News: Forging ahead: a million more visits in Rotherham town centre

Rotherham town centre has attracted a million more visits since 2024, according to the leader of the council.

Following the opening of Forge Island in summer 2024, Muse reported that footfall across Rotherham town centre during 2024 was 10% higher than the previous year.

Forge Island is the town centre's new landmark leisure destination delivered by Rotherham Council in partnership with Muse. The £47m development includes an 8-screen boutique cinema operated by The Arc Cinema, a 69-roomed Travelodge Hotel as well as food outlets, Heavenly Desserts, Sygnature Dish and Vetro Lounge.

2024 also included the massive homecoming gig for The Reytons which drew a crowd of approximately 20,000 fans to Clifton Park on the edge of the town centre.

With an apparent continued increase in footfall, the council leader has also pointed to the impact of local authority initiatives.

Rothbiz reported last month that free parking in council-run car parks in Rotherham town centre would continue aiming to "support local businesses, boost footfall, and encourage residents to shop locally."

The council's budget also includes over £500,000 to continue to put on a range of events where audiences for town centre events have increased by 13% year-on-year from 2021 to 2025.

In addition, December saw the launch of a dedicated council team designed to make Rotherham’s high streets safer and more welcoming. The £570,000 investment provides extra eyes and ears on the ground, tackling anti-social behaviour and supporting residents, businesses and visitors on the town centre and other towns in the borough.

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Speaking at a recent meeting of the full council, Cllr. Chris Read, leader of Rotherham Council, said: "None of these things are separate elements. If you look at the town centre, what people perhaps don't realise, is that over the last two years, footfall in the town centre is up by a million visits - a million more visits over the course of those years.

"That's in part of course because of the regeneration activity that has taken place. That's in part because of the council events. That's in part because we have put the resources in place in to the Street Safe team to make it a better and safer environment."

Revitalising the town centre is a central part of the council's 2025 - 2030 plan, called "Forging Ahead." Long term measures of success include an increase in footfall in the town centre, a decrease in the percentage of vacant units in the town centre and an increase in the proportion of people optimistic about the future of Rotherham town centre.

Although the progress of the plan is monitored, and updates provided to councillors, the data behind these measures has yet to be published.

When data was made public, it showed that yearly footfall figures for Rotherham town centre have been in decline since 2012. From just over 26 million in that year, reducing by ten million to 16 million in 2019, even before the pandemic.

The way footfall is measured varies. Commercial property agents at nearby Parkgate Shopping promote that the popular retail destination attracts eight million visitors per year. Agents for Meadowhall say that the Sheffield shopping centre has 24 million visitors a year.

The authority's efforts to boost footfall are set to continue with new budgets including £304,000 to introduce three new Business Support Officers "to engage with businesses in the town centre areas, helping them to flourish" and a further £666,655 for the Shop Unit Business Grant Project that has been oversubscribed. £60,000 has been allocated for Rotherham Town Centre Markets, which is currently undergoing a revamp as part of a £40m regeneration scheme.

Another regeneration initiative designed to boost footfall is Rotherham Council's role in bringing more housing into the town centre.

Private sector developers and investors have also progressed housing plans with the conversion of a number of buildings. Privately funded regeneration schemes have also taken place in the lesiure sector - another key target for generating footfall. The opening of the Empire Theatre following a £1.8m restoration scheme being a prime example.

Images: RMBC / Muse

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News: Rotherham metal fabrication company fined

A Rotherham-based metal fabrication company has been sentenced after pleading guilty to health and safety failings that led to a young apprentice being injured by dangerous parts of a metal cutting guillotine during training.

On Friday 8 November 2024, a 17-year-old apprentice at MTL Advanced Ltd was cutting sheet metal in preparation for welding practice as part of their apprenticeship training. The guillotine was located within a dedicated Apprentice Training Workshop, where first-year apprentices learn and practise metal fabrication techniques before moving into the company’s main manufacturing areas in their second and third years.

The apprentice made several successful cuts, but on the final cut their thumb came into contact with the machine’s clamps, causing a crush injury.

The HSE launched an investigation and identified, from documents provided by the company before an on-site visit, that a large gap in the bed of the guillotine was allowing access to dangerous parts of the machinery. Critically, the company had failed to identify this risk even after the incident had taken place.

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A Prohibition Notice was served remotely by HSE to control the ongoing risk. Following its service, HSE Inspectors attended the site and identified further issues with the guillotine requiring immediate remedy.

The company was fined £140,000 and ordered to pay full costs of £5,013, with a Victim Surcharge of £2,000, at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court.

