We’ve exceeded our quarterly and year-end target by having more than 2% of the workforce being apprentices. This achievement demonstrates our commitment to providing new entrants and our employees with valuable opportunities to develop the skills and knowledge required for a rewarding career at Barnsley Council. 

Some of the fantastic achievements include: 

Healthy Barnsley 

• Adult Social Care reablement has seen remarkable success, with 83.75% of people completing their programme, exceeding the target of 75% for the second consecutive quarter. 

Learning Barnsley 

• More people have been visiting our libraries, in person and on the web, with over 173,000 visits this quarter, surpassing the target of 150,000 for the third quarter in a row. 

Growing Barnsley 

• Anti-social behaviour incidents in the town centre have decreased to 85, well below the target of 125, following a series of targeted initiatives aimed at continuing to make Barnsley a safe place for all our residents and visitors. 

Sustainable Barnsley 

• Visitor numbers to our museums and outdoor sites have been impressive, with over 432,000 visitors recorded, nearly 100,000 more than our target of 337,000. 

Our latest performance report also identified areas where more work is needed. The recycling rate of households was 41.17%, which is lower than the target of 45%. However, this is a significant improvement from last year's rate of 32.8%, reflecting the effectiveness of our ongoing efforts to enhance recycling processes and data accuracy. 

Wendy Popplewell, Executive Director for Core Services, said: “We have bold ambitions for what we want to achieve as a council and the communities we serve. Surpassing our apprenticeship targets reflects our dedication to fostering local talent and supporting our workforce to be innovative and brave. While we celebrate these achievements, we remain committed to addressing areas where improvement is needed, such as our household recycling rates to make sure that we protect our borough for future generations. 

“Our latest performance report highlights the fantastic progress we’re making towards our vision for the borough, which is a testament to the continued hard work of our employees with the support of our partners and you, our communities.” 

Our latest performance report will be discussed at Cabinet on Tuesday 11 June. You can learn more about the progress we’ve made in 2023-2024 on our online dashboard.