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BOTH Barnsley Central and Barnsley East have been retained by Labour's Dan Jarvis and Stephanie Peacock.
However on a bad night for Labour nationally, their majorities have been significantly reduced.
Dan Jarvis's majority has been slashed by almost 12,000 to 3,571, having been 15,546 at the last election.
Stephanie Peacock lost more than 10,000 voters since the last election, with a majority of 3,217. It had been 13,283.
Penistone and Stocksbridge may well be among one of dozens of Labour seats which are expected to be lost to the governing Conservative party.
Nationally, exit poll information predicts a sizeable Conservative majority, with the Labour Party losing as many as 71 of the seats it won in 2017.
Mr Jarvis said: “I’m proud to have been re-elected. Clearly it’s been a difficult night for the Labour Party and we’re still processing the scale of the defeat but I am delighted that I’ve been re-elected along with Stephanie Peacock.
“This is a campaign the likes of which we have not seen before.
“It has been fought through the winter months, it has been fought predominantly on the issue of Brexit which has been a very challenging issue for the Labour Party and Barnsley where people voted overwhelmingly for leave.
“I’m delighted I’ve been re-elected and I look forward to serving my constituency in this next parliament.”
Stephanie Peacock said: "Too many people have told me they feel ignored, forgotten and abandoned.
"Rest assured, I have heard you all. It is not a good night for my party. The Labour Party was formed to fight for working people and I will now do everything I can to make sure it returns to doing just that.
"I will continue to stand up and fight in Westminster where I will always put Barnsley East first."
Results:
BARNSLEY CENTRAL
Dan Jarvis, Labour, 14,804 - 40.1%
Victoria Felton, Brexit Party, 11,233 - 30.4%
Iftikhar Ahmed, Conservative, 7,892 - 21.4%
Will Sapwell, Liberal Democrat, 1,176 - 3.2%
Tom Heyes, Green, 900 - 2.4%
Ryan Williams, Yorkshire Party, 710 - 1.9%
Donald Wood, independent, 188 - 0.5%
BARNSLEY EAST
Stephanie Peacock, Labour, 14,329 - 37.6%
Jim Ferguson, Brexit Party, 11,112 - 29.2%
Adam Fenton, Conservative, 10,377 - 27.3%
Sophie Thornton, Liberal Democrat, 1,330 - 3.5%
Richard Trotman, Green, 922 - 2.4%
PENISTONE AND STOCKSBRIDGE
John Booker, Brexit Party,
Miriam Cates, Conservative,
Francyne Johnson, Labour,
Hannah Kitching, Liberal Democrat,
WENTWORTH AND DEARNE
Emily Barley, Conservative,
David Bettney, Social Democratic Party,
Lucy Brown, Yorkshire Party,
Stephen Cavell, Brexit Party,
John Healey, Labour,
Janice Middleton, Liberal Democrat,
Turnout figures were 56 per cent for Barnsley Central and for 55 per cent for Barnsley East.
Man guilty of gift set theft
A MAN who attempted to steal four gift sets from Boots in Barnsley town centre has been given a community order.
Neil Davies, of Princess Street, Barnsley, was caught on November 18 with the items worth £193.
The 35-year-old, whose order includes a 15-day rehabilitation requirement, was also told to pay a surcharge of £92 and court costs of £85.
Items seized following car search
DRUGS and a knife were seized after police stopped a car close to a secondary school.
On Wednesday, police spotted a car on Dove Valley Way on an access road to Netherwood Academy.
Three men were in the car and it was searched under the misuse of drugs act as the smell of cannabis was detected.
Police found a knife, an extendable baton and cannabis was found in the vehicle.
The driver, a 22-year-old man, has been reported on summons for possessing a bladed article, offensive weapon and possession of cannabis. A 19-year-old man was cautioned for possession of cannabis.
Shaun goes silver with record
BARNSLEY actor Shaun Dooley is celebrating after receiving the news that his charity album has gone silver.
More than 60,000 copies of the album Got It Covered have been sold since the album went on sale in November. The album features a selection of covers from celebrities including Luke Evans, Olivia Colman and Suranne Jones who all picked a song that is meaningful to them.
The album was recorded in the famous Abbey Road Studios in London and Shaun was even visited by Taylor Swift while he was recording his cover of her song Never Grow Up.
On its release, Got It Covered shot to the top of the charts before being moved to the Official Compilation Chart where it currently occupies position 17, and Shaun has since released his song as a single which is currently vying for the position of Christmas number one.
The accolades keep coming as it was announced that the album has achieved a silver record with all proceeds from sales going to Children in Need.
