Barnsley Council election, 2011
Encyclopedia
The 2011 Barnsley Council election took place on 5 May 2011 to elect members of Barnsley
Metropolitan Borough
Council in South Yorkshire
, England
. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour party
stayed in overall control of the council.
After the election, the composition of the council was
to have 43 councillor
s and a 23 vote majority. The Barnsley Independent Group dropped to 13 seats, while the Conservative party
stayed on 6 seats and there remained 1 other independent
. Labour defeated sitting councillors for the Barnsley Independent Group in Hoyland
Milton, Kingstone, Old Town and Rockingham wards
. They also gained Darfield
where the sitting councillor had stood down at the election, with the successful Labour candidate being a former Member of the European Parliament
Brian Key. The Labour leader of the council, Steve Houghton, called on his party not to be complacent after their gains, while the leader of the Barnsley Independent Group called the results "a bitter blow".
Among other results, Jane Collins for the United Kingdom Independence Party
, following her second place in the 2011 Barnsley Central by-election
, came third in Monk Bretton
ward. Meanwhile the British National Party
, after putting up 19 candidates, failed to come close to taking any seats. Overall turnout
in the election was 36.3%.
Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley
The Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley is a metropolitan borough of the metropolitan county of South Yorkshire, England. Its main town is Barnsley....
Metropolitan Borough
Metropolitan borough
A metropolitan borough is a type of local government district in England, and is a subdivision of a metropolitan county. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, metropolitan boroughs are defined in English law as metropolitan districts, however all of them have been granted or regranted...
Council in South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
stayed in overall control of the council.
After the election, the composition of the council was
- LabourLabour Party (UK)The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
43 - Barnsley Independent GroupBarnsley Independent GroupBarnsley Independent Group is a British political party in Barnsley, England.The party was founded in January 2006 by a group of Independent councillors on Barnsley Council, described as "dissident former "old labour" councillors". At that time they had seven councillors, and in the local elections...
13 - ConservativeConservative Party (UK)The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
6 - IndependentIndependent (politician)In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
1
Election result
The results saw Labour make 5 gains from the Barnsley Independent GroupBarnsley Independent Group
Barnsley Independent Group is a British political party in Barnsley, England.The party was founded in January 2006 by a group of Independent councillors on Barnsley Council, described as "dissident former "old labour" councillors". At that time they had seven councillors, and in the local elections...
to have 43 councillor
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
s and a 23 vote majority. The Barnsley Independent Group dropped to 13 seats, while the Conservative party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
stayed on 6 seats and there remained 1 other independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
. Labour defeated sitting councillors for the Barnsley Independent Group in Hoyland
Hoyland
Hoyland is a town near Barnsley in Northern England. The town developed from the hamlets of Upper Hoyland, Hoyland, and Hoyland Common.The town has also been known as Nether Hoyland. That name was given to it when to prevent confusion with High Hoyland. When the urban district council was formed...
Milton, Kingstone, Old Town and Rockingham wards
Wards of the United Kingdom
A ward in the United Kingdom is an electoral district at sub-national level represented by one or more councillors. It is the primary unit of British administrative and electoral geography .-England:...
. They also gained Darfield
Darfield, South Yorkshire
Darfield is a village within the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England. It lies east of the town of Barnsley. It had a population of 8,066 at the 2001 UK Census.-History:...
where the sitting councillor had stood down at the election, with the successful Labour candidate being a former Member of the European Parliament
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
Brian Key. The Labour leader of the council, Steve Houghton, called on his party not to be complacent after their gains, while the leader of the Barnsley Independent Group called the results "a bitter blow".
Among other results, Jane Collins for the United Kingdom Independence Party
United Kingdom Independence Party
The United Kingdom Independence Party is a eurosceptic and right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. Whilst its primary goal is the UK's withdrawal from the European Union, the party has expanded beyond its single-issue image to develop a more comprehensive party platform.UKIP...
, following her second place in the 2011 Barnsley Central by-election
Barnsley Central by-election, 2011
The Barnsley Central by-election was a by-election for the Parliament of the United Kingdom's House of Commons constituency of Barnsley Central which took place on 3 March 2011...
, came third in Monk Bretton
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.- History :...
ward. Meanwhile the British National Party
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
, after putting up 19 candidates, failed to come close to taking any seats. Overall turnout
Voter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
in the election was 36.3%.