# Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme

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

The town of Newcastle-under-Lyme was an ancient borough, established in the 12th century. It is known to have been granted a charter (since lost) around 1173 by Henry II. The earliest surviving charter dates from 1235. The borough was formally incorporated in 1590 under a new charter from Elizabeth I.
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.
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:
* Kidsgrove Urban District
* Newcastle-under-Lyme Municipal Borough
* Newcastle-under-Lyme Rural District
The new district was named Newcastle-under-Lyme after its largest town. 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.

## Governance

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.

### 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:
| 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

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:
| Councillor | Party | From | To |
| Reg Lane | Labour | 1 Apr 1974 | 18 May 1976 |
| George Poole | Conservative | 18 May 1976 | 1978 |
| Brian Westrup | Conservative | 1978 | 1979 |
| Bill Welsby | Labour | 1979 | 1984 |
| Mike Brereton | Labour | 1984 | 9 May 1994 |
| Eddie Boden | 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

Following the 2022 election and a subsequent change of allegiance in November 2023, the composition of the council was:
| Party | Party | Councillors |
| | Conservative | 25 |
| | Labour | 18 |
| | Independent | 1 |
| Total | Total | 44 |
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:
* Audley
* Bradwell
* Clayton
* Crackley & Red Street
* Cross Heath
* Holditch & Chesterton
* Keele
* Kidsgrove & Ravenscliffe
* Knutton
* Loggerheads
* Madeley & Betley
* Maer & Whitmore
* May Bank
* Newchapel & Mow Cop
* Silverdale
* Talke & Butt Lane
* Thistleberry
* Town
* Westbury Park & Northwood
* Westlands
* Wolstanton

### Premises

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. 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.

## Demography

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 as Christian, 13.1% having no religion, 0.5% Muslim, 0.2% Hindu or other and 0.1% stating Jewish or Sikh. In terms of economic occupation, 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.

## Education

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 and the Fenton relay transmitter. 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.
Radio stations for the area are BBC Radio Stoke, Hits Radio Staffordshire & Cheshire, 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.

## Towns and parishes

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. The rest of the borough is divided into eleven civil parishes. The parish council for Kidsgrove has declared that parish to be a town, allowing it to take the style "town council".
The parishes are:
* Audley Rural
* Balterley
* Betley
* Chapel and Hill Chorlton
* Keele
* Kidsgrove
* Loggerheads, Staffordshire
* Madeley
* Maer
* Silverdale
* Whitmore

## 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

* Gordon Banks: 23 February 2018.
* Fred Van Buren and Connie Greta Van Buren 29 April 2019.
* Jim Worgan 2021.

### Military units

* The Staffordshire Regiment: 1973.

### Organisations and Groups

* The Royal Stoke University Hospital: 22 May 2021.

## Arms
### 1951

Coat of arms of Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme :
* NotesGranted 1 December 1951 by the College of Arms.
* CrestA semi lion queue fourchee Argent charged on the shoulder with a Stafford knot Gules and supporting a staff Proper flying therefrom a banner Azure charged with three garbs Or.
* EscutcheonOr on a base barry wavy of four Argent and Azure charged with three fishes naiant Proper a castle of three towers Gules on a chief also Azure a lion passant guardant between two fleurs-de-lys of the first.
* SupportersOn either side a lion guardant Sable supporting a scythe Proper.
* MottoPrisca Constantia

### 1975

Coat of arms of Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme :
* NotesGranted 4 March 1975 by the College of Arms.
* CrestIssuant from a mount an oak tree fructed supported by two kids all Proper the trunk enfilinf a Stafford knot Or.
* EscutcheonAzure issuant from a base barry wavy of four Argent and Azure charged with three fishes naiant two and one a mount Proper thereon a castle of three towers between in chief two Stafford knots Or.
* SupportersOn either sie a lion guardant Sable each supporting over the further shoulder a scythe pendent from the neck by a steel chain an open book Proper edged and bound Or.
* MottoConstantia Scientia Prudentia
* BadgeA Stafford knot ensigned by a castle of three towers Or.