Newport City Council

History

Newport was an ancient mesne borough, occupying an important position on the Welsh Marches. The town grew up around Newport Castle, which was built early in the 12th century. Giraldus Cambrensis, writing in 1187, calls it Novus Burgus, probably to distinguish it from Caerleon, whose prosperity declined as that of Newport increased. The first lord was Robert Fitzhamon, who died in 1107, and from him the lordship passed to the Earls of Gloucester and Stafford and the Dukes of Buckingham. Hugh le Despenser, who held the lordship for a short time, obtained in 1323 a charter of liberties for the burgesses, granting them freedom from toll throughout England, Ireland and Aquitaine. Hugh, Earl of Stafford granted a further charter in 1385, confirmed by his grandson in 1427, which gave the burgesses the right of self-government and of a merchant gild. On the attainder of the Duke of Buckingham in 1483 the lordship lapsed to the crown, of whom it was held in the 16th and 17th centuries by the Pembrokes, and in the 19th by the Beauforts.

The town was incorporated by Royal Charter of James I in 1623 and confirmed by Charles II in 1685. This created a corporation which consisted of the Mayor of Newport and twelve aldermen who governed the borough and were responsible for law and order. They were assisted by a recorder and two bailiffs. This system of government lasted in essence until the town was reformed as a municipal borough in 1836 under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835. This reconstituted the corporation as an elected borough council, comprising a mayor, aldermen and councillors. The Newport Borough Police was also formed in 1836.

In 1934 the borough was enlarged by taking in parts of the surrounding parishes of St Woolos, Christchurch, Malpas and Bettws.

When elected county councils were established in 1889 under the Local Government Act 1888, Newport was included in the administrative county of Monmouthshire, being governed by Monmouthshire County Council, which chose to base itself in Newport. Just over two years later, on 7 November 1891, Newport was one of the first places to become a county borough (other than those which had been created directly by the 1888 act), making it administratively independent from Monmouthshire County Council.

Newport Civic Centre, designed by architect Thomas Cecil Howitt, was completed in 1964 to serve as the council's headquarters.

Further local government reorganisation in 1974 saw the abolition of county boroughs. Newport became a lower-tier district with borough status. The reformed borough covered a larger area than the former county borough, covering the whole of two former districts and most of a third, which were abolished at the same time:

• Caerleon Urban District
• Magor and St Mellons Rural District, except Henllys (which went to Torfaen) and St Mellons (which went to Cardiff)
• Newport County Borough The enlarged borough had an area of 46976 acre, and was governed by both Newport Borough Council and Gwent County Council. In 1996, another wave of local-government reorganisation reverted the council to its previous status of a self-governing county borough, taking over the functions of the abolished Gwent County Council in the area. In 2002 Newport was granted formal city status as part of a contest for the Queen's Golden Jubilee in 2002, in which one Welsh town was eligible to be awarded city status.

Political control

The council has been under Labour majority control since 2012.

The first election to the council following the Local Government Act 1972 was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority until the reforms under that act took effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:

Lower-tier borough

County borough

Leadership

The role of Mayor of Newport is largely ceremonial. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 2004 have been:

Composition

Following the 2022 election and subsequent changes up to April 2025, the composition of the council was:

Immediately after the 2022 election, the councillors and their parties (with re-elected councillors in bold) were:

Elections

Elections take place every five years. The last election was held on 5 May 2022.

In March 2017 a new political party, the Newport Independents Party, was formed to field candidates in the May 2017 election. It won four seats.

Party with the most elected councillors in bold. Coalition agreements in notes column.

The next election is due in 2027.

Wards

The city is divided into 21 wards, since May 2022 electing 51 councillors. Most of these wards are coterminous with communities (parishes) of the same name. Each community can have an elected council. The following table lists city council wards, communities and associated geographical areas. Communities with a community council are indicated with a '*':

Sites

• Newport Civic Centre
• Mansion House

In the news

In October 2013, the controversial demolition of a 35-metre long Chartist Mural reached national attention. The 35-year-old mural commemorated Newport's Chartist history, specifically the Newport Rising of 1839. The Guardian suggested it was "not just budgets, but a collective cultural history that's under attack.". A spokesman for the council stated that the mural "has served to remind us of Newport’s past, but we must now focus on Newport’s future." Actor Michael Sheen helped to found a trust, to commission a new memorial, with £50,000 of funding provided by Newport City Council. A smaller replica of the mural, in four panels, was unveiled on 4 November 2019, exactly 180 years since the Chartist uprising. It was created by Oliver Budd, son of the original mural's creator, Kenneth Budd. The panels are located on Cefn Road, Rogerstone, and include an information board telling the history of Chartism.

It was announced in July 2019 that Council Chief Executive Will Godfrey would be resigning in early October after six years to take over at Bath and North East Somerset Council. The Council have stated that as of September 2019, more time is needed to find a replacement, and that an interim CEO will be in place for six to twelve months.

