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Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme

Coordinates: 53°00′40″N 2°13′44″W / 53.011°N 2.229°W / 53.011; -2.229
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Newcastle-under-Lyme
Non-metropolitan district and borough
Newcastle-under-Lyme market day and high street
Newcastle-under-Lyme market day and high street
Newcastle-under-Lyme shown within Staffordshire
Newcastle-under-Lyme shown within Staffordshire
RegionWest Midlands
Non-metropolitan county Staffordshire
StatusNon-metropolitan district
Admin HQNewcastle-under-Lyme
Incorporated1 April 1974
Government
 • TypeNon-metropolitan district council
 • BodyNewcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council
 • MPsAaron Bell (Conservative)
Karen Bradley (Conservative)
Bill Cash (Conservative)
Area
 • Total211.0 km2 (81.5 sq mi)
 • Rank142nd (of 296)
Population
 (2022)
 • Total125,297
 • Rank191st (of 296)
 • Density590/km2 (1,500/sq mi)
Ethnicity (2021)
[1]
 • Ethnic groups
List
Religion (2021)
[1]
 • Religion
List
Time zoneUTC0 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (BST)
ONS code41UE (ONS)
E07000195 (GSS)
OS grid referenceSJ8463746024

The Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme is a local government district with borough status in Staffordshire, England.

It is named after the town of Newcastle-under-Lyme, where the council is based. The borough also includes the town of Kidsgrove 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 of The Potteries Urban Area.

The neighbouring districts are Staffordshire Moorlands, Stoke-on-Trent, Stafford, Shropshire and Cheshire East.

History

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The town of Newcastle-under-Lyme was an ancient borough, established in the twelfth century. It is known to have been granted a charter (since lost) around 1173 by Henry II.[2][3] The earliest surviving charter dates from 1235. The borough was formally incorporated in 1590 under a new charter from Elizabeth I.[4]

The borough was reformed in 1836 to become a municipal borough under the Municipal 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 the Wolstanton United Urban District, covering the parishes of Chesterton, Silverdale and Wolstanton, and at the same time also absorbed the parish of Clayton from Newcastle-under-Lyme Rural District.[5]

The modern district was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local 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]

Governance

[edit]
Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council
Logo
Type
Type
Leadership
Barry Panter,
Conservative
since 15 May 2024[10]
Simon Tagg,
Conservative
since 5 December 2017
Gordon Mole
since 8 July 2024[11]
Structure
Seats44 councillors
Political groups
Administration (25)
  Conservative (25)
Other parties (19)
  Labour (18)
  Independent (1)
Elections
First past the post
Last election
5 May 2022
Next election
7 May 2026
Meeting place
Castle House, Barracks Road, Newcastle-under-Lyme, ST5 1BL
Website
www.newcastle-staffs.gov.uk
Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Police hat badge, in the collection of the Staffordshire County Museum and displayed at the Shire Hall, Stafford

Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Staffordshire County Council. Parts of the borough are also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.[12][13]

Political control

[edit]

The council has been under Conservative 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:[14][15]

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

Leadership

[edit]

The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Newcastle-under-Lyme, with political leadership provided instead by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1974 have been:[16]

Councillor Party From To
Reg Lane[17] Labour 1 Apr 1974 18 May 1976
George Poole[18] Conservative 18 May 1976 1978
Brian Westrup Conservative 1978 1979
Bill Welsby[19] Labour 1979 1984
Mike Brereton[20] Labour 1984 9 May 1994
Eddie Boden[21] Labour 18 May 1994 4 May 2003
David Leech Labour 21 May 2003 24 May 2006
Simon Tagg Conservative 24 May 2006 18 May 2011
Stephen Sweeney Conservative 18 May 2011 16 May 2012
Gareth Snell Labour 16 May 2012 25 May 2014
Mike Stubbs Labour 4 Jun 2014 20 May 2015
Elizabeth Shenton Labour 20 May 2015 5 Dec 2017
Simon Tagg Conservative 5 Dec 2017

Composition

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Following the 2022 election and a subsequent change of allegiance in November 2023, the composition of the council was:[22]

Party Councillors
Conservative 25
Labour 18
Independent 1
Total 44

The next election is due in 2026.

Elections

[edit]
See also: Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2018 the council has comprised 44 councillors representing 21 wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years. The wards are:[23][24]

Premises

[edit]
Civic Offices, Merrial Street: Council's headquarters until 2018, since demolished.

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.[25] 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.[26]

Demography

[edit]
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. 78.% identified themselves as Christian, 13.1% having no religion, 0.5% Muslim, 0.2% Hindu or other and 0.1% stating Jewish or Sikh.[27] 61.2% were classed as economically active, with 22.6% working in manufacturing, 18.5% in wholesale or retail, 11.6% in health/social work and 11.6% in financial and other business related activities.[28]

Education

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Keele University is in the borough.

