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2024 Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council election
21 of 63 seats on Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council; 32 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	24.1%
	Winner of each seat at the 2024 Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council election
Leader before election; Stephen Houghton; Labour	Leader after election ; Stephen Houghton; Labour

The 2024 Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council election was held on 2 May 2024, alongside the other local elections across the United Kingdom being held on the same day. Labour retained its majority on the council.

Background

The Local Government Act 1972 created a two-tier system of metropolitan counties and districts covering Greater Manchester, Merseyside, South Yorkshire, Tyne and Wear, the West Midlands, and West Yorkshire starting in 1974. Barnsley was a district of the South Yorkshire metropolitan county.^[1] The Local Government Act 1985 abolished the metropolitan counties, with metropolitan districts taking on most of their powers as metropolitan boroughs. The South Yorkshire Combined Authority was established in 2014 as the Sheffield City Region Combined Authority, which began electing the mayor of South Yorkshire in 2018.^[2]

Since its formation, Barnsley has continuously been under Labour control. Councillors have predominantly been elected from the Labour Party, various independents, the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats. The council elected a large number of Barnsley Independent Group councillors in the 2006 election, whose numbers had fallen in subsequent elections until its dissolution as a party in 2023. Councillors who will be seeking re-election were most recently elected in the 2021 election, which was originally scheduled to be held in 2020 but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During that election, seventeen Labour councillors were elected with 40.4% of the vote across the borough, with three Liberal Democrats on 11.8% of the vote across the borough and one Conservative with 25.1% of the vote across the borough. Labour held the Rockingham ward after a coin toss broke a tie between the Labour candidate and the Conservative candidate.^[3] In the most recent election in 2023, Labour won 15 seats, the Liberal Democrats won 4 seats and independents won 2 seats. After that election, the council had 48 Labour councillors, ten Liberal Democrats, two Conservatives, two independents, and one Reform UK councillor.

Electoral process

The council elects its councillors in thirds, with a third being up for election every year for three years, with no election in the fourth year.^[4]^[5] The election will take place by first-past-the-post voting, with wards generally being represented by three councillors, with one elected in each election year to serve a four-year term.

All registered electors (British, Irish, Commonwealth and European Union citizens) living in Barnsley aged 18 or over will be entitled to vote in the election. People who live at two addresses in different councils, such as university students with different term-time and holiday addresses, are entitled to be registered for and vote in elections in both local authorities. Voting in-person at polling stations will take place from 07:00 to 22:00 on election day, and voters will be able to apply for postal votes or proxy votes in advance of the election.

Previous council composition

Council composition after the 2023 election
Council composition ahead of the 2024 election
Council composition following the 2024 election

After 2023 election			Before 2024 election			After 2024 election
Party		Seats	Party		Seats	Party		Seats
	Labour	48		Labour	47		Labour	48
	Liberal Democrats	10		Liberal Democrats	9		Liberal Democrats	11
	Conservative	2		Conservative	2		Conservative	1
	Independent	2		Independent	2		Independent	2
	Reform UK	1		Reform UK	1		Reform UK	1
				Vacant	2

Changes 2023–2024:

8 November 2023: Mat Crisp (Liberal Democrat) resigns; seat left vacant until election.^[6]
December 2023: Pooja Ramchandani (Labour) resigns; seat left vacant until election.

Results

Labour retained its majority on the council at this election.^[7]

2024 Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council election
Party		This election			Full council			This election
Party		Seats	Net	Seats %	Other	Total	Total %	Votes	Votes %	+/−
	Labour	17		81.0	31	48	76.2	21,995	48.9	+2.8
	Liberal Democrats	4	1	19.0	7	11	17.5	7,420	16.5	–1.0
	Independent	0		0.0	0	2	3.2	2,398	5.3	–5.4
	Conservative	0	1	0.0	1	1	1.6	5,274	11.7	–2.5
	Reform UK	0		0.0	1	1	1.6	4,156	9.2	+6.3
	Green	0		0.0	0	0	0.0	2,035	4.5	–0.1
	SDP	0		0.0	0	0	0.0	396	0.9	–0.1
	English Democrat	0		0.0	0	0	0.0	313	0.7	N/A
	Yorkshire	0		0.0	0	0	0.0	272	0.6	–1.4
	TUSC	0		0.0	0	0	0.0	234	0.5	±0.0

Ward results

The results for each ward were:^[8]

