Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme

Last updated

Newcastle-under-Lyme
High Street, Newcastle-under-Lyme (1).jpg
Newcastle-under-Lyme market day and high street
Newcastle-under-Lyme UK locator map.svg
Newcastle-under-Lyme shown within Staffordshire
Region West Midlands
Non-metropolitan county Staffordshire Flag.svg  Staffordshire
Status Non-metropolitan district
Admin HQ Newcastle-under-Lyme
Incorporated1 April 1974
Government
  TypeNon-metropolitan district council
  BodyNewcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council
   MPs Aaron Bell (Conservative)
Karen Bradley (Conservative)
Bill Cash (Conservative)
Area
  Total211.0 km2 (81.5 sq mi)
  Rank142nd (of 296)
Population
 (2021)
  Total123,025
  Rank193rd (of 296)
  Density580/km2 (1,500/sq mi)
Ethnicity (2021)
[1]
   Ethnic groups
List
Religion (2021)
[1]
   Religion
List
Time zone UTC0 (GMT)
  Summer (DST) UTC+1 (BST)
ONS code 41UE (ONS)
E07000195 (GSS)
OS grid reference SJ8463746024

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

Contents

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

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. [lower-alpha 1] [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

Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council
Newcaslte-under-Lyme Borough Council logo.svg
Type
Type
Leadership
Simon White,
Conservative
since 17 May 2023 [10]
Simon Tagg,
Conservative
since 5 December 2017
Martin Hamilton
since 2019 [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, Newcastle-under-Lyme (5) (geograph 5688535).jpg
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 Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Police hat badge.jpg
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

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 controlYears
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

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]

CouncillorPartyFromTo
Reg Lane [17] Labour 1 Apr 197418 May 1976
George Poole [18] Conservative 18 May 19761978
Brian Westrup Conservative 19781979
Bill Welsby [19] Labour 19791984
Mike Brereton [20] Labour 19849 May 1994
Eddie Boden [21] Labour 18 May 19944 May 2003
David Leech Labour 21 May 200324 May 2006
Simon Tagg Conservative 24 May 200618 May 2011
Stephen Sweeney Conservative 18 May 201116 May 2012
Gareth Snell Labour 16 May 201225 May 2014
Mike Stubbs Labour 4 Jun 201420 May 2015
Elizabeth Shenton Labour 20 May 20155 Dec 2017
Simon Tagg Conservative 5 Dec 2017

Composition

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

PartyCouncillors
Conservative 25
Labour 18
Independent 1
Total44

The next election is due in 2026.

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

Civic Offices, Merrial Street: Council's headquarters until 2018, since demolished. The Civic Offices - geograph.org.uk - 2477202.jpg
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

Comparative census information
2001 UK Census Borough of Newcastle-under-LymeEngland
Total population122,03049,138,831
White98%91%
Asian0.6%4.6%
Black0.2%2.3%
Christian78.5%72%
Muslim0.5%3.1%
Hindu0.2%1.1%
No religion13.1%15%
Unemployed2%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

Keele University is in the borough. Keele University - panoramio (4).jpg
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

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 the town.

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

Towns and parishes

Kidsgrove, the borough's second largest town Kidsgrove.jpg
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

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

Individuals

Military units

Organisations and Groups

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Staffordshire</span> County of England

Staffordshire is a landlocked ceremonial county in the West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the south-east, the West Midlands county and Worcestershire to the south, and Shropshire to the west. The largest settlement is the city of Stoke-on-Trent, and the county town is Stafford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stoke-on-Trent</span> City and unitary authority in England

Stoke-on-Trent is a city and unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England, with an area of 36 square miles (93 km2). In 2021, the city had an estimated population of 258,400. It is the largest settlement in Staffordshire and is surrounded by the towns of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Alsager, Kidsgrove and Biddulph, which form a conurbation around the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newcastle-under-Lyme</span> Market town in Staffordshire, England

Newcastle-under-Lyme is a market town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England. It is adjacent to the city of Stoke-on-Trent. In 2021 the population was 75,082.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kidsgrove</span> Human settlement in England

Kidsgrove is a town in the borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England, on the Cheshire border. It is part of the Potteries Urban Area, along with Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme. It has a population of 26,276. Most of the town is in the Kidsgrove ward, whilst the western part is in Ravenscliffe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Borough of Stafford</span> Non-metropolitan district and borough in England

