Policies

CORE VALUES / ACCOUNTABILITY

Barnsley First Independent Group exists to serve residents, not institutions.

Everything we do is guided by a simple belief: if a decision affects local people, local people deserve to understand it, influence it and hold those responsible to account.

We are independent because accountability matters. Without independence, scrutiny weakens, decisions drift away from residents, and responsibility becomes blurred.

Our Core Values

Local People First
Decisions about Barnsley should be made in Barnsley, by people who live here and understand the impact of those decisions on everyday life.

Accountability and Integrity
Those who make decisions must be accountable for them. We believe in clear responsibility, honest explanations and consequences when things go wrong.

Common Sense in Every Decision
Good local government is practical, not ideological. We focus on what works, not what looks good on paper or suits party interests.

Respect for Frontline Workers
We value the people who deliver services day in, day out. When systems fail, responsibility should sit at senior and decision making levels, not with frontline staff who carry out instructions.

Transparency at Every Level
Trust depends on openness. Decisions should be recorded, published and accessible, without residents having to fight for information.

Our Approach to Accountability

Winning elections is only the beginning. Real accountability is about what happens afterwards.

Too often, power sits away from the front line, embedded in permanent structures that are insulated from consequences. Management grows, consultants rotate, and residents are told that rising costs and falling services are unavoidable.

We do not accept that.

Barnsley First Independent Group believes accountability means:

• Transparency by default, not by request
• Officers advising and elected representatives deciding
• Clear records of decisions and votes
• Consequences for senior failure
• Ending reliance on expensive consultants
• Protecting frontline workers from the fallout of poor leadership

Above all, accountability means loyalty to the public, not to systems or institutions. When forced to choose, our choice will always be the community.

Local people. Local voice. Local action.

RESPECT FOR FRONTLINE WORKERS

Barnsley First Independent Group has the utmost respect for the people who deliver local services every day.

• The bin crews.

• The carers.

• The housing officers.

• The planners.

• The call handlers.

These are the people residents see and rely on. They work under pressure, often with limited resources, and frequently carry the frustration and consequences of decisions made far above their pay grade.

When systems fail, frontline workers should not be the shield that protects poor leadership. Responsibility must sit where decisions are made.

Over time, local government has become increasingly top heavy. Management layers have expanded, consultants have been relied upon too heavily, and accountability has diminished. When things go wrong, senior responsibility is often unclear or absent, while frontline staff are left to manage the fallout.

Barnsley First Independent Group does not accept this as inevitable or fair.

Our Commitment

We will always:

• Defend frontline workers from being blamed for systemic or managerial failures
• Support clear lines of accountability at senior and decision making levels
• Challenge unnecessary bureaucracy that prevents staff from doing their jobs properly
• Push for resources to be focused on delivery, not management overheads
• Value experience, professionalism and local knowledge

Respecting frontline workers means building systems that support them, leadership that listens to them, and accountability that protects them.

Frontline staff should be empowered to deliver good services, not used as a buffer for poor decisions.

Local people. Local voice. Local action.

WHAT REAL REFORM MEANS IN BARNSLEY

Real reform is practical, not ideological.

Barnsley First believes reform means:

• Shrinking the top and strengthening the front line
• Transparency by default, not by request
• Clear consequences for senior failure
• Officers advising and elected representatives deciding
• Ending over reliance on expensive consultants
• Devolving power and budgets closer to communities
• Protecting the workers who actually deliver services

Frontline workers should never pay the price for managerial failure.

Power must sit where consequences are felt.

WHY BARNSLEY INDEPENDENTS MATTER

None of this happens unless we change the type of people we elect.

Reform is not delivered by louder politicians or slick performers. It is delivered by people who are independent minded, not career driven.

Barnsley First believes councillors should be:

• Free from party whips and national ladders
• Grounded in real life, not political bubbles
• Experienced in managing people, budgets and responsibility
• Calm, forensic and persistent
• Willing to follow the money and ask difficult questions
• Immune to intimidation and smears
• Transparent by instinct

Barnsley First councillors are loyal to residents, not institutions OR political parties.

PLANNING TRANSPARENCY

PLANNING TRANSPARENCY AND DEMOCRATIC ACCOUNTABILITY

Planning decisions shape Barnsley’s towns, villages, green spaces and neighbourhoods for generations. Residents have a right to know not only what decisions are made, but how and by whom.

Barnsley First will campaign for all planning committee decisions to include a formal, recorded vote for each councillor, clearly published and easily accessible.

If a planning decision is sound, it should stand up to public scrutiny.

HOUSING AND COMMUNITIES

Warm, safe homes are the foundation of stable lives.

Barnsley First will prioritise local people, tackle long-term voids, confront damp and mould failures, protect elderly and sheltered housing, and publish clear performance data so residents can see what is working and what is not.

ELDERLY PEOPLE’S SERVICES

Our parents and grandparents looked after us. We now have a duty to look after them.

Barnsley First will protect older residents from unsafe placements, push for reliable home care, defend fair access to transport and support measures that reduce isolation.

This is a measure of decency, not an optional policy.

JOBS, FINANCE AND VALUE FOR MONEY

Financial pressures are now biting deeply. While national funding matters, much of the strain on local services is the result of poor decisions, overspends and weak oversight.

Barnsley First will challenge waste, demand transparency, protect frontline services and support local jobs rather than outsourcing and consultants.

EDUCATION AND SEND

Education shapes life chances.

Barnsley First will support early identification of learning needs, stand with SEND families, challenge delays and ensure children are supported rather than blamed when systems fail.

CRIME AND COMMUNITY SAFETY

Residents have a right to feel safe.

Barnsley Independent Group will work closely with South Yorkshire Police and Safer Neighbourhood Teams. Barnsley First will build on this with visible policing, early intervention and firm action on antisocial behaviour.

One standard. For everyone.

ROADS, PAVEMENTS AND INFRASTRUCTURE

Many roads and pavements in Barnsley have been neglected for years. Hard winters have worsened the problem, but long-term underinvestment is the real cause.

Barnsley First will demand clear maintenance schedules, challenge failed projects and prioritise routes used by older residents and families.

OUR PROMISE TO BARNSLEY

People are not angry at public servants. They are angry at systems that no longer feel answerable.

They want value for money.

They want services that work.

They want honesty and respect.

And they are right.

Barnsley First stands for open decision making, clear accountability and local leadership that answers to the people.

Local people. Local voice. Local action.