employment.

• 800 local jobs supported by businesses established at RiDO business centres.
• £304,000 investment for three new Business Support Officers to engage with local businesses.
• 60 new businesses supported on their journey to start-up.
• 46 young people benefitted from traineeships as part of Children’s Capital of Culture last year.
• Brand new Lakeside Café opened at Thrybergh Country Park in February 2026.
• Over 2,000 residents helped into work or training by our Employment Solutions team since 2018.

Children and Young People Achieve

During the Council Plan consultation, Rotherham’s children and young people asked for more things to do, which is why our focus for this year’s budget is to provide them with new opportunities to get involved in their local area. We’re also providing £4.8 million of extra funding to support Children’s Social Care. Last year, the Council’s Children and Young People’s Service was rated Outstanding by Ofsted which, alongside the highest SEND Inspection rating in 2024, makes Rotherham one of the best in the country for its services for families, carers, and young people.

• Over 2,400 children and families supported through our Family Help Team.
• Over 2,100 Baby Packs delivered to new families in Rotherham.
• SEND Hub in Rotherham town centre has opened, supporting children and young people with SEND and their families and carers.
• More play areas added to our upgrade programme, including Ferham Park, Cherry Tree Park and Packman Way.
• £453,000 extra committed to educational psychology services to support learning, communication, and emotional well-being for children and young people.

Residents Live Safe, Healthy and Independent Lives

Social care accounts for about 40 per cent of the Council’s expenditure which we use to support older residents and local people with disabilities. Our social care services continue to face increasing pressures from increasing costs and increased demand for services offered.

• £13.4 MILLION further investment committed to our Social Care services.
• 973,600 hours of care provided per year to support adults in their own homes by our Home Care and Support Service.
• Our brand new day care centre at Canklow is set to open its doors in 2026 for people with high support needs, alongside new accessible Council homes. (Pictured above).
• OVER 3,800 adults supported to access over 4,400 services.
• £135,000 to support residents who have received a cancer diagnosis with benefits advice.

One Council That Listens

We are improving our services by listening to residents, improving customer services and working with partners. We asked residents about their priorities and introduced new services as a result, including dedicating more resource to keeping our borough cleaner and safer through our new Street Safe Team.

• £2.7 million additional funding for road maintenance.
• 9 new Street Safe Officers introduced to support residents in the town centre and our principal towns.
• Double the resource of our Roadside Cleansing Team. A further investment of £272,000
• £462,000 total investment to support the six Selective Licensing communities to support private tenants and crack down on anti-social behaviour.
• 300,000 calls a year are answered by the Council’s contact centre.