Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council

Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council
Logo
Type
Type
History
Founded1 April 1974
Leadership
Liam Hardcastle,
Reform UK
since 29 May 2026
William Brown,
Reform UK
since 29 May 2026
Sarah Norman
since July 2019
Structure
Seats63 councillors
Graph of the party split among 63 seats.
Political groups
Administration (41)
    Reform (41)
Other parties (22)
    Labour (12)
    Liberal Democrats (8)
    Independent (2)
Joint committees
South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority
Length of term
4 years
Elections
Plurality-at-large
Last election
7 May 2026
Next election
2 May 2030
Meeting place
Town Hall at Barnsley
Town Hall, Church Street, Barnsley, S70 2TA
Website
www.barnsley.gov.uk

Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council is the local authority of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. It is a metropolitan borough council and provides the majority of local government services in the borough. The council is a member of the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority.

The council has been under Reform UK majority control since the 2026 election. Prior to that, the council had been under Labour majority control from the creation of the modern borough in 1974. Council meetings are held at Barnsley Town Hall, and the council's main offices are in the adjoining Westgate Plaza One building.

History

The first elected council for the town of Barnsley was a local board of health established in 1853. This replaced a body of improvement commissioners which had been set up to administer the town in 1822. The local board in turn was replaced in 1869 when the town was made a municipal borough. In 1913 the borough was elevated to county borough status, making it independent from West Riding County Council.

The current metropolitan borough of Barnsley was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. It covered the former county borough of Barnsley plus parts of 13 other districts, which were all abolished at the same time. The enlarged Barnsley district was awarded borough status from its creation, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor, continuing Barnsley's series of mayors dating back to 1869.

The Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley was initially a district-level authority, with South Yorkshire County Council providing county-level services. However, the metropolitan county councils, including South Yorkshire County Council, were abolished in 1986 under the Local Government Act 1985. Since 1986 Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council has therefore been responsible for most local government functions.

Since 2014 the council has been a constituent member of the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (called the Sheffield City Region until 2021), led by the directly-elected Mayor of South Yorkshire since 2018.

Governance

Political control

The council has been under Reform UK majority control since the 2026 election.

The first election to the reconstituted borough council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements came into force on 1 April 1974. Labour held a majority of the seats on the council from its creation until the 2026 election.

Party in controlYears
Labour1974–2026
Reform2026–present

Leadership

The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Barnsley. Political leadership is provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1974 have been:

CouncillorPartyFromTo
Brian VarleyLabour19741975
Ron FisherLabourFeb 1975May 1975
Ron RigbyLabourMay 19751976
Fred LunnLabour197611 Dec 1984
Ron RigbyLabour19851988
Hedley SaltLabour19881995
Jeff EnnisLabour19951996
Stephen HoughtonLabour1996May 2026
William BrownReform29 May 2026present

Composition

Following the 2026 election, and a subsequent by-election in August 2026, the composition of the council was:

Party Seats
Reform41
Labour12
Liberal Democrats8
Independent2
Total 63

The next election is due in 2030.

Premises

Westgate Plaza One (on the right)

Council meetings are held at Barnsley Town Hall on Church Street, which had been completed in 1933 for the old borough council. In 2007 the council moved most office staff to a new building called Westgate Plaza One on Westgate, just west of the Town Hall.

Elections

Since the last ward boundary changes in 2025, the council has comprised 63 councillors representing 21 wards, with each ward electing three councillors to sit for a four year term. Elections are held every four years, with all seats contested, following a council decision in 2025 to replace the previous policy of 1/3 of seats (one per ward) being elected per year for 3 years, with the 4th year having no elections.

References

  1. 1 2 Ashton, Lucy (29 May 2026). "Jeers from public gallery after row over new mayor". BBC News. Retrieved 26 September 2026.
  2. ↑ Calkin, Sarah (10 September 2019). "Interview: Sarah Norman on the lure of Barnsley". Local Government Chronicle. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
  3. ↑ "Open Council Data UK - compositions councillors parties wards elections".
  4. ↑ "Councillors - Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council".
  5. ↑ "Barnsley Local Board of Health". Newcastle Courant. 8 July 1853. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  6. ↑ "Barnsley Improvement Act 1822 (3 Geo 4 c. 25)". legislation.gov.uk. The National Archives. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  7. ↑ "Barnsley Municipal Borough / County Borough". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  8. ↑ "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 18 June 2023
  9. ↑ "The Metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1973/137, retrieved 18 June 2023
  10. ↑ "District Councils and Boroughs". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 28 March 1974. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
  11. ↑ "Local Government Act 1985", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1985 c. 51, retrieved 18 June 2023
  12. 1 2 3 Scheer, Victoria (8 May 2026). "Reform ends 50 years of Barnsley Labour leadership". BBC News. Retrieved 26 September 2026.
  13. ↑ "Barnsley". BBC News Online. 19 April 2008. Retrieved 17 October 2009.
  14. ↑ "Compositions Calculator". The Elections Centre. University of Exeter. Retrieved 21 May 2025. (Put "Barnsley" in search box to see specific results.)
  15. ↑ "Reform UK ends 50 years of Labour leadership in Barnsley". BBC News. 8 May 2026. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
  16. ↑ "'Don't do a Clay Cross' warning to protesters". South Yorkshire Times. 25 May 1974. p. 3. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
  17. 1 2 "New leader". South Yorkshire Times. 22 February 1975. p. 20. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
  18. 1 2 3 "1975: Glancing back". Barnsley Chronicle. 14 May 2018. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
  19. ↑ "Death of Barnsley Council Leader". South Yorkshire Times. 14 December 1984. p. 29. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
  20. ↑ "Coal communities launch survival campaign". South Yorkshire Times. 18 January 1985. p. 13. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
  21. ↑ "Welcome boost for village". South Yorkshire Times. 22 April 1988. p. 52. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
  22. ↑ "Council mourns death of ex-leader". BBC News. 1 March 2005. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
  23. ↑ Andrews, Danielle (28 March 2024). "Tributes paid to retiring long-standing councillor who has 'dedicated his life' to Barnsley". The Star. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
  24. ↑ "Sir Stephen Houghton OBE". LGA Governance. Local Government Association. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
  25. ↑ Tolson, Jack (12 June 2026). "Lifetime achievement award for former council leader". Barnsley Chronicle. Retrieved 26 September 2026.
  26. 1 2 "Barnsley". Local Councils. Thorncliffe. Retrieved 26 September 2026.
  27. ↑ "Town Hall". Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  28. ↑ "Cabinet report, 18 May 2022" (PDF). Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council. Retrieved 19 June 2023.