Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley

For the town within the metropolitan borough, see Barnsley.

The Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley is a metropolitan borough in South Yorkshire, England; the main settlement is Barnsley and other notable towns include Wombwell, Worsbrough, Penistone and Hoyland.

Borough of Barnsley
Metropolitan borough
Barnsley, the largest settlement and administrative centre of the borough.
Arms of Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council
Barnsley Metropolitan Borough shown within South Yorkshire
Coordinates: 53°33′N 1°28′W
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Constituent country	England
Region	Yorkshire and the Humber
Ceremonial county	South Yorkshire
Admin. HQ	Barnsley
Government
• Type	Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council
• Leadership:	Leader & Cabinet
• Executive:	Labour
• MPs:	John Healey (Lab.), Dan Jarvis (Lab.), Stephanie Peacock (Lab.), Marie Tidball (Lab.)
Area
• Total	127 sq mi (329 km2)
• Rank	114th
Population  (2022)
• Total	246,482
• Rank	Ranked 76th
• Density	1,900/sq mi (750/km2)
Ethnicity (2021) [1]
• Ethnic groups	List 96.9% White 0.9% Asian 0.9% Mixed 0.7% Black 0.5% other
Religion (2021) [1]
• Religion	List 51.3% Christianity 42.1% no religion 5.2% not stated 0.6% Islam 0.4% other 0.2% % Buddhism 0.2% Hinduism 0.1% Sikhism 0.1% Judaism
Time zone	UTC+0 (Greenwich Mean Time)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+1 (British Summer Time)
ISO 3166-2	GB-BNS
ONS code	00CC (ONS) E08000016 (GSS)
Website	barnsley.gov.uk

The borough is bisected by the M1 motorway; 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 and 9% is national park 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.^[2]

The neighbouring districts are Doncaster, Rotherham, Sheffield, High Peak, Kirklees and Wakefield.

History

The borough was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. It covered the whole area of 12 former districts and parts of another two, which were all abolished at the same time:^[3][4]

• 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
• Penistone Urban District
• Royston Urban District
• Wombwell Urban District
• Worsbrough 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.^[5]

The borough forms part of the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority.

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. 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

Main article: Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council

Elections to the council are held in three out of every four years, with one third of the 63 councillors 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 (Labour) and John Healey for Wentworth and Dearne CC (Labour).

Towns, wards and villages

• Ardsley, Athersley
• Barnsley, 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
• Gawber, Gilroyd, Goldthorpe, Great Houghton, Green Moor, Grimethorpe, Gunthwaite
• Haigh, Hemingfield, High Hoyland, Higham, Honeywell, Hood Green, Hoyland, Hoyland Common, Hoylandswaine
• Ingbirchworth
• Jump
• Kendray, Kexbrough, Kingstone
• Langsett, Little Houghton, Lundwood
• Mapplewell, Millhouses, Millhouse Green, Monk Bretton
• New Lodge
• Old Town, Oxspring
• Platts Common, Penistone, Pilley, Pogmoor
• Royston, Redbrook
• Shafton, Silkstone, Silkstone Common, Smithies, Stainborough, Staincross, Stairfoot
• Tankersley, Thurgoland, Thurlstone, Thurnscoe
• Ward Green, Wilthorpe, Woolley Colliery, Wombwell, Wortley, Worsbrough Bridge, Worsbrough Dale, Worsbro Common

There are many Hoylands in Barnsley – there is the village of Hoyland itself south-east of Barnsley 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 in Norway also.

Education

See also: List of schools in Barnsley

There are over 100 schools and colleges in the borough. State education is managed by Barnsley Local Education Authority. There are 14 state-run secondary schools and around 80 primary schools. There was an independent school, Hope House School. Post-16 education is provided at Barnsley College and the sixth form 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 broadcasting from the Emley Moor transmitter.^[6]

Radio stations for the area are: ^[7]

BBC Local Radio

• BBC Radio Sheffield

Independent Local Radio

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

Community Radio

• Penistone FM (serving Penistone and Stocksbridge)

The local newspaper for the area is the Barnsley Chronicle.

Places of interest

• Barnsley Town Hall
• Bretton Country Park
• Cannon Hall
• 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

See also

• List of mayors of Barnsley