It has occurred to me on many occasions that Rotherham’s Area Assemblies are not as widely known about by the general public as the authorities might have us think. The names and boundaries are rather confusing too eg. Maltby parliamentary constituency is Rother Valley, while it’s Area Assembly name is Wentworth Valley.  I have tried to work out logically why this is, but haven’t really succeeded.  Maltby seems far away from Rother Valley, let alone Wentworth.

So I hope to enlighten myself and hopefully others by taking a closer look at each of the seven assemblies, which physical areas they cover, who the members are and what benefit they can be to us, the communities they serve.

Area Assemblies are a strategic partnership made up of ward councillors, partners and community representatives. It is important to note that the Area Assembly is more than just a meeting it is one way of bringing people together who live and work in an area to make a difference. It aims to put Communities in control over local decisions to enable improvement in services and regeneration activities.

Meetings are held regularly in each area and will now incorporate monthly P.A.C.T. meetings (Partners and Communities Together) which are a new initiative from the Home Office. This will be incorporated into the Public Meeting where all the right agencies are represented at an appropriate level and who can take action on a variety of issues raised by the public.
The meeting will provide monthly comparable crime information and update you on what action has been taken on crime and anti social behaviour in your neighbourhood. It will enable them to inform you on what has happened to any criminal convicted for local crimes including Community Payback sentences.
Area Assemblies put local people and key partners at the heart of the decision making process and to date huge successes have been achieved through aligning community priorities, tackling local issues and managing a partnership approach.

Boundaries

• Rother Valley South
• Rother Valley West
• Rotherham North
• Rotherham South
• Wentworth North
• Wentworth South
• Wentworth Valley