Photo: Jonathan Clitheroe · CC BY-SA 2.0Ashfield Independents holds a majority on Ashfield District Council
Newstead is run by Ashfield District Council, Gedling Borough Council and Nottinghamshire County Council, with Annesley parish council for local matters. Ashfield Independents has a majority on Ashfield District Council. Labour has a majority on Gedling Borough Council. Reform UK has a majority on Nottinghamshire County Council. Most of Newstead is in Ashfield (MP Lee Anderson, Reform UK); 41% of residents are in Sherwood Forest (MP Michelle Welsh, Labour).
£2,684
Band D, a year, the middle band every council sets its tax from.
Where it goes →How Newstead’s politics has changed since 2021
A majority on Ashfield District Council
Ashfield Independents holds a majority on Ashfield District Council: 32 of its 35 seats as elected. The Conservatives hold 2, Labour 1. Who’s in charge ↓
Nottinghamshire changed hands in 2025
Nottinghamshire County Council, which runs schools, social care and roads, went from a Conservative majority (36 of 66 seats in 2021) to a Reform UK majority at the May 2025 election: Reform UK won 41 of 66 seats. Nottinghamshire ↓
Council tax
A Band D bill in Newstead is £2,712 for 2026–27; Ashfield District Council keeps 8% 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 holds the seats on Newstead’s councils
Seats by party as elected. A party needs 18 of Ashfield’s 35 or 21 of Gedling’s 41 or 34 of Nottinghamshire’s 66 seats to run the council alone.
- Ashfield Independents32
- Conservative2
- Labour1
Latest election: May 2023.
- Labour27
- Conservative9
- Liberal Democrat4
- Independent1
Latest election: May 2023.
- Reform UK41+41
- Conservative18−18
- Labour4−11
- Ashfield Independents1−9
- Broxtowe Alliance1+1
- Broxtowe Independent Group1+1
- Independent0−4
- Liberal Democrat0−1
Change against the council before the 1 May 2025 election.
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.
Two tiers of council, and a parish tier
Newstead has two tiers of council: the county runs the big services, the district the local ones.
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.
59% of Newstead’s residents · Band D precept £115
The parish council for the part of Newstead inside Newstead parish.
Who runs Newstead: same source as Who runs Newstead, above.
Bins and recycling, planning, housing, environmental health, leisure, and collecting council tax.
59% of Newstead’s residents
Website ↗Bins and recycling, planning, housing, environmental health, leisure, and collecting council tax.
Who runs Newstead: same source as Who runs Newstead, above.
Website ↗Schools, social care, roads and transport, libraries and waste disposal.
Website ↗Transport, skills and regeneration across several council areas. It is led by an elected mayor.
Mayor: Claire Ward (Labour and Co-operative), elected May 2024
Who to ask
From GOV.UK’s “Understand how your council works”: in two-tier areas the district or borough runs local services and the county the big ones.
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.
From the parish to Westminster
Every elected tier that speaks for Newstead, from the most recent elections.
- 1Town or parish2 parish councilsAnnesley parish councilNewstead parish council
- 2Council wards2 wards · 5 councillorsRachel Elisabeth MaddenJamie David BellMartin David SmithStuart James BestwickSue Pickering
- 3Nottinghamshire County Council2 divisions · 2 councillorsRory GreenStuart James Bestwick
- 4Mayor of East Midlands Combined County AuthorityEast Midlands Combined County Authority · elected May 2024Claire Ward
- 5Police and crime commissionerNottinghamshire Police · elected May 2024Gary Godden
- 6House of CommonsSplit between 2 constituencies
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.
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.
- Rachel Elisabeth MaddenAshfield Independents · May 2023
- Jamie David BellAshfield Independents · May 2023
- Martin David SmithConservative · May 2023
- Stuart James BestwickConservative · May 2023
- Sue PickeringConservative · May 2023
Show as a table, with Nottinghamshire County Council’s 2 divisions (2 councillors)
| Ward | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annesley & Kirkby WoodhouseAshfield · 17% in Newstead · 1,299 residents2 seats · May 2023 | 2 | Rachel Elisabeth MaddenJamie David Bell | May 2023 |
| Newstead AbbeyGedling · 11% in Newstead · 905 residents3 seats · May 2023 | 3 | Martin David SmithStuart James BestwickSue Pickering | May 2023 |
Nottinghamshire County Council: county divisions
| Division | Seats | Elected | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kirkby South ED9% in Newstead · 1,299 residents1 seat · May 2025 | 1 | Rory Green | May 2025 |
| Newstead ED3% in Newstead · 905 residents1 seat · May 2025 | 1 | Stuart James Bestwick | May 2025 |
Councillors can resign, change party or sit as independents between elections; a by-election winner replaces someone not named here. Ashfield District 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).
Ashfield council election, May 2023
Results in the wards that make up Newstead, as declared. Percentages are of votes cast for candidates in each ward; where a ward elects several councillors, each voter has that many votes.
2 wards voted. Every seat in the town’s wards was up.
No election is scheduled yet for Newstead’s wards in Democracy Club’s list. Councils publish a notice of election about five weeks before polling day.
