Rotherham Federation Celebrates Commitment to Real Living Wage

Rotherham Federation has today accredited as a Living Wage Employer. Their Living Wage commitment will see everyone working at RotherFed receive a minimum hourly wage of £12, significantly higher than the government minimum for over 23s, which currently stands at £10.42 per hour.

RotherFed is based in Yorkshire and the Humber, the UK region with the highest proportion of non-Living Wage jobs in the country (15.8%), with over 368,000 jobs paying less than the real Living Wage. Despite this, RotherFed has committed to pay the real Living Wage and deliver a fair day’s pay for a hard day’s work.

The real Living Wage is the only rate calculated according to the costs of living. It provides a voluntary benchmark for employers that wish to ensure their staff earn a wage they can live on, not just the government minimum. Since 2011 the Living Wage movement has delivered a pay rise to over 460,000 people and put £3 billion extra into the pockets of low paid workers.

Katherine Chapman, Director, Living Wage Foundation said: “We’re delighted that Rotherham Federation has joined the movement of over 14,000 responsible employers across the UK who voluntarily commit to go further than the government minimum to make sure all their staff earn enough to live on.

“They join thousands of small businesses, as well as household names such as Burberry, Barclays, Everton Football Club and many more. These businesses recognise that paying the real Living Wage is the mark of a responsible employer and they, like RotherFed, believe that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay.”

About the Living Wage

The real Living Wage is the only rate calculated according to what people need to make ends meet. It provides a voluntary benchmark for employers that choose to take a stand by ensuring their staff earn a wage that meets the costs and pressures they face in their everyday lives.

The UK Living Wage is currently £12 per hour. There is a separate London Living Wage rate of £13.15 per hour to reflect the higher costs of transport, childcare and housing in the capital. These figures are calculated annually by the Resolution Foundation and overseen by the Living Wage Commission, based on the best available evidence on living standards in London and the UK.

The Living Wage Foundation is the organisation at the heart of the movement of businesses, organisations and individuals who campaign for the simple idea that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay. The Living Wage Foundation receives guidance and advice from the Living Wage Advisory Council. The Foundation is supported by our principal partners: Aviva; IKEA; Joseph Rowntree Foundation; KPMG; Linklaters; Nationwide; Nestle; Resolution Foundation; Oxfam; Trust for London; People’s Health Trust; and Queen Mary University of London.

What about the Government’s national living wage?

In July 2015 the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that the UK Government would introduce a compulsory ‘national living wage’. It was introduced in April 2016, originally applying for all workers over the age of 25, is currently £10.42 an hour and applies for workers over the age of 23. The rate is different to the Living Wage rates calculated by the Living Wage Foundation. The government rate is based on median earnings while the Living Wage Foundation rates are calculated according to the cost of living in London and the UK.

Tenants Open Day

At the Tenants Open Day all Rotherham Federation member groups were put in a draw to win £500 for their group. 3 Winners were drawn by the Mayor of Rotherham, which were:

  • Aston TARA
  • Rotherham Sanjeet Choir
  • The Lings Monday Club

All the lucky winners will have the money paid into their groups accounts.

Congratulations to the winners.

We are Recruiting

Community Support Worker – Full Time 37 hours                                    

Salary – £23,468 per annum – fixed term until December 2023

Rotherham Federation are seeking an experienced Community Support Worker to join their team to work on the “Making Our Money Go Further” project supporting community groups to form, develop and improve their skills, knowledge, and resilience in relation to money management.   

Duties and Responsibilities

  • Promote the Making Our Money Go Further project and support the formation of community groups.
  • To support groups and individuals with money management matters, improving their skills and knowledge and reducing their stress and anxiety.
  • Provide planned and ad-hoc support to community groups formed through the Making Our Money Go Further project including delivering face to face and online/digital sessions.
  • Work in partnership with Citizens Advice Rotherham and refer clients for one-to-one advice sessions.
  • Recruit, train, and support volunteers to develop their confidence and skills, and become “Money Champions”.
  • Support and train other service providers to develop their knowledge and skills regarding Money Management.
  • Monitor the impact and effectiveness of the work through agreed monitoring and data capture systems.
  • To deliver and report on specific targets and outputs as determined by funding requirements.

The successful candidate will have a minimum of 1 years’ experience of providing support and guidance to groups and individuals in a community-based setting.

For further details and to request an application pack, please contact: Sarah Fletcher on 07538 625113 or email sarah.fletcher@rotherfed.org

The closing date for applications is 26th September 2022 at 10am with interviews held on 30th September 2022.  Shortlisted applicants will be contacted on the 26thSeptember and invited to an interview.

