The Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley is a

metropolitan borough A metropolitan borough (or metropolitan district) is a type of districts of England, local government district in England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, metropolitan boroughs are defined in English law as metropolitan distr ...

South Yorkshire South Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the north, the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north-east, Lincolnshire ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

; the main settlement is

Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. The town's population was 71,422 in 2021, while the wider boroug ...

and other notable towns include

Wombwell Wombwell () is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. In the 2011 census, data for the town was split between the ward of Wombwell and small sections that fell into the wards of Darfield (specifically the a ...

Worsbrough Worsbrough is a district 2 to 3 miles south of Barnsley in the Barnsley (borough), metropolitan borough of Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England. Before 1974, Worsbrough had its own Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland), urban district counci ...

Penistone Penistone ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England, which had a population of 13,270 at the 2021 census. Historic counties of England, Historically in ...

and Hoyland. The borough is bisected by the

M1 motorway The M1 motorway connects London to Leeds, where it joins the A1(M) motorway, A1(M) near Aberford, to connect to Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle. It was the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the UK; the first motorway in the count ...

; it is rural to the west, and largely urban/industrial to the east. It is estimated that around 16% of the borough is classed as urban overall, with this area being home to the vast majority of its residents. Additionally, 68% of Barnsley's 32,863 hectares is

green belt A green belt or greenbelt is a policy, and land-use zone designation used in land-use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wilderness, wild, or agricultural landscape, land surrounding or neighboring urban areas. Similar concepts ...

and 9% is

national park A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...

land, the majority of which is west of the M1. In 2007, it was estimated that Barnsley had 224,600 residents, measured at the 2011 census as 231,221. The neighbouring districts are

Doncaster Doncaster ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don, it is the administrative centre of the City of Doncaster metropolitan borough, and is the second largest se ...

Rotherham Rotherham ( ) is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies at the confluence of the River Rother, South Yorkshire, River Rother, from which the town gets its name, and the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don. It is the largest settlement ...

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...

, High Peak,

Kirklees Kirklees is a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England. The borough comprises the ten towns of Batley, Birstall, West Yorkshire, Birstall, Cleckheaton, Dewsbury, Heckmondwike, Holmfirth, Huddersfield, Meltham, Mirfield and Slaithwaite. It ...

and

Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 109,766 in the 2021 census, up from 99,251 in the 2011 census. The city is the administrative centre of the wider Metropolit ...

History

The borough was created on 1 April 1974 under the

Local Government Act 1972 The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...

. It covered the whole area of 12 former districts and parts of another two, which were all abolished at the same time: * Barnsley County Borough * Cudworth Urban District * Darfield Urban District * Darton Urban District * Dearne Urban District * Dodworth Urban District * Hemsworth Rural District (part, being the parishes of Billingley, Brierley, Great Houghton, Little Houghton and Shafton) * Hoyland Nether Urban District * Penistone Rural District *

Urban District * Royston Urban District *

Urban District *

Urban District * Wortley Rural District (part, being the parishes of Tankersley and Wortley) The county borough of Barnsley had been self-governing, whereas the other 13 districts were all lower-tier authorities where county-level services were provided by West Riding County Council. From its creation in 1974 until 1986, the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley was a district-level authority, with county-level services provided by South Yorkshire County Council. The county council was abolished in 1986, since when Barnsley has been responsible for all local government services. The borough forms part of the

South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority The South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) is the Combined authorities and combined county authorities, combined authority for South Yorkshire in England, with powers over transport (public transport and major trunk roads only), econ ...

. Much of the modern Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley made up the historic Wapentake of Staincross, areas such as Denby Dale, Clayton West, South Hiendley, Hemsworth, Woolley, Notton, Old Royston, West Bretton, Scissett, Ryhill, Havercroft etc., were part of the Wapentake area but now fall outside the Borough within neighbouring

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and De ...

. Other villages and suburbs outside the Barnsley Metropolitan Borough but with strong historical connections to the Barnsley area are Brampton Bierlow, Wentworth and areas of the Dearne Valley.

Governance

Elections to the council are held in three out of every four years, with one third of the 63

councillor A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a municipal or re ...

s being elected at each election. The council has been controlled by the Labour Party since its creation in 1974. The borough council appoints one councillor to be the mayor every year. On the day of the mayor's appointment, a parade takes place in front of the town hall in honour of the new mayor. Barnsley borough is represented by four MPs: Dan Jarvis for Barnsley Central (Labour), Marie Tidball for Penistone & Stocksbridge (Labour), Stephanie Peacock for

Barnsley East Barnsley East was a List of United Kingdom Parliament constituencies, constituency in South Yorkshire, from 2010 until 2024. This constituency covered parts of the town of Barnsley. Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Wes ...

(Labour) and

John Healey John Healey (born 13 February 1960) is a British politician who has served as Secretary of State for Defence since July 2024. A member of the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party, he has been the Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parl ...

for Wentworth and Dearne CC (Labour).

Towns, wards and villages

* Ardsley, Athersley *

, Barugh, Barugh Green, Billingley, Birdwell, Blacker Hill, Bolton upon Dearne, Brierley * Cortonwood, Carlecotes, Carlton, Cawthorne, Crow Edge, Cubley, Cudworth, Crane Moor * Darfield, Darton, Dodworth, Dunford Bridge *

Elsecar Elsecar (, ) is a village in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. It is near to Jump, South Yorkshire, Jump and Wentworth, South Yorkshire, Wentworth, it is also south of Hoyland, south of Barnsley and north-east ...

