DECISIONS about whether notable Barnsley people should be given 'freedom of the borough' will be made next year.

Only Dickie Bird, Rita Britton and Lord Mason have been made freemen or freewomen of the borough.

The council has had no formal policy on how and when to decide who should be given the honour, but has now adopted a new policy that it be reviewed every five years, starting next year.

Leader of the council Sir Steve Houghton said: "We do get various requests but we've had no fixed policy or timescales on when to do it. We'll set up a process that every five years we look at honorary freemen of the borough.

"So we'll look in 2015 to see if there are any appropriate recommendations, and then every five years."