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21/10/25 - Updated - Poppies on street lights
Updated - 21/10/2025
Cllr Sir Steve Houghton CBE, Leader of Barnsley Council, said: “There have been inaccurate reports on social media and in some news articles suggesting Barnsley Council has stopped the installation of poppies on street lights. This isn’t true.
“We value the dedication of groups that honour our fallen heroes, and we have always fully supported respectful poppy displays on street lights.
“We have recently updated guidance about how to do this safely, and as a result, Hoyland Remembrance and Parade Group announced they would not be installing Poppies in Hoyland this year.
“We said from the beginning that we were committed to working with community groups to ensure such tributes can be delivered safely and appropriately, and I’m pleased to say we now have found a way forward that we hope will now see the display go ahead.
“After listening to the group's concerns and through continued discussion and agreement with our Highways team, we'll be working together to find safe locations to install poppies. This will include lampposts, and where appropriate, some posts with road signs as long as the safe and legal use of these posts is preserved."
17/10/2025
We’ve seen reports on local Facebook groups that state we’ve stopped the installation of poppies on street lights. This isn’t true.
We value the dedication of groups that honour our fallen heroes, and we fully support respectful poppy displays on street lights. There might be a change in the process of how these are installed, but we have offered support to community groups to ensure tributes are delivered safely and appropriately.
A licence is required to attach any item to a street light. This applies borough-wide and is in place to protect everyone’s safety. An increase in unlicensed attachments prompted recent updates to guidance, but our commitment to remembrance remains strong.
Barnsley Council has supported the Hoyland and Rockingham Parade Group through the Love Where You Live programme, funding a flagpole to fly a commemorative flag, two benches to mark the centenary of the memorial’s installation, and improved paving at the Blacker Hill War Memorial. £1,815 ward alliance funding is also going towards the group for this year's Remembrance Service and Parade.
We remain committed to working with community groups to ensure such tributes can be delivered safely and appropriately.