Who can I vote for? ↗3,902 votes for candidates · 2 seats, so 2 votes each
7,465 votes for candidates · 3 seats, so 3 votes each
Candidates and results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), from councils’ declared results; polling dates from Democracy Club’s EveryElection.
Newstead is split between 2 constituencies
The constituencies’ MP and the 4 July 2024 general election, the whole constituency’s result.
Reform UK, MP since 12 December 2019
59% of Newstead’s residents live in this constituency.
Turnout 58% (England 60%).
Majority 5,508 of 39,882 votes (13.8%): the 269th-narrowest of 543 in England.
Labour, MP since 4 July 2024
41% of Newstead’s residents live in this constituency.
Turnout 62% (England 60%).
Majority 5,443 of 48,660 votes (11.2%): the 213th-narrowest of 543 in England.
39,882 votes for candidates · majority 5,508
Reform UK, MP since 12 December 2019.
turnout in July 2024: 39,882 votes from 68,929 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 5,508 of 39,882 votes (13.8%): the 269th-narrowest of 543 in England.
Sherwood Forest
48,660 votes for candidates · majority 5,443
Labour, MP since 4 July 2024.
turnout in July 2024: 48,660 votes from 78,896 registered voters. England: 60%.
Majority 5,443 of 48,660 votes (11.2%): the 213th-narrowest of 543 in England.
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.
Newstead’s Band D council tax is £2,712 a year
Where a Band D bill goes, what it has cost over the years, and what the councils plan to spend per resident.
Ashfield District Council keeps £213.20 of a Band D bill (8%); the rest goes to the Annesley parish council, Nottinghamshire County Council, the Nottinghamshire police and crime commissioner and the Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Authority.
Across the whole town the average Band D is £2,684 (parishes differ; weighted by residents).
Band D since 1993
Ashfield’s Band D bill has risen 51% in ten years, from £1,728.51 in 2016–17, against England’s average (56%). It was £595.13 in 1993–94.
Your bill by band
A Band D home in Annesley, 2026–27, before discounts. The Valuation Office Agency’s band search gives any home’s band.
Nottinghamshire’s councils
Average Band D in each council area, 2026–27, parish precepts included. Bars start at £2,500.
Council budgets per resident, 2026–27
Show as a table, with Nottinghamshire
| Ashfield + Nottinghamshire | Newstead’s councils | Nottinghamshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult social care | £505 | £510 | £487 |
| Children’s social care | £275 | £310 | £290 |
| Roads and transport | £40 | £65 | £41 |
| Housing (not council homes’ rents) | £31 | £39 | £61 |
| Bins, street cleaning, environment | £117 | £116 | £119 |
| Libraries, leisure, culture | £14 | £38 | £44 |
| Planning and development | £36 | £32 | £26 |
| Public health | £68 | £90 | £78 |
| Running the council | £62 | £49 | £59 |
| Other | £23 | £38 | £19 |
| Total, schools apart | £1,172 | £1,287 | £1,234 |
Net budgeted service spending, MHCLG Revenue Account budget 2026–27, per resident (ONS mid-2025 estimates). Both tiers added: Ashfield per its residents plus Nottinghamshire per the county’s. Schools are left out: academies are paid for directly by government, so council school budgets depend on how many schools have converted. Nottinghamshire 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.
Having a say in how Newstead is run
It takes about five minutes online; the deadline is 12 working days before a poll.
gov.uk ↗Type a postcode to write to each of its councillors and its MP.
WriteToThem ↗GOV.UK sends the report to the council that looks after the road.
gov.uk ↗Council and committee meetings are open to the public, with agendas and minutes online.
ashfield.gov.uk ↗Anyone can comment while an application is open for consultation.
ashfield.gov.uk ↗The rules, nomination papers and guidance for council candidates.
Electoral Commission ↗Questions about how Newstead is run
Which council runs Newstead?
Newstead is run by Ashfield District Council, Gedling Borough Council and Nottinghamshire County Council. The county council runs schools, social care and roads; the district runs bins, planning and housing.
Does Newstead have a town council?
Yes: Newstead has its own parish-tier council (Annesley parish council; town councils are parish councils by another name), which adds £115 to a Band D bill in 2026–27.
Who is the MP for Newstead?
Newstead is split between 2 constituencies: Ashfield (Lee Anderson, Reform UK) and Sherwood Forest (Michelle Welsh, Labour). Parliament’s Find your MP service matches a postcode to its MP.
How many councillors does Newstead have?
5 ward councillors represent Newstead’s 2 wards, and 2 county councillors its county divisions.
When are the next elections in Newstead?
No election is scheduled yet in Democracy Club’s list for Newstead’s wards. The next UK general election must be held by August 2029.
How much is council tax in Newstead?
Band D council tax in Newstead is £2,684 for 2026–27. Your bill depends on your home’s band, from A (6/9 of Band D) to H (18/9).
Who controls Ashfield District Council?
Ashfield Independents has a majority: 32 of 35 seats as elected. The council’s website lists who leads it now.
Who controls Gedling Borough Council?
Labour has a majority: 27 of 41 seats as elected.
Who won the 2023 council election in Newstead?
In Newstead’s wards on 4 May 2023, Conservative 3 · Ashfield Independents 2 of the 5 seats up. The Conservatives had the largest share of votes, 43.4%.
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.