Political parties on why you should vote for them in Barnsley’s upcoming local elections

There are 63 seats on Barnsley Council, and 32 seats are needed for a majority.

Labour currently holds 48 seats, Lib Dems hold 10, Conservatives hold two, Independents hold two, and Reform UK has one.

In May 2021, Labour retained overall control of the council but lost three seats. In December 2022, Conservative councillor for Rockingham ward David White defected to Reform UK.

In Barnsley, there are 21 electoral wards, each represented by three councillors.

Here, each party standing in the election says why you should vote for them.

Labour

Councillor Sir Steve Houghton CBE, leader of the council said: “As other councils are going bankrupt due to Conservative and Lib Dem austerity, Barnsley’s Labour Council continues to deliver a balanced budgetand good public services.

“Barnsley is a well-managed, financially prudent local authority. That is the view of independent auditors and the cornerstone of Barnsley Council winningthe double award of ‘Council of the Year’ in 2023.

“Once again, Barnsley Labour has been able to set a balanced budget thatinvests in our people and communities, including:

• Significant investment for homes, schools and major projects.
• Spreading opportunity across the borough through the Principal Towns Programme.
• State-of-the-art new facilities and opportunities for Barnsley’s young people, including the Youth Zone, NAVE and Activity Park.
• ‘Health on the High Street’ initiative to improve community health and wellbeing.
• £2 million extra investment into Barnsley’s roads.

“This comes despite 14 years of Conservative and Lib Dem austerity, which has seen Barnsley lose well over £1 billion.

We cannot afford any more of Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives. OnThursday, May 2 you can send them a powerful message by voting for yourBarnsley Labour candidate.”

Liberal Democrats

Councillor Hannah Kitching, leader of the Barnsley Liberal Democrats said: “The Liberal Democrats are the official opposition to Labour on Barnsley Council.

“We have grown quickly, from winning just one council seat in 2018 to ten in 2023, and we want to grow even more.

“For too long Labour have taken people in Barnsley for granted – winning seats with no effort on low turnout, just expecting people to vote for them without putting the work in.

“The Lib Dems are different. We have to work hard, all year round, for all our residents, or we simply don’t get elected.

“And once elected, we are able to work for you, not for Labour’s Town Hall bosses.

“We aren’t afraid to challenge and call them out on issues like the lack of community infrastructure in their local plan, the shoddy repeated repairs to our potholed roads and prioritising town centre vanity projects over-investment in our communities.

“We put forward our own ideas and proposals every year, and it’s rewarding when some of them get implemented – like the 20mph school zones to keep children safe on our roads. And we want to hear your ideas too – we believe communities should be closely involved in the decisions that affect them, not consulted as an afterthought when the decisions have already been made.

“If you want change you have to vote for it – and the Lib Dems are the only party in Barnsley who can beat Labour year in year out.”

Reform UK

Councillor David White, Reform councillor for Rockingham said: “"Reform UK is standing ten candidates across the Borough of Barnsley in the forthcoming May Council Elections.

“Nationally, Reform UK is polling very close to the Conservatives, and local residents are realising that our common sense policies transcend to what people are feeling locally.

“Our candidates are all conviction politicians, who are standing (most for the first time) because of their desire to bring change and a breath of fresh air to the area.

“For too long the two-party system nationally has stifled innovation and not allowed a different way of thinking. Locally, the ruling Labour Party has dominated decision-making for generations. Our candidates want to bring openness and clarity to local politics and want to make sure that people's voices are, for once, heard and acted on at the highest levels in local Government.

“Inevitably, local anti-social behavior, potholes, and Council cuts to essential services, all whilst council tax rises and the cost of living bites do not sit well with huge overspending on town centre projects that ignore Barnsleys Towns.

“Reform UK candidates are united in their desire to work together and bring essential change to the area.

“Local people who care about the community, Reform UK wants to show what caring people can achieve.”

Yorkshire Party

A spokesperson for the Yorkshire Party said: “Yorkshire Party candidates have a firm commitment to Yorkshire values of fairness, accountability, and local empowerment.

“We have steadily gained momentum, securing several seats across Yorkshirecouncils.

