Chris Read
@christophe-read.bsky.social
Labour leader, Rotherham MBC. Swinton Rockingham ward councillor. Building a better borough, one day at a time.
https://linktr.ee/ChrisReadRotherham
https://linktr.ee/ChrisReadRotherham
There’ll be lots of debate over the coming months about whether the government has gone far enough on Fair Funding - and I don’t know yet. But nothing makes the argument better for the principle than K&C proposing to take a step they admit 75% of other councils have already had to.
November 20, 2025 at 10:56 PM
There’ll be lots of debate over the coming months about whether the government has gone far enough on Fair Funding - and I don’t know yet. But nothing makes the argument better for the principle than K&C proposing to take a step they admit 75% of other councils have already had to.
At this morning’s Cabinet meeting:
✅ Financial inclusion
✅ Plans for Catcliffe flood defences
✅ Safeguarding adults partnership plan
✅ Pride in Place funding for central Rotherham
✅ Financial inclusion
✅ Plans for Catcliffe flood defences
✅ Safeguarding adults partnership plan
✅ Pride in Place funding for central Rotherham
November 17, 2025 at 9:12 PM
At this morning’s Cabinet meeting:
✅ Financial inclusion
✅ Plans for Catcliffe flood defences
✅ Safeguarding adults partnership plan
✅ Pride in Place funding for central Rotherham
✅ Financial inclusion
✅ Plans for Catcliffe flood defences
✅ Safeguarding adults partnership plan
✅ Pride in Place funding for central Rotherham
Before the last election, Labour ridiculed Rishi Sunak for prioritising funding for Tunbridge Wells over more deprived areas. If they’re not careful, ministers could be about to make the same mistake again, as Steve Houghton writes in the Yorkshire Post: www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/opinion...
November 17, 2025 at 12:49 PM
Before the last election, Labour ridiculed Rishi Sunak for prioritising funding for Tunbridge Wells over more deprived areas. If they’re not careful, ministers could be about to make the same mistake again, as Steve Houghton writes in the Yorkshire Post: www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/opinion...
The River Rother at Catcliffe seems to be falling again tonight, but earlier on was three metres higher than normal. The council’s drainage team was on site all day operating pumps, but the need for further physical alleviation was very evident once again.
November 15, 2025 at 6:55 PM
The River Rother at Catcliffe seems to be falling again tonight, but earlier on was three metres higher than normal. The council’s drainage team was on site all day operating pumps, but the need for further physical alleviation was very evident once again.
Public service announcement: apparently Christmas is go 🎄
November 15, 2025 at 6:21 PM
Public service announcement: apparently Christmas is go 🎄
May have stopped off for a Heavenly Dessert…
November 9, 2025 at 3:33 PM
May have stopped off for a Heavenly Dessert…
An honour as always to lay a wreath on behalf of the borough at this morning’s Remembrance Day service in Clifton Park.
November 9, 2025 at 12:55 PM
An honour as always to lay a wreath on behalf of the borough at this morning’s Remembrance Day service in Clifton Park.
Made a very quick journey from Rotherham Central to Swinton today to see the future. It was more exciting than that journey usually is. I’ll tell you more about it later…
November 6, 2025 at 11:13 PM
Made a very quick journey from Rotherham Central to Swinton today to see the future. It was more exciting than that journey usually is. I’ll tell you more about it later…
Unrelated to anything else, I chaired a panel recently that should have included Solihull Cllr Bob Sleigh (as it happened he couldn’t make it). I googled to see if he’d said anything interesting on the topic that we might talk about - and was surprised to discover that he has my job.
November 2, 2025 at 5:33 PM
Unrelated to anything else, I chaired a panel recently that should have included Solihull Cllr Bob Sleigh (as it happened he couldn’t make it). I googled to see if he’d said anything interesting on the topic that we might talk about - and was surprised to discover that he has my job.
How can child abuse ever take place in plain sight, people wonder.
The article reckons in 2021 there were four or five children marriages in the USA *a day*.
The article reckons in 2021 there were four or five children marriages in the USA *a day*.
November 1, 2025 at 11:51 PM
How can child abuse ever take place in plain sight, people wonder.
The article reckons in 2021 there were four or five children marriages in the USA *a day*.
The article reckons in 2021 there were four or five children marriages in the USA *a day*.
It’s not every day you meet a European heavyweight boxing champion. Kash Ali dropped in to this afternoon’s Halloween meal at Sunnyside!
November 1, 2025 at 5:38 PM
It’s not every day you meet a European heavyweight boxing champion. Kash Ali dropped in to this afternoon’s Halloween meal at Sunnyside!
Cllr Williams and I popped over to see the new tram-train stop at Magna this afternoon. It’s looking good! The first trams should start using it in the early part of next year.
