# 2022 Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council election

The 2022 Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on 5 May 2022. One third of councillors — 21 out of 63 — were elected. The election took place alongside the 2022 South Yorkshire mayoral election and other local elections across the United Kingdom.
In the previous council election in 2021, Labour maintained its longstanding control of the council, holding 49 seats after the election. The Liberal Democrats formed the main opposition with seven seats, with the Conservatives on three, independents and the Democrats and Veterans Party having two each and a single Barnsley Independent Group councillor.

## 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. 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.
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 have been falling since. Councillors who will be seeking re-election will have been most recently elected in the 2018 election, in order to complete a four-year term. In that election, 19 Labour councillors were election alongside one Conservative councillor and one Liberal Democrat councillor. In the most recent election in 2021, 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. After that election, the council had 49 Labour councillors, seven Liberal Democrats, three Conservatives, two independents, two Democrats and Veterans and one Barnsley Independent Group councillor. The councillor Trevor Smith joined the Labour Party after his previous Democrats and Veterans Party was dissolved.
The positions up for election in 2022 were last elected in 2018, when Labour won 19 seats and the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats won one each.

## 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. 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

| After 2021 election | After 2021 election | After 2021 election | Before 2022 election | Before 2022 election | Before 2022 election |
| Party | Party | Seats | Party | Party | Seats |
| | Labour | 49 | | Labour | 49 |
| | Liberal Democrats | 7 | | Liberal Democrats | 7 |
| | Conservative | 3 | | Conservative | 3 |
| | Democrats and Veterans | 2 | | Independent | 3 |
| | Independent | 2 | | Barnsley Ind. | 1 |
| | Barnsley Ind. | 1 | | | |

## Results summary

2022 Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council election :
| Party | Party | This election | This election | This election | Full council | Full council | Full council | This election | This election | This election |
| Party | Party | Seats | Net | Seats % | Other | Total | Total % | Votes | Votes % | +/− |
| | Labour | 16 | 3 | 76.2 | 30 | 46 | 73.0 | 22,115 | 46.2 | +5.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | 3 | 2 | 14.3 | 6 | 9 | 14.3 | 7,829 | 16.3 | +4.5 |
| | Conservative | 2 | 1 | 9.5 | 2 | 4 | 6.3 | 9,268 | 19.4 | -5.7 |
| | Independent | 0 | | 0.0 | 3 | 3 | 4.8 | 1,812 | 3.8 | +1.5 |
| | Barnsley Ind. | 0 | | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | 1.6 | 3,137 | 6.5 | -4.1 |
| | Green | 0 | | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1,825 | 3.8 | -2.8 |
| | SDP | 0 | | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 488 | 1.0 | ±0.0 |
| | Freedom Alliance | 0 | | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 451 | 0.9 | N/A |
| | TUSC | 0 | | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 347 | 0.7 | +0.3 |
| | Yorkshire | 0 | | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 328 | 0.7 | +0.2 |
| | English Democrat | 0 | | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 229 | 0.5 | -0.2 |
| | NIP | 0 | | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 65 | 0.1 | N/A |

## Ward results
### Central

Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Janine Moyes | 946 | 51.2 | 2.3 |
| | Barnsley Ind. | Steve Bullcock | 476 | 25.7 | New |
| | Conservative | Chad Bronson | 282 | 15.3 | 11.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Catherine Rogerson | 145 | 7.8 | 2.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 470 | 25.5 | 3.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,866 | 21.9 | 2.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Cudworth

Cudworth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Joe Hayward | 1,192 | 64.9 | 2.0 |
| | Yorkshire | Tony Devoy | 328 | 17.9 | New |
| | Conservative | Mark Brook | 228 | 12.4 | 3.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Elizabeth Waters | 89 | 4.8 | 1.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 864 | 47.0 | 4.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,857 | 22.0 | 1.8 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Darfield

