Barnsley Labour Watch

17/09/2026

**IS THE PARAMOUNT BECOMING A POLITICAL POWER GAME?**

There is a much bigger question that residents of Pen*stone need to be asking.

**Has the Paramount and Town Hall debate stopped being about the people of Pen*stone and started becoming about political power, influence and personal ambition?**

One elected town councillor has now stepped away from their position, and there are claims circulating about the treatment they received from other elected representatives.

If those claims are accurate, that raises serious questions about the culture within that current local town council of Pen*stone.

But there is another issue that deserves scrutiny.

There is a growing perception among some residents that the Mayor and Baroness may be using the Paramount/Town Hall issue to raise their political profile and strengthen their position within wider political circles, that is a question about political motivation, not a statement that this is what is happening. and potentially with ambitions that could ultimately include a seat in the House of Lords.

**That is a question about political motivation, not a statement that this is what is happening.**

But it is a perfectly legitimate question for residents to ask.

If an elected representative is involved in decisions concerning a major public asset, and those decisions also have the potential to increase their political profile, then surely residents have a right to ask:

**Who is this really being done for?**

**Is it for Pen*stone?**

**Is it for the people who use the Paramount?**

**Is it for the wider community?**

**Or are wider political ambitions becoming part of the picture?**

The Paramount is not a political trophy.

The Town Hall is not a vehicle for personal advancement.

These are important community assets, and decisions about their future should be based on transparency, accountability, evidence and the interests of the people they serve.

Residents should be able to ask questions without being dismissed as political opponents.

Councillors should be able to disagree without personal agendas becoming part of the debate.

And if there are political ambitions connected to this issue, residents deserve transparency about that too.

**The question isn't who can gain the most political influence from the Paramount.**

**The question is whether the people of Pen*stone are genuinely at the centre of the decisions being made about it.**

Because if this really has become a political power game, the public deserves to know.

**PENISTONE DESERVES ANSWERS.**

AND LET'S BE CLEAR ABOUT THE £1 MILLION

There has also been talk suggesting that the Paramount cannot continue because around £1 million of planned funding has been stopped.

But that funding related to the wider Town Hall redevelopment and building works, not simply the day-to-day running costs of the cinema.

If stopping that capital investment really means the Paramount cannot operate, then residents deserve to see the financial evidence explaining exactly why.

This shouldn't be about political spin.

It shouldn't be about personalities.

And it certainly shouldn't be about who has the most influence.

It should be about facts, figures and what is genuinely best for the people of Pen*stone and Barnsley.

And lets be clear the funding was for the building not the Cinema so this reply either lacks your understanding of what the funding would have been for or is it that you would intend to it use for propping up the cinema because it is running at a loss?

14/09/2026

🚨 SPECIAL POST !!**PENISTONE PARAMOUNT: WHAT WAS THE TOWN COUNCIL DOING?**

Before Barnsley Council commits **£1.8 MILLION of taxpayers' money** to Pen*stone Paramount, perhaps we need to ask some uncomfortable questions about how we got here.

The published **2025/26 figures** show:

💷 **Income:** £548,700
💷 **Expenditure:** £566,301
📉 **Forecast deficit:** £17,601

And **£244,525 is allocated to cinema staffing** — around **43% of total expenditure**.

That's a huge proportion of the Paramount's budget.

So residents have every right to ask whether the **staffing structure, operating model and financial management** have been properly scrutinised.

Then there's the subsidy history:

🔴 2021/22 — **£80,000**
🔴 2022/23 — **£30,000**
🔴 2023/24 — **£30,000**
🔴 2024/25 — **£15,000**
🟢 2025/26 — **£0**

That's **£155,000 of budgeted Town Council subsidy over five years**.

So here's the question that really needs answering:

# # # **WHAT WAS PENISTONE TOWN COUNCIL'S INVOLVEMENT?**

The Town Council operates the cinema.

It has been responsible for setting budgets.

It has provided significant financial support over the years.

So:

❓ **What financial monitoring was carried out? From YR21 - YR25?**

❓ **What questions did councillors ask when the Paramount was running deficits from YR21-25?**

❓ **What consideration was given to staffing costs and the operating model?**

❓ **What was the plan when the Town Council subsidy was being reduced?**

❓ **Why has the situation reached the point where Barnsley Council is now being asked to consider £1.8 MILLION of investment?**

❓ **How much rent do Paramount Pay? what was the special arrangement in the CAT (community asset transfer) lease that ends in 2045?**

And perhaps the biggest question:

# # # **WHY WAS THIS ALLOWED TO HAPPEN?**

I'm not suggesting anyone deliberately mismanaged the Paramount.

But when you're dealing with public money, **accountability matters**.

The 2026/27 forecast suddenly shows:

💷 Income — **£575,751**
💷 Expenditure — **£575,682**

That's just **£69 between the two figures**.

**What changed?**

If the financial position can apparently move from a £17,601 deficit to almost exactly breaking even, residents deserve to understand why.

And if the answer is that the Paramount now has a sustainable business model, **prove it**.

Because before another **£1.8 MILLION** of taxpayers' money is committed, we should know:

👉 What went wrong?
👉 Who was responsible for overseeing it?
👉 What has changed?
👉 What safeguards are now in place?
👉 And who pays if the forecasts are wrong?
👉 Were they hoping they could frame this on newly elected town councilors for Pen*stone?

**Pen*stone Paramount may be worth protecting.**

But protecting it doesn't mean giving its finances a free pass.

# # # **The Town Council needs to answer the questions.**

**What did you know, when did you know it, what did you do about it — and why are taxpayers now being asked for £1.8m?**

👇 **What do you think?**

10/09/2026

😂 **A VERY SINCERE APOLOGY TO BARNSLEY REFORM WATCH…**

We’d like to apologise to **Barnsley Reform Watch** for apparently upsetting them and, worst of all, **stealing their thunder** by actually talking about crime, council performance and what our councillors are doing in their wards. 😢

We really should have realised that there is only room for one group talking about Barnsley politics! 🙄

Apparently, according to the criticism we've received, asking questions about Labour-controlled wards and other wards is somehow a problem. Yet strangely, **Barnsley Reform Watch seems absolutely obsessed with Reform**. They appear to spend an awful lot of time talking about Reform — perhaps they should just bite the bullet and **join Reform!** 😂

And while we're at it, perhaps it's worth asking who is actually responsible for spreading **division and hostility**. We've seen accusations flying around about “hate” and claims that statistics about different wards are false. Rather than throwing accusations around, **why not publish the source and let residents check the figures for themselves?**

That's what we're doing — **asking questions, checking the numbers and challenging councillors from ALL parties**, whether the ward is Labour, Reform or controlled by another party.

If the figures are wrong, correct them.

If the questions are unfair, answer them.

And if you don't like people scrutinising those in power, **that's probably not a reason to stop asking questions — it's a reason to ask even more.** 😉

So once again, **sorry Barnsley Reform Watch for stealing your thunder.**

We'll try harder next time… although somehow I doubt we will. 😂

**Keep watching. Keep questioning. Keep checking the facts.**

09/09/2026

🚗💧 **CENTRAL WARD — IS THIS REALLY THE BEST WE CAN EXPECT FROM OUR LABOUR COUNCILLORS?**

It seems our Labour councillors in Central Ward are becoming very good at **spotting and reporting water leaks — apparently even while behind the wheel of a car!** 👀

But residents have to ask: **what else are they actually doing?**

With crime, anti-social behaviour, problems around the Interchange, litter and concerns about the state of our town centre, residents need councillors who are out there **taking action, demanding answers and standing up for the community** — not just reporting the odd leak.

Of course, reporting a water leak is useful. But being a councillor should be about **more than spotting problems from a car window**.

So here's the challenge to our Labour councillors in Central Ward:

👉 **What have you actually delivered for Central Ward?**
👉 **What action have you taken on crime and anti-social behaviour?**
👉 **What have you done about the problems at the Interchange?**
👉 **How many community initiatives have you personally organised?**
👉 **And what measurable difference have you made to residents' lives?**

**Central Ward deserves councillors who are visible, active and fighting for their community.**

💬 **Over to you, Labour — what have you actually done?**

02/09/2026

01/09/2026

💷 **ARE TAXPAYERS GETTING VALUE FOR MONEY? — A QUESTION FOR LABOUR COUNCILLORS**

Residents in Central and Old Town are entitled to ask a very simple question: **how is our taxpayers' money being spent, and what are we actually getting for it?**

We have seen litter picks, clean-up events and community initiatives involving councillors, ward alliances, council officers and volunteers. But when public money is being spent on these activities, residents deserve to know **exactly how much they cost, who organised them, how many council staff hours were involved, what equipment and resources were used, and what measurable difference they made.**

I'm not criticising volunteers who give up their own time — quite the opposite. They deserve enormous credit. The question is about **accountability for taxpayers' money**.

If council-funded teams, officers and resources are being used, where is the transparency? How much has been spent in **Central and Old Town over the last six months** on litter picking, environmental improvements and related activities?

And to our Labour councillors: **can you tell residents exactly what you've delivered, what it has cost, and whether you believe taxpayers are getting value for money?**

Residents shouldn't have to accept vague claims about “community action”. **Show us the figures. Show us the results. Show us where the money has gone.**

💷 **It's taxpayers' money — and residents have every right to ask questions.** or is this just simply Litter Pick Wars ??

01/09/2026

🚨 **WHO ACTUALLY GOT THE POLICE PATROLS IN PLACE AT BARNSLEY INTERCHANGE?**

Following the recent violence at Barnsley Interchange, the Central Ward Labour councillors issued a statement calling for action. We subsequently saw **Barnsley Central Neighbourhood Policing Team supported by Special Constables carrying out foot patrols in the town centre**, with police also reporting proactive policing at the Interchange.

But let's be clear about the facts: **I have yet to see evidence that any one Labour councillor personally arranged or commissioned those patrols.** The patrols were carried out by South Yorkshire Police.

So perhaps the question for our Labour councillors is simple: **what exactly did you ask the police and other authorities to do, when did you ask them, and what action did you secure as a result?**

Residents deserve transparency. If you raised the issue, tell us **what you asked for, who you contacted and what response you received**.

Because after the reports of violence against Interchange staff and the subsequent arrest of a 15-year-old, residents don't just want statements — **they want to know what concrete action was taken and who was responsible for getting it done.**

You decide was this just an opportunity to pass it off to the newly elected council ? was the dig in your statement necessary at this worrying time ?

31/08/2026

🚨 **OLD TOWN — WHAT ARE OUR LABOUR COUNCILLORS DOING ABOUT CRIME?**

The figures for Old Town should concern every resident.

The latest ward-level data shows **124 crimes per 1,000 residents** over the year to April 2026. That includes:

🔴 **Violence & sexual offences — 42.4 per 1,000**
⚠️ **Anti-social behaviour — 17.9 per 1,000**
🚨 **Public order offences — 12.5 per 1,000**
🛍️ **Shoplifting — 9.7 per 1,000**
🏚️ **Criminal damage & arson — 9.21 per 1,000**
🔑 **Other theft — 7.68 per 1,000**
🚗 **Vehicle crime — 6.36 per 1,000**
🏠 **Burglary — 6.24 per 1,000**
💷 **Robbery — 2.95 per 1,000**
💊 **Drug offences — 2.93 per 1,000**
🔪 **Possession of weapons — 1.63 per 1,000**

So the question to our **Labour councillors is simple: what are YOU doing?**

Residents shouldn't have to accept drug-related crime, anti-social behaviour, violence, criminal damage and disorder as part of everyday life.

Police are taking action — but **where is the political leadership from our councillors?**

What pressure are you putting on the council? What are you demanding from the police and other agencies? What are you doing to make sure residents' concerns are actually being addressed?

**How bad does it have to get before enough is enough?**

Old Town residents deserve to feel safe in their own community.

👉 **Labour councillors — tell residents what you are actually doing to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour in Old Town.**

30/08/2026

OLD TOWN BINGATE!! another fine mess Labour

How did these Labour councillors not realise that the bin wasn’t on public land and it was on BDGH land…? Don’t they know council bins have identifying numbers..? One quick email would have clarified this. This bin has been there years and has been emptied all that time.

They need to spend more time on ward priorities than having photo opportunities next to a bin that’s nothing to do with the council. Is BINGATE the most pressing issue in Old Town that needs a photo opportunity.? Must have been a slow week in Old Town..!’

https://www.facebook.com/share/18PcoiNNwT/?mibextid=wwXIfr

A DISPUTE between two public bodies has left an overflowing bin outside the main entrance of Barnsley Hospital unemptied... Local News News Barnsley South Yorkshire

30/08/2026

https://www.wearebarnsley.com/news/21116/calls-grow-for-action-after-reports-of-violence-against-interchange-security-staff?sfnsn=scwspwa

🚨 **HOW MUCH MORE HAS TO HAPPEN BEFORE OUR LABOUR COUNCILLORS ACT?**

Reports of violence against security staff at Barnsley Interchange should be a wake-up call. Staff should be able to do their jobs without fear of being assaulted, and passengers should be able to use our Interchange without feeling intimidated or unsafe.

So to our three Labour councillors for Barnsley Central, what are you actually doing about it?

Labour has held the Central ward seats through the recent elections — with Labour councillors elected in 2022, 2024 and again in 2026. That means residents have every right to ask what has been done over those years to tackle the problems around our town centre and Interchange.

We have already seen 1,809 police-recorded crimes in Barnsley Central in just six months, including 117 violence and sexual offences and 48 public-order offences in June alone. Now we're seeing reports of violence against Interchange security staff.

The police are responsible for policing, but councillors have a responsibility to **listen to residents, raise concerns, demand answers and push the relevant authorities to act.

So I have to ask: how much more has to happen? Does someone actually have to be seriously hurt before our Labour councillors take this seriously?**

Barnsley Central residents deserve action — **not excuses, not silence and not another promise to look into it.**

👉 Labour councillors: what are you going to do about it — and when?
Very quick to get your photo in the paper!

A LOCAL councillor has called for more robust action at Barnsley Interchange following reports of verbal and physical at... Local News Barnsley South Yorkshire