Issues and SWOT

strength

Connect Forge Island with the rest of the centre

Forge Island is a completed town-centre investment.

Proposed response: Make walking routes to shops and transport clear.

Evidence

strength

Make room for homes people can afford

Average private rent is £686 a month (August 2026) in Rotherham council area. This is £773 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 8.9% in Aston & Todwick to 25.4% in Boston Castle — a gap of 16.6 percentage points.

Housing costs matter most alongside earnings and the number of affordable homes available. A local average cannot tell us whether a particular household can afford its home.

weakness

Different parts of the market and library open at different times

The redevelopment has a phased programme rather than one completion date.

Proposed response: Publish each service’s current location and opening status.

Evidence

weakness

Bring support closer to people in poor health

7% of people reported bad or very bad health in Rotherham council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 5.1% in Aston & Todwick to 10.2% in Dalton & Thrybergh — a gap of 5.1 percentage points.

This is how residents described their health in the census. It can reveal differences between neighbourhoods, but does not diagnose illness or measure current waiting times. Age profiles differ between places, so these shares do not measure service quality.

opportunity

Design Wath’s library around daily community use

The scheme would replace an existing library with a renewed local facility.

Proposed response: Publish the services and spaces being retained.

Evidence

opportunity

Plan homes and care around an older population

19.6% of people in Rotherham council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 10.1% in Rother Vale to 27.7% in Anston & Woodsetts — a gap of 17.6 percentage points.

Age alone does not mean poor health or a need for care. Accessible homes, reliable transport and support close to home matter as people get older.

opportunity

Connect local skills to local opportunities

23.1% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Rotherham council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 15.1% in Rother Vale to 36.8% in Rotherham East — a gap of 21.7 percentage points.

Qualifications show one part of the skills available locally. They do not show whether people have secure jobs or work that uses those skills.

opportunity

Target safety work where problems repeat

Mapped police records are available for neighbourhoods in Rotherham council area.

Published locations are approximate and some crimes are not mapped. Counts show recorded incidents, not the chance of an individual becoming a victim.

opportunity

Turn published plans into visible progress

3 named local projects or plans have official evidence in this collection.

A published plan makes responsibilities and intentions easier to inspect. It does not prove that funding is secured or that promised benefits have arrived.

opportunity

Target support where disadvantages overlap

Households facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 14.5% in Aston & Todwick to 37% in Rotherham East — a gap of 22.5 percentage points.

These households met at least two census conditions covering education, employment, health and housing. This is not an income or poverty measure.

threat

Cost changes need an honest choice about scope

The council report identifies pressures and the drawbacks of a smaller redesign.

Proposed response: Publish the revised cost and alternatives.

Evidence