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All you need to know about local elections in Sheffield and Barnsley

Lucy AshtonSouth Yorkshire political reporter
BBC A small, short-haired, light brown coloured terrier dog is standing on a brick wall. In the background is a brick building with a black door and a sign saying "polling station"BBC
Moose the terrier is ready for polling day

Easter is a busy time of year for aspiring councillors as they ramp up their campaigning for this spring's round of local elections.

In South Yorkshire, both Sheffield City Council and Barnsley Council are holding elections this year. In Barnsley, it is "all-out", meaning all seats will be contested, while in Sheffield, a third of councillors will have to fight for their seats under the traditional "thirds" rotational system.

In both areas, polling day is Thursday 7 May.

This year is fallow for both Doncaster Council and Rotherham Council, which are due to hold all-out elections in 2029 and 2028 respectively.

'All out'

Barnsley town hall is a large, white stone building with a clock tower. Outside is steps and a large rust coloured sculpture which looks like a twisted hair comb
Barnsley Town Hall, where all councillors face re-election

Barnsley Council is holding all-out elections for the first time since 2004.

It means all 63 councillors will be elected at once rather the previous cycle of electing a third of councillors each year for three years, followed by a fourth year with no polls.

The change is because the Local Government Boundary Commission has made some minor amendments to wards.

The Labour Party has held a majority on Barnsley Council since the authority was formed in 1974.

Councillor Sir Steve Houghton has been leader for 30 years – he is currently the second longest-serving council leader in England.

The Liberal Democrats hold 12 seats, there are three Independents and one Conservative. Reform UK do not hold any seats, but Barnsley is a key target for the party.

Because every single councillor is up for election, it is one of the few councils nationwide where a new party could take control.

A third in Sheffield

Dozens of Sheffield councillors are sitting in the town hall chamber in rows of desks. They are facing a row of other councillors and the Lord Mayor
Sheffield councillors in the town hall chamber

Sheffield has what is known as "thirds" elections. This means 28 out of the 84 council seats will be contested. People in every ward will be able to vote, but only for one councillor.

There is currently no party in overall control of Sheffield City Council, meaning nobody ended up with an outright majority in 2024. Councillors agreed Labour's Tom Hunt would be leader.

The council make-up is 36 Labour, 28 Liberal Democrat, 14 Green, four Sheffield Community Councillors, one Independent and one Reform UK. There are no Conservative councillors.

Reform won a by-election in Stocksbridge ward in 2025 and the party will be hoping to make more gains across the city.

Sheffield operates as a committee system, rather than the Cabinet model which most authorities have. It means each party has control over different services so even a party with few councillors can still chair a committee.

Polling day

PA Media A black box has white letters saying Ballot Box and a hand is putting in a folded ballot paper into itPA Media
Polling day is Thursday 7 May

Polling day is on Thursday 7 May and you can vote between 07:00 and 22:00.

The deadline to register to vote is Monday 20 April and you can do this online.

An application for a postal vote must be submitted by 21 April and the deadline to submit an application to vote by proxy is 28 April.

If you go in person to the polling station, remember to take photo ID. You can check what is accepted here.

Both Sheffield and Barnsley will announce their results on Friday 8 May.

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