Central

Central
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Nicola Sumner	1,012	57.4	+10.6
	Green	Christopher Michael Scarfe	291	16.5	+8.0
	Conservative	Adrian Thompson	250	14.2	+4.5
	Liberal Democrats	Catherine Teresa Rogerson	185	10.5	+5.9
Majority			721	40.9	19.3
Turnout			1763	20.0	−0.8
	Labour hold		Swing

Cudworth

Cudworth
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Steve Houghton	1,150	72.0	+2.9
	Conservative	Mark J Brook	184	11.5	−3.6
	Liberal Democrats	Elizabeth Kate Waters	138	8.6	+1.7
	Green	Kabir Nepal	106	6.6	−2.4
Majority			966	60.5
Turnout			1598	18.7
	Labour hold		Swing

Darfield

Darfield
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Kevin John Howard Osborne	1,012	53.6	+2.6
	Reform UK	Scott Andrew McKenzie	564	29.9	+9.0
	Conservative	Ian White	171	9.1	−9.6
	Liberal Democrats	Simon Richard Hulme	127	6.7	−2.7
Majority			448	23.7
Turnout			1889	23.5
	Labour hold		Swing

Darton East

Darton East
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Leyla Nayeri	1,196	46.6	−18.1
	Labour	Teresa Ann Wilcockson	951	37.0	+7.7
	Reform UK	Aiden Ian Benoit	258	10.0	N/A
	Conservative	Gillian Ruth Millner	96	3.7	−6.1
	Yorkshire	Simon Biltcliffe	58	2.3	N/A
Majority			245	9.6
Turnout			2569	29.0
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing

Darton West

Darton West
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Alice Cave	1,074	45.0	+3.6
	Green	Trevor Anthony Mayne	495	20.7	−8.5
	Reform UK	Shaun Kenneth Turner	409	17.1	N/A
	Liberal Democrats	Kevin Bennett	203	8.5	+3.5
	Conservative	Bee D’abeille Lokkit	200	8.4	−4.4
Majority			579	24.3
Turnout			2389	26.9
	Labour hold		Swing

Dearne North

Dearne North
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Wendy Ann Cain	1,025	69.1	−4.0
	English Democrat	Maxine Spencer	214	14.4	+6.2
	Conservative	Mike Toon	138	9.3	−1.3
	Liberal Democrats	Brian John Evans	94	6.3	−1.1
Majority			811	54.7
Turnout			1483	16.9
	Labour hold		Swing

Dearne South

Dearne South
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Deborah Jane Pearson	1,060	59.7	+0.2
	SDP	David Alan Jarvis	396	22.3	−2.6
	Conservative	Elaine Weems	131	7.4	−1.6
	English Democrat	Janus Polenceusz	99	5.6	+3.5
	Liberal Democrats	Linda Fielding	77	4.3	−0.2
Majority			664	37.4
Turnout			1777	19.1
	Labour hold		Swing

Dodworth

Dodworth
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Chris Wray	1,328	50.9	−4.3
	Labour	Ian Hague-Brown	896	34.3	+2.7
	Conservative	Steven John Burkinshaw	361	13.8	+0.7
Majority			432	16.6
Turnout			2611	31.2
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing

Hoyland Milton

Hoyland Milton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Mick Stowe	1,092	46.0	+3.3
	Reform UK	Michael James Davies	697	29.4	+11.7
	Conservative	Andrew Millner	191	8.0	−3.9
	Liberal Democrats	Glenn Lawrence	175	7.4	+0.1
	Green	Tom Heyes	162	6.8	+0.8
	TUSC	Angela Ruth Waller	49	2.1	−0.9
Majority			395	16.6
Turnout			2373	25.7
	Labour hold		Swing

Kingstone

Kingstone
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Steve Bullcock	791	44.7	+3.1
	Labour	Simon John Jordan Williamson	591	33.4	−5.9
	Reform UK	Liam James Hardcastle	169	9.5	N/A
	Green	Peter Gordon Giles	114	6.4	−0.3
	Conservative	Roger Haw	69	3.9	−0.5
	TUSC	Tracey-Ann Holland	28	1.6	−0.4
Majority			200	11.3
Turnout			1770	22.5
	Liberal Democrats gain from Labour		Swing

Monk Bretton

Monk Bretton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Steven Green	1,032	50.6	+0.4
	Independent	Rachel Jane Stewart	784	38.5	+2.0
	Conservative	Alex Wilkinson	132	6.5	−2.1
	Liberal Democrats	Susan Mary Rose	75	3.7	−1.0
Majority			248	12.1
Turnout			2038	22.6
	Labour hold		Swing

