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Newcastle City Council

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For the council of the city in Australia, see City of Newcastle.

Newcastle City Council
Newcastle City Council logo
Type
Type
Leadership
Henry Gallagher, Liberal Democrats
since 28 May 2025[1]
Colin Ferguson, Liberal Democrats
since 27 May 2026[2]
Pam Smith
since January 2022[3]
Structure
Seats78 councillors
Newcastle City Council composition
Political groups
Administration (25)
  Liberal Democrat (25)
Confidence and Supply (23)
  Green (23)
Opposition (24)
  Reform UK (24)
Other parties (6)
  Independent (4)
  Labour (2)
Joint committees
North East Combined Authority
Length of term
4 years
Elections
First past the post
Last election
7 May 2026
Next election
6 May 2027
Redistricting2025[4][5]
Meeting place
Civic Centre, Barras Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8QH
Website
www.newcastle.gov.uk Edit this at Wikidata
Map

Newcastle City Council is the local authority for the city of Newcastle upon Tyne in Tyne and Wear, North East England. Newcastle has had a council from medieval times, which has been reformed on numerous occasions. Since 1974, the council has been a metropolitan borough council. In 2024, the council became a member of the North East Combined Authority. The council is based at the Newcastle Civic Centre. At the 2026 local elections, no party won overall control of the council. Subsequently, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party agreed a confidence and supply arrangement whereby the Liberal Democrats form the administration with the Greens offering support on an issue by issue basis.[6]

History

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Newcastle was an ancient borough; it is said to have been made a borough by William II (reigned 1087–1100). In 1400, a new charter from Henry IV gave the borough the right to hold its own courts and appoint its own sheriffs, making it a county corporate, independent from the Sheriff of Northumberland.[7]

Newcastle was reformed to become a municipal borough under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, which standardised how most boroughs operated across the country. It was then governed by a body formally called the "mayor, aldermen and burgesses of the borough of Newcastle upon Tyne", generally known as the corporation or town council.[8] Newcastle was awarded city status in 1882, after which the corporation was also known as the city council. When elected county councils were established in 1889, Newcastle was considered large enough for its existing corporation to provide county-level services, and so it was made a county borough.[9] In 1906 the city was given the right to appoint a Lord Mayor.[10]

In 1974 the county borough was replaced by a larger metropolitan borough within the new county of Tyne and Wear.[11][12] Newcastle's city status was transferred to the enlarged borough at the same time.[13]

From 1974 until 1986 the city council was a lower-tier district authority, with Tyne and Wear County Council providing county-level services. The county council was abolished in 1986, since when the city council has again provided both district-level and county-level services, as it had done when it was a county borough prior to 1974. Some functions are provided across Tyne and Wear by joint committees with the other districts.[14]

Governance

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Since 1986 the council has provided both district-level and county-level functions, with some services being provided through joint arrangements with the other Tyne and Wear councils. In 2024 a combined authority was established covering Newcastle, County Durham, Gateshead, North Tyneside, Northumberland, South Tyneside and Sunderland, called the North East Mayoral Combined Authority. It is chaired by the directly elected Mayor of the North East and oversees the delivery of certain strategic functions across the area.[15] [16]

Political control

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The council has been under no overall control since November 2024, when changes of allegiance saw Labour lose the majority it had held on the council since 2011.[17]

Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows:[18]

Party in control Years
Labour 1974–2004
Liberal Democrats 2004–2011
Labour 2011–2024
No overall control[17] 2024–present

Leadership

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The role of Lord Mayor of Newcastle upon Tyne is largely ceremonial. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1959 have been:

County Borough

Councillor Party From To
T. Dan Smith[19][20] Labour 1959 May 1965
Frank Butterfield[20][21] Labour May 1965 May 1966
Bertram Abrahart[21] Labour May 1966 1967
Arthur Grey[19][22] Conservative 1967 1972
John Cox[22][23] Conservative 1972 1974