Speaking after the hearing, HM Principal Inspector of Health and Safety Chris Tilley said: “Young people and apprentices are at the beginning of their career and so when it comes to workplace risks, employers must take particular care to assess those risks and fulfil their duty to keep them safe. Had this machinery been effectively guarded, this injury would never have happened.”

Part of the WEC Group, MTL's Training Academy opened in 2015 and has played a vital role in developing skilled engineers for the future.

MTL Advanced website

Images: MTL

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News: Pricecheck expands operational footprint to reach £200m turnover goal

Rotherham-based Pricecheck continues to invest in new warehouse space to support its rapid growth.

With its HQ at Beighton Link in Rotherham, Pricecheck is a fast-growing international wholesaler and distributor of Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG).

A deal has recently been done for a new 20,000 sq ft warehouse, on the same Beighton Link site as the firm's HQ. The unit was previously home to Face Theory before the business was sold last year.

This expansion will be bolstered by the addition of a 13,000 sq ft temporary structure at the company’s other Rotherham site, expected to be operational in April.

The £179m turnover firm first moved to Beighton Link in 2016 and added that 197,425 sq ft former Maplin building on Brookfields Park in Manvers in 2020. Pricecheck now has a total operational footprint of over 400,000 sq ft.

The latest expansion is in response to the company’s rapid growth, which has led to a need for additional capacity to meet surging demand. Pricecheck is also hiring half a dozen staff to work at the new warehouse, with plans to grow this number in the future.

To further manage this upscaling, Pricecheck’s Rotherham warehouse is now open on weekends, ensuring operations keep pace with the increasing volume of trade.

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The investment comes at a pivotal moment for the business. Pricecheck recently recorded a record annual turnover of £179 million for the 2024/25 financial year, marking its 11th consecutive year of growth. The extra space will support the final push toward the company’s "Vision 200" goal, a five-year strategic plan to double the size of the business and reach a £200m turnover by the end of the 2025/26 financial year.

The announcement also comes following the 10th anniversary of the company’s move to its Beighton headquarters, during which it received the Queen’s Award for Enterprise.

Mark Amos, Operations Director at Pricecheck, said: “Our rapid growth has been incredibly exciting, but it has also brought challenges. This new warehouse, as well as our Rotherham site being open seven days a week, are vital steps in ensuring we have the infrastructure and capacity to meet the huge demand from our partners and retailers.

“As we continue our evolution from a traditional wholesaler into a brand distributor, we are constantly looking for ways to build on our recent successes. This expansion provides the foundation we need to meet the needs of our growing list of brand partners, hit our targets, and lay the foundations for us to reach even greater heights.”

Pricecheck website

Images: Pricecheck

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News: Rotherham Council hails "visible difference" made by Street Safe team

Over 1,620 hours of high-profile patrols in Rotherham town centre are part of Rotherham Council's investment aimed at reducing both actual, and perceived crime and Anti-social Behaviour (ASB), and increasing feelings of safety.

Recruited thanks to a £570,000 investment in last year’s budget - the Street Safe Team has been patrolling Rotherham’s town centres daily, providing reassurance to residents, tackling antisocial behaviour, and supporting partner organisations.

The team aims to improve feelings of safety and security in the town centres of Rotherham, Wath, Swinton, Dinnington and Maltby. The team provide a visible, uniformed Council presence, with a particular focus on hot spot areas.

The team has provided dedicated resources utilising their ability to deploy various powers to bolster enforcement and alongside existing uniformed presence, provide a welcoming and reassuring presence in the town centres. By being a highly visible presence, the team has acted as the "eyes and ears" of the Council and are identifying and reporting issues where they are unable to intervene directly.

With Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs) in place, the council say that the Street Safe Team has increased its capacity for both preventative and responsive interventions such as building and coordinating local intelligence, dealing with street drinking, anti-social behaviour, as well as enforcement for issues such as littering and wider environmental issues (commercial waste etc). The team will be undertaking parking enforcement once training is complete.

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A report to the council's cabinet sets out that, since going live in November 2025, the team has delivered:

· 1,620 hours of high-profile patrols in Rotherham town centre · 112 hours of patrols across other town centres · 12 Community Protection Warnings · 9 Fixed Penalty Notices relating to PSPO breaches · 17 environmental waste cases raised · 17 intelligence reports, leading directly to arrests in four cases

The team has also provided vital support to vulnerable people, with six referrals for vulnerable adults and four emergency first-aid interventions, including one that uncovered a domestic violence incident.

The authority has also invested in created a Roadside Cleansing team, working with other teams to form a coordinated effort to improve the look, feel and safety of Rotherham’s public spaces.

