Marie Tidball MP outlines priorities for Penistone and Stocksbridge to new Barnsley Council Leaders

Marie Tidball, Labour Member of Parliament for Penistone and Stocksbridge, has written to the new Leader and Deputy Leader of Barnsley Council, outlining her priorities for Barnsley communities in Penistone and Stocksbridge.

Following the Local Election 2026 results, Barnsley Council is now being controlled by a Reform majority with a new Reform Leader of the Council, Cllr William Brown, and new Deputy Leader, Edward Dillingham.

Marie outlined her key priorities, the first being tackling the cost of living, asking for assurances that vital support schemes from Barnsley Council continue to be maintained including: the Barnsley MiCard Scheme, school uniform vouchers and the Crisis and Resilience Fun.

The local MP also outlined her strong support for the Alhambra Shopping Centre and Glassworks Community Diagnostic Centre, and asked for the Council’s support for her work to secure Neighbourhood Health Centres and Health on the High Street schemes for Barnsley residents in her constituency.

Marie highlighted her commitment to securing safer communities, including implementing the Labour Government’s Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, to make PSCOs more visible and accessible in every neighborhood. She urged the Council to work with her, and the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, to ensure all communities benefit from this scheme, in particular Dodworth and Gilroyd.

Dr Tidball outlined that forging thriving towns and high streets is another of her priorities and asked the Council to work with her to ensure all local businesses benefit from the Government’s commitment to permanently lower business rates for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses.

Marie also called on the Council to back her campaign to bring two trains an hour to the Penistone Line, as well as supporting the South Yorkshire Mayor, Oliver Coppard, with the ongoing bus franchising process. This process will bring bus services back into public hands and restore local services. She also encouraged the new Council leadership to work with all three Barnsley MPs to bring a direct rail service from Barnsley to London.

Marie Tidball pressed the Council to ensure a fair share of the £9 million in additional funding for SEND, provided by the Department for Education, reaches schools across the Penistone and Stocksbridge constituencies. She emphasised it was crucial for the Council’s support to expand specialist units within mainstream schools and strengthen alternative provision to take place in schools in the three Barnsley wards in Marie’s constituency Dodworth, Penistone East and Penistone West.

Finally, the local MP raised the importance of securing the future of the Scout Dike Activity Centre, emphasising how much this local facility means to people, and urged the Council to protect this valuable asset.

Marie asked to meet with the new Leaders of Barnsley Council at the earliest opportunity to discuss these priorities in more detail.

__Marie Tidball MP said: __

“It is a great privilege to get to run such a successful Council and serve our Barnsley communities. I am committed to working across party lines wherever it is in the best interests of the constituents I serve, and I look forwards to working constructively with the new Barnsley Council Leaders. I hope that we can build a productive working relationship in the months and years ahead.

“I welcome the opportunity to meet with the new Barnsley Council Leaders to discuss my priorities in more detail, including tackling the cost of living, breaking down barriers for young people with SEND, connecting our communities with better transport, and securing the future of the Scout Dike Activity Centre.”

“If there are any specific issues you would like me to raise with the new Barnsley Council leaders, please get in touch with me by emailing marie.tidball.casework@parliament.uk.”