From the State Records Archives Outside blog:
How did local government in the form of the Newcastle City Council come to be? The Local Government Area, of which Newcastle city is its centre, has gone through a number of name changes over the years.... The article concludes: "No full length substantial history exists for the city of Newcastle nor of its Council.
Therefore this modest administrative history is a preliminary first step towards a more comprehensive history."
Read the full article posted to the Archives Outside blog on September 30, 2009 by Gionni DiGravio : Sesquicentenary of Local Government in Newcastle.