2026 Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council election
7 May 2026
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All 44 seats to Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council 23 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2026 Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council election is set to be held on Thursday 7 May 2026 to elect all 44 councillors who serve on Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council. It will be held alongside council elections across England.
Background
Simon Tagg has served as Leader of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council since December 2017. In the 2025 Staffordshire County Council election, Newcastle-under-Lyme experienced a significant political shift towards Reform,[1] which secured eight of the nine available seats in the area and 44.7% of the total vote. Labour failed to win any seats, while the Conservatives retained only one.
Reform gained its first seat on the council earlier in May 2025 through a by-election victory in Knutton.[2]
A major topic of local concern is the proposed reorganisation of local government, with widespread opposition to the government's plans to potentially merge Staffordshire Moorlands, Stoke-on-Trent, and Newcastle-under-Lyme councils, or alternatively divide Staffordshire along east–west lines.[3] A large number of residents have signed a petition protesting these proposals.[4]
Other key local issues include the development of solar farms, and the housing of asylum seekers in local hotels,[5] among other community concerns.
References
- ^ Andrews, Rob (2025-05-02). "Live: Reform UK win eight out of nine council seats across Newcastle". Stoke on Trent Live. Retrieved 2025-11-13.
- ^ Sutton, Jonathan (2025-05-02). "Reform UK double delight as Lynn Dean wins May Bank & Wolstanton". Stoke-on-Trent Live. Retrieved 2025-11-13.
- ^ "Five different plans for re-drawing Staffordshire's political map". BBC News. 2025-11-08. Retrieved 2025-11-13.
- ^ Andrews, Rob (2025-01-20). "'No to merger with Stoke' protest in Newcastle borough independence fight". Stoke-on-Trent Live. Retrieved 2025-11-13.
- ^ Andrews, Rob (2025-08-25). "Tory leader raises concerns over asylum seeker placements in Staffordshire". Stoke-on-Trent Live. Retrieved 2025-11-13.