Political parties on why you should vote for them in Rotherham’s upcoming local elections

For a majority, a party will need to win 30 of the 59 seats that make up Rotherham Council.

Currently, Labour holds 32 seats, the Conservatives hold 15, the Liberal Democrats hold four, independents hold seven, and the Independent Conservatives hold two.

In May 2021, Labour retained overall control of the council, but lost 16 seats – and the Conservatives won 20 seats to form the main opposition when they previously held none.

Since the last boundary changes in 2020, the council has been made up of 25 wards, each represented by two or three councillors.

Here are the parties’ statements on why you should vote for them.

Labour

Councillor Chris Read, leader of the Labour group, said: “Despite the war being waged on our communities by the Tories, Labour councillors have fought our borough’s corner; keeping our children’s services at an officially “Good” level, spending more money to keep our streets clean, investing in every library, and regenerating our town centre and improving the appearance of communities across the borough with our Towns and Villages Fund.

“But this is a make-or-break election for our council. It will end with either a Labour-led council or a Conservative one.

“Only with Labour can we have one of the lowest council tax rises anywhere in the country this year – more Tory councillors, given their voting record, would bankrupt the council within two years instead.

“We need Labour councillors building the next generation of council homes and tackling homelessness – not Conservative councillors who would end council housing as we’ve known it in our borough and stop local families from getting a foot on the housing ladder.

“And we need Labour councillors who will secure investment, create jobs and opportunities, and to bring pride back to our high street – not Conservative councillors whose knee-jerk opposition to development would cost our communities dear. At this election, we need to get our future back.”

Conservative

Councillor Simon Ball, leader of the Conservatives, said: “It is time to end Labour’s dominance of local government. Many people don’t realise how close we were last time to depriving Labour of a majority on the council in the local elections in 2021.

“If 54 people had voted differently, Labour would have lost overall control.

“There remains real anger about the Labour Party’s silence over why their councillors, associated with the Grooming Gang scandal, have been asked to step aside.

“There is also upset about the failure of the council to listen to residents about cycle lanes and how the council has conducted themselves with burial grounds.

“Local Conservatives have a plan to restore trust. This starts with actually listening to residents and delivering their priorities – no more sham consultations.

“We will stop the vanity projects. Instead of grandiose schemes, cycle paths and bizarre programmes promoting “cooperatives”, we will invest in what matters – repairing our roads and paths, neighbourhood parks, supporting new businesses on our High Streets and tackling anti-social behaviour.

“We will support new housing on brownfield and ensure that there is a real plan to improve infrastructure and local services to support any development.

“We recognise that Rotherham is a collection of towns and villages – not just Rotherham town centre. Our investments in cleaner streets and youth clubs will be borough-wide.”

Liberal Democrats

Councillor Adam Carter, leader of Rotherham’s Liberal Democrat group, said: “The Liberal Democrats will change the council’s priorities.

“Rather than waste even more money on Rotherham town centre, on projects that the majority of the borough’s residents will never use, we would instead spend that cash in all our communities getting the basics right.

“With the Liberal Democrats, residents will be able to get their broken roads and footpaths fixed, better buses, improvements to our parks, safer crossing for dangerous roads.

“Liberal Democrat councillors will work to make sure that these decisions are made in our communities, for our communities, rather than by unelected Town Hall bosses.”

Yorkshire Party

A spokesperson for the Yorkshire Party said: “Yorkshire Party candidates have a firm commitment to Yorkshire values of fairness, accountability, and local empowerment.

“We have steadily gained momentum, securing several seats across Yorkshirecouncils. This demonstrates growing support for its principles of decentralisation and community empowerment.

“Rotherham’s rural towns and villages, known for their rich history and sceniclandscapes, require careful managing and sustainable development. We pledge to work closely with the local community to preserve the area’s heritage while promoting initiatives that benefit its residents.

