Councillor in the Dark? Labour Councillor Phillip Holbrook Claims He Was Kept Out of Parking Plans Parking Row Erupts in Hartlepool Street as Labour Councillor Questions Decisions Made Behind His Back... 26th October 2026 A Hartlepool Labour councillor has questioned plans to introduce new parking restrictions on a Hartlepool street, claiming the proposals have emerged without his knowledge and could adversely affect local residents. Councillor Philip Holbrook, who represents

SICK AS A PARROT! – Middlesbrough Council's Sickness Rate Soars by a Staggering 133% TOWN HALL SICKNESS CRISIS: Middlesbrough Council Loses More Than 65,000 Working Days as Staff Absences Soar by 133% 26th October 2026 Middlesbrough Council is facing serious questions over its soaring staff sickness levels after newly disclosed figures revealed that the number of working days lost through staff sickness has more than doubled in just twelve months.... Figures released under th

Government Formaly Steps In as Concerns Mount Over Tees Valley Combined Authority's Finances Alarm Bells Over Tees Valley Finances as Government Orders Statutory Inspection... 15th October 2026 The Labour Government has today ordered a formal statutory inspection into the activities of the Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) amid whats claimed to be serious concerns over its financial sustainability, mounting debt and governance arrangements, prompting Hartlepool MP Jonatha

Higher Council Tax Bills on the Horizon as Reform-Led Hartlepool Council Faces £12m Shortfall Hartlepool Taxpayers Face More Pain as Reform UK Signals Council Tax Increases... 13th October 2026 Hartlepool residents could be facing another eyewatering increase in their Council Tax bills in April 2027, after the town's Reform UK administration acknowledged that further rises may be unavoidable as the authority with no public confidence struggles with a projected £12 million bud

163 Jobs Already Gone: Firefighters' Union Fights Plans for Further Cuts Across Cleveland Cleveland Fire Brigade Faces Further Cuts Despite Already Losing a Third of Its Workforce, Union Claims 12th October 2026 Cleveland Fire Brigade has lost 163 jobs, equivalent to a third of its workforce, according to the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), as fresh proposals to reduce costs across the emergency service move forward amid growing concerns over the future of local fire cover. The fi

Council Shake-Up Raises Questions Over Who Will Scrutinise Hartlepool's New Cabinet Hartlepool Borough Council Plans Early Cabinet Switch Despite Having Until June 2027 8th October 2026 Hartlepool Borough Council is preparing for one of the biggest changes to its political leadership structure in more than a decade, with plans to scrap its existing committee-based system in favour of a Leader and Cabinet model — without giving residents an opportunity to vote on the change. A

Council Demands Timetable for Improvement as Hartlepool Residents Report Serious Postal Delays Missed Hospital Appointments and Weeks Without Post: Council Takes Hartlepool Royal Mail Complaints to the Top 24th Sep 2026 Hartlepool Borough Council is being asked to formally challenge Royal Mail over continuing postal delays in the town, after increasing reports of residents missing crucial medical appointments, important financial documents failing to arrive and some household

Risk of the Ship Sinking’: Stark Warning Over Future of Hartlepool Paddle-steamer Wingfield Castle Hartlepool Borough Council Warned Wingfield Castle ‘Could Sink’ if Repairs Cannot Be Funded… 23rd Sep 2026 Hartlepool Borough Council has been warned that its Historic Paddlesteamer The Wingfield Castle could continue to deteriorate — with official papers identifying a risk that the vessel “could eventually sink” if an affordable repair programme cannot be secured…. The warning

£11.5m Cost Increase Leaves Hartlepool Waterfront Project on the Brink 22nd Sep 2026 A flagship Hartlepool waterfront regeneration project involving the Museum of Hartlepool and the historic Wingfield Castle is set to be abandoned after estimated costs more than doubled to over £21 million pounds. Hartlepool Borough Council’s Housing, Growth and Communities Committee will be asked on 30th of September 2026 to endorse a recommendation that the ambitious Tides of Change progra

Hartlepool's 'Yellow Cabs' look set to remain after overwhelming public support . Hartlepool Looks Set to Keep Its Yellow Taxis Despite Operator Warning Over Costs and Electric Cars... 16th September 2026 Hartlepool’s distinctive yellow taxis look set to remain a familiar sight on the town’s streets after an overwhelming majority of respondents to a council consultation backed keeping the colour — despite one major Taxi operator warning that the requirement is increasing cost

Borrowing Warning as Hartlepool Council Draws Down The Last of its Reserves Hartlepool Council Warns More Expensive Borrowing May Be Needed as Reserves Are Drawn Down... 15th September 2026 Hartlepool Borough Council has warned it may eventually have to take out longer-term borrowing at higher interest rates than originally anticipated, as its capital programme progresses and reserves are increasingly being used to support day to day spending. The warning appears in the counc

‘Keeping it in the family?’ — The appointment of Chief Finance Officer James Magog’s partner as Head of Internal Audit is unlikely to ease concerns over senior-level family connections and perceived conflicts of interest within Hartlepool Borough Council. Hartlepool Borough Council Forced to put Significant Safeguards in Place After New Internal Audit Chief Revealed to Be Married to Finance Director… 15th September 2026 Hartlepool Borough Council has this week confirmed that

Residents Back Tough Dog Rules as Council Prepares to Renew PSPOs Hartlepool Dog Restrictions Set to Stay as Residents Demand Tougher Enforcement 10th September 2026 Hartlepool’s existing dog-control restrictions are set to remain in force for another three years after a public consultation revealed overwhelming support for many of the current rules — with residents repeatedly calling for stronger enforcement. Hartlepool Borough Council’s Neighbourhoods and Regulatory Service

Social Care, Housing and Funding: Hartlepool Leader Sends Message to Downing Street The Leader of Hartlepool Borough Council has written directly to the Prime Minister calling for urgent Government action on council funding, social care and housing. 14th August 2026 Reform UK Councillor Graham Harrison has set out what he describes as three key priorities which he believes are necessary to secure a stronger future for Hartlepool and other communities facing similar pressures

Cleveland Firefighters Union Campaigns Against Proposed Frontline Cuts 25th July 2026 Cleveland firefighters have launched a campaign against proposed cost-cutting measures which union representatives warn could weaken emergency cover across Teesside and East Cleveland. The Cleveland branch of the Fire Brigades Union has this week unanimously rejected a series of options being considered as Cleveland Fire Brigade attempts to address a projected funding shortfall of approximat

£130,000 CCTV Investment Targets Fly-Tipping — But Council Has Yet to Publish Results

£2.36m Hartlepool Hardship Fund Could Help Residents Clear Council Tax Arrears

Hartlepool’s £35m Highlight Hub Delayed Again Just Days Before Planned Opening

Fire Brigade Introduces Amnesty for Staff to Declare Second Jobs After Audit Finding

Structural Propping Works Ordered at Middleton Grange to Prevent Further Deterioration