Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council: local authority assessment

How we assess local authorities

Assessment published: 20 March 2026

About Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council

Demographics

Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council serves a population of approximately 260,000 people within the South Yorkshire region. Rotherham is a metropolitan borough, meaning the council is a single-tier authority responsible for the full range of local government services. The borough includes both urban and rural areas, with Rotherham town at its centre and a number of surrounding towns and villages. While some parts of the borough are relatively prosperous, Rotherham experiences significant levels of deprivation, with several neighbourhoods ranking among the 10 most deprived in the country. The borough faces ongoing challenges related to health inequalities, employment, and access to services, particularly in more isolated or rural areas. Rotherham has an Index of Multiple Deprivation decile of 3, (with 1 being the most deprived and 10 being the least deprived).

Demographically, around 21% of Rotherham’s population is aged 0–17, around 59% are of working age (18–64), and approximately 20% are aged 65 and over. The older population is expected to grow over the next decade, increasing demand for health and social care services. Rotherham is predominantly White British, but the borough has a growing and increasingly diverse population, with around 15% of residents from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds particularly concentrated in central Rotherham.

Rotherham Borough Council is part of the South Yorkshire Integrated Care System (ICS), working in partnership with local NHS organisations and neighbouring authorities to improve health and care outcomes across the region. The local authority is currently Labour led with a stable leadership team across both elected members and senior officers.

Financial facts

• The local authority estimated that in 2023/24, its total budget would be £423,042,000. Its actual spend for that year was £463,014,000 which was £39,972,000 more than estimated.
• The local authority estimated that it would spend £121,418,000 of its total budget on adult social care in 2023/24 Its actual spend was £135,739,000 which is £14,321,000 more than estimated.
• In 2023/24, 29.32% of the budget was spent on adult social care.
• The local authority has raised the full adult social care precept for 2023/24, with a value of 2%. Please note that the amount raised through ASC precept varies from local authority to local authority.  
• Approximately 4835 people were accessing long-term adult social care support, and approximately 820 people were accessing short-term adult social care support in 2023/24. Local authorities spend money on a range of adult social care services, including supporting individuals. No two care packages are the same and vary significantly in their intensity, duration, and cost.

This data is reproduced at the request of the Department of Health and Social Care. It has not been factored into our assessment and is presented for information purposes only.