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Town Hall & politics · Durham County Council

Reform UK holds a majority on Durham County Council

Newton Aycliffe is run by Durham County Council, with Great Aycliffe parish council for local matters. Reform UK has a majority on Durham County Council. Its MP is Alan Strickland (Labour), member for Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor.

Council tax 2026–27

£2,812

Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.

Where it goes →
Band D council tax
£2,812
2026–27, a year
Ward councillors
5
2 wards · County Durham
MP
Alan Strickland
Labour · Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor
Turnout, July 2024
55%
Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor · England 60%
What stands out · In brief

How Newton Aycliffe’s politics has changed since 2021

A majority on Durham County Council

Reform UK holds a majority on Durham County Council: 63 of its 98 seats as elected. The Liberal Democrats hold 15, independents 12, Labour 5, the Greens 2 and the Conservatives 1. Who’s in charge ↓

Council tax

A Band D bill in Newton Aycliffe is £2,812 for 2026–27; Durham County Council keeps 74% of it. The council area’s Band D has risen 51% in ten years, against England’s 56%. Council money ↓

Written from the data on this page: Democracy Club results since May 2021, the UK Parliament Members API and MHCLG council tax.

Who’s in charge

Who holds the seats

Seats by party as elected. A party needs 50 of County Durham’s 98 seats to run the council alone.

Unitary council · 98 councillorsDurham County CouncilReform UK majority
GreenGreenLabourLabourLabourLabourLabourLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratLiberal DemocratIndependentIndependentIndependentIndependentIndependentIndependentIndependentIndependentIndependentIndependentIndependentIndependentConservativeReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UKReform UK98seats
  • Reform UK63
  • Liberal Democrat15
  • Independent12
  • Labour5
  • Green2
  • Conservative1

Latest election: May 2025.

GreenLabourLiberal DemocratIndependentConservativeReform UK

Seats are counted from election results: each ward’s most recent winners until its seats are filled. Councillors who have since changed party or resigned aren’t reflected, and which parties lead the council, and who is leader, comes from the council itself.

Results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), elections since May 2021; seats per ward from its EveryElection.

Who runs Newton Aycliffe

The councils that run Newton Aycliffe

One council runs every main service here.

Town or parish councilGreat Aycliffe parish council

Local matters: allotments, play areas, halls, footpaths and benches; it is consulted on planning and adds a precept to the council tax bill. A town council is a parish council by another name.

100% of Newton Aycliffe’s residents · Band D precept £312

Unitary councilDurham County Council

Every main council service: schools, social care, roads, bins, planning, housing and libraries.

Website ↗
Combined authorityNorth East

Transport, skills and regeneration across several council areas. It is led by an elected mayor.

Mayor: Kim McGuinness (Labour and Co-operative), elected May 2024

Who to ask

Bins and recyclingDurham County Council
Planning applicationsDurham County Council
Council housing and homelessnessDurham County Council
Council tax billsDurham County Council
Parks and leisure centresDurham County Council
Allotments, play areas, benchesGreat Aycliffe parish council
Potholes, roads and streetlightsDurham County Council
Schools and school placesDurham County Council
Adult and children’s social careDurham County Council
LibrariesDurham County Council
Tips and recycling centresDurham County Council
Bus and transport plansNorth East combined authority
Police priorities and budgetDurham Constabulary police and crime commissioner
Fire safety visitsDurham Fire and Rescue

From GOV.UK’s “Understand how your council works”: here one council runs every main service.

Councils from ONS lookups (wards and councils May 2026, parishes 2025), names and websites from GOV.UK’s local council finder; parish councils from MHCLG’s 2026–27 list of precepting parishes.

Who represents Newton Aycliffe

From the parish to Westminster

Every elected tier that speaks for Newton Aycliffe, from the most recent elections.

