Final plans to redraw Newcastle’s political map have been published.
The city’s ward boundaries are set to be shaken up ahead of a crunch set of local elections in 2026. Under final proposals which are now set to be submitted to Parliament for approval, Jesmond’s existing two council wards will be merged into one.
The Local Government Boundary Commission’s review will also create an extra ward in the west of the city. However, the number of councillors representing Newcastle will stay the same at 78 – one for each of the city’s 26 electoral wards.
The new boundaries are expected to come into force at the set of ‘all-out’ local elections in Newcastle in May 2026, when every seat on the Labour-controlled council will be up for grabs rather than the usual one-third. With Labour having recently lost its overall majority in the council chamber following the defection of former leader Nick Kemp and five others to become independents, opposition parties view next May as a major opportunity to radically alter the balance of power in the city.
Newcastle City Council has been led by Labour since 2011. The Liberal Democrats had been in power for the previous seven years, having seized control at an all-out election in 2004.
Final recommendations from the Local Government Boundary Commission to change Newcastles ward boundaries.
(Image: Local Government Boundary Commission)
The boundary commission previously issued its draft proposals last summer and invited comments from the public on its changes. In response, it has moved Jesmond Vale back into the newly-merged Jesmond ward after being convinced that the community identifies as being “part of the Jesmond community” and should not instead be within the Ouseburn ward.
Professor Colin Mellors, chair of the commission, said: “We are very grateful to people in Newcastle. We looked at all the views they gave us. They helped us improve our earlier proposals. We believe the new arrangements will deliver electoral fairness while maintaining local ties.”
A new Kingston Park and Dinnington ward will be established under the commission’s changes, uniting all of Kingston Park within the same boundary rather than splitting it between different wards as is currently the case. The Newcastle Great Park estate and the villages of Hazlerigg and Brunswick would form a geographically smaller Castle ward than exists today.
And the current Callerton and Throckley ward will be broken up. Throckley, Walbottle, and Newburn will be grouped together in one ward, with Newbiggin Hall and Callerton in another. The full details of the new ward boundaries can be found here.
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