Rother Vale Ward

Rother Vale ward plan

Introduction

Providing vibrant, connected and safe neighbourhoods is a priority for Rotherham Council and communities are at the heart of everything we do. We were elected as your Rother Vale Ward Councillors to listen to your views and work with you to make a difference in the local community.

We know many of our residents are passionate about making their community a better place to live and we are here to work in partnership and make these improvements a reality. In order to develop this Ward plan we spoke to you to find out what matters the most. We did this through a number of events and just by speaking to you whilst out and about in the community.

The priorities laid out in this plan will contribute to three key outcomes which are set out in ‘Thriving Neighbourhoods’, our neighbourhood strategy for 2018- 2025:

  • Neighbourhoods are safe and welcoming with good community spirit
  • Residents are happy, healthy and love where they live
  • Residents use their skills and assets to contribute to the outcomes that matter to them.

We’re now looking forward to working together to make these priorities come to life. The Ward plan will be updated regularly and placed on the Council website so everyone can see what’s being achieved in Rother Vale. If you haven’t yet been involved but want to have your say, it’s not too late. Our contact details are included on our ward page.

The Ward today

The Rother Vale Ward is largely rural with most of the population living in the former pit villages of Thurcroft, Treeton, Swallownest and Orgreave. The rural areas of the ward include the small villages of Ulley and Brampton-enle-Morthern and the hamlet of Fence. Part of the new development Waverley sits in west of the ward.

The population of Rother Vale has increased since 2011 reflecting new housing development at Waverley. The age structure is fairly typical of Rotherham, although the percentage of children and older people are both above average. Rother Vale has lower deprivation than the Rotherham average although still above the national average, and there are large differences within the Ward

Population change

The population of Rother Vale has increased since 2011 reflecting new housing development at Waverley. The age structure is fairly typical of Rotherham although the percentage of children and older people are both above average.

Health

Generally, Rother Vale ward is worse than average for health and lifestyle indicators in terms of numbers of indicators better and worse. It has significantly better rates for A&E attendances and emergency hospital admissions in the under 5s but significantly worse rates for deaths from all causes, particularly coronary heart disease and circulatory diseases.

Households claiming Housing or Council Tax Benefit

The proportion of working age people claiming benefits in Rother Vale is slightly below the Rotherham average; the rate of pension credit is slightly above average.

Crime and anti-social behaviour

Recorded crime in Rother Vale is below the Rotherham average but anti-social behaviour is slightly above average Deprivation in Rother Vale Rother Vale has lower deprivation than the Rotherham average although still above the national average and there are large differences within the ward. Thurcroft is the more deprived part, especially the west and central part of the village, both within the 20% most deprived areas of England. By contrast, areas with modern housing estates at Treeton, Swallownest, Waverley and Orgreave are less deprived than the national average

Ward priorities

For the municipal year 2020/21 your ward councillors have taken a look at refreshing the local priorities to help meet the needs of the community. After consulting with partners, internal colleagues and, most importantly, the community, the following priorities have been agreed

  1. Support communities to recover and reconnect after the current Pandemic
    • Opening of community facilities safely
    • Delivering community services and activities safely
    • Encourage innovative ideas and projects that promote engagement and community involvement
  2. Actively support projects that aim to improve physical and mental health and well-being
    • Projects that decrease loneliness and social isolation
    • Support projects that encourage people to become active and healthy
    • Support educational and aspirational projects within the community
  3. Address Crime and promote community safety
    • Developing initiatives in response to emerging hotspot areas
    • Encourage community networks and events that raise awareness
    • Actively promote community safety
  4. Enhance the appearance of communities, creating clean and green environments
    • Support projects that focus on environmental issues
    • Identify and tackle hotspot areas