* Gawber, Gilroyd, Goldthorpe, Great Houghton, Green Moor, Grimethorpe, Gunthwaite * Haigh, Hemingfield, High Hoyland, Higham,

Honeywell Honeywell International Inc. is an American publicly traded, multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. It primarily operates in four areas of business: aerospace, building automation, industrial automa ...

, Hood Green, Hoyland, Hoyland Common, Hoylandswaine * Ingbirchworth * Jump * Kendray, Kexbrough, Kingstone * Langsett, Little Houghton,

Lundwood Lundwood is a village in Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. History Lying about three miles east-north-east of Barnsley town centre, Lundwood takes its name from the Lund Wood, the substantially wooded portion of the area of the old manor of ...

* Mapplewell, Millhouses, Millhouse Green,

Monk Bretton Monk Bretton is a village in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. It lies approximately two miles north-east from Barnsley town centre. Until 1974 it was in the West Riding of Yorkshire. History Monk Bretton has bee ...

* New Lodge *

Old Town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins. In some cases, newer developments on t ...

, Oxspring * Platts Common,

, Pilley,

Pogmoor Pogmoor is a residential suburb of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. It is located west of the town centre, just north of junction 37 of the M1 motorway The M1 motorway connects London to Leeds, where it joins the A1(M) motorway, A ...

* Royston, Redbrook * Shafton,

Silkstone Silkstone is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, between the towns of Barnsley and Penistone. The parish includes the village of Sil ...

, Silkstone Common, Smithies, Stainborough, Staincross, Stairfoot * Tankersley, Thurgoland, Thurlstone, Thurnscoe * Ward Green,

Wilthorpe Wilthorpe is an area of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. Bisected by the A635 road, A635 Huddersfield Road, Wilthorpe has several small shops and an infant school, as well as an ATS garage and a dentist. Wilthorpe sits in the S75 area of ...

, Woolley Colliery,

, Wortley, Worsbrough Bridge, Worsbrough Dale, Worsbro Common There are many Hoylands in Barnsley – there is the village of Hoyland itself south-east of

on the road to Sheffield, which includes the former hamlets of Hoyland Common, Upper Hoyland and Hoyland Nether (Nether being Old Norse for "Lower"). Hoylandswaine is located on the opposite side of the wide valley, and at almost 1000 feet above sea level has a wilder and bleaker feel than ''High Hoyland''. The word Hoyland is derived from Norse, and at its simplest means "farm on a hill". Despite there being countless farms on hills around Britain, the majority of the Hoylands are concentrated in Barnsley, although there is an

Høyland Høyland is a List of former municipalities of Norway, former municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The municipality was located at the innermost end of the Gandsfjorden in the western part of the present-day municipality of Sandnes. The muni ...

in Norway also.

Education

There are over 100 schools and colleges in the borough.

State education A state school, public school, or government school is a primary school, primary or secondary school that educates all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in part by taxation and operated by the government of the state. State-f ...

is managed by Barnsley

Local Education Authority Local education authorities (LEAs) were defined in England and Wales as the local councils responsible for education within their jurisdictions. The term was introduced by the Education Act 1902, which transferred education powers from school bo ...

. There are 14 state-run

secondary schools A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...

and around 80

primary schools A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

. There was an independent school, Hope House School. Post-16 education is provided at Barnsley College and the

sixth form In the education systems of Barbados, England, Jamaica, Northern Ireland, Trinidad and Tobago, Wales, and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepa ...

of Penistone Grammar School. An adult education college, Northern College, is located at Wentworth Castle in Stainborough. The University of Huddersfield has a campus in Barnsley town centre.

Media

In terms of television, the area is served by BBC Yorkshire and

ITV Yorkshire ITV Yorkshire, previously known as Yorkshire Television and commonly referred to as just YTV, is the British television service provided by ITV Broadcasting Limited for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV (TV network), ITV network. Until 19 ...

broadcasting from the Emley Moor transmitter. Radio stations for the area are: BBC Local Radio * BBC Radio Sheffield

Independent Local Radio Independent Local Radio is the collective name given to commercial radio stations in the United Kingdom. As a result of the buyouts and mergers permitted by the Broadcasting Act 1990, and deregulation resulting from the Communications Act 2 ...

* Heart Yorkshire * Capital Yorkshire * Hits Radio South Yorkshire * Greatest Hits Radio South Yorkshire (formerly Dearne FM)

Community Radio Community radio is a radio service offering a third model of radio broadcasting in addition to commercial broadcasting, commercial and public broadcasting. Community broadcasting, Community stations serve geographic communities and communities o ...

* Penistone FM (serving

and

Stocksbridge Stocksbridge is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish, it is encircled to the north and east by the southern edge of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, although since 1974 it lies within the borders of the City of Sheffield, in ...

) The local newspaper for the area is the '' Barnsley Chronicle''.

Places of interest

* Barnsley Town Hall * Bretton Country Park *

Cannon Hall Cannon Hall is a country house museum located between the villages of Cawthorne and High Hoyland some 5 miles (8 km) west of Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England. Originally the home of the Spencer and later the Spencer-Stanhope family, it ...

* Cannon Hall Farm * Cooper Art Gallery * Elsecar Heritage Centre * Lowe Stand * Monk Bretton Priory * Wentworth Castle * Worsbrough Mill Museum & Country Park

Places of concern

* Boulder Bridge

References

External links

Barnsley Portal

Royston website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barnsley, Metropolitan Borough of Leeds City Region Local government districts in South Yorkshire Metropolitan boroughs