News: Rotherham Council to invest £1.5m in building Pride in Place

Rotherham has been awarded £1.5m by the government to be spent on regeneration projects quickly, helping to rebuild community pride in the local area.

Building on the £20m Pride in Place long term funding, Rothbiz reported in September that the borough will receive £1.5m from the Pride in Place Impact Fund to support community cohesion, and stimulate local economic activity through visible, short-term, community-led improvements.

Both central Rotherham and Maltby East will will receive £2m every year for a decade as part of the Pride in Place funding but in addition, Rotherham was one of 95 places selected for an impact fund that will be delivered by local authorities and targeted at areas "in need" with the aim of building strong, resilient, prosperous, and inclusive communities.

The £1.5m is expected to be used for capital projects and needs to be spent before March 2027. A recent cabinet report explained: "£750,000 has been allocated in 2025/26 and a further £750,000 in 2026/27 to be spent within each financial year on improvements to community spaces, public spaces and high streets across the borough."

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A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the council and the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MCHLG).

A Government prospectus sets out that local councils will act as the accountable body for the Pride in Place Impact Fund, and "should work in collaboration with MPs and other stakeholders to identify the interventions that will deliver the most benefits to local residents and breathe new life into the areas in which they live."

A fund prospectus explains that the Pride in Place Impact Fund has three objectives:

a. Community spaces: creating, extending, improving or refurbishing existing community facilities and enabling community organisations to take control or ownership of underused but valued local assets.

b. Public spaces: enhancing the physical environment in public spaces - examples of initiatives include new or improved green spaces or public squares, improved outdoor play, sports and leisure spaces, installing street furniture, public art or wayfinding.

c. High street and town centre revitalisation: making these areas more attractive and welcoming places where people congregate and which encourage economic activity. Examples of initiatives that could be funded are shop frontage improvements, adaptations that bring premises back into use, streetscape improvements, public art, trails and wayfinding, and creating or improving the infrastructure for regular markets.

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News: Stelrad delivers strong operational performance despite subdued market

Stelrad, the UK's leading manufacturer of stylish modern radiators, has talked of ongoing economic uncertainty that has led to lower revenues in its latest financial results.

Registered in Newcastle, it now operates from facilities in both Nuth, in The Netherlands, and in Swinton, Mexborough. The Rotherham site handles the UK radiators business, coordinating an advanced production and distribution operation that spans a 17 acre site which is the largest radiator storage facility in the UK.

The company is a big supplier to new build housing developments and in a trading update for the ten months ended 31 October 2025, Stelrad said that new build end-market activity has remained subdued since the half year. The update added that the group "continues to implement proactive margin management initiatives and cost reduction activities, with continued operational excellence playing an important role in offsetting declines in volumes."

The board expects the full financial year to have an adjusted operating profit within a range of £32m to £33m, ahead of the prior year (£31.5m), with positive operating margin growth year-on-year.

After the announcement Stelrad successfully refinanced its £100m multicurrency facility agreement at improved terms which it says will reduce its future borrowing costs.

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Trevor Harvey, Chief Executive of Stelrad, said: "Stelrad continues to deliver a strong operational performance and remains on track to achieve growth in adjusted operating profit and margin expansion year-on-year, despite the subdued volume environment.

"Whilst the continued delay in end-market recovery remains frustrating, Stelrad's flexible, low-cost manufacturing footprint, outstanding customer service and unmatched product availability means that the Group remains well-positioned for the eventual recovery in our end markets, and I remain confident in our ability to deliver long-term value for our stakeholders."

The Rotherham site remains the company’s manufacturing hub for selected models, representing the brand’s continued investment in British engineering.

Stelrad explains that its customers increasingly want to know where their products are made, and for good reason. UK manufacturing means shorter supply chains, reduced delivery times, and lower environmental impact. It also reflects a continued investment in local communities and sustainable industry growth.

By producing selected radiators on site at Mexborough, Stelrad helps ensure that customers receive products made to exacting standards, including complying with BS-EN442.

Stelrad website

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News: The £2.45m of transport improvements in Rotherham that hasn't improved traffic flows

A multimillion pound transport scheme in a Rotherham village has failed to improve traffic flow, the local council has admitted.

Where Coach Road meets Main Street and Potter Hill in Greasbrough, a mini roundabout was replaced by a three-way crossroads, with traffic lights and dedicated left and right turn lanes, aiming to relieve congestion at this busy junction.

To improve safety and encourage travel on foot and by bike, paths around the junction were widened to provide cycle routes, and new crossings for pedestrians and cyclists have been installed.

In 2021, £2.45m was secured from the Local Growth Fund via the predecessor to the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA), and the work was carried out by Esh Construction, on behalf of Rotherham Council.

Following correspondence from local MP Sarah Champion, Rotherham Council said that a review of the scheme has shown that "the improvements have not had the desired effect of increasing traffic capacity through the junction."

In 2017, Rotherham Council approved an option to demolish Greasbrough Public Hall so that future road improvements could be carried out here. Papers showed at the time that the Council deemed that the strategic importance of improving the infrastructure around the proposed Bassingthorpe Farm development outweighed proposals to save the historic village hall.