North East

North East
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Dorothy Coates	1,085	53.6	+0.2
	Independent	Raymond Archer	443	21.9	−1.2
	Yorkshire	Tony Devoy	214	10.6	+1.2
	Conservative	Samuel Wilkinson	165	8.1	−2.1
	Liberal Democrats	Samantha Bullcock	107	5.3	+1.4
Majority			642	31.7
Turnout			2026	19.5
	Labour hold		Swing

Old Town

Old Town
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Phil Lofts	1,130	56.5	+4.5
	Conservative	Clive Watkinson	292	14.6	−0.6
	Green	Gillian Margaret Nixon	258	12.9	+1.7
	Liberal Democrats	Patrick Dimelow Smith	196	9.8	+3.7
	TUSC	Steve Dangerfield	106	5.3	+2.6
Majority			838	41.9
Turnout			2001	23.2
	Labour hold		Swing

Penistone East

Penistone East
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	John Roberts	1,533	41.6	−0.8
	Conservative	Peter Millar	1,377	37.4	+1.7
	Liberal Democrats	Andy Waters	385	10.5	−2.4
	Green	Kate Helen Raynor	346	9.4	+4.3
Majority			156	4.2
Turnout			3,681	37.9
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing

Penistone West

Penistone West
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Mandy Lowe Flello	1,414	39.0	−6.9
	Labour Co-op	Frances Nixon	1061	29.3	+6.3
	Conservative	Roy Garratt	447	12.3	+5.4
	Reform UK	David Wood	429	11.8	N/A
	Green	Richard Thomas James Trotman	263	7.3	−0.3
Majority			353	9.7
Turnout			3626	35.9
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing

Rockingham

Rockingham
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Sherry Holling	884	35.9	+6.8
	Independent	Jaz Holt	731	29.7	N/A
	Reform UK	Robert Lomas	457	18.6	+8.1
	Conservative	Phil Weems	244	9.9	−3.4
	Liberal Democrats	Sue Waters	128	5.2	+1.5
Majority			153	6.2
Turnout			2462	29.0
	Labour hold		Swing

Royston

Royston
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Caroline Makinson	1,082	58.2	−0.6
	Independent	Neil Fisher	440	23.7	+4.7
	Conservative	Michael Barraclough	187	10.1	−4.0
	Liberal Democrats	Jonathan Hood	87	4.7	−0.3
	TUSC	Jennifer Louise Barker	51	2.7	−0.3
Majority			642	34.5
Turnout			1858	21.2
	Labour hold		Swing

St Helen’s

St Helen’s
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Sarah Jane Tattersall	1,004	73.9	−0.7
	Liberal Democrats	Matthew Rigden Nicholson	191	14.1	+1.7
	Conservative	Lee Ogden	140	10.3	−2.7
Majority			813	59.8
Turnout			1359	16.9
	Labour hold		Swing

Stairfoot

Stairfoot
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Karen Dyson	955	50.6	−10.9
	Reform UK	Luca Lorenzo Turner	518	27.4	N/A
	Liberal Democrats	James Robert Kitching	211	11.2	−4.9
	Conservative	Mark Kevan Hitchmough	188	10.0	−12.5
Majority			437	23.2
Turnout			1888	20.8
	Labour hold		Swing

Wombwell

Wombwell
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	James Lewis Higginbottom	1,370	65.4	−4.1
	Reform UK	Simon Glen Moore	317	15.1	+3.7
	Conservative	Debbie Toon	161	7.7	−3.6
	Green	Jessica Claire Roebuck	149	7.1	N/A
	Liberal Democrats	Robert Welton Green	89	4.2	−3.5
Majority			1053	50.3
Turnout			2095	21.0
	Labour hold		Swing

Worsbrough

Worsbrough
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Roy Bowser	996	58.0	+26.9
	Reform UK	Jamie Thomas Owen	338	19.7	N/A
	Liberal Democrats	Sarah Calvert	223	13.0	+8.9
	Conservative	Charlotte Wilkinson	150	8.7	+2.4
Majority			658	38.3
Turnout			1718	23.3
	Labour hold		Swing

By-elections between 2024 and 2026

Dodworth by-election 12 December 2024^[9]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Andy Waters	1,029	49.7	−1.2
	Reform UK	Eric Hodgson	503	24.3
	Labour	Kate Hutchinson	334	16.1	−18.2
	Conservative	Steven Burkinshaw	147	7.1	−6.7
	Green	Trevor Mayne	57	2.8
Majority			526	25.4
Turnout			2,070
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing