Labour has secured a decisive council by-election victory in Barnsley, taking the Penistone East seat from Reform UK with more than half of the vote.
Labour candidate John Roberts received 1,728 votes — 51.6% of all votes cast — while Reform’s Eunice Asante finished second with 795 votes, or 23.8%.
Roberts won with a commanding majority of 933 votes. The Conservative candidate came third with 387 votes, followed by Restore Britain on 218.
According to figures published by Election Maps UK, Labour’s vote share increased by 14.4 percentage points, while Reform’s fell by 6.7 points.
Reacting to the result, Labour MP Dan Jarvis praised Roberts and the local campaign team.
Writing on X, Jarvis said:
“A big Labour gain from Reform in Barnsley.
“John Roberts won a resounding victory, winning over 50% of the vote in Penistone East and finishing 933 votes ahead — a terrific result for an excellent candidate.
“Well done, John and Barnsley Labour.”
The by-election was triggered by the resignation of Reform councillor Kay Hughes for personal reasons.
At the May 2026 local elections, Penistone East elected two Labour councillors and one Reform councillor. Roberts narrowly missed out on a seat at that contest but returned to win convincingly just three months later.
His victory means Labour now holds all three council seats in Penistone East.
The result is particularly significant after Reform took control of Barnsley Council in May, winning 42 of the authority’s 63 seats. Labour was reduced to 11 councillors at those elections, with the Liberal Democrats taking eight seats and independents securing two.
Reform remains in control of the council, but Labour’s gain increases its representation to 12 councillors and reduces Reform’s total to 41.
Turnout in the by-election was 38.58%, with seven ballot papers rejected.
The scale of the victory will encourage Labour campaigners hoping to win back voters who supported Reform in May and suggests the party is rebuilding support in one of its traditional heartlands.
