Newcastle-under-Lyme | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Newcastle-under-Lyme market day and high street | |
 Newcastle-under-Lyme shown within Staffordshire | |
| Region | West Midlands |
| Non-metropolitan county |  Staffordshire |
| Status | Non-metropolitan district |
| Admin HQ | Newcastle-under-Lyme |
| Incorporated | 1 April 1974 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Non-metropolitan district council |
| • Body | Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council |
| • MPs | Adam Jogee (Labour) Karen Bradley (Conservative) Gavin Williamson (Conservative) |
| Area | |
• Total | 211.0 km2 (81.5 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 142nd(of 296) |
| Population (2024) | |
• Total | 127,727 |
| • Rank | 192nd(of 296) |
| • Density | 605.3/km2 (1,568/sq mi) |
| Ethnicity(2021) | |
| • Ethnic groups | |
| Religion(2021) | |
| • Religion | List
|
| Time zone | UTC0 (GMT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
| ONS code | 41UE (ONS) E07000195 (GSS) |
| OS grid reference | SJ8463746024 |
TheBorough of Newcastle-under-Lyme is alocal government district withborough status inStaffordshire, England.
It is named after the town ofNewcastle-under-Lyme, where the council is based. The borough also includes the town ofKidsgrove and several villages and surrounding rural areas lying generally to the west of Newcastle itself. Most of the borough's built-up areas form part ofThe Potteries Urban Area.
The neighbouring districts areStaffordshire Moorlands,Stoke-on-Trent,Stafford,Shropshire andCheshire East.
The town of Newcastle-under-Lyme was anancient borough, established in the 12th century. It is known to have been granted a charter (since lost) around 1173 byHenry II.[2][3] The earliest surviving charter dates from 1235. The borough was formally incorporated in 1590 under a new charter fromElizabeth I.[4]
The borough was reformed in 1836 to become amunicipal borough under theMunicipal Corporations Act 1835, which reformed many boroughs across the country. The municipal borough was enlarged several times, notably in 1932 when it took in what had been theWolstanton United Urban District, covering the parishes of Chesterton,Silverdale andWolstanton, and at the same time also absorbed the parish ofClayton fromNewcastle-under-Lyme Rural District.[5]
The modern district was created on 1 April 1974 under theLocal Government Act 1972 covering three former districts, which were all abolished at the same time:[6]
The new district was named Newcastle-under-Lyme after its largest town.[a][7] The district was granted borough status from its creation, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor, continuing Newcastle's series of mayors dating back to 1318.[8][9]
Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Leadership | |
Gordon Mole since 8 July 2024[12] | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 44 councillors |
Political groups |
|
| Elections | |
| First past the post | |
Last election | 5 May 2022 |
Next election | 7 May 2026 |
| Meeting place | |
_(geograph_5688535).jpg) | |
| Castle House, Barracks Road, Newcastle-under-Lyme, ST5 1BL | |
| Website | |
| www | |
Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council providesdistrict-level services.County-level services are provided byStaffordshire County Council. Parts of the borough are also covered bycivil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.[13][14]
The council has been underConservative majority control since 2021.