Darfield :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Pauline Markham | 1,234 | 62.7 | 12.7 |
| | Conservative | Ben Harrison | 406 | 20.6 | 5.1 |
| | SDP | Scott McKenzie | 208 | 10.6 | New |
| | Liberal Democrats | Simon Hulme | 121 | 6.1 | 2.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 828 | 42.1 | 17.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,980 | 24.6 | 4.6 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Darton East

Darton East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Dickie Denton | 1,530 | 56.5 | 17.7 |
| | Labour | Teresa Wilcockson | 888 | 32.8 | 7.8 |
| | Conservative | Lee Ogden | 288 | 10.6 | 0.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 642 | 23.7 | 9.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,736 | 31.0 | 1.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Swing | | |

### Darton West

Darton West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Sharon Howard | 975 | 39.1 | 1.6 |
| | Green | Tom Heyes | 749 | 30.0 | 3.1 |
| | Conservative | John Miller | 493 | 19.8 | 12.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Kevin Bennett | 211 | 8.5 | 5.5 |
| | Freedom Alliance | Jonathan Tilt | 65 | 2.6 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 226 | 9.1 | 4.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,505 | 28.6 | 3.7 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Dearne North

Dearne North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Sue Bellamy | 1,117 | 72.1 | 11.0 |
| | Conservative | Rosemary Jackson | 195 | 12.6 | 11.3 |
| | English Democrat | Maxine Spencer | 128 | 8.3 | 1.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Brian Evans | 71 | 4.6 | 1.8 |
| | SDP | Savannah Jarvis | 39 | 2.5 | 0.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 922 | 59.5 | 22.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,560 | 18.5 | 2.9 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Dearne South

Dearne South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Janine Bowler | 1,307 | 71.5 | 11.3 |
| | Conservative | Donna Cutts | 243 | 13.3 | 4.3 |
| | SDP | David Jarvis | 115 | 6.3 | 9.5 |
| | English Democrat | Janus Polenceusz | 101 | 5.5 | 2.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Linda Fielding | 62 | 3.4 | 0.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,064 | 58.2 | 17.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,836 | 20.1 | 3.9 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Dodworth

Dodworth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Will Fielding | 1,315 | 45.7 | 19.5 |
| | Labour | Neil Wright | 944 | 32.8 | 10.7 |
| | Conservative | Kirk Harper | 518 | 18.0 | 3.2 |
| | Freedom Alliance | Amanda Griffin | 101 | 5.4 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 371 | 12.9 | 11.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,893 | 34.0 | 1.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Swing | | |

### Hoyland Milton

Hoyland Milton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Robin Franklin | 1,212 | 48.3 | 8.7 |
| | Conservative | Cassie Northwood | 617 | 24.6 | 11.1 |
| | Independent | Daniel Simpson | 398 | 15.9 | 4.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Glenn Lawrence | 162 | 6.5 | 3.1 |
| | TUSC | Angela Waller | 119 | 4.7 | 2.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 595 | 23.7 | 19.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,522 | 27.1 | 3.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Kingstone

Kingstone :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Kath Mitchell | 648 | 38.8 | 0.7 |
| | Barnsley Ind. | Liam Hardcastle | 535 | 32.0 | 10.4 |
| | Conservative | Michael Davies | 153 | 9.2 | 7.7 |
| | Green | Peter Giles | 121 | 7.2 | 2.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Philip Wright | 80 | 4.8 | 1.9 |
| | NIP | Liam Starsong | 65 | 3.9 | New |
| | Freedom Alliance | Judy Barnsley | 38 | 2.3 | New |
| | SDP | Steve Vajda | 32 | 1.9 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 113 | 6.8 | 9.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,684 | 21.7 | 2.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Monk Bretton

Monk Bretton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Kenneth Richardson | 1,070 | 50.7 | 3.9 |
| | Independent | Rachel Stewart | 660 | 31.3 | New |
| | Conservative | Alexander Wilson | 257 | 12.2 | 8.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Sue Rose | 123 | 5.8 | 3.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 410 | 19.4 | 14.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,110 | 23.8 | 2.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### North East