October 30, 2025 at 8:38 PM
Cllr Williams and I popped over to see the new tram-train stop at Magna this afternoon. It’s looking good! The first trams should start using it in the early part of next year.
Community skip in the Swinton sunshine this morning!
October 28, 2025 at 12:10 PM
Community skip in the Swinton sunshine this morning!
Our annual LEAF careers event at Magna today. Hundreds of young people and job seekers through the door to meet with potential employers, including the council.
October 22, 2025 at 6:38 PM
Our annual LEAF careers event at Magna today. Hundreds of young people and job seekers through the door to meet with potential employers, including the council.
A welcome visit from Chris McDonald, the Steel Minister, to Stocksbridge and Rotherham today to discuss Liberty and the future of steel in S Yorkshire. A strong message from us as local leaders, management and the trade unions that there is a successful future ahead if we make the right choices now.
October 16, 2025 at 7:43 PM
A welcome visit from Chris McDonald, the Steel Minister, to Stocksbridge and Rotherham today to discuss Liberty and the future of steel in S Yorkshire. A strong message from us as local leaders, management and the trade unions that there is a successful future ahead if we make the right choices now.
Good to see resurfacing works completed on King Street and Church Close in Swinton this week, the latest to benefit from our £16m Rotherham Roads programme. #BetterBorough
October 11, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Good to see resurfacing works completed on King Street and Church Close in Swinton this week, the latest to benefit from our £16m Rotherham Roads programme. #BetterBorough
Fifteen years after the Tories scrapped plans to rebuild Swinton Comp (laterally Swinton Academy), the return of a Labour government means it’s back on.
October 11, 2025 at 12:33 PM
Fifteen years after the Tories scrapped plans to rebuild Swinton Comp (laterally Swinton Academy), the return of a Labour government means it’s back on.
Excuse me while I vomit a little.
October 5, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Excuse me while I vomit a little.
This morning we gathered at Gulliver’s Valley Skills Street to reflect on how far our Rotherham Partnership has come these last eight years, and the (flag lined?) road ahead. As Harvey Milk used to put it; you gotta give ‘em hope.
My remarks in full: drive.google.com/file/d/1C7j1...
My remarks in full: drive.google.com/file/d/1C7j1...
October 1, 2025 at 4:07 PM
This morning we gathered at Gulliver’s Valley Skills Street to reflect on how far our Rotherham Partnership has come these last eight years, and the (flag lined?) road ahead. As Harvey Milk used to put it; you gotta give ‘em hope.
My remarks in full: drive.google.com/file/d/1C7j1...
My remarks in full: drive.google.com/file/d/1C7j1...
🏡 Ground broken on Rotherham Council’s newest housing development
www.rotherham.gov.uk/news/article...
www.rotherham.gov.uk/news/article...
September 27, 2025 at 12:50 PM
🏡 Ground broken on Rotherham Council’s newest housing development
www.rotherham.gov.uk/news/article...
www.rotherham.gov.uk/news/article...
Popped down to St Margaret’s for the Harvest Festival this morning. @ginamonk.bsky.social and I supported the scarecrow competition from our ward budget, but Josh would like to clarify that he did not help make this one.
September 27, 2025 at 12:14 PM
Popped down to St Margaret’s for the Harvest Festival this morning. @ginamonk.bsky.social and I supported the scarecrow competition from our ward budget, but Josh would like to clarify that he did not help make this one.
Popped over to Manvers yesterday to see the work being done at our newest business centre, the £5.4m Century 2. The network of centres supports 180 local businesses and a remarkable 850 employees.
whatsapp.com/channel/0029...
whatsapp.com/channel/0029...
September 20, 2025 at 10:49 AM
Popped over to Manvers yesterday to see the work being done at our newest business centre, the £5.4m Century 2. The network of centres supports 180 local businesses and a remarkable 850 employees.
whatsapp.com/channel/0029...
whatsapp.com/channel/0029...
Forging Ahead at our Cabinet meeting this morning:
✅ Investing in community facilities
✅ Our approach to tackling child poverty
✅ Adult Social Care progress in the last year
✅ A tough but fair approach to council housing allocations - more about this in the coming days
✅ Investing in community facilities
✅ Our approach to tackling child poverty
✅ Adult Social Care progress in the last year
✅ A tough but fair approach to council housing allocations - more about this in the coming days
September 15, 2025 at 7:21 PM
Forging Ahead at our Cabinet meeting this morning:
✅ Investing in community facilities
✅ Our approach to tackling child poverty
✅ Adult Social Care progress in the last year
✅ A tough but fair approach to council housing allocations - more about this in the coming days
✅ Investing in community facilities
✅ Our approach to tackling child poverty
✅ Adult Social Care progress in the last year
✅ A tough but fair approach to council housing allocations - more about this in the coming days