100 days of delivery: new administration puts residents first

Tougher action against rogue traders and unauthorised encampments, investment in communities and a renewed sense of pride in Newcastle-under-Lyme have also been delivered.

Since taking formal control of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council on 20 May 2026, the administration has set a clear new direction: protecting taxpayers, strengthening communities and focusing the Council on the priorities that matter to residents.

One of its biggest decisions has been saving taxpayers more than £11 million by scrapping the previous administration’s Net Zero Newcastle 2030 agenda, including costly plans for electric bin lorries and heat pumps, and undeclaring the Council’s climate emergency.

Instead, resources are being focused on frontline services, neighbourhoods and facilities residents use. Investment is being made in parks and green spaces, including plans for a new pump track at Lyme Valley Park, alongside wider work to improve public spaces across the Borough.

The Council has also taken tough enforcement action against rogue traders, working with partners to close shops involved in selling illegal tobacco and vapes, including sales to children, while backing law-abiding local businesses. Swift action has been taken against unauthorised encampments, with further work underway to strengthen the Council’s ability to respond quickly in future.

Residents are also being given greater control over the spread of Houses in Multiple Occupation, with work progressing on a borough-wide Article 4 Direction which will bring more HMOs into the planning system and give communities proper scrutiny over their development.

A new Community Fund is giving every borough councillor £2,500 each year to support local groups, neighbourhood improvements, and grassroots projects. Councillors, residents, and community organisations have also joined forces through the Big Borough Clean Up, rolling up their sleeves in communities from Kidsgrove to Silverdale to tackle litter and restore pride in local neighbourhoods.

The Council has continued to stand alongside residents affected by Walleys Quarry, establishing a new cross-party working group with partners including the Environment Agency to scrutinise progress and keep residents at the heart of the Council’s response.

Plans are also progressing for a pet crematorium at Bradwell, providing local families with a dignified place to say goodbye to much loved pets.

The Council has quit the Local Government Association and other wasteful subscriptions identifying £30,000 of savings to date, focusing taxpayers’ money, and the time of councillors and officers, on delivering for Newcastle-under-Lyme.

The administration is also continuing to fight forced local government reorganisation, opposing the abolition of the historic Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme and challenging the financial and democratic consequences of forcing residents into a new North Staffordshire authority.

And the Union Flag and Cross of St George now proudly fly outside Castle House, celebrating the Borough’s history, its community and everything that brings people together.

Councillor Jonathan Gullis, Leader of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, said:

When we took control of the Council, I said we would get back to the bread and butter issues that matter to people every day: clean streets, safer communities, well-kept parks, improving town centres and respect for taxpayers’ money.
 

In just 100 days, we have saved taxpayers more than £11 million by axing the Net Zero nonsense of the previous administration, shut down two illegal tobacco and vape shops who were selling to children or had illegal products, acted swiftly to remove unauthorised encampments, invested in our parks and communities like Lyme Valley Park and started putting residents back in control by not letting HMOs pop up without planning permission.
 

We want families to be proud of their neighbourhoods, businesses to succeed, skilled and well-paid jobs to be created locally, and every pound of taxpayers’ money to be treated with respect.
 

But strong communities are not built by the Council alone. They are built when residents, families, businesses, and local organisations all play their part: taking pride in where they live, looking out for their neighbours, respecting public spaces and helping keep our communities clean, safe, and welcoming.
 

We were given a clear mandate for change, and these first 100 days show that we are delivering on it, but the hard work doesn’t stop here. Our ambition is simple: to leave Newcastle-under-Lyme cleaner, safer, stronger, and prouder than we found it, and to prove that when this administration makes a promise, it delivers.”