Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council's new leader Jonathan Gullis said his Reform UK administration would be 'bold and radical' while focusing on 'bread and butter' issues.

The former Stoke-on-Trent North MP was formally elected council leader at the authority's annual meeting on Thursday evening, having been elected to lead the ruling Reform UK group last week.

Reform swept to power in Newcastle-under-Lyme in this month's local elections, taking 27 of the borough council's 44 seats and ending eight years of Conservative rule.

Cllr Gullis hailed the 'truly historic' election results, and pledged to focus on the issues that matter most to residents, such as anti-social behaviour and green spaces.

He said he wanted the borough council to be a 'flagship' Reform-led council that builds trust with voters. Cllr Gullis, who served as an MP between 2019 and 2024, personally thanked the voters of Kidsgrove and Ravenscliffe ward, where he was one of three Reform councillors elected.

He said: "We are going to focus on the bread and butter issues that matter to people. We're going to tackle the scourge of anti-social behaviour that plagues town centres, whether that be through e-scooters, public drinking or aggressive begging.

"We will use every legal power at our disposal to take action against them. We will also deal with off-road bikes, which plague communities like Audley, Newchapel and Mow Cop.

"We will make sure that the local plan gets to a place where we can protect our green fields but also build the homes for the future so that people can afford to buy in their local communities.

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"We plan to be bold and radical. I want this to be a flagship Reform UK-led council that builds trust in the voters and demonstrates that where we govern we lead with due diligence and hard work, and deliver change that people can see and feel within their communities."

Cllr Gullis announced a six-member cabinet to lead the borough council. The cabinet members and their portfolios are:

• Cllr Jonathan Gullis – council leader and cabinet member for planning and town centres
• Cllr Graham Shaw – deputy council leader and cabinet member for finance
• Cllr Vanessa Renshaw – cabinet member for housing and public protection
• Cllr Ben Simpson – cabinet member for waste, recycling and green spaces
• Cllr Martin Rogerson – cabinet member for legal, governance and organisational performance
• Cllr Andrew Fisher – cabinet member residents' services and neighbourhoods

The council had been run by a Conservative administration since 2017, but the Tory group was reduced to 15 councillors in the elections.

Conservative group leader Simon Tagg paid tribute to his colleagues who lost their seats, including former deputy council leader Stephen Sweeney, saying they had been 'victims of a political cycle'.

Cllr Tagg, who retained his Westlands seat and was re-elected group leader earlier this week, said the Conservatives would offer constructive opposition.

He said: "There will be policy differences between the opposition and the new administration, but where they do the right thing we will support them. We will hold them to account if we see any failure."

Christopher Bailey, Reform councillor for Wolstanton, was elected Newcastle's mayor for the coming municipal year, while Mark Harrison, Reform councillor for Cross Heath, will serve as his deputy.

Outgoing mayor Robert Bettley-Smith, who raised around £36,000 for his chosen charities Papyrus and Belong during his year in office, thanked all councillors for their support, saying it went 'far beyond the polite and courteous'.

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