Labour announce candidate for Barnsley by-election in August

Barnsley Labour Group have announced their candidate for the upcoming Barnsley by-election for Penistone East.

The party has confirmed on social media that ex-councillor John Roberts will run in the by-election on Thursday, August 20, 2026.

Mr Roberts previously served as a councillor from 2024 until the May local elections, where he lost his seat to Reform’s Kay Hughes.

The election for Penistone East was a close one in May, with only 37 votes between Mr Roberts and the Reform UK candidate.

The by-election was triggered by outgoing councillor Kay Hughes resigning only eight weeks after being elected, due to personal reasons.

Mr Roberts said: “It was the honour of my life to serve our communities as a local councillor before and I would be honoured to have the opportunity to do so again.

“Penistone East needs another hard-working councillor who will get things done and deliver on the issues that you care about.”

To date, no other parties have officially announced their candidates for the by-election.

However, Barnsley Council said that all candidates will be formally announced on Friday, July 24.

Voters are encouraged to ensure they are registered by midnight on Tuesday, August 4, in order to vote in this election.

The full list of candidates for the by-election are:

- Eunice Asante - Reform UK

- Steven John Burkinshaw - Conservative Party

- Ehren Holt - Green Party

- Peter Millar - Independent

- John Roberts - Labour Party

- Carlo Turner - Independent

- Andy Waters - Liberal Democrats

- David Wood - Restore Britain

• RELATED: Pictures show pony hauled to safety by emergency crews after river incident
• RELATED: Households urged to stock up with essentials for three days in case of emergency
• RELATED: Man wanted by police over sex offences still missing after two years