Politics in Morpeth: Who Represents You

If you live in Morpeth, you are represented by elected politicians at three levels: a Member of Parliament at Westminster, a county councillor at Northumberland County Council, and town councillors on Morpeth Town Council. Understanding who they are and what they do is the first step to making your voice heard.

This guide sets out the facts. It is entirely non-partisan and does not endorse any party or candidate.

Your Member of Parliament

Since the 2024 general election, Morpeth has been part of the North Northumberland constituency. This is a new seat created by the 2023 Boundary Review. It replaces the old Berwick-upon-Tweed constituency and also takes in Morpeth, which was previously part of the Wansbeck seat.

The constituency covers a large swathe of northern Northumberland, from the Scottish border down to Morpeth. It is one of the geographically largest seats in England.

The current MP for North Northumberland is David Smith (Labour), elected on 4 July 2024. He is the first Labour MP to represent this area. Before entering Parliament, Smith worked in the charity sector for two decades, most recently leading a homelessness charity in the North East. Since December 2024 he has also served as the UK's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief.

You can contact your MP through the UK Parliament website at members.parliament.uk or via his constituency office.

Best for: Morpeth moved from the Wansbeck constituency to North Northumberland following the 2023 boundary changes. Your MP represents an area stretching from Morpeth to the Scottish border.

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Northumberland County Council

Northumberland is a unitary authority. That means the county council is the principal local authority — there is no separate district or borough council. Northumberland County Council, headquartered at County Hall on the western edge of Morpeth, is responsible for education, highways, social care, planning, waste collection, libraries, leisure, and most other public services.

The council has 69 elected members, each representing a single-member division. Morpeth is covered by three county council divisions:

• Morpeth North
• Morpeth Kirkhill
• Morpeth Stobhill

Each division returns one county councillor. Elections for all 69 seats took place most recently in May 2025, following a boundary review that increased the number of divisions from 67.

You can find out which division you are in and who your county councillor is by entering your postcode on the Northumberland County Council website at northumberland.gov.uk. The council's member directory at northumberland.moderngov.co.uk lists all current councillors with their contact details, committee memberships, and voting records.

Best for: Not sure which county division you live in? Use the postcode lookup on the Northumberland County Council website to find your councillor.

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Morpeth Town Council

Morpeth Town Council is a parish council — the most local tier of government. It was created in 1984 and has 15 elected councillors representing three electoral wards: North, Kirkhill, and Stobhill, each returning five members.

The town council's responsibilities are more limited than the county council's, but they cover services that residents encounter every day. These include:

• Play areas and the paddling pool in Carlisle Park
• Christmas lights and seasonal decorations
• Morpeth in Bloom
• Community centres
• Morpeth Town Hall
• Allotments
• Public seating and noticeboards

The town council also acts as a consultee on planning applications affecting Morpeth and provides a local voice on issues such as parking, anti-social behaviour, and town centre management.

Morpeth Town Council is funded partly through a precept — a small addition to your council tax bill collected by Northumberland County Council and passed to the town council. The precept amount is set each year by the town councillors.

The council is led by the Mayor of Morpeth, a ceremonial role elected annually by fellow councillors. The Mayor for 2025-26 is Councillor Rachael Hogg.

Full council meetings, agendas, and minutes are published on the town council's website at morpeth-tc.gov.uk. Meetings are open to the public and there is usually a period set aside for public questions.

Best for: Town council meetings are open to the public. Agendas and minutes are published at morpeth-tc.gov.uk.

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How the Tiers Work Together

It can be confusing to know which council to contact about a particular issue. The simplest way to think about it is:

• Northumberland County Council handles the big-ticket services: schools, roads, bin collections, social care, planning decisions, and libraries.
• Morpeth Town Council looks after hyper-local matters: parks and play areas, Christmas lights, allotments, and the Town Hall.
• Your MP deals with national and Westminster-level issues, and can also intervene when residents have problems with government departments or agencies.

If in doubt, Northumberland County Council's main contact number is 0345 600 6400. For town council matters, contact Morpeth Town Council directly at morpeth-tc.gov.uk or by telephone on 01670 514314.

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Getting Involved

Democracy works best when people engage with it. There are several ways to get involved in local politics in Morpeth without joining a party:

• Attend a council meeting. Both Northumberland County Council and Morpeth Town Council hold meetings that are open to the public.
• Contact your councillor. All councillors have published contact details. They are there to represent you regardless of how you voted.
• Respond to consultations. Both councils regularly consult on planning applications, budget proposals, and local plans.
• Stand for election. Town council elections take place every four years. Any registered elector who lives or works in the parish can stand as a candidate, with or without a party affiliation.

Morpeth is fortunate to have active elected representatives at every level. Knowing who they are and what they do is the starting point for holding them to account.