2026 Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council election
2026 English local government election
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The 2026 Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council election was held on Thursday 7 May 2026 to elect all 44 councillors who serve on Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council. It was held alongside council elections across England.
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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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Blank map of Wards on the Council | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Reform UK won 27 of the seats, an overall majority, gaining control of the council from the Conservative Party. The Conservatives won 15 seats and Labour won 2 seats.[1]
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,[2] 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.[3] Lynn Dean, the elected councillor for Knutton, was suspended from Reform UK in March 2026 following allegations of racist comments made on social media.[4] Dean subsequently stepped down from her local council role but continues to serve as a County Councillor.[5]
Following his defection from the Conservative Party in December 2025,[6] Jonathan Gullis, the former MP for Stoke-on-Trent North, announced his candidacy for the Kidsgrove and Ravenscliffe ward representing Reform UK.[7] Additionally, the former MP for Stafford, Jeremy Lefroy is standing for candidacy for the Maer and Whitmore ward representing the Conservatives.
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.[8] A large number of residents have signed a petition protesting these proposals.[9]
Results by ward
Audley
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | Maggie Babb | ||||
| Conservative | Nick Crisp* | ||||
| Liberal Democrats | Eric Durber | ||||
| Reform | Patricia Jillian Harrison | ||||
| The Potteries Party | Tom Heavey | ||||
| Labour | Peter Roy Lawrence | ||||
| Reform | Rhys James Machin | ||||
| Conservative | Sally Jane Rudd | ||||
| Reform | Janice Sain-Reiners | ||||
| Labour | John Sutton | ||||
| Labour | Claire Vodrey | ||||
| Liberal Democrats | Andrew Wemyss | ||||
| Conservative | Ian Wilkes* | ||||
| Majority | |||||
| Turnout | |||||
Bradwell
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Julie Cooper | ||||
| Labour | Andrew Fox-Hewitt* | ||||
| Conservative | Jeanette Hodges | ||||
| Reform | Pamela Jellyman | ||||
| Labour | Rebekah Lewis | ||||
| Conservative | Jude Powell | ||||
| Labour | Lesley Richards* | ||||
| Green | Liam Joseph Shirley | ||||
| Reform | Ben Simpson | ||||
| Green | Harry Smith | ||||
| Reform | Glenn Tift | ||||
| Majority | |||||
| Turnout | |||||
Rebekah Lewis is an incumbent for the Audley ward.
Clayton
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Leigh Hughes | ||||
| Conservative | Stephen Sweeney* | ||||
| Liberal Democrats | Anja Winter | ||||
| Reform | Paul Wood | ||||
| Majority | |||||
| Turnout | |||||
Crackley and Red Street
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Liian Barker* | ||||
| Labour | Joel Edgington-Plunkett* | ||||
| Conservative | Conna Eynon | ||||
| Labour | Janet Pazio | ||||
| Green | Deborah Percy | ||||
| Reform | Vanessa Renshaw | ||||
| Reform | Peter Walton | ||||
| Majority | |||||
| Turnout | |||||
Cross Heath
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reform | Mark Harrison | ||||
| Conservative | Thomas Molloy | ||||
| Reform | Christopher Saxton | ||||
| Green | Natalie Soleiman | ||||
| Labour | Gillian Williams* | ||||
| Labour | John Williams* | ||||
| Conservative | Tom Wytcherley | ||||
| Majority | |||||
| Turnout | |||||
Holditch and Chesterton
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reform | Wayne Barber | ||||
| Reform | Jon Chamberlain | ||||
| Labour | David Grocott* | ||||
| Labour | Precious Osode | ||||
| Conservative | Ken Owen | ||||
| Conservative | Kevin Robinson | ||||
| Majority | |||||
| Turnout | |||||
Keele
Kidsgrove and Ravenscliffe
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Mark Allen | ||||
| Labour | Silvia Burgess | ||||
| TUSC | Rebecca Anne Carter | ||||
| Reform | Charlie Clarke | ||||
| Conservative | Michael Dowler | ||||
| Reform | Jonathan Gullis | ||||
| Conservative | John Heesom | ||||
| Conservative | Simon Jones* | ||||
| Green | Kienen Catterall | ||||
| Labour | Jason Owen | ||||
| Green | Adam Rollison | ||||
| Reform | Olivia Wozny | ||||
| Majority | |||||
| Turnout | |||||
Knutton
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | James Dowler | ||||
| Labour | Joshua Gilbert | ||||
| Reform | Graham Shaw | ||||
| Majority | |||||
| Turnout | |||||
Loggerheads
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Nigel Hadfield | ||||
| Labour | Jeff Love | ||||
| Green | Grant Robertson | ||||
| Conservative | Graham Sedgley | ||||
| Reform | Robert Selwood | ||||
| Conservative | Andrew Turnock* | ||||
| Reform | Phillip Watts | ||||
| Majority | |||||
| Turnout | |||||
Madeley and Betley
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Robert Bettley-Smith | ||||
| Labour | Elaine Blake | ||||
| Reform | Vicky England | ||||
| Green | Steve French | ||||
| Green | Kerri Jackman | ||||
| Labour | Moonoon Jawadin | ||||
| Reform | Neill Walker | ||||
| Conservative | Jill Whitmore* | ||||
| Majority | |||||
| Turnout | |||||
Robert Bettley-Smith is an incumbent for the Thistleberry ward.
Neill Walker was the Reform UK candidate for the Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency at the 2024 General Election.
Maer and Whitmore
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Dave Lee | ||||
| Conservative | Jeremy Lefroy | ||||
| Reform | Richard Woodward | ||||
May Bank
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reform | Deborah Bailey | ||||
| Labour | Bayley Dickin | ||||
| Conservative | David Hutchison* | ||||
| Green | Oliver Kane | ||||
| Labour | Jackie Olszewski | ||||
| Labour | Anthony-Claret Onwutalobi | ||||
| Reform | Craig Rolinson | ||||
| Conservative | Finn Swain | ||||
| Conservative | John Tagg* | ||||
| Reform | Stefan Whittaker | ||||
| Majority | |||||
| Turnout | |||||
Newchapel and Mow Cop
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Keith Cooper | ||||
| Independent | Gordon Davies | ||||
| Conservative | Cressida Dickens | ||||
| Reform | Jonathan Downs | ||||
| Labour | Sarah Pickup | ||||
| Conservative | Jozsef Spekker | ||||
| Reform | Scott Stevenson | ||||
| Independent | Ray Williams | ||||
| Majority | |||||
| Turnout | |||||
Silverdale
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reform | Martyn Ashworth | ||||
| Labour | Sylvia Butler | ||||
| Conservative | Shauney Harry Connor | ||||
| Conservative | George McBride | ||||
| Reform | Ian Anthony Sparks | ||||
| Green | Jamie Tomkinson | ||||
| Labour | Thomas Wilson | ||||
| Majority | |||||
| Turnout | |||||
Talke and Butt Lane
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | David Allport* | ||||
| Conservative | Julie Dunlevy | ||||
| Labour Co-op | Sylvia Dymond* | ||||
| Reform | Gary Evans | ||||
| Conservative | Trevor Johnson | ||||
| Reform | Simon Kasperowicz | ||||
| Conservative | Laura Matthews | ||||
| Reform | Martin Rogerson | ||||
| Labour Co-op | Michael Stubbs* | ||||
| Majority | |||||
| Turnout | |||||