Labour’s plans to support families as the Tory cost of living crisis continues have been published. New play areas, more money for children’s centres and youth work, and new ‘baby packs’ to ensure every newborn child in the borough has the essentials for the best start in life all feature, while £900,000 is allocated to renovate the Watersplash at Clifton Park.

A new hub to support children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities will be created alongside Rotherham Parent Carers Forum.

Every household in the borough is set to benefit from what we believe will be the lowest council tax rise in Yorkshire, and our Council Tax Support “top up” – which helps 14,000 low income familes across the borough – is proposed to continue for a further year.

Last year Conservative councillors proposed to scrap the extra help for hard-pressed families, forcing the biggest council tax increases onto them, and instead buy solar panels.

It’s the fifth successive year that we’ve kept council tax rises below the government’s referendum cap – a choice that leaves Rotherham families more than £100 better off.

But the budget comes at a time of unprecedented crisis for councils everywhere, with Conservative cuts pushing local authorities over the edge. More councils are noe effectively bankrupt than has ever been the case before.

Labour’s proposals also respond to the recent public consultation. Residents told us their worries about our roads, so we’re proposing an additional £16m of investment into our roads and pavements over the next four years.

Everyone wants our communities to be kept clean and tidy, so we’re proposing additional funding for street cleaning in our principal towns, and a dedicated team of street sweeper drivers to ensure more areas benefit.

Labour councillors also want to make sure that people who do the right thing aren’t penalised. So while we are pushing fines for fly-tipping and littering up to the legal maximum, we’re halving the price of bulky waste collections.

And we will build on the success of our Towns and Villages Fun by making a further £2 million available to deliver local improvements in every corner of the borough.

Cllr Chris Read, Labour Leader or RMBC, said;

“Too many families still have it far too tough under this Tory government. That’s why it’s more important than ever that we have their backs. Labour’s proposals mean that over the years ahead, we’ll be reaching out to more new families to ensure that they get the help and support that they need. Under this Conservative government, thousands of children’s centres have had to close, but we are investing in Rotherham’s because the need is so great.

“Because we’ve made difficult decisions for the long term, even as the Tory government continues to hammer local councils, we are able to invest now in the future of our borough.

“And because we don’t want to see any community left behind, we can propose a further round of investment in road resurfacing, in street cleaning, and through the Our Places Fund into the fabric of our places, so everyone stands to benefit.”