“Similarly, Rotherham’s urban areas demand focused attention to improve essential services and enhance residents’ quality of life.

“To lower prices and rents, we need the right homes in the right places with new infrastructure – GPs, dentists, transport and schools.

“The Yorkshire Party wants to introduce a Yorkshire Travel Pass, to reduce fares across buses and trains, and end cross-border penalties and peak-time hikes.

“We need more bus services and rail options, especially in rural areas.

“We support more frontline police, to crackdown on anti-social behaviour, shoplifting, road offences and all crime.

“Please support Yorkshire Party candidates, to pave the way for a brighter future rooted in Yorkshire values of community, fairness, and prosperity.

Reform UK

Councillor David White, Reform councillor for Rockingham in Barnsley, said: “Reform UK is standing 10 candidates across the borough of Rotherham in the forthcoming May council elections.

“Nationally, Reform UK is polling very close to the Conservatives, and local residents are realising that our common sense policies transcend to what people are feeling locally.

“Our candidates are all conviction politicians, who are standing (most for the first time) because of their desire to bring change and a breath of fresh air to the area.

“For too long the two-party system nationally has stifled innovation and not allowed a different way of thinking. Locally, the ruling Labour Party has dominated decision-making for generations. Our candidates want to bring openness and clarity to local politics and want to make sure that people’s voices are, for once, heard and acted on at the highest levels in local government.

“Inevitably, local anti-social behaviour, potholes, and council cuts to essential services, all whilst council tax rises and the cost of living bites do not sit well with huge overspending on town centre projects that ignore Rotherham’s towns.

“Reform UK candidates are united in their desire to work together and bring essential change to the area.

“Local people who care about the community, Reform UK wants to show what caring people can achieve.”

Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition

A spokesperson said: “The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) is a working class anti-austerity, anti-war party. We want to get this right-wing Tory government out at the general election but Labour doesn’t represent us now either.

“We need a new left-wing party that will fight for ordinary working-class people not the rich. That’s why TUSC is standing candidates against all the establishment parties.

“Here in Rotherham, the Labour council has spent years doing the Tory government’s dirty work by cutting local jobs and services – Sure Start centres, youth centres, meals on wheels, daycare centres, libraries and StreetPride have all been cut or closed. Bus services decimated. This year, council tax is up again, council house rents by 7 per cent.

“TUSC councillors would campaign and vote against any above inflation rent and rate rises and against any cuts in, or privatisation of, council services.

“You can vote for TUSC candidates in Aughton and Swallownest, Boston Castle, Keppel, Rawmarsh West and Rother Vale. If elected, they will not take the £11,471 councillor’s allowance but only genuine expenses. They will support workers striking for decent pay rises and community campaigns against cuts, privatisation and environmental destruction. Please vote Socialist.”

Social Democratic Party

An SDP spokesperson said: “This is not a general election, so the voter does not need to worry about tactical voting, and can genuinely look outside the Tory/Labour strangle-hold that chokes our region, and actually vote for somebody who has the life experience required to make a first-class South Yorkshire.

“If you vote locally for parties that will not deal with the small boat invasion on the South Coast, you are saying that nationally you agree with the mass immigration that the main parties want.

“We want to re-industrialise the whole of South Yorkshire. Britain doesn’t make anything anymore, and we rely on goods from countries from the other side of the planet. We need to stop with the net zero scaremongering and be energy self-sufficient on cheap clean nuclear energy. Then we can start to look at reducing emissions, or we’ll just bankrupt the country and China will build everything. Any party pushing net zero by 2030-2040 will bankrupt the country. I would urge everybody to do their research, as we are being led off a financial cliff by the main parties.

“Once we put long-term manufacturing jobs in place, we will seriously flood money into communities, and revive our small towns and villages, which in turn reduces antisocial behaviour, by increasing community interaction & harmony.

“The SDP candidates will also work very closely with the police, so that drugs and grooming gangs can be stamped out of our count.”