Annual progress reports introduced for each Rotherham community by council

The authority has been working for some time on a Thriving Communities programme, aimed at ensuring the council works with its partners and spends the money allocated to each of its local wards as effectively as possible in future.

To help ensure that is successful, councillors will be expected to provide an annual update to Rotherham Council on developments and progress in their own area.

That will be done on a rolling programme, with councillors representing three wards expected to address the council each month with details of how they are spending money, working with other agencies and improving the communities they serve.

The objective is to introduce a further layer of transparency, so the work of the council at all levels can be examined easily.

Deputy leader Coun Gordon Watson told the ruling Cabinet work on the strategy had been going on for 18 months and said: 'It sets out what we as a council are trying to do with our partners in each individual ward.'

He has suggested presentations from each, lasting a few minutes, to outline key developments, 'explaining what we have been spending money on, the partners we have been working with.'

'This is another way for members of our communities to say what we are doing with partners and taxpayers' money councillors have devolved down into the wards.'

The plan is to have an alphabetical order, starting first with his own Wales ward.