  1. 1
    Town or parishParish tier
    Great Aycliffe parish council
  2. 2
    Durham County Council2 wards · 5 councillors
    John William GrantNicole Louise BrownAndrew EalesMichael SteadTim McGuinness
  3. 3
    Mayor of North East Combined AuthorityNorth East Combined Authority · elected May 2024
    Kim McGuinness
  4. 4
    Police and crime commissionerDurham Constabulary · elected May 2024
    Joy Allen
  5. 5
    House of CommonsNewton Aycliffe and Spennymoor
LabourLiberal DemocratReform UK

Party colours are neutral on purpose: they tell parties apart and aren’t the parties’ own. Tap an MP’s name for their contact page on parliament.uk.

Councillors

5 councillors for 2 wards

Wards with at least 2% of the town’s residents, or half their own inside it. Each shows who won its most recent elections, newest first, until its seats are filled.

Aycliffe SouthAycliffe North & Middridge
Each dot is a group of postcodes, shaded by the party that won its ward’s latest election. Tap a ward for its councillors.
Aycliffe South
15,419 residents
  • John William GrantReform UK · May 2025
  • Nicole Louise BrownReform UK · May 2025
  • Andrew EalesReform UK · May 2025
Aycliffe North & Middridge
10,341 residents
  • Michael SteadLiberal Democrat · May 2025
  • Tim McGuinnessReform UK · May 2025
Liberal DemocratReform UK
Show as a table
WardSeatsElectedWhen
Aycliffe Southall in Newton Aycliffe · 15,419 residents3 seats · May 20253
John William GrantNicole Louise BrownAndrew Eales
May 2025
Aycliffe North & Middridgeall in Newton Aycliffe · 10,341 residents2 seats · May 20252
Michael SteadTim McGuinness
May 2025

Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. Durham County Council’s website lists who sits now.

Results from Democracy Club’s candidates database (CC BY 4.0; elections since May 2021) and ward seats from its EveryElection, matched to ONS wards (May 2026) and county divisions (May 2025).

Local elections

County Durham council election, May 2025

Results in the wards that make up Newton Aycliffe, as declared. Percentages are of votes cast for candidates in each ward; where a ward elects several councillors, each voter has that many votes.

Seats won in Newton Aycliffe’s wards5 seats · 1 May 2025
Reform UK4
Liberal Democrat1

2 wards voted. Every seat in the town’s wards was up.

Next elections

No election is scheduled yet for Newton Aycliffe’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.

Who can I vote for? ↗
Aycliffe South1 May 2025
John William Grant ElectedReform UK16.6%
Nicole Louise Brown ElectedReform UK15.2%
Andrew Eales ElectedReform UK14.6%
Jim AtkinsonLabour7.6%
Paul HowellConservative6.7%
John Joseph ClarkLabour6.3%
Ken RobsonIndependent6.3%
Toyin OgunyemiLabour4.5%
Martin AshcroftIndependent4.1%
Kyle RobinsonLiberal Democrat3.8%
George Coulson GrayIndependent3.5%
Tunde AkinsanyaLiberal Democrat3.3%
John WoodwardLiberal Democrat3.3%
Tony ArmstrongIndependent2.6%
Neale Floyd Darryl CooleyGreen1.8%

8,793 votes for candidates · 3 seats, so 3 votes each

Aycliffe North & Middridge1 May 2025
Michael Stead ElectedLiberal Democrat17.7%
Tim McGuinness ElectedReform UK17.7%
Clive Taylor-ShollReform UK15.7%
Lindsey AstonLiberal Democrat14.3%
David Sutton-LloydConservative8.3%
Michael Edward MurphyLabour7.8%
Luke EllisLabour7.4%
Tony StubbsConservative6.0%
Tony BeddardIndependent1.9%
Dorothy BowmanIndependent1.7%
Jonathan Stephen ParkGreen1.5%

5,643 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each

LabourConservativeLiberal DemocratReform UKGreenIndependent

Candidates and results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), from councils’ declared results; polling dates from Democracy Club’s EveryElection.

Parliament

Newton Aycliffe is in Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor constituency

The constituency’s MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result (it reaches beyond Newton Aycliffe).

Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor · general election4 July 2024
Alan Strickland ElectedLabour46.2%
John GrantReform UK24.0%
Paul HowellConservative20.6%
Jack HughesGreen4.3%
Anne-Marie CurryLiberal Democrat3.7%
Brian AgarTransform Party0.7%
Minhajul SuhonWorkers Party of Britain0.6%

39,846 votes for candidates · majority 8,839

MP for Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor

Alan Strickland

Labour, MP since 4 July 2024.

55%

turnout in July 2024: 39,846 votes from 72,215 registered voters. England: 60%.

Majority 8,839 of 39,846 votes (22.2%): wider than in 72% of England’s 543 constituencies.

LabourConservativeLiberal DemocratReform UKGreenOther parties

MPs and results: UK Parliament Members API (Open Parliament Licence v3.0); constituencies from ONS (2024 boundaries). Percentages are of valid votes; turnout is votes cast over the electorate.

Council money

Newton Aycliffe’s Band D council tax is £2,812 a year

Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.

COUNCIL TAXBand D · 2026–27 · a Band D home in Great Aycliffe
Great Aycliffe parish councilparish precept£312.38
Durham County Councilcouncil£2,071.11
Durham police and crime commissionerpolice and crime£300.74
Durham Fire and Rescue Authorityfire and rescue£128.12
A year£2,812.35
Bills by band run from 6/9 of Band D (Band A) to 18/9 (Band H). Discounts and support reduce many bills.

Durham County Council keeps £2,071.11 of a Band D bill (74%); the rest goes to the Great Aycliffe parish council, the Durham police and crime commissioner and the Durham Fire and Rescue Authority.

Band D since 2009

£0£500£1K£1.5K£2K£2.5K£3K2010201520202025England, 1993–94: £567.95England, 1994–95: £580.11England, 1995–96: £609.00England, 1996–97: £646.00England, 1997–98: £688.00England, 1998–99: £747.00England, 1999–00: £798.00England, 2000–01: £847.00England, 2001–02: £901.33England, 2002–03: £975.56England, 2003–04: £1,101.75England, 2004–05: £1,166.56England, 2005–06: £1,213.81England, 2006–07: £1,267.91England, 2007–08: £1,321.32England, 2008–09: £1,373.08England, 2009–10: £1,413.84England, 2010–11: £1,439.22England, 2011–12: £1,439.33England, 2012–13: £1,444.13England, 2013–14: £1,455.60England, 2014–15: £1,467.98England, 2015–16: £1,483.58England, 2016–17: £1,529.56England, 2017–18: £1,590.55England, 2018–19: £1,671.46England, 2019–20: £1,749.88England, 2020–21: £1,817.67England, 2021–22: £1,898.48England, 2022–23: £1,965.71England, 2023–24: £2,065.05England, 2024–25: £2,170.99England, 2025–26: £2,280.21England, 2026–27: £2,391.52County Durham, 2009–10: £1,567.12County Durham, 2010–11: £1,601.81County Durham, 2011–12: £1,602.29County Durham, 2012–13: £1,605.61County Durham, 2013–14: £1,607.64County Durham, 2014–15: £1,641.10County Durham, 2015–16: £1,674.81County Durham, 2016–17: £1,735.37County Durham, 2017–18: £1,797.32County Durham, 2018–19: £1,887.45County Durham, 2019–20: £1,993.48County Durham, 2020–21: £2,071.05County Durham, 2021–22: £2,138.35County Durham, 2022–23: £2,203.42County Durham, 2023–24: £2,316.13County Durham, 2024–25: £2,431.19County Durham, 2025–26: £2,551.17County Durham, 2026–27: £2,622.15County Durham £2,622England £2,392

County Durham’s Band D bill has risen 51% in ten years, from £1,735.37 in 2016–17, against England’s average (56%). It was £1,567.12 in 2009–10.

Your bill by band

Band A 6/9£1,875
Band B 7/9£2,187
Band C 8/9£2,500
Band D 9/9£2,812
Band E 11/9£3,437
Band F 13/9£4,062
Band G 15/9£4,687
Band H 18/9£5,625

A Band D home in Great Aycliffe, 2026–27, before discounts. The Valuation Office Agency’s band search gives any home’s band.

