The local authorityCouncil · metropolitan_borough · England · 1 of 36 councils (metropolitan_borough)

Barnsley.

Labour Party-controlled metropolitan_borough. £288m net revenue. 21 wards across 3 parliamentary constituencies.

Typemetropolitan_borough
Seats23 councillors · 21 wards
Last election2 May 2024
Websitebarnsley.gov.uk
Net revenue · 2025-26
£288m
Core spending power (MHCLG)
Band-D bill
For the council slice (incl. precepts)
Composition
19/23
Labour Party 83%
Westminster
3
constituencies overlap · 1 MP party
Dispatch
31 May 2026

Labour Party chamber, Labour Party MPs.

Barnsley is a metropolitan_borough controlled by Labour Party (19 of 23 seats). Net revenue is £288m for 2025-26. It covers 21 wards spanning 3 parliamentary constituencies.

§ 01Composition.23 seats · last contested 2 May 2024

Who sits in the chamber.

Lab 19LD 4

Labour Party 83% · last contested 2 May 2024

Councillors — the people.

CouncillorWardElected
Nicola SumnerLabCentral2024
Steve HoughtonLabCudworth2024
Kevin John Howard OsborneLabDarfield2024
Leyla NayeriLDDarton East2024
Alice CaveLabDarton West2024
Wendy Ann CainLabDearne North2024
Deborah Jane PearsonLabDearne South2024
Chris WrayLDDodworth2024
Mick StoweLabHoyland Milton2024
Steve BullcockLDKingstone2024
Steven GreenLabMonk Bretton2024
Dorothy CoatesLabNorth East2024
Showing 12 of 23·All 23 councillors
§ 02Revenue mix & Band-D bill.MHCLG — Final LGFS 2025-26 Core Spending Power table

Where revenue comes from.

44%
Council tax
£126.3m · median 44%
42%
Central grants
£121.8m · median 41%
14%
Business rates
£39.5m · median 14%

Revenue mix is close to the councils (metropolitan_borough) median: 44% council tax, 42% central grants.

Source · MHCLG — Final LGFS 2025-26 Core Spending Power table · derived (CT exact; grants/rates split from SFA baseline)

Band-D bill.

Parish precepts apply on top, vary by parish

For household tax breakdown

Use the income slider on My place to see income tax, NI, VAT and council tax against your earnings.

§ 03Service spend, ranked against peers.10 buckets · vs 35 other councils (metropolitan_borough)

How does Barnsley split its revenue across services, compared with peer councils (metropolitan_borough)-class councils? Each row is one of the ten standard service buckets. The vertical line at the centre is the cohort median share; the coloured square is where this council sits. Squares to the right of centre mean a bigger share of revenue than the median peer; to the left, a smaller share.

Education33.6% of net spend · cohort median 41%
29 of 35-17% vs median
Adult Social Care24.3% of net spend · cohort median 26%
24 of 35-6% vs median
Children's Services19.1% of net spend · cohort median 15%
3 of 35+26% vs median
Waste & Recycling6.1% of net spend · cohort median 4%
4 of 35+48% vs median
Public Health6.0% of net spend · cohort median 4%
2 of 35+39% vs median
Corporate & Central5.3% of net spend · cohort median 3%
2 of 35+74% vs median
Culture & Leisure2.1% of net spend · cohort median 2%
24 of 35-12% vs median
Highways & Transport1.4% of net spend · cohort median 2%
20 of 35-4% vs median
Planning & Economic Development1.1% of net spend · cohort median 2%
25 of 35-26% vs median
Housing & Homelessness0.9% of net spend · cohort median 2%
29 of 35-46% vs median
How to read these bars

The subtitle on each row (“X% of net spend”) is what share of this council’s revenue goes to that service. The rank (“15 of 61”) is where this council sits within the cohort, sorted by that share descending. The delta (“+26% vs median”) is a relative reading: the council allocates 26% more of its revenue to that service than the median peer would. A small absolute difference can still be a big relative one.

Higher share doesn’t mean waste — it can reflect demographic need (more older residents), rurality, or a policy choice (e.g. keeping a service in-house). Lower share doesn’t mean efficiency — some councils move costs to fees, ringfenced accounts, or grants. £-per-head would be sharper than share-of-revenue; LAD population is pending ingest. Comparisons are within the same council type only.

§ 04Top suppliers.18,117 payments · £225.9m gross · 3 Dec 202531 Mar 2026

Every invoice over £500, published under the Local Government Transparency Code. Best-effort, not statutory — counts and totals net negatives (refunds/reversals).

Top by total — last 180 days

SupplierPaidSharePmts
REDACTED PERSONAL DATA£10.71m4.7%4,133
PRIP - BERNESLAI HOMES LTD£10.42m4.6%4
BERNESLAI HOMES LTD (NON CIS)£7.13m3.2%8
BARNSLEY SPV THREE LTD£6.51m2.9%6
WATES PROPERTY SERVICES LTD£6.37m2.8%5
POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER FOR£6.05m2.7%5
BARNSLEY SPV ONE LTD£5.92m2.6%8
PWLB£5.70m2.5%44
SOUTH YORKSHIRE MAYORAL£4.80m2.1%23
PENISTONE GRAMMAR SCHOOL£4.37m1.9%28

By service area · top supplier

ServiceTop supplierPaid
Housing And HomelessnessPRIP - BERNESLAI HOMES LTD£7.80m
Corporate And CentralBARNSLEY SPV THREE LTD£4.97m
Planning And EconomicPOLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER FOR£4.50m
Adult Social CareREDACTED PERSONAL DATA£3.83m
Childrens ServicesPENISTONE GRAMMAR SCHOOL£3.25m
Public HealthWAYTHROUGH£2.13m
§ 05Westminster constituencies — the overlap.21 wards split across 3 parliamentary seats
ConstituencyWards% of councilCurrent MP
Barnsley North943% Dan JarvisLab
Barnsley South943% Stephanie PeacockLab
Penistone and Stocksbridge314% Marie TidballLab
Sources, methods & last update
Method The dispatch paragraphs are AI-generated from the public sources listed below. Every figure links to its source. If we’re wrong, please tell us — corrections within 48 hours.
CompositionDemocracy Club (live)
DCLEAPIL v1.0 (historic)
Net revenueMHCLG Final LGFS
Core Spending Power table · 2025-26
Service spendDerived from MHCLG CSP shares
vs 35 other councils (metropolitan_borough)
SuppliersCouncil publication under LGTC
18,117 payments · 3 Dec 202531 Mar 2026
Westminster overlapONS Open Geography Portal
2023 boundaries
PopulationONS mid-year estimates
Pending ingest at LAD level