Removed from the greenbelt, a masterplan has recently been signed off for a 2,000 home development - a "well-connected 21st century garden community" at Bassingthorpe.

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Andrew Bramidge, Strategic Director for Regeneration and Environment at Rotherham Council, said in the letter that "It is apparent that traffic has redistributed around the local highway network negatively affecting junction operation. In particular, it appears that there has been a significant increase in demand for some movements, including a significant increase on outflow from the junction toward the north, which could explain the apparent underperformance of the scheme. This may be a consequence of a well-documented effect, where improvements to junction capacity can result in increased traffic, where road users change their route or travel behaviours in response to driving being made more attractive.

"Secondly research undertaken by (sic) regionally has identified a local factor with regards the operation of junctions in South Yorkshire. Research has shown that the actual traffic flow crossing stop lines, known as the saturation flow, is generally lower than the values calculated using industry standard methodology (TRRL research report RR67). The research showed that some drivers are, relative to industry standard forecasting, slow to respond to a green signal and the queue starting to move and / or prefer to leave a larger gap to the vehicle in front. This has led to green time effectively being 'wasted' and the junctions not operating as expected with actual saturation flows (simplistically the capacity of the junction) being 18% less than expected values on average."

Further work at the junction has been ruled out and a nearby project for "The Whins" no longer appears on any lists of council capital projects having previously been identified as a project that could be funded by the authority's Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL). A potential scheme to support Bassingthorpe had been in development for a new roundabout at the triangular road layout on Cinder Bridge Road. A passing bay at the junction was also discussed back in 2023.

Sarah Champion said that she was disappointed that the response offered no solution. adding: "This simply is not good enough, and it is something that I will keep pushing alongside Greasbrough’s local councillors."

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News: Rotherham ready to Rise and Reform

A disused dance studio in Rotherham has been transformed by the owners of South Yorkshire's leading Pilates studios.

Pilates is a form of exercise that focuses on balance, posture, strength and flexibility. Reformer Pilates is a full-body, low-impact workout that uses a specialised machine (sometimes called a bed) with a sliding carriage and springs to add adjustable resistance and support to traditional Pilates exercises.

Rise and Reform, which already operates from studios in Doncaster and Barnsley, has been hard at work over the last few months on its new Rotherham premises at Stag roundabout.

Rothbiz reported on the potential new occupantts last month when the operator of the Roadhouse Bar & Bottles secured a change of use for 1,387 sq ft of space to create a wine and cocktail bar with a function room on the first floor. Next to existing premises on Wickersley Road, the unit was previously home to the Paws to Hooves pet shop before it relocated to Wickersley.

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The rest of the first floor, previously home to Moorgate Dance Academy, now has a clean and cosy look where experts at Rise and Reform can offer classes designed for all levels, including reformer Pilates and hot Pilates.

A post on social media about this week's opening said: "Rotherham… the wait is officially over! We’re so ready to finally welcome you into our brand new studio. We’ve poured so much time and energy into this one. Bigger, better, and cosier than ever. And yes… we now offer HOT Pilates! It’s been on our wish list for such a long time, and we’ve finally built the space to make it happen."

The latest tenants moving in marks a complete turnaround for the building. In 2024 both the Roadhouse and Rancheros restaurant said that they had closed in the Stag area for the "foreseeable future" "due to circumstances outside of our control." The reasons for both closures were been made public but a notice of peaceable re-entry by the landlord was on display at the premises.

Rise and Reform website

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News: Rotherham high streets grants scheme oversubscribed

Demand has been "incredible" for Rotherham Council's grants scheme that aims to help breathe new life into the borough's high streets.

The council is looking at extending the scheme if money can be found.

Rothbiz reported in August on the launch of the opportunity for local businesses to benefit from a makeover thanks to a £270,000 investment from the authority.

The Shop Unit Business Grant Project is funded through the government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), with support from the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA).

The grant aims to help high street businesses in the town centre, Dinnington, Maltby, Swinton and Wath-Upon-Dearne enhance their premises by funding improvements that will contribute to their overall look, feel and vibrancy.

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Eligible businesses have been applying for grants of up to £25,000 to improve the look and feel of their shop units. Improvements have included new shopfronts, signage, flooring, lighting and other refurbishments that will enhance the attractiveness of local high streets.

Applications closed in October, with all projects set to be completed by the end of December 2025. Grants have been awarded on a first come, first served basis until the full allocation is spent.

Providing an update to the council, Cllr. John Williams, Cabinet Member for Transport, Jobs and the Local Economy, said: "This was a £270,000 scheme to help support our small businesses, shops and our local high streets across the borough. And I'm pleased to say that the scheme has been oversubscribed actually - the level of demand has been incredible to be fair, and I think that it has shown that there is a need and a demand for this sort of intervention and support for our small business community.

"We are actively looking now to find additional funding that will be able to support as many of the applications as possible that we have received and I am hopeful that we are going to be able to progress that over the next few weeks.

"I have given the steer to the service that the majority of the money can't just go into the town centre solely, there does need to be a fair spread across all eligible areas. It was designed from the outset to support high streets across the borough."

RiDO website

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