THREE people with links to Barnsley have been named in the King’s New Year’s Honours list.
The honours celebrate the contribution of well-known personalities, government employees and ordinary people who have served their community.
Barnsley Council’s chief executive Sarah Norman has been awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her ‘outstanding dedication and contribution to local government’.
Having joined the council in 2019, the local authority was awarded Council of the Year in 2023 by both the Local Government Chronicle and The MJ.
She has also supported initiatives across the borough like Health on the High Street, Pathways to Work, Love Where You Live and our Great Childhoods Ambition, including the very popular MiCard free bus travel for under 18s in Barnsley.
Sarah said: “I’m deeply honoured and humbled to receive this recognition.
“I am passionate about local government and the difference it can make in communities and working in Barnsley has been the highlight of my career.
“This honour is not just for me but reflects the commitment and hard work of the politicians and many partners and teams I’ve had the privilege to lead and work alongside.”
Leader of Barnsley Council Sir Steve Houghton added: “On behalf of Barnsley Council and our borough, I congratulate Sarah on this richly deserved honour.
“Her leadership and focus on people and place have strengthened Barnsley Council’s services and our communities.
“Sarah’s contribution exemplifies public service at its best, and we are proud to see it recognised nationally.”
Professor Andrew McMillan, originally from the town and the son of Bard of Barnsley Ian McMillan, has been awarded an MBE for services to literature.
Professor McMillan was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2020, and his first novel, Pity, was long-listed for the Dylan Thomas Prize in 2024, in addition to being named Sunday Times’ Best Book of 2024, BBC’s Most Anticipated Book of 2024, and/ Independent’s Best Fiction to Read in 2024.
In the same year he also launched The Tempest Prize, named after the Barnsley street in which he grew up, with the mission to find new unpublished LGBTQ+ writers from the north of England. /
The Tempest Prize will be awarded for the third time in 2026.
He said: “I’ve always felt very grateful to work alongside such wonderful colleagues and writers here at Manchester Met.
“Our job is always to pay forward what good fortune we’ve received, to our students and to other colleagues as well, and I look forward to continuing to be able to do that here in the years to come.”
Former Barnsley College principal Colin Booth has been handed an OBE for services to further education.
Colin was the chief at the college for seven years before he left to take on a role at Leeds City College in 2015.
He helped the college move from its ‘satisfactory’ - now known as ‘requires improvement’ Ofsted rating - to ‘outstanding’ in 2010.