County Durham’s councils

Darlington£2,494
Hartlepool£2,560
Stockton-on-Tees£2,590
County Durham£2,622

Average Band D in each council area, 2026–27, parish precepts included. Bars start at £2,300.

Council budgets per resident, 2026–27

ServiceCounty Durhamvs England
Adult social care£415−£72
Children’s social care£371+£81
Roads and transport£37−£4
Housing (not council homes’ rents)£34−£27
Bins, street cleaning, environment£130+£11
Libraries, leisure, culture£73+£29
Planning and development£28+£2
Public health£125+£47
Running the council£53−£6
Other£60+£41
Newton Aycliffe’s councils, per residentEngland, all councils
Show as a table, with County Durham
County DurhamNewton Aycliffe’s councilsCounty DurhamEngland
Adult social care£415£443£487
Children’s social care£371£394£290
Roads and transport£37£48£41
Housing (not council homes’ rents)£34£36£61
Bins, street cleaning, environment£130£125£119
Libraries, leisure, culture£73£65£44
Planning and development£28£23£26
Public health£125£116£78
Running the council£53£57£59
Other£60£33£19
Total, schools apart£1,325£1,340£1,234

Net budgeted service spending, MHCLG Revenue Account budget 2026–27, per resident (ONS mid-2025 estimates). Schools are left out: academies are paid for directly by government, so council school budgets depend on how many schools have converted. County Durham and England: all their councils together. Police, fire and transport authorities aren’t included.

Band D: MHCLG Band D council tax 2026–27 (each authority’s own figure, excluding parish precepts) and Council Tax statistics for town and parish councils 2026–27; since 1993–94, MHCLG’s area averages including parishes.

Get involved

Having a say in how Newton Aycliffe is run

Register to vote

It takes about five minutes online; the deadline is 12 working days before a poll.

gov.uk ↗
Contact your councillors or MP

Type a postcode to write to each of its councillors and its MP.

WriteToThem ↗
Report a pothole or a broken streetlight

GOV.UK sends the report to the council that looks after the road.

gov.uk ↗
Watch or speak at a council meeting

Council and committee meetings are open to the public, with agendas and minutes online.

durham.gov.uk ↗
Comment on a planning application

Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.

durham.gov.uk ↗
Stand for election

The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.

Electoral Commission ↗

Questions about how Newton Aycliffe is run

Which council runs Newton Aycliffe?

Newton Aycliffe is run by Durham County Council.

Does Newton Aycliffe have a town council?

Yes: Newton Aycliffe has its own parish-tier council (Great Aycliffe parish council; town councils are parish councils by another name), which adds £312 to a Band D bill in 2026–27.

Who is the MP for Newton Aycliffe?

Alan Strickland (Labour) is the MP for Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor, which covers Newton Aycliffe.

How many councillors does Newton Aycliffe have?

5 ward councillors represent Newton Aycliffe’s 2 wards.

When are the next elections in Newton Aycliffe?

No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Newton Aycliffe’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.

How much is council tax in Newton Aycliffe?

Band D council tax in Newton Aycliffe is £2,812 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).

Who controls Durham County Council?

Reform UK has a majority: 63 of 98 seats as elected. The council’s website lists who leads it now.

Who won the 2025 council election in Newton Aycliffe?

In Newton Aycliffe’s wards on 1 May 2025, Reform UK 4 · Liberal Democrat 1 of the 5 seats up. Reform UK had the largest share of votes, 41.3%.

Sources: ONS ward, county division, parish, constituency lookups (Census 2021 output areas; Open Government Licence v3.0) · GOV.UK local council finder · Democracy Club candidates (CC BY 4.0) and EveryElection · UK Parliament Members API (Open Parliament Licence v3.0) · MHCLG Band D council tax, parish precepts and Revenue Account budgets 2026–27 (OGL v3.0) · ONS mid-2025 population estimates. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.