Cllr. Lynda Marshall, Cabinet Member for Street Scene and Green Spaces, said: “Residents have told us that clean streets and safe neighbourhoods are their top priorities, and these teams are delivering exactly that. You can already see and feel the difference their work is making across our communities.

Cllr. Saghir Alam, Cabinet Member for Finance and Community Safety, added: “This isn’t something the Council is doing alone – it’s all of us together looking after our neighbourhoods, reporting issues, supporting one another and taking pride in where we live.

“With continued investment and the dedication of these new teams, we’re building on this positive progress and creating the cleaner, safer Rotherham that residents expect and deserve.”

A refreshed communications and perception-management plan has been developed focusing on "rebalancing the narrative" around town centre safety, promoting positive developments and encouraging public reporting and the use of support services.

Images: RMBC

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News: Public sector puts £100m towards depots and buses in South Yorkshire

Private sector operators that run South Yorkshire bus services described by the local mayor as being in a "spiral of decline," look set for a multimillion pound windfall as the public sector acquires depots and vehicles as part of bus franchising.

Last year South Yorkshire’s Mayor, Oliver Coppard, took a once in a generation decision to bring buses back under public control in South Yorkshire in the biggest shake up of the bus network since the 1980s.

Under bus franchising, the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) will take control of the bus network including depots, bus fleets, routes, timetables, service standards, tickets and fares.

The authority announced this month that it had secured the purchase of five depots from private bus operators.

The depots at Olive Grove, Ecclesfield and Holbrook in Sheffield, Rawmarsh in Rotherham, Wakefield Road in Barnsley, along with the already publicly owned Leger Way depot in Doncaster, form the operational backbone of South Yorkshire’s bus network.

Under the agreement, First Bus and Stagecoach will lease the depots back from SYMCA.

No figures were included in the announcement but earlier this month the authority published that a delegated decision had been made: "to grant award of £100m towards Bus Franchising Works for acquisition of depots and purchase of vehicles."

SYMCA had previously appointed commercial property firm, Sanderson Weatherall, to value the depots.

The funding is set to come from government funding pots given to devolved areas such as the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement and Transport for City Regions.

With £1.5 billion confirmed for South Yorkshire in 2025, £350m will be set aside to reform South Yorkshire’s buses, with franchised buses begining in 2027 with Doncaster and most of Sheffield, followed by Barnsley and Rotherham in 2028 (pushed back from an original target of 2027), with the remaining areas of Sheffield completing the move to public control in 2029.

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South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard said: “This is a significant moment for South Yorkshire. Bringing every depot into public ownership well in advance of bus franchising means we’re putting real foundations in place for a network that is reliable, affordable and works for all of us. It’s exactly what taking back control of our public transport looks like. As we roll out the South Yorkshire People’s Network, we’re creating one clearer, simpler and more connected transport system, and these depots will be right at the heart of making that happen.”

Matt Kitchin, Managing Director of Stagecoach Yorkshire, which operates the Rawmnarsh depot in Rotherham, said: “We are very pleased to be working with Mayor Coppard to complete the transition of depots to public ownership, in a way that best avoids disruption for our loyal customers and colleagues across the region.

“As the operator of the largest zero-emission electric bus fleet in the UK, we are looking forward to contributing our extensive expertise in electrifying depots and introducing new electric fleets to the South Yorkshire bus network.

“Our experience has shown that our customers and colleagues hugely appreciate electric vehicles as they're quieter, smoother and more reliable, helping local people to get to work, access services, and to meet friends and family, and so we are excited to work in partnership to provide the best services for South Yorkshire.”

The mayor has previously described local bus services as a "failed experiment of the privatisation of our bus network that was started in the 1980s." The bus market in South Yorkshire has been experiencing a continuous cycle of decline while its reliance on public funding to sustain bus service levels has been increasing. Over the past decade, bus mileage declined by 42%.

Just last week, SYMCA released details that a "significant number" of commercial bus services have been registered for reduction or withdrawal by operators in May. A £1,278,100 funding package has been signed off to ensure all services indicated are retained for a period until July 25 2026. SYMCA said that the withdrawals and reductions would "have an impact on users and also creates a threat to the ability for SYMCA to transition to a franchised network based on the current level of service."

As part of the deal, the Rawmarsh depot formerly owned by Stagecoach will get a new office building to replace temporary structures. The other bus depot in Rotherham was in public sector ownership but SYMCA decided to sell it in 2022. The Midland Road depot has been demolished and the site is being transformed into a housing estate.

Images: Google Maps

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