Community rallies round John
AN ELDERLY anti-crime campaigner who was left at his ‘lowest’ after a car crash has been touched by the community’s support in getting him back behind the wheel.
John Hallows was driving his seven-year-old Kia Picanto near his home when what he described as ‘four youths’ driving a suspected stolen car on the wrong side of the road ploughed into him, leaving the car ‘totally destroyed’.
John, 82, of Riber Avenue, Athersley South, has worked tirelessly to drive down burglary and crime for nearly 40 years as Barnsley’s Neighbourhood Watch chairman.
“I was very shook up,” he said.
“I was driving at approximately 15 to 20 miles per hour slowing down for the junction on Wingfield Road.
“Then, a car came around the corner on the wrong side and crashed into me, wrote-off my car and ran away.”
Despite the shock and personal loss of his car, long-serving community activist John’s concerns immediately turned to the voluntary work he does and how the loss of his car and independence would affect it.
“I was without a car and no longer able to continue on with everything I do,” he said.
“To say I was at the lowest I have ever been would be an understatement.
“I thought it was the end of the world for me at 82.”
John lives alone as his family lives in Brighton, so he was worried how he was going to cope without a car.
But soon after the crash, John’s neighbours and friends began rallying around him to help support John, who feared he would never drive again.
They helped him move his stricken car – and even helped him get another one.
“Residents came out after the incident and helped the police with information, they emptied my car and took me home.
“Since then, lots of other people further up my street who I had never met have been to see if they could help in any way.”
Some of John’s friends even helped him financially in the process of getting him back on the road.
“One of my friends gave me £300 towards getting a new car after I thought I’d had my independence taken away. I was blown away.
“Then another friend took me to Grimethorpe to get a new car.”
Coun Jenny Platts, who has seen John’s work first-hand, said she was really disappointed to hear about the crash.
“John doesn’t just work around Athersley, he works across Barnsley and the borough with Neighbourhood Watch,” she said.
“John fits safety cameras around the area, attends and leads crime meetings, and if anyone has a problem, he’s always there to help.
“He is highly committed to helping people and is a fantastic person.”
John cannot get over the generosity and support he has had. It has helped him quickly organise a new car which he will receive today at a cost of £1,700.
“I have spoken with the police who are pursuing the issue further. I do hope those who did this to my car are rightly punished.”
A spokesman from South Yorkshire Police, said: “Two cars are reported to have collided, blocking the road.
“The occupants of one of the vehicles fled the scene.
“On attending the scene, police established that the abandoned vehicle had recently been reported as stolen.
“No injuries have been reported and enquiries are underway.”
Now, John is looking ahead to getting on the roads again.
“The support I received has once again given me a belief in human nature and I now have a smile on my face,” he said.
“Thanks to my friends and the community, I get a fresh car at the end of the week and will be back in action and able to get around.
“It reminds me of when I was very young during the war, and how everyone pulled together and helped each other. Long may that spirit last.”
- If anyone has any information, please call 101 quoting incident number 463 of November 23.
‘Town centre spice battle is being won’
POLICE in Barnsley have revealed that drug abuse relating to a former legal high known as spice is reducing – but confirmed that more proactive work will be done to tackle an issue that’s blighted the town centre in recent years.
Spice, a synthetic cannabinoid available for as little as £2, which takes effect within five to ten minutes and lasts for up to five hours, leaves users either collapsed on pavements or in a zombie-like upright position.
The drug was re-designated as a Class B substance and although people who are found with the drug on them can be arrested for possession, users often ingest quickly.
According to police figures, just 20 incidents of spice abuse were reported in Barnsley town centre in 2017, something which grew to 136 last year.
A police report said: “There has been little change in the nature of the drugs market over the last few years, with the exception of synthetic cannabinoids, more commonly known as spice.
“Barnsley has seen the use of spice reduced, although further analysis needs to be undertaken in relation to the reasons for this.
“In the last year, 82 per cent of organised crime members were linked to drug-related activity including the supply, cultivation and importation.
“In 2018 there was a ten per cent increase in arrests for drug-related offences on the previous year’s figures, which is a result of proactive policing and increased detection rates, leading to prosecutions.”
Increased stop and searches, as well as a public space protection order (PSPO) which prevents abusers from entering the town centre have been hailed as a success.
The 21-month prison term given to a ‘key spice distributor’ – 27-year-old Timothy Wood – in May has also had a knock-on effect on reports, according to police.
South Yorkshire Police received 1,174 calls from members of the public in the town last year expressing concerns for people believed to have taken spice in the public realm and, in 80 per cent of those cases, an ambulance was required to attend.
Sergeant Matt Wood, from the town centre-based policing team, told the Chronicle: “Spice has been easy to get hold of and it’s cheap. Cocaine habits can cost hundreds of pounds a day but spice is obviously a lot less.
“The town centre’s PSPO does help to move users on, something which we’ve seen recently, but it doesn’t assist us with tackling the suppliers.
“It’s one of our key priorities and we will continue to work towards stopping the distribution of spice. Stop and searches and the targeting of dealers will continue in order to make Barnsley town centre safer for everyone.”
Meetings have also taken place with Barnsley Council officers responsible for the commissioning of substance misuse services, while a councillors’ scrutiny panel recommended that the borough’s schools deliver more health education classes – with an emphasis on spice – which are set to come into force from September 2020.
A council spokesperson added: “As part of its work programme, the overview and scrutiny committee agreed to undertake a task and finish group investigation into substance misuse in Barnsley.
“Given the heightened profile of substance misuse both locally and nationally, the committee felt it was an opportune time to undertake work in this area.
“While we recognise the importance of substance misuse prevention work being delivered in schools it should be noted that as a council we have no direct control over how schools choose to deliver the personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) curriculum.
“However, we are working with school leaders to influence the content of the curriculum through a PSHE network.
“The officer leading on this piece of work will continue to work in partnership with the Barnsley Schools Alliance and other key partners to highlight the importance of substance misuse prevention and education and will feedback progress as this work develops.”
- To report antisocial behaviour or crime, call 101 or 999 in an emergency. You can also report incidents by emailing safer@barnsley.gov.uk.
Upcoming Events
Aardvark Joinery Winter Wonderland
Charity winter market and Christmas tree sales raising money for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.
Hot Food and Drink with a mixture of craft stalls in various log cabins within the show site, all surrounded by real Christmas trees and fairy lights. Meet our friendly team while having a good time and raising money for a good cause.
Aladdin Family Pantomime Lundwood
MAMA brings to you one amazing spell binding family pantomime.
Abanazar, an evil Egyptian magician, has discovered a way to become Master of the Universe.
All he needs is an enchanted oil lamp hidden away for many years in a lost cave.
But only the 'chosen one' is allowed to set foot inside.
Meanwhile, in the village of 'Won Long Poo', Aladdin dreams of marrying the beautiful Princess Jasmine but a penniless laundry boy could never hope to have the love of a Royal.
Could he be the chosen one?
Festive Carol Concert
The perfect way to start the festive season with beautiful music performed by local church choirs accompanied by wonderful Worsbrough Brass Band.
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RSPCA Cat Rehoming
Bracken and Rowan (F/M 9 weeks)
9 week old siblings Bramble and Fern were brought in by RSPCA Inspectors having been found in a garden at only 4 weeks old along with their mum who was unable to feed them - on examination mum was found to have a nasty wound (thought to have been caused by wire netting) which was infected - leaving her without milk.
The kittens were then hand-reared by one of our amazing fosterers and are now ready to find their forever home together.
Very affectionate kittens who play together constantly and then fall asleep on your lap !!
Mum cat has made a full recovery and is now much loved in her new home.
Bramble and Fern (F 9 weeks)
9 week old sisters Bramble and Fern were brought in by RSPCA Inspectors having been found in a garden at only 4 weeks old along with their mum who was unable to feed them - on examination mum was found to have a nasty wound (thought to have been caused by wire netting) which was infected - leaving her without milk.
The kittens were then hand-reared by one of our amazing fosterers and are now ready to find their forever home together.
Very affectionate kittens who play together constantly and then fall asleep on your lap !!
Mum cat has made a full recovery and is now much loved in her new home.
Kitkat
This sweet little kitten is only about 9 weeks old but was brought in by RSPCA Inspectors having been found in a cardboard box on the roadside - a really cruel
and heartless thing to do and obviously dangerous so we are grateful to the member of the public who alerted us to her plight.
She was very skinny and dirty but has now had several baths and a complete overhaul by the vets and is a ready to look for her forever home.
She has been a complete sweetie never complaining about all her her soapy baths and is now looking really gorgeous and is full of purrs!
Kitkat has had an awful start to her young life but is a very gentle kitten.
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Dawn’s hard work is recognised at awards
A MUM whose daughter died of a rare condition days before her tenth birthday has been honoured for her tireless fundraising for Bluebell Wood.
Dawn Cusworth, 46, was recognised at the Stars of Hoyland awards after helping raise more than £19,000 for the place she spent her last moments with daughter Mia.