The first elections to the enlarged borough council were held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements came into effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:[15][16]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| No overall control | 1974–1979 | |
| Labour | 1979–2002 | |
| No overall control | 2002–2004 | |
| Labour | 2004–2006 | |
| No overall control | 2006–2012 | |
| Labour | 2012–2017 | |
| No overall control | 2017–2021 | |
| Conservative | 2021–present | |
The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Newcastle-under-Lyme, with political leadership provided instead by theleader of the council. The leaders since 1974 have been:[17]
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reg Lane[18][19] | Labour | 1 Apr 1974 | 18 May 1976 | |
| George Poole[19][20] | Conservative | 18 May 1976 | 1978 | |
| Brian Westrup[21] | Conservative | 1978 | May 1979 | |
| Bill Welsby[22] | Labour | 1979 | 1984 | |
| Mike Brereton[23][24] | Labour | Oct 1984 | May 1994 | |
| Eddie Boden[25][26][27] | Labour | 18 May 1994 | May 2003 | |
| David Leech[28][29] | Labour | May 2003 | May 2006 | |
| Simon Tagg[30] | Conservative | 24 May 2006 | May 2011 | |
| Stephen Sweeney[31][32] | Conservative | 18 May 2011 | May 2012 | |
| Gareth Snell[33][34] | Labour | 16 May 2012 | May 2014 | |
| Mike Stubbs[35][36][37] | Labour | 4 Jun 2014 | 20 May 2015 | |
| Elizabeth Shenton[37][38] | Labour | 20 May 2015 | 5 Dec 2017 | |
| Simon Tagg[39] | Conservative | 5 Dec 2017 | ||
Following the2022 election, and subsequent by-elections and changes of allegiance up to May 2025, the composition of the council was:[40][41]
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Conservative | 25 | |
| Labour | 17 | |
| Reform UK | 1 | |
| Independent | 1 | |
| Total | 44 | |
The next election is due in 2026.[41]
Since the last boundary changes in 2018 the council has comprised 44councillors representing 21wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years. The wards are:[42][43]
The council is based at Castle House on Barracks Road in the centre of Newcastle. The building was purpose-built for the council as a shared facility with Staffordshire County Council and the police, and opened in 2018.[44] Prior to that the council was based at the Civic Offices on Merrial Street which had been completed in 1967 for the old borough council.[45]
| Comparative census information | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2001 UK Census | Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme | England |
| Total population | 122,030 | 49,138,831 |
| White | 98% | 91% |
| Asian | 0.6% | 4.6% |
| Black | 0.2% | 2.3% |
| Christian | 78.5% | 72% |
| Muslim | 0.5% | 3.1% |
| Hindu | 0.2% | 1.1% |
| No religion | 13.1% | 15% |
| Unemployed | 2% | 3.3% |
In the 2001 census, the borough was recorded as having a population of 122,030 with 51.5% being female. In terms of religious affiliation, 78.5% identified themselves asChristian, 13.1% having no religion, 0.5%Muslim, 0.2%Hindu or other and 0.1% statingJewish orSikh.[46] In terms of economic occupation, 61.2% were classed as economically active, with 22.6% working inmanufacturing, 18.5% inwholesale orretail, 11.6% inhealth/social work, and 11.6% infinancial and other business related activities.[47]
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Newcastle-under-Lyme was chosen for the campus of University College of North Staffordshire, established in 1949 atKeele Hall in the village ofKeele, two miles from the town centre, and which was granted full university status asKeele University in 1962.Keele University Medical School is based in the grounds of theUniversity Hospital of North Staffordshire at Hartshill inStoke-on-Trent, about a mile from the centre of Newcastle-under-Lyme.
In terms of television, the area is served byBBC West Midlands andITV Central broadcasting fromBirmingham. Television signals are received theSutton Coldfield TV transmitter[48] and the Fenton relay transmitter.[49] However,Kidsgrove is served byBBC North West andITV Granada, broadcast fromSalford. Television signals in the town are received from theWinter Hill TV transmitter.[50]
Radio stations for the area areBBC Radio Stoke,Hits Radio Staffordshire & Cheshire,Greatest Hits Radio Staffordshire & Cheshire,6 Towns Radio andHitMix Radio, a community based station that broadcast fromNewcastle-under-Lyme.
The Sentinel is the local newspaper that covers the area.[51]
An area roughly corresponding to the pre-1974 municipal borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme (less the parish of Silverdale, created in 2002) is anunparished area; over half the borough's population live in this area.[52] The rest of the borough is divided into elevencivil parishes.[14] The parish council for Kidsgrove has declared that parish to be a town, allowing it to take the style "town council".[53]
The parishes are:
The following people, military units and organisations and groups have received theFreedom of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme.
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53°00′40″N2°13′44″W / 53.011°N 2.229°W /53.011; -2.229
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