Newark Town Council could merge wards in boundary shake-up

Newark Town Council is expected to have new boundaries for some of its electoral wards, but the number of councillors will remain the same following a review.

The changes are being planned as the local population rises and development increases, such as new housing in the Middlebeck area.

Newark town is unusual in that it has three levels of elected local Government — a town council, a district council and a county council.

A review, carried out by Newark and Sherwood District Council earlier in March, assessed how local communities are represented in the Newark Town Council wards.

The final recommendations will be discussed in a district council committee on Thursday (June 19), although a final decision is not expected until later in the summer.

Under the recommendations, the town council’s South Ward would be renamed Middlebeck, and the Newark East ward would be merged into Beacon Ward.

Under the proposed changes, Newark Town Council would retain 18 councillors, but their distribution across wards would be adjusted.

Devon would have the most representation with five councillors, followed by Beacon with four and Bridge with three.

Castle and Magnus would each have two councillors, while Middlebeck and Sleaford would have one each.

One councillor will be shifted from Beacon to Magnus Ward.

A report on the issue reads: “The council has undertaken a Community Governance Review of the Newark Town Council ward boundaries and electoral arrangements in light of future development of housing in the town and the current electoral arrangements.”

The changes are still considered worth doing, despite ongoing local Government reform to reduce the number of councils, because the town council has an election due in May 2027.

Two public consultations on the recommendations were carried out in May and June this year.

The proposals from the committee on Thursday, June 19, will be sent on to the full council for final approval.

The final recommendations are due to be published in July 2025.

The new electoral arrangements will take immediate effect and will be used in the full town council elections next year.

The authority holds a vote every four years and is responsible for some local services such as allotments, public toilets, twinning and the cemetery, similar in scope to a parish council.

Newark and Sherwood District Council have been approached for further comment.