Mia, described by her mum as a ‘really happy girl who was always singing and dancing’, was diagnosed with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis in 2018, and died eight days later.
“When Mia started feeling poorly we thought it was just a virus, but she just kept getting worse,” said Dawn, of Wood View Birdwell.
“She wasn’t eating or drinking, and spent more of her time asleep.
“At the start of her treatment, we had to make so many decisions. I had to explain to Mia that she would lose her long, beautiful blonde hair.
“The doctors also told us the treatment could make her infertile, but we knew that because HLH was so aggressive, this could be her only chance.”
Mia’s condition rapidly deteriorated until there was nothing more doctors could do. She died at Sheffield Children’s Hospital, and it was the Dawn that made the decision to take Mia to Bluebell Wood.
“The care team couldn’t do enough for us when we arrived,” said Dawn.
“We spent what would have been Mia’s tenth birthday at the hospice and it helped being there with all our friends and family around us.”
Over the past year, Dawn has thrown herself into fundraising, organising a winter fair at Mia’s school, taking on Bluebell Wood’s Mud Madness race and holding a charity ball in her daughter’s name.
Now Dawn has been honoured at the recent Stars of Hoyland awards, taking home Charity Fundraiser of the Year.
“In just eight days, everything changed so rapidly for Mia, and our whole family,” said Dawn.
“Staying at the hospice after she passed away was so important for all of us. The support they offered was priceless, so I just want to raise as much money as I can for this incredible charity.”
Anna Gott, community fundraiser at Bluebell Wood, said: “Dawn is nothing short of inspirational and we know that Mia would be incredibly proud of all she’s done.
“She is a star in every sense of the word and we’re incredibly pleased she’s been honoured by her own community.”
Deported woman’s story to be told…
THE story of a Barnsley woman who spent almost two years in a New Zealand jail having defrauded the country’s transport ministry has been turned into a documentary.
Joanne Harrison, 53, was deported to the UK earlier this year having served half of her 43-month prison sentence given to her for stealing 725,000 dollars – the equivalent of £418,000.
At the time Manukau District Court was told Harrison, whose maiden name was Sidebottom and is believed to have attended Darton High School, was employed as a general manager at the ministry in Wellington and was authorised to spend public funds.
However, over the course of two years Harrison – also known as Joanne Sharp – made false invoices to three fake entities to misappropriate the money into her own accounts from 2008.
She then used the money to pay off credit card debts and a mortgage on a house.
Her story has been turned into a 43-minute documentary in New Zealand – titled The Fraudster: Life and Crimes of a Conwoman – made by production firm Stuff Circuit.
Investigators uncovered more facts about Harrison, who previously pleaded guilty to five charges of forgery, using a forged document, altering a document, using an altered document and obtaining by deception in 2007 under the name of Joanne Sharp.
A spokesman from Stuff Circuit told the Chronicle: “The charges related to her time as a senior manager at Tower Insurance – she was convicted in July 2007 of all the charges, and sentenced to 300 hours’ community service.
“At a subsequent hearing she was granted permanent name suppression, because of the order in place for Joanne Sharp, her previous fraud offending has not been revealed until now.”
Stuff Circuit pursued legal action in order to lift the order – which was a success – and the documentary tells the story of how the Barnsley woman was able to ‘trick’ her way into another high-paid role under the surname of Harrison, which it’s understood she still uses.
“The judge accepted our submissions that ‘the subsequent offending establishes a propensity or pattern of dishonest behaviour that the public is entitled to be informed and warned about’ and that there is ‘a heightened public interest in knowing how repeat offenders are dealt with, and in particular how it is possible that a convicted fraudster came to be employed by a government department, in a position which allowed her to reoffend’. Harrison charmed her way through corporate and government jobs, leaving a trail of carnage.
“She duped senior executives who have been left shaking their heads at the fact they’d been taken in.”
The country’s parole board approved Harrison’s deportation earlier this year and a report revealed she had been undertaking neuropsychological work to address faulty thinking ahead of her release.
It added: “Ms Harrison does not underestimate the challenges that she will face when she returns to the community. However, she sees herself as now being in the strongest position possible to return to the UK and to begin a new life for herself.
“We talked to Ms Harrison about the risks that she will face back in the UK and her ongoing risk to the community.
“She said that initially she will be supported financially and she plans to investigate re-training in the nutritionist or mindfulness field.
“She said she has never offended in a fraudulent way in the UK and has no convictions there. She said she began thinking of fraudulent offending while residing there but did not offend.
