A letter published in the Rotherham Advertiser, December 2025:

Dear Editor,

As we reach the stage of the year that moves from turkey to New Year’s resolutions, 2026 starts to peer into view.

And while most people are getting a well deserved rest, I’m always thinking of the incredible group of public servants working through the festive season to keep us all safe and well – our police and health service colleagues of course, but also the council’s homelessness team, our staff on emergency call, and those providing vital social care services to residents who need them.

For our Children’s Services team, 2025 ended with a bang – recognition from Ofsted that the support they provide to our most vulnerable children and families in amongst the best anywhere in the country.

But our role as the council’s leadership is not just to make the council work better, it is to make life in our borough better. And over the next six months you’ll see more of that work coming to fruition.

You’ll see it on our high streets. Advertiser readers told us their worries about feelings of safety, so we’ve responded. Our new Street Safe team has already begun its work in the town centre, but with more staff coming on board in January they will also increasingly be working in the centres of Dinnington, Maltby, Wath and Swinton as well. They’ll work closely the police, supported by additional investment from the government, making joint patrols, tackling anti-social behaviour, but also offering a friendly face and regular reassurance.

At the same time we’re investing more than £380,000 from the council to support local shops and businesses; the local traders who bring our high streets to life.

In Dinnington and Wath centres, demolition works will be starting soon, marking the beginning of significant public investment. In Maltby long-awaited improvements along the High Street will begin later in 2026, and we continue to finalise the details of improvements to Swinton precinct with the developer there.

We’ll keep our commitment to invest in our places. When we asked residents what changes we could make to boost pride in local communities, improvements to war memorials was one of the things they told us to prioritise. So in January we will bring forward plans for those sites at Greasbrough, Treeton, Wentworth and others, so local residents can feed back on those before work gets underway. And there are plans for other local improvements in Swallownest and Rawmarsh too.

At Rother Valley and Thrybergh Country Parks we will soon unveil upgraded facilities as part of an £11 million investment that will make them even better for family days out.

We’ll continue through 2026 to work towards our target of 1,000 new council homes, bringing modern affordable council properties to every part of the borough. Don’t let anyone tell you that we don’t build council homes anymore, in Rotherham we do.

The new tram-train stop at Magna is nearly complete and will in time support new business developments nearby. Rotherham Parent Carers Forum are moving into their new town centre home, and our Castle View Day Centre and specialist housing provision at Canklow is nearly finished. And we continue to roll out the additional investment we’re making in road resurfacing with several major routes due for works in the first part of 2026.

So I’m excited about what’s ahead; forging ahead with the investment that our communities have been crying out for, bringing change, but building on what’s best about our borough, our people and our traditions. I hope you’re looking forward to 2026 as much as I am.

Happy New Year,

Cllr Chris Read
Labour Leader, Rotherham Council