“This demonstrates growing support for its principles of decentralisationand community empowerment.

“Barnsley’s rural towns and villages, known for their rich history and sceniclandscapes, require careful managing and sustainable development.

“We pledge to work closely with the local community to preserve the area’s heritage while promoting initiatives that benefit its residents.

“Similarly, Barnsley’s urban areas demand focused attention to improve essential services and enhance residents’ quality of life.

“To lower prices and rents, we need the right homes in the right places with new infrastructure – GPs, dentists, transport and schools.

“The Yorkshire Party wants to introduce a Yorkshire Travel Pass, to reduce fares across buses and trains, and end cross-border penalties and peak-time hikes.

“We need more bus services and rail options, especially in rural areas.

“We support more frontline police, to crackdown on anti-social behaviour, shoplifting, road offences and all crime.

“Please support Yorkshire Party candidates, to pave the way for a brighter future rooted in Yorkshire values of community, fairness, and prosperity.”

Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition

A spokesperson said: “The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) is a working-class anti-austerity, anti-war party.

“We want to get this rotten Tory government out at the general election but Labour doesn’t represent us now either.

“We need a new party that will fight for ordinary working-class people not the rich.

“That’s why TUSC is standing candidates against all theestablishment parties.

“Here in Barnsley, the Labour council has spent years doing the Torygovernment’s dirty work by cutting local jobs and services whilst wastingtaxpayers’ money on vanity projects.

“This year, they have put Council tax up nearly 5%, council house rents by nearly 8 per cent and warned that “drastic measures” may be required next year, which will mean even more service cuts and redundancies.

“TUSC councillors would campaign and vote against any above inflation rent and rate rises and against any cuts in, or privatisation of, council services.

“You can vote for TUSC candidates in Hoyland, Kingstone, Old Town andRoyston. If elected, they will not take the £11,823 councillor’s allowance butonly genuine expenses. They will support workers striking for decent pay risesand community campaigns against cuts, privatisation and environmentaldestruction. Please vote Socialist.”

Social Democratic Party

An SDP spokesperson said: “This is not a general election, so the voter does not need to worry about tactical voting, and can genuinely look outside the Tory/Labour strangle-hold that chokes our region, and actually vote for somebody who has the life experience required to make a first-class South Yorkshire.

“You are always told by the bigger parties that you should ignore what their MPs are doing at a national level, as this election is about local issues (which is in part true) but if you vote locally for parties that will not deal with the small boat invasion on the South Coast, you are saying that nationally you agree with the mass immigration that the main parties want.

“We want to re-industrialise the whole of South Yorkshire. Britain doesn’t make anything anymore, and we rely on goods from countries from the other side of the planet. We need to stop with the net zero scaremongering and be energy self-sufficient on cheap clean nuclear energy. Then we can start to look at reducing emissions, or we’ll just bankrupt the country and China will build everything. Any party pushing net zero by 2030-2040 will bankrupt the country.

“The SDP candidates will also work very closely with the police, so that drugs and grooming gangs can be stamped out of our county

English Democrats Party

Janus Polenceusz, who is standing in Dearne South for the English Democrats Party, said: ” I am your candidate for Dearne South Ward for the English Democrats Party, England’s equivalent to the SNP or Plaid Cymru.

“Walking around the streets of Goldthorpe, I see there is something terribly wrong. Shops and houses are smashed and vandalised, many homes especially on back streets have their doors kicked in, windows smashed, they are wrecked inside and out.

“During the day, evening and at night you can hear residents arguing and fighting. People do not feel safe walking down the streets of Goldthorpe when it becomes dark due to people openly selling drugs and the muggers, and there are no police officers in sight.

“The streets are filthy with rubbish everywhere. These issues need tobe addressed by councillors, discussed with local people to develop a plan of action.

“Barnsley Council should set up a scheme with local businesses to recruit long-term unemployed people that live in the area. This can be done by offering an incentive of reduced business rates when a local, unemployed person is employed.

“There are plenty of local theatres that have projects but residents are not even aware of what takes place locally. Lack of engagement and poverty is fuelling the crime.”

The Green Party did not reply to a request for a statement