Barnsley residents face £64 tax rise after budget vote as leader warns of election ‘crossroads’
Council tax in Barnsley will be rising by 3.4% from April
Last updated 26th Feb 2026
Barnsley Council has approved a 3.4 per cent increase in council tax from April, with the council leader warning the borough is at a “crossroads” ahead of the May local elections.
The decision was agreed at a full council meeting on Thursday, February 26, and will see residents’ council tax bills for a Band D property increase by around £64 a year, taking the total to £1,942.29.
Council leaders said the increase was needed to help cover rising costs, particularly in children’s and adult social care, while protecting essential services during the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
Council leader Sir Steve Houghton told the meeting that the borough is at a “crossroads” as he urged councillors to back the budget, telling residents to think carefully about the alternatives ahead of the May local elections.
He said while voters would make their own decisions, proposals being put forward elsewhere such as scrapping flexible and home working, changing staff pensions and cutting jobs and services to reduce council tax, would not deliver value for money or support effective public services.
He warned that dramatic changes could have a direct impact on what the council is able to provide, particularly for vulnerable residents, and could halt progress on regeneration and investment projects. Thanking councillors for recognising the work being done by council staff, he said the decision was about the future of Barnsley, not individual politicians, and urged members to support the budget to avoid a return to “terrible times” in the borough’s past.
The budget includes another year of free bus travel for under-18s, continued school uniform grants,, cost-of-living payments for pensioners, and help with council tax for working-age residents and care leavers. It also sets aside £10m for road maintenance, including pothole repairs.
Councillors were also told that the council will now need to take less money from its savings than first expected.
Earlier plans showed £6.8 million would be needed from reserves to balance the budget. However, that figure has now been reduced to £4.2 million after Barnsley secured additional funding from the Government.
Despite this, council papers warn that longer-term funding gaps could still grow to more than £23 million by 2028/29 unless further savings are found.
The Liberal Democrats proposed an amendment which would have increased spending on highways and road safety by £2.6 million, funded by money returned to council reserves following an improved government funding settlement.
The proposal called for additional investment in resurfacing principal roads and side streets to be doubled from £2 million to £4 million, alongside the creation of a new £600,000 preventative road safety fund to support measures such as speed indicator devices, school crossing patrols and traffic regulation orders.
Their proposals were rejected following a vote.
The budget was approved following a vote, with 40 councillors voting in favour and 14 against. Labour members and the council’s one Conservative councillor supported the proposals, while Liberal Democrats and Independents voted against.