The Council instructed the operators of new "pod" accommodation for homeless people in the city to take down the facilities August 2019 until they were subject to safety inspections and certification.

In September 2019 the council were criticised for delays in arranging school transport for those attending the independent Priory College South Wales at Coleg Gwent in Pontypool.

The Council were reported in September 2019 as being involved in a new trial with Sustrans Cymru, aimed at improving safety outside city primary schools through use of temporary barriers, road and pavement painting, and temporary school crossings.

In September 2019 the Council's then leader Debbie Wilcox was announced as a Labour life peer as part of Theresa May's 2019 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours. She confirmed later that month that she would be stepping down as Leader of the Council, with a successor to be named.

The Council announced in September 2019 that the city's Market Arcade would be closed due to anti-social behaviour, after the Council secured a Public Spaces Protection order to take effect daily from 8pm until 7am. The move came after complaints about city centre drug abuse, property damage, and noise.

The Council has received £4m in Welsh Government funds to pursue a footbridge replacement over Newport railway station, connecting Devon Place and Queensway. It is projected for completion in 2020.

References

References

1. "Council minutes, 13 May 2025".
2. (29 July 2020). "Newport City Council's new chief executive Beverly Owen". South Wales Argus.
3. Scott, J. M.. (1847). "The Ancient and Modern History of Newport, Monmouthshire: With a Guide and Directory". W. Christophers.
4. "Newport Constabulary". Gwent Archives.
5. Davis, Haydn. "The History of the Borough of Newport".
6. (7 November 1891). "The County Borough Of Newport". [[South Wales Daily News]].
7. {{NHAW
8. {{cite legislation UK. (1972)
9. {{cite legislation UK. (1973)
10. {{cite legislation UK. (1994)
11. (2002-03-14). "Newport wins battle for city status". BBC News.
12. "Compositions Calculator". University of Exeter.
13. (22 August 2018). "First Person: Councillor Matthew Evans looks back at his political journey". South Wales Argus.
14. (5 April 2016). "Newport council leader Bob Bright to quit". South Wales Argus.
15. "Council minutes, 17 May 2016".
16. "Council minutes, 26 November 2019".
17. (4 May 2024). "Change at top of Newport City Council after Labour's PCC election win". Newport Herald.
18. "Council minutes, 21 May 2024".
19. "Newport City Council".
20. [https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/newport-labour-majority-local-elections-23845565 Local Election Results 2022]
21. "Welsh unitary councils {{!".
22. Ian Craig. (30 March 2017). "Fifteen candidates set to stand for Newport Independent Party". South Wales Argus.
23. Gareth Willey. (5 May 2017). "Newport Local Election Results (2017)". Newport City Radio.
24. {{cite legislation UK. (2002)
25. {{cite legislation UK. (2021)
26. "Newport". Thorncliffe.
27. "Review of the Electoral Arrangements of the City of Newport". Local Democracy and Boundary Commission For Wales.
28. [https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/columnists/the-destruction-of-the-newport-chartist-mural-is-a-needless-and-casual-act-of-cultural-vandalism-8858692.html "The destruction of the Newport Chartist Mural is a needless and casual act of cultural vandalism"], ''The Independent (online)'', 4 October 2013. Retrieved 2013-10-11.
29. [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/10/wales-cultural-landscape-bulldozed-cuts "Wales's cultural landscape is being bulldozed by cuts"], ''The Guardian'', 10 October 2013. Retrieved 2013-10-11.
30. [http://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/10718062.Anger_as_Newport_council_demolish_Chartist_Mural/ "Anger as Newport council demolish Chartist Mural"], ''South Wales Argus'', 4 October 2013. Retrieved 2013-10-11.
31. "UPDATED: Frost/Nixon star Michael Sheen to help found Chartist trust in Newport". Southwalesargus.co.uk.
32. Jen Mills. (23 July 2015). "'Spectacular' plans to celebrate Chartists in Newport". Southwalesargus.co.uk.
33. (4 November 2019). "A new Chartist mural has been unveiled in Newport six years after the original was demolished". Wales Online.
34. Griffiths, Niall. (31 July 2019). "Newport Council chief exec Will Godfrey quits to take up Bath post".
35. Cooke-Black, Saul. (3 September 2019). "Newport council will have an interim chief executive for six to 12 months".
36. Knapman, Joshua. (2019-08-28). "Homeless pods to help rough sleepers removed from Welsh city centre".
37. (2019-09-06). "Autistic pupils pulled from college over bus cash".
38. Povey, Tomos. (11 September 2019). "Street trial transforms road safety at Newport's St David's R.C. School".
39. (2019-09-10). "Ex-Tory MP and council leader to be made peers".
40. (2019-09-11). "Newport council leader steps down after peerage".
41. Cooke-Black, Saul. (12 September 2019). "Market Arcade in Newport to be gated off at night to tackle anti-social behaviour".
42. (2019-08-13). "Long-awaited footbridge could be built next year".