Old Town Labour

16/10/2026

🌳 Footpath cleared - Treecrest Rise and Roundacre

Following concerns raised by local residents about overgrown vegetation along this footpath, we’re pleased to see the area has now been cleared to such a good standard.

The team have cut back the vegetation and cleared the ground-level drainage channels, making the footpath much more accessible.

A big thank you to the residents who brought this to our attention, and to the council team for their excellent work and for liaising with residents throughout.

A great improvement! 👏

15/10/2026

Congratulations to everyone!

Congratulations to more than 50 long-serving Barnsley Council colleagues who were recognised this week for clocking up an incredible 1,375 years of service between them.

This year's Long Service Awards celebration was held on Monday at Barnsley Civic.

An amazing 46 colleagues were recognised for 25 years of service, and five for reaching an extraordinary 40 years of service.

Colleagues were treated to afternoon tea, and thanked personally by the Leader of Barnsley Council, Councillor William Brown, the Chief Executive of Barnsley Council, Sarah Norman, and the Mayor of Barnsley, Cllr Liam Hardcastle.

Read more by following the link in the comments.

14/10/2026

Emmanuel Church are hosting BBC4's Gardeners Question Time. A great jewel in their crown. For tickets, see the link below and questions should be directed towards Emmanuel Church.

12/10/2026

Do you care for someone, either a family member, a friend or a neighbour? The Barnsley Carers Service have regular coffee and chat meet-ups at Costa Stairfoot. See the poster for details.

10/10/2026

A FORMER cabinet member earned almost £4,000 over a three-month period despite only attending ten of the 64 meetin... Local News News Barnsley South Yorkshire

10/10/2026

64 meetings. 10 attended. 46 not attended. Eight recorded as “annual leave”. Four documents requiring a signature. None signed.

Barnsley Council’s response to a Freedom of Information request said Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport Cllr Paul Kelly was invited to 64 meetings with officers about his portfolio.

He attended 10. The response records 46 as non-attendance and the remaining eight as “annual leave”.

The response also refers to four documents requiring a signature, none of which were signed. Cllr Kelly received nearly £4,000 in Special Responsibility Allowance for his Cabinet role between 29 May and 31 August.

Residents deserve an explanation of what happened to those documents and whether any decisions or work were delayed.

09/10/2026

🌿 Calling all green-fingered Old Town Ward residents!

BBC Gardeners’ Question Time is coming to Emmanuel Methodist Church, Barnsley, on Wednesday 11th November. Come along for an evening of gardening tips as the Radio 4 programme records two sessions.

Light refreshments from 5pm; recording starts at 6pm. Bring a question to submit when you arrive!

🎟️ Link to tickets in this post’s comments. Tickets are also available in person at Emmanuel on Tuesday mornings, 10am-12 noon.

08/10/2026

ℹ️ Missed bin collections

We’ve been advised of missed collections in the following areas:

🟤 Brown bins - Grenville Place in Old Town, Honeywell Lane, and Ravenfield Court, Ravenfield Drive and Rye Croft in Smithies.

🟢 Green bins - Intake Gardens in Pogmoor, and Edgecliffe Place, Ravenfield Court, Ravenfield Drive and Rye Croft in Smithies.

If your bin has been affected, please leave it out for collection. The council intends to return and empty the affected bins as soon as possible.

Please feel free to share with neighbours who may be affected.

08/10/2026

♻️ Smithies Lane Recycling Centre update

The council has confirmed that Smithies Lane Recycling Centre is now expected to reopen in mid-November. The site remains closed while delayed drainage-improvement works are completed.

Until then, Worsbrough Recycling Centre is the nearest alternative and is temporarily open from 8am to 5pm. Other centres may be busier, so residents are advised to visit before 11am or after 3pm where possible.

We’ll share the exact reopening date once it is confirmed.

More information:

Temporary closure of household waste recycling centres to carry out drainage improvements on sites.