Metropolitan Borough

Councillor Party From To
Tom Collins[23][24] Labour 1 Apr 1974 1977
Jeremy Beecham[24][25] Labour 1977 1994
Tony Flynn[25] Labour 1994 2004
Peter Arnold[26] Liberal Democrats 2004 2006
John Shipley[27][28] Liberal Democrats 2006 1 Sep 2010
David Faulkner[29][28][30] Liberal Democrats 1 Sep 2010 May 2011
Nick Forbes[31][32] Labour 25 May 2011 May 2022
Nick Kemp[33][34] Labour 25 May 2022 20 Sep 2024
Karen Kilgour[35][36] Labour 2 Oct 2024 27 May 2026
Colin Ferguson[6] Liberal Democrats 27 May 2026 Present

Composition

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Following the 2026 election,[37] the composition of the council is:[38]

Party Councillors
Liberal Democrats 25
Reform 24
Green 23
Independent 4
Labour 2
Total 78

Elections

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See also: Newcastle City Council elections

Since its reformation as a metropolitan borough council in 1974, the council has comprised 78 councillors[18] representing 26 wards, with each ward electing three councillors. Elections are held three years out of every four, with a third of the council (one councillor for each ward) elected each time for a four-year term of office.[39]

With new ward boundaries being introduced, there was an 'all-out' election in May 2026, where all council seats were up for election.

Wards

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The wards are:[4][5]

Premises

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The council is based at the Civic Centre on Barras Bridge.[40] It was purpose-built for the council in phases between 1956 and 1967.[41] The finished complex was formally opened on 14 November 1968 by King Olav V of Norway.[42]