TBC – Interviews will be face to face or held online via Zoom or Teams.

Successful candidates will have a DBS check carried out.

Appointment will be subject to suitable references.

We are recruiting

Project Manager – Full Time 37 hours                                                                    

Salary – £32,290 per annum – Permanent

Rotherham Federation of Communities are seeking a Project Manager to manage a team of frontline Community Workers, delivering projects across Rotherham through a range of funding streams.

The duties will include:

  • To manage RotherFed’s programme of community support work, ensuring services are delivered in line with contractual and funding requirements.
  • To manage Rotherfed’s community activity with community led organisations and TARAs across Rotherham.
  • To report to the CEO and funders on progress on an ongoing basis, ensuring data collection and reporting systems are in place and maintained.
  • To promote and enable community development, increased community activity, and effective engagement within Rotherham communities.
  • To support the empowerment of under-represented groups within local communities, enhancing community cohesion and collaborative working.
  • To maintain and build effective working partnerships ensuring RotherFed remains integrated into Rotherham’s community support networks.
  • To increase community influence in decision making within Rotherham supporting individuals and groups to identify community issues, needs and problems, and help resolve them.
  • To work effectively with partners from both statutory and voluntary sector to ensure stronger communities in Rotherham.
  • To support the delivery team to bring our work to life through creating case studies and good news stories.
  • To deliver specific project and organisational targets and outcomes as agreed with the CEO.

The successful candidate will have at least 2 years’ experience in Project Management and in supporting community groups with their development.

For further details and to request an application pack, please contact: Sarah Fletcher on 01709 368515 or email sarah.fletcher@rotherfed.org

The closing date for applications is 11am on Friday 19th August, with the assessment day including panel interviews held on Thursday 25th August.

Applicants that have been shortlisted will be contacted on Friday 19th August be invited to the assessment/interview day.

Successful candidates will have a DBS check carried out.

Rotherham Federation of Communities (RotherFed) receives The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service

RotherFed, based in Rotherham have just been awarded The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. This is the highest award a local voluntary group can receive in the UK and is equivalent to an MBE.

RotherFed support communities in the Rotherham Borough to grow and develop, working with them to build their sense of belonging, community pride and spirit. They work with and through grassroots community groups that are committed to bringing communities together, giving all communities a voice and creating local solutions to local issues. Their work helps create communities that work and develops new and existing community-led groups which:

  • give everyone a voice
  • make communities happier places to live and work
  • help people to create local solutions to local issues
  • work together to create shared solutions to local problems

RotherFed is one of 244 local charities, social enterprises, and voluntary groups to receive the prestigious award this year. Their work, along with others from across the UK, reminds us of all the ways in which fantastic volunteers are contributing to their local communities and working to make life better for those around them.

The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service aims to recognise outstanding work by local volunteer groups to benefit their communities. It was created in 2002 to celebrate The Queen’s Golden Jubilee. Recipients are announced each year on 2nd June, the anniversary of The Queen’s Coronation. Award winners this year are wonderfully diverse. They include volunteer groups from across the UK, including: a rural support group for farmers in Shropshire; a community magazine addressing isolation in the Western Isles; a running club engaging all ages in County Tyrone; a film academy and community hub based in South Wales, and a food bank in Greater London feeding vulnerable individuals and providing training opportunities.

Representatives of RotherFed will receive the award crystal and certificate from Professor Dame Hilary Chapman DBE Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of South Yorkshire later this summer.

In addition, two volunteers from RotherFed will attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace in May 2023 (depending on restrictions at the time), along with other recipients of this year’s Award. Phil Hayes CEO says “how delighted I am that our group’s work has been recognised, for what our volunteers have contributed to our communities over the last couple of years and beyond. I want to pay tribute to hard work and commitment of our incredible team.”

Thurcroft Small Grants Spring 2022

The Spring 2022 Thurcroft Small Grants are now open.

Thurcroft Big Local will be awarding small grants from £50 up to £500 that benefit Thurcroft residents. They need to support one of the three themes in the Big Local Plan- community pride, regeneration or children and young people. More information and who can apply is available on the application form.

The closing date is 5pm on Friday 13th May 2022.

Have your say on the Council Housing Strategy Consultation

Rotherham Council has been delivering against the commitments in its Housing Strategy for 2019-22, now the Housing Strategy is being refreshed to set out the key priorities for 2022-25, and Rotherham Council are asking for your help in shaping this.

Please complete the electronic survey by 21st January 2022.