Parties lay out election promises for town

All eyes will be on Barnsley next week, as the town shapes up to be a key battleground between Labour and Reform in the local elections.

Labour currently control 46 of the 63 seats on the council, with 12 Liberal Democrats, three Independents, and one Conservative.

The town usually elects a third of its councillors in a normal year, but in 2026 is holding an all-out election with all 63 seats being contested after boundary changes to local wards.

The Labour stronghold is a key target for Reform UK, which has been riding high in national opinion polls.

In 2024's General Election, Reform polled around 30% in both of Barnsley's two Parliamentary constituencies, but Labour still won both seats.

As a result, Labour and Reform have been sending high profile MPs to the town in recent months, signposting how contested the battleground continues to be.

Labour Health Secretary Wes Streeting visited in late January, while Reform leader Nigel Farage visited the town last month.

Ahead of the election next week, candidates and representatives spoke to BBC Politics North to summarise their key message to voters in the borough.

"The Labour candidates in this election want Barnsley to be - and continue to be - the place of possibilities.

"The best place in the country to bring up a family, good housing, good jobs, good opportunities, and a fabulous town centre."

"There's a complete disconnect between Westminster and members of the public. That needs to be sorted.

"MPs down in London are doing what they think is the right thing, and not the priorities of the people. The only way to solve this is to vote Reform."

Michael Jordan is a North Yorkshire councillor for Reform. No Barnsley Reform candidate was available, or volunteered, to participate in the Politics North programme.

"The Liberal Democrats in Barnsley have got a proven track record of not just being fantastic local councillors who are visible all year round, doing the hard work, but also holding the ruling party to account; opposing, challenging, scrutinising, and making sure the council functions at its very best."

"I will continue to do what I've been doing for the past 20 years, which is to respond to residents' problems whenever they bring them to me.

"The Conservatives will work constructively with whoever runs the council, and we will not make promises that we cannot deliver, hoping that people have forgotten them by 2030."

"'Vote for us for a fairer, greener future. Locally, we're focusing on road safety, parks and green spaces, and a more inclusive society.

"We feel like this year is going to be very different for us.

"We have seen in other areas of Yorkshire and also nationally Greens are rocketing in the polls compared to where they have been previously."

Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.