Rotherham Council investment has helped two new teams clean 117 roads, remove 4,200 bags of rubbish...
...and deliver over 1,700 hours of town-centre patrols, making Rotherham’s streets cleaner and safer over the past year.
From litter-picking 146km of rural verges to providing high-profile patrols that have led directly to arrests, safeguarding referrals and improved confidence in the town centre, the Council’s Roadside Cleansing and Street Safe teams are working to transform the appearance and feel of the borough.
When it meets on 13 April, the Council’s cabinet will be told that, since launching, the roadside cleansing team’s work has seen:
- 146km of roadside verges litter-picked
- 4,200 bags of rubbish removed
- 12 tonnes of waste collected, plus additional unbagged fly-tipping waste
- Enhanced intelligence gathering, including hotspot recording of fly-tipping, asbestos and drug paraphernalia
The team was created following a £307,000 investment in last year’s budget, with a further £272,000 agreed for 2026/27 to expand the team.
Alongside the cleansing work, the council’s new Street Safe Team – recruited thanks to a £570,000 investment in last year’s budget - has been patrolling Rotherham’s town centres daily, providing reassurance to residents, tackling antisocial behaviour, and supporting partner organisations.
Since going live, the team has delivered:
- 1,620 hours of high-profile patrols in Rotherham town centre
- 112 hours of patrols across other town centres
- 12 Community Protection Warnings
- 9 Fixed Penalty Notices relating to PSPO breaches
- 17 environmental waste cases raised
- 17 intelligence reports, leading directly to arrests in four cases
The team has also provided vital support to vulnerable people, with six referrals for vulnerable adults and four emergency first-aid interventions, including one that uncovered a domestic violence incident.
Together the two teams are forming a coordinated effort to improve the look, feel and safety of Rotherham’s public spaces.
Cllr Lynda Marshall, Cabinet Member for Street Scene and Green Spaces, said: “Residents have told us that clean streets and safe neighbourhoods are their top priorities, and these teams are delivering exactly that. You can already see and feel the difference their work is making across our communities.
Cllr Saghir Alam, Cabinet Member for Finance and Community Safety, added: “This isn’t something the Council is doing alone – it’s all of us together looking after our neighbourhoods, reporting issues, supporting one another and taking pride in where we live.
“With continued investment and the dedication of these new teams, we’re building on this positive progress and creating the cleaner, safer Rotherham that residents expect and deserve.”