“Despite having used several different names to commit her fraudulent activities, Ms Harrison told the board she plans to use the name Joanne Harrison when she returns.
“She said that there is an awareness of her offending in the area to which she will be returning because the New Zealand media reports reached that location as well.”
'Significant' progress across Barnsley schools
‘SIGNIFICANT progress’ in attainment is being celebrated across Barnsley schools after a report found that they were performing above the national average.
The provisional education outcomes report, which was discussed at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, saw Barnsley rank higher than Rotherham, Doncaster and Sheffield for attainment in GCSE maths and English.
Rachel Dickinson, executive director of people directorate, said that that the outcome is ‘something to celebrate’, with the results also finding that boys in key stage two were outperforming their peers nationally in maths for the first time.
The report said: “The percentage of pupils achieving a strong pass in English language, English literature and maths at key stage four is above national for the very first time since its introduction in 2016/17.
“The positive gap in key stage two mathematics has improved further and boys now outperform their peers nationally.”
Barnsley has 41 schools run by the local authority and 50 academies. In 2010, they ranked 148 out of 150, but this year Barnsley ranked 112 out of 150 in England.
Nick Bowen, executive principal of Horizon Community College, said that the Barnsley Schools Alliance’s partnership approach and monthly meetings with headteachers across the borough had contributed to the outcome of this year’s results.
He said: “When I began eight years ago each year when the end of year results came in we ranked 148 or 149. We’ve made significant improvements and implemented new measures which is reflected in our progress.
“Barnsley was no doubt performing poorly, but now we have something to shout about and be proud. The sector-led improvement partnership with the local authority to drive improvement sees all the heads of secondary schools meet each month and we support and challenge each other so there is no reason why we can’t continue to move further up the table.
“The Barnsley Schools Alliance has been the envy of of authorities across the country and we have had people come and see how we make it work. It’s unique but we don’t take it for granted. We all engage and we can now see the value from the results and we should celebrate this outcome.”
With the number of schools in Barnsley now part of an academy chain, Ms Dickinson insisted the council is still invested in seeing Barnsley schools thrive.
She added: “The local authority has shrunk and expertise now sits in schools and the academy trusts. We want to see Barnsley children progress and we are actively working together to meet the needs of the children.
“There is still a sense of competition between the schools across the borough but we want to assure parents that they don’t have to send their child miles away in order for them to have a good education.
“We are celebrating achievement and our outstanding provision. We accept that the children are working hard and our young people have a desire to achieve and do well. When you see what can be done it drives us on.”
Nicola Smith, head at Meadstead Primary Academy in Royston, told the Chronicle that primary and secondary schools were working together to keep driving improvement.
“There are many more primary schools in Barnsley than there are secondary schools but we are committed to building a strong partnership so that every school in the borough is delivering for the kids,” she said.
Barnsley woman celebrates turning 106
A WOMAN believed to be the oldest person in Barnsley celebrated her 106th birthday but insists that she ‘doesn’t feel’ her age.
Clarice Brooke was born on December 12, 1913, during the reign of George V and the rise of the suffragette movement.
Born in Pilley, Clarice has lived through two world wars as well as 12 monarchs, and despite her growing age, she shows no signs of stopping any time soon.
“I genuinely don’t believe she thinks she is 106,” said Clarice’s granddaughter, Laura Chantrey, 38. “She
has always been very active and she refuses to refer to herself as ‘old’. She lived on her own until she was 103, and up until her 80s she would play with her grandchildren in the woods – she’s young at heart.
“She would bake her own bread every Saturday and was still gardening well into her 90s. Everyone in Pilley called her ‘Grandma Brooke’ because her house was always open to anybody – there would always be a garden full of kids playing and I haven’t met anybody who didn’t like her.”
Clarice now lives in Rockley Dene Nursing Home, Worsbrough alongside her daughter Christine Wood who moved into the home two years ago.
“It’s not often that you have a mother and daughter in the same nursing home,” added Laura. “People often look a bit confused when I tell them that I am going to the nursing home to visit my auntie and my grandma at the same time – they can’t believe it.”
Clarice credits her long life with eating a proper breakfast, something she has regularly told her family.
“She has always eaten the same breakfast,” said Laura. “Every day she has cereal, then bread with honey and a cup of coffee. She always said to us when we were younger that if we have a good breakfast we will live to be as old as her.
“Despite her age she is still sharp as a whip, she can tell us something that happened 60 years ago, and she never fails to tell one of us off if we have done something wrong.”
Clarice celebrated her birthday yesterday with family and friends including her two children, five grandchildren, ten great grandchildren and one great-great-granddaughter.
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