The Borough of Stafford is a local government district with borough status in Staffordshire, England. It is named after Stafford, its largest town, which is where the council is based. The borough also includes the towns of Stone and Eccleshall, as well as numerous villages and surrounding rural areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Staffordshire Moorlands</span> Non-metropolitan district in England

Staffordshire Moorlands is a local government district in Staffordshire, England. Its council is based in Leek, the district's largest town. The district also contains the towns of Biddulph and Cheadle, along with a large rural area containing many villages. North-eastern parts of the district lie within the Peak District National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keele</span> Village in Staffordshire, England

Keele is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England. It is approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) west of Newcastle-under-Lyme, and is close to the village of Silverdale. Keele lies on the A53 road from Newcastle to Market Drayton and Shrewsbury. The village is the location of Keele University and Keele Services, a motorway service area on the M6.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newcastle-under-Lyme (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1885 onwards

Newcastle-under-Lyme is a constituency in northern Staffordshire created in 1354 and represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Aaron Bell of the Conservative Party. It was the last to be co-represented by a member of the Conservative Party when it was dual-member, before the 1885 general election which followed the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 coupled with the Reform Act 1884. In 1919 the local MP, Josiah Wedgwood, shifted his allegiance from the Liberal Party — the Lloyd George Coalition Liberals allying with the Conservatives — to the Labour Party and the seat elected the Labour candidate who has stood at each election for the next hundred years, a total of 29 elections in succession. Labour came close to losing the seat in 1969, 1986, 2015 and 2017, and eventually lost the seat in 2019.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tunstall, Staffordshire</span> Human settlement in England

Tunstall is one of the six towns that, along with Burslem, Longton, Fenton, Hanley and Stoke-upon-Trent, amalgamated to form the City of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, England. It was one of the original six towns that federated to form the city. Tunstall is the most northern, and fourth largest town of the Potteries. It is situated in the very northwest of the city borough, with its north and west boundaries being the city limit. It stands on a ridge of land between Fowlea Brook to the west and Scotia Brook to the east, surrounded by old tile-making and brick-making sites, some of which date back to the Middle Ages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chesterton, Staffordshire</span> Former mining village in Staffordshire, England

Chesterton is a former mining village on the edge of Newcastle-under-Lyme, in the Newcastle-under-Lyme district, in Staffordshire, England.

Wolstanton was a rural district in Staffordshire, England from 1894 to 1904. It was created by the Local Government Act 1894 based on Wolstanton rural sanitary district.

Basford is a suburb which sits on high ground between Newcastle-under-Lyme and Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newchapel, Staffordshire</span> Human settlement in England

Newchapel is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Kidsgrove, in the Newcastle-under-Lyme district, in the county of Staffordshire, England. In 1951 the parish had a population of 4135.

Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council elections are held every four years. Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council is the local authority for the non-metropolitan district of Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England. Since the last boundary changes in 2018, 47 councillors have been elected from 21 wards. Prior to 2018 elections were held three years out of every four, with a third of the council elected each time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keele Hall</span> Historic site in Keele, Staffordshire

Keele Hall is a 19th-century mansion house at Keele, Staffordshire, England, now standing on the campus of Keele University and serving as the university conference centre. It is a Grade II* listed building.

The federation of Stoke-on-Trent was the 1910 amalgamation of the six Staffordshire Potteries towns of Burslem, Tunstall, Stoke-upon-Trent, Hanley, Fenton and Longton into the single county borough of Stoke-on-Trent. The federation was one of the largest mergers of local authorities, involving the greatest number of previously separate urban authorities, to take place in England between the nineteenth century and the 1960s. The 1910 federation was the culmination of a process of urban growth and municipal change that started in the early 19th century.

References

  1. The statutory order naming the district includes the hyphens, but the council itself omits them in its corporate branding.
  1. 1 2 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, 17 May 2023" (PDF). Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  11. Johnson, Hayley (11 December 2023). "Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council's top officer to step down". Daily Focus. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  12. "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 May 2023
  13. 1 2 "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.

53°00′40″N2°13′44″W / 53.011°N 2.229°W / 53.011; -2.229