Voters in Penistone East will elect a new Barnsley councillor on Thursday 20 August 2026, with eight candidates contesting a seat previously held by Reform UK.
The by-election follows the resignation of Councillor Kay Hughes for personal reasons. Hughes was elected in May when Penistone East returned two Labour councillors and one Reform councillor.
Polling stations will be open from 7am until 10pm. One councillor will be elected using the first-past-the-post system.
Penistone East by-election candidates
Barnsley Council has confirmed the following candidates:
| Candidate | Party |
| Eunice Asante | Reform UK |
| Steven John Burkinshaw | Conservative |
| Ehren Holt | Green Party |
| Peter Millar | Independent |
| John Roberts | Labour |
| Carlo Turner | Independent |
| Andy Waters | Liberal Democrats |
| David Wood | Restore Britain |
Why is the by-election being held?
The vacancy was created by the resignation of Reform UK councillor Kay Hughes, who stepped down for personal reasons shortly after being elected in May 2026.
Reform won control of Barnsley Council at that election, securing 42 of the authority's 63 seats. Labour won 11, the Liberal Democrats eight and Independents two. Hughes's departure left Reform defending the vacant seat while retaining a substantial council majority.
What happened in Penistone East in May?
Penistone East elected three councillors at the all-out Barnsley election on 7 May. Labour's Alex Burnett led the poll with 2,040 votes. Reform UK's Kay Hughes was second with 1,669, while Labour's Frances Nixon took the third seat with 1,645.
Labour by-election candidate John Roberts finished fourth with 1,632 votes, just 13 behind Nixon and 37 behind Hughes. Peter Millar, who is contesting the by-election as an Independent, received 1,604 votes as a Reform UK candidate in May.
| Leading candidate | Party in May 2026 | Votes | Outcome |
| Alex Burnett | Labour | 2,040 | Elected |
| Kay Hughes | Reform UK | 1,669 | Elected |
| Frances Nixon | Labour | 1,645 | Elected |
| John Roberts | Labour | 1,632 | Not elected |
| Peter Millar | Reform UK | 1,604 | Not elected |
| James Perigo | Reform UK | 1,529 | Not elected |
The May figures should not be treated as a direct forecast. Voters could support up to three candidates in that election, whereas the by-election offers a single vote for one vacancy. Candidate affiliations have also changed.
A test for Reform and Labour
The result will attract attention beyond the ward because it comes only three months after Reform took control of Barnsley Council, ending Labour's long period in charge.
For Reform, the contest is a defence of one of the seats that helped deliver its council majority. For Labour, it provides an early electoral test under Prime Minister Andy Burnham after recent national polling suggested an improvement in the party's support.
One ward cannot establish a national trend. Local candidates, turnout and the circumstances surrounding the vacancy may all influence the result. Nevertheless, the outcome will provide a limited indication of whether the political movement seen across Barnsley in May has continued.
Voting information
People voting in person must take an accepted form of photographic identification to the polling station. The registration, postal-vote, proxy-vote and free voter-authority-certificate application deadlines for this election have now passed.
This page will be updated with the complete result, turnout and winning majority once Barnsley Council declares the outcome.