Barnsley MBC is made up of 9 Forum areas. Each of these areas consists of two or three electoral wards. The councillors in those wards are joined by co-optees to form the Area Forum Committee. Area Forum meetings are council meetings held in public. Barnsley Central ward are joined with members from Kingstone and Old Town ward plus co-optees from the two residents associations. The meetings are held every six weeks in locations within the community.

At each of the meetings officers of the authority or partner organisations come along to give a presentation. Issues such as highways, health, education and budgets are among the topics covered. Representatives from the Safer Neighbourhood Team and the Area Forum Officer also give a report at each Forum meeting.

The Area Forum meetings and less formal than other council meetings and following questions to officers from the committee, with the consent of the ‘chair’ members of the public are invited to ask questions of the officers. At the end of each Forum meeting 30 minutes are allocated for public questions on issues which have not previously been raised.