Barnsley Council has generated more than £21 million from the sale of land and buildings since 2015, according to data obtained by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The data, obtained via a Freedom of Information request, lists more than 150 transactions over the past ten years.

Among the biggest sales was the former Wombwell High School site, which brought in £1.6 million in 2022.

The council also sold Priory Campus in Lundwood for £1.1 million in 2023, and the Rockingham Miners Welfare Ground in Hoyland, as part of a lease surrender and sale, fetched £40,000 in 2021.

Barnsley Council has generated more than £21 million from the sale of land and buildings since 2015

placeholder image — Barnsley Council has generated more than £21 million from the sale of land and buildings since 2015

In Barnsley town centre, the Berneslai Close Victorian building was sold in 2023 for just over £248,000, while the Berneslai Close offices had previously gone for £106,000 in 2022.

Elsewhere, land at Goldthorpe’s Barnburgh Lane raised £350,000, and plots at Nanny Marr Road in Darfield and Acorn Way in Grimethorpe also generated six-figure sums.

Several residential developments have also contributed to the total, including the newly built homes at Paddock View in Monk Bretton. These alone brought in more than £2.7 million, with 18 properties sold between January and July 2024, each for between £140,000 and £210,000.

While many of the lower-value transactions involved garage plots, garden extensions, or minor surplus land, the cumulative total across all sales since 2015 comes to around £21.47 million.

Councillor Robin Franklin, cabinet spokesperson for regeneration and culture, said the proceeds are ringfenced and can only be used for capital spending – such as building projects, road improvements or reducing council debt – not everyday running costs.

“When an asset is sold, the proceeds are either re-invested back into our capital programme to fund projects across the borough, or used to reduce existing borrowing commitments,” he said.

“Spending income from sales of assets is ringfenced for capital purposes. Examples include investment in our Town Centre, Principal Towns regeneration, improving our roads through the Highways Programme, and housing developments.”

However, the council did not provide a breakdown showing exactly how the money from each sale has been spent, but the council’s capital programme has funded major schemes like The Glass Works, road upgrades, and new housing.