Newcastle-under-Lyme was chosen for the campus of University College of North Staffordshire, established in 1949 at Keele Hall in the village of Keele, two miles from the town centre, and which was granted full university status as Keele University in 1962. Keele University Medical School is based in the grounds of the University Hospital of North Staffordshire at Hartshill in Stoke-on-Trent, about a mile from the centre of Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Media

[edit]

In terms of television, the area is served by BBC West Midlands and ITV Central broadcasting from Birmingham. Television signals are received the Sutton Coldfield TV transmitter [29] and the Fenton relay transmitter. [30] However, Kidsgrove is served by BBC North West and ITV Granada, broadcast from Salford. Television signals in the town are received from the Winter Hill TV transmitter.[31]

Radio stations for the area are BBC Radio Stoke, Signal 1, Greatest Hits Radio Staffordshire & Cheshire, 6 Towns Radio and HitMix Radio, a community based station that broadcast from Newcastle-under-Lyme.

The Sentinel is the local newspaper that covers the area.[32]

Towns and parishes

[edit]
Further information: List of civil parishes in Staffordshire
Kidsgrove, the borough's second largest town

An area roughly corresponding to the pre-1974 municipal borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme (less the parish of Silverdale, created in 2002) is an unparished area; over half the borough's population live in this area.[33] The rest of the borough is divided into eleven civil parishes.[13] The parish council for Kidsgrove has declared that parish to be a town, allowing it to take the style "town council".[34]

The parishes are:

Freedom of the Borough

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The following people, military units and organisations and groups have received the Freedom of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Individuals

[edit]

Military units

[edit]

Organisations and Groups

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References

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  1. ^ The statutory order naming the district includes the hyphens, but the council itself omits them in its corporate branding.
  1. ^ a b UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – Newcastle-under-Lyme Local Authority (E07000195)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  2. ^ Jenkins, J. G., ed. (1963). A History of the County of Stafford: Volume 8. London: Victoria County History. pp. 24–39. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ "History of Newcastle". Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council. Archived from the original on 21 March 2009. Retrieved 20 January 2009.
  4. ^ Report of the Commissioners Appointed to Inquire into the Municipal Corporations in England and Wales: Appendix 3. 1835. p. 1951. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  5. ^ "Newcastle under Lyme Chapelry / Civil Parish". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  6. ^ "The English Non-metropolitan District (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 17 November 2023
  7. ^ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1973/551, retrieved 31 May 2023
  8. ^ "District Councils and Boroughs". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 28 March 1974. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  9. ^ "The history and role of the mayor". Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  10. ^ "Council minutes, 15 May 2024". Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  11. ^ "Top officer starts work". Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council. 8 July 2024. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  12. ^ "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 May 2023
  13. ^ a b "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  14. ^ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  15. ^ "Newcastle-Under-Lyme". BBC News Online. 19 April 2008. Retrieved 16 September 2009.
  16. ^ "Council minutes". Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  17. ^ "Set for new role at Newcastle". Evening Sentinel. Stoke-on-Trent. 4 March 1974. p. 16. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  18. ^ "Council houses for sale soon?". Evening Sentinel. Stoke-on-Trent. 19 May 1976. p. 1. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  19. ^ "Tribute to work of late leader". Evening Sentinel. Stoke-on-Trent. 4 October 1984. p. 7. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  20. ^ "Council leader in shock defeat". Evening Sentinel. Stoke-on-Trent. 6 May 1994. p. 17. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  21. ^ "New leader comes in fighting..." Evening Sentinel. Stoke-on-Trent. 11 May 1994. p. 4. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  22. ^ Boothroyd, David (17 November 2023). "Scottish Labour steels seat". Local Councils. Thorncliffe. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  23. ^ "The Newcastle-under-Lyme (Electoral Changes) Order 2017", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2017/1079, retrieved 28 December 2023
  24. ^ "E07 Non-metropolitan District: Newcastle-under-Lyme: Related: E05 Electoral Wards/Divisions in Newcastle-under-Lyme". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  25. ^ Corrigan, Phil (23 July 2018). "Take a look around new £15.4m council HQ and library which has finally opened after a 9-month delay". Stoke-on-Trent Live. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  26. ^ "£500,000 centre a milestone for Newcastle". Evening Sentinel. Stoke-on-Trent. 20 September 1967. p. 7. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  27. ^ "Newcastle-under-Lyme Social Profile" (PDF). Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 21 January 2007.
  28. ^ "Newcastle-under-Lyme Economic Profile" (PDF). Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 21 January 2007.
  29. ^ "Sutton Coldfield (Birmingham, England) Full Freeview transmitter". UK Free TV. 1 May 2004. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  30. ^ "Full Freeview on the Fenton (Stoke-on-Trent, England) transmitter". UK Free TV. 1 May 2004. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  31. ^ "Full Freeview on the Winter Hill (Bolton, England) transmitter". UK Free TV. May 2004. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  32. ^ "The Sentinel". British Papers. 22 September 2013. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  33. ^ "Newcastle-under-Lyme". City Population. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  34. ^ "Parish councils contact information". Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  35. ^ "Gordon Banks given freedom of Newcastle-under-Lyme award". BBC News. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  36. ^ "Former Stoke City kit man given Freedom of the Borough". Signal1. 27 November 2015. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  37. ^ "Royal Stoke awarded Freedom of the Borough for 'selfless work' during pandemic". 22 May 2021.
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53°00′40″N 2°13′44″W / 53.011°N 2.229°W / 53.011; -2.229

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