This year Rotherham is celebrating 100 years of council housing with residents from across the borough.
To mark the centenary, Rotherham Council will be hosting a summer of celebrations starting with the release of a short film, featuring council tenants, which showcases the town’s proud past and ambitious future in social housing development.
A special 100 years edition of the tenant magazine, Home Matters, is being sent to 20,500 households and an exhibition including original rent books and blueprints will tour the borough.
More than 100 people will attend the Council’s annual Tenant Open Day on Wednesday 10 July where they will see the premiere of the film. And on 24 July there will be an unveiling of a commemorative plaque on 1 First Avenue – the first council house to be built in Rotherham.
Councillor Dominic Beck, Cabinet Member for Housing, said: “Rotherham has always been at the forefront of council housing. Visionary architect Raymond Unwin, whose design standards for social housing set the benchmark across the whole country was born in Rotherham in 1863. And Rotherham was one of the first towns to build council homes.
“This centenary not only marks a milestone in the borough’s rich history of social housing, it gives us a chance to showcase the exciting developments we are building across the borough. Currently, we are investing over £50 million into building over 500 new homes for local residents to rent and buy over the next five years using our Rother Living brand.”
Stories featured in the video, exhibition and magazine include 100-yearold council tenant Una Hancox who was just a baby when the first sod for the first council house in Rotherham was dug. While Theresa Glenn, who lives in the very first council home built in East Dene, says having a council tenancy helped her to successfully raise three children as a single mum.
Watch the 100 years of council housing video