North East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Ashley Peace | 1,249 | 54.2 | 5.0 |
| | Barnsley Ind. | Raymond Archer | 639 | 27.7 | 1.2 |
| | Conservative | Samuel Wilkinson | 323 | 14.0 | 5.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Sam Christmas | 93 | 4.0 | 1.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 610 | 26.5 | 6.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,320 | 22.6 | 2.8 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Old Town

Old Town :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Clive Pickering | 1,147 | 51.4 | 8.3 |
| | Conservative | John Carr | 450 | 20.2 | 2.8 |
| | Green | Gillian Nixon | 347 | 15.5 | 7.4 |
| | Freedom Alliance | Charlotte Sykes | 145 | 6.5 | New |
| | Liberal Democrats | Patrick Smith | 144 | 6.4 | 2.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 697 | 31.2 | 11.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,250 | 26.2 | 3.3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Penistone East

Penistone East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Robert Barnard | 1,643 | 43.0 | 2.6 |
| | Labour | Jill Hayler | 1,271 | 33.3 | 10.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Andy Waters | 507 | 13.3 | 10.8 |
| | Green | Rebecca Trotman | 401 | 10.5 | 3.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 372 | 9.7 | 11.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,850 | 39.9 | 4.8 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Penistone West

Penistone West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Hannah Kitching | 2,207 | 56.6 | 19.2 |
| | Conservative | Roy Garratt | 668 | 17.1 | 13.2 |
| | Labour | James Bangert | 518 | 13.3 | 6.0 |
| | Independent | David Wood | 296 | 7.6 | New |
| | Green | Richard Trotman | 207 | 5.3 | 3.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,539 | 39.5 | 32.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,912 | 38.8 | 0.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |

### Rockingham

Rockingham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | David White | 1,109 | 42.2 | 3.1 |
| | Labour | James Andrews | 1,067 | 40.6 | 1.5 |
| | TUSC | Karen Fletcher | 228 | 8.7 | 4.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Susan Waters | 222 | 8.5 | 4.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 42 | 1.6 | +1.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,645 | 30.8 | 1.2 |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | | |

### Royston

Royston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Dave Webster | 1,085 | 53.2 | 9.7 |
| | Independent | Neil Fisher | 458 | 22.5 | 18.5 |
| | Conservative | Macaulay Larkin | 363 | 17.8 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jonathan Hood | 132 | 6.5 | 4.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 627 | 30.7 | 16.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,062 | 23.6 | 3.8 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### St Helen's

St Helen's :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Dave Leech | 1,064 | 73.8 | 16.9 |
| | Conservative | George Hill | 229 | 15.9 | 3.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Matthew Nicholson | 148 | 10.3 | 7.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 835 | 57.9 | 20.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,455 | 18.2 | 3.7 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Stairfoot

Stairfoot :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Ian Shirt | 906 | 44.1 | 6.1 |
| | Barnsley Ind. | Gavin Frost | 756 | 36.8 | 21.3 |
| | Conservative | Elizabeth Hill | 285 | 13.9 | 1.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | James Kitching | 106 | 5.2 | 3.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 150 | 7.3 | 1.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,061 | 22.9 | 3.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Wombwell

Wombwell :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Robert Frost | 1,362 | 65.6 | 10.2 |
| | Conservative | Bee Lokkit-Wan | 289 | 13.9 | 12.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Paul Nugent | 228 | 11.0 | 7.7 |
| | Freedom Alliance | Amy Stewart | 102 | 4.9 | 0.5 |
| | SDP | Jon Seymour | 94 | 4.5 | 0.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,073 | 51.7 | 23.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,086 | 21.4 | 4.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Worsbrough

Worsbrough :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | John Clarke | 913 | 45.5 | 8.2 |
| | Barnsley Ind. | Gill Carr | 731 | 36.4 | 1.4 |
| | Conservative | Andrew Millner | 229 | 11.4 | 10.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Sarah Calvert | 133 | 6.6 | 0.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 182 | 9.1 | 6.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,017 | 27.1 | 2.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |