2026 Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council election
The 2026 Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council election will take place on Thursday 7 May 2026, alongside other local elections in the United Kingdom. All 63 members of Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council in South Yorkshire will be elected following boundary changes.
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2026 Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council election
The 2026 Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council election will take place on Thursday 7 May 2026, alongside other local elections in the United Kingdom. All 63 members of Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council in South Yorkshire will be elected following boundary changes.
This will be the first election on an all-out cycle whereby all councillors will be elected every four years, after the change was approved by the council in 2025.
Background
2026 Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council election
Barnsley was created in 1974 as a metropolitan borough. Labour have always performed well in local elections, holding majority control of the council since its creation. The closest Labour have come to losing their majority on the council was (/wiki/2006BarnsleyMetropolitanBoroughCouncilelection) and (/wiki/2008BarnsleyMetropolitanBoroughCouncilelection), where the success of the Barnsley Independents saw the party reduced to holding just over half the seats. Since (/wiki/2012BarnsleyMetropolitanBoroughCouncilelection), Labour have held over 70% of seats on the council.
The Barnsley Independents formed the principal opposition from 2006 to (/wiki/2018BarnsleyMetropolitanBoroughCouncilelection), when the Conservatives briefly became the second largest party. The Liberal Democrats overtook the Conservatives in (/wiki/2019BarnsleyMetropolitanBoroughCouncilelection) and have formed the principal opposition since.
Prior to this election, Barnsley elected it councillors on a four year cycle, with one councillor elected from each three-member ward in each election. At the most recent election in 2024, (/wiki/2024BarnsleyMetropolitanBoroughCouncilelection), Labour won 17 seats, taking one from the Conservatives, but did not increase their majority due to losing a vacant seat last held by the party to the Liberal Democrats, which won 4 seats. Following boundary changes, the 2026 election will use a new set of ward boundaries.
New ward boundaries for 2026
Council composition
2026 Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council election
<table><thead><tr><th>After 2024 election</th><th>Before 2026 election</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Party</td><td>Seats</td><td>Party</td><td>Seats</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>Labour</td><td>48</td><td></td><td>Labour</td><td>46</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>Liberal Democrats</td><td>11</td><td></td><td>Liberal Democrats</td><td>12</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>Conservative</td><td>1</td><td></td><td>Conservative</td><td>1</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>Reform</td><td>1</td><td></td><td>Reform</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>Independent</td><td>2</td><td></td><td>Independent</td><td>3</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>Vacant</td><td>N/A</td><td></td><td>Vacant</td><td>1</td></tr></tbody></table>
• November 2024: Sam Christmas (Liberal Democrats) resigns – by-election held December 2024 • December 2024: Andy Waters (Liberal Democrats) wins by-election • July 2025: Clive Pickering (Labour) joins Liberal Democrats • August 2025: Trevor Smith (Labour) leaves party to sit as an independent • December 2025: David White (Independent, previously Reform, elected as Conservative) resigns – seat left vacant until 2026 election