Guildhall: Council's meeting place 1655–1863

The Civic Centre replaced Newcastle Town Hall, which had been built in 1863 in St Nicholas Square, and was subsequently demolished in 1973. The Town Hall in turn had replaced the Guildhall on Sandhill, which had been built in 1655 on a site which had been used for the town's guildhall since at least the thirteenth century.[43][44]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Holland, Daniel (29 May 2025). "Meet the 'true born and bred Geordie' named as Newcastle's new lord mayor". Evening Chronicle. Newcastle upon Tyne: Reach. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
  2. ^ "Parties strike deal to run Newcastle City Council". BBC News. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  3. ^ "Chief executive and directors". Newcastle City Council. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Newcastle upon Tyne". Local Government Boundary Commission for England. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
  5. ^ a b "The Newcastle upon Tyne (Electoral Changes) Order 2025", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 2 May 2025, SI 2025/566, retrieved 23 May 2026
  6. ^ a b "Parties strike deal to run Newcastle City Council". BBC News. 26 May 2026. Retrieved 26 May 2026.
  7. ^ Report of the Commissioners Appointed to Inquire into the Municipal Corporations in England and Wales: Appendix 3. 1835. pp. 1633–1635. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  8. ^ Municipal Corporations Act. 1835. p. 457. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  9. ^ "Local Government Act 1888", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1888 c. 41, retrieved 9 May 2026
  10. ^ "Whitehall, July 30, 1906". The London Gazette. No. 27936. 31 July 1906. p. 5232. ... the Chief Magistrate now and for the time being of the city of Newcastle-upon-Tyne shall be styled "Lord Mayor of Newcastle-upon-Tyne".
  11. ^ "Local Government Act 1972: Schedule 1", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 26 October 1972, 1972 c. 70 (sch. 1), retrieved 25 March 2024
  12. ^ "The Metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 31 January 1973, SI 1948/137, retrieved 9 May 2026
  13. ^ "No. 46255". The London Gazette. 4 April 1974. p. 4400. ... that the Borough of Newcastle upon Tyne shall have the status of a City, and that the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of the City of Newcastle upon Tyne shall be entitled to the style of Lord Mayor and Deputy Lord Mayor of Newcastle upon Tyne.
  14. ^ "Local Government Act 1985", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 16 July 1985, 1985 c. 51, retrieved 29 March 2024
  15. ^ "The North East Mayoral Combined County Authority (Establishment and Functions) Order 2024", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 20 March 2024, SI 2024/402, retrieved 6 May 2024
  16. ^ "North East devolution deal". gov.uk. Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. 28 December 2022. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  17. ^ a b Holland, Daniel (5 November 2024). "Newcastle Labour exodus as ex-council leader Nick Kemp and five others quit". Evening Chronicle. Newcastle upon Tyne: Reach. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
  18. ^ a b "Compositions Calculator". The Elections Centre. University of Exeter. Retrieved 26 November 2024. (Put "Newcastle upon Tyne" in search box to see specific results.)
  19. ^ a b Kelly, Mike (11 May 2017). "Lord Beecham marks 50 years in politics - but has no plans to retire". Evening Chronicle. Newcastle upon Tyne: Reach. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  20. ^ a b "Labour group choose leader". Newcastle Journal. 24 May 1965. p. 1. Retrieved 7 December 2024 – via Findmypast.
  21. ^ a b "New Council leader chosen". Newcastle Journal. 23 May 1966. p. 1. Retrieved 7 December 2024 – via Findmypast.
  22. ^ a b "Tories reshuffle". Newcastle Journal. 16 May 1972. p. 8. Retrieved 7 December 2024 – via Findmypast.
  23. ^ a b Morris, Peter (7 March 1974). "City Council: Land for homes starts clashes". Evening Chronicle. Newcastle upon Tyne. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  24. ^ a b "Labour's new council leader". Newcastle Journal. 16 May 1977. p. 5. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  25. ^ a b "Evidence shows we improved Newcastle". Evening Chronicle. Newcastle upon Tyne: Reach. 23 June 2004. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  26. ^ "Former city mayor leaving council for new life". Evening Chronicle. Newcastle upon Tyne: Reach. 1 April 2010. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  27. ^ "Delve into Newcastle's past and help form its future". Newcastle University Press Office (Press release). Newcastle University. 1 May 2014. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  28. ^ a b "Council minutes, 1 September 2010" (PDF). Newcastle City Council. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  29. ^ "New council leader outlines his future strategy". Evening Chronicle. Newcastle upon Tyne: Trinity Mirror. 6 September 2010. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  30. ^ "Labour takes back Newcastle from Lib Dems". BBC News. BBC. 6 May 2011. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  31. ^ "Council minutes, 25 May 2011" (PDF). Newcastle City Council. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  32. ^ Stewart, Heather; Wolfe-Robinson, Maya (9 February 2022). "Labour's Newcastle city council leader deselected ahead of local elections". The Guardian. London: Guardian Media Group. eISSN 1756-3224. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  33. ^ "Council minutes, 25 May 2022" (PDF). Newcastle City Council. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  34. ^ Holland, Daniel (20 September 2024). "Council leader resigns after bullying accusation". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  35. ^ "Newcastle City Council appoints Karen Kilgour as first female leader in history". ITV Tyne Tees. ITV News. ITV. 3 October 2024. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  36. ^ "Council minutes, 2 October 2024" (PDF). Newcastle City Council. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  37. ^ "Newcastle-upon-Tyne". BBC News. BBC. 8 May 2026. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
  38. ^ "Newcastle City Council election - 7 May 2026: Results". Newcastle City Council. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
  39. ^ "The Newcastle upon Tyne (Electoral Changes) Order 2925", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 2 May 2025, SI 2025/566, retrieved 8 May 2026
  40. ^ "Contact us". Newcastle City Council. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  41. ^ Historic England (16 November 1995). "Civic Centre (Grade II*) (1242692)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  42. ^ Morton, David (14 November 2018). "Newcastle Civic Centre at 50: A royal opening and green turtle soup!". Evening Chronicle. Newcastle upon Tyne: Reach. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  43. ^ Historic England (14 June 1954). "The Guildhall and Merchants' Court, Sandhill (Grade I) (1120877)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  44. ^ Ford, Coreena (3 February 2016). "Café at Newcastle's Guildhall could be on the horizon as leisure entrepreneur makes plans". Evening Chronicle. Newcastle upon Tyne: Reach. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
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