£155,000 a Year: Hartlepool Council Hunts for a New Chief Executive
- Jan 7
- 3 min read
New Chief Executive Sought as Hartlepool Council Promises ‘Its a Council on the Rise’...
7th Jan 2026
Hartlepool Borough Council has begun the process of recruiting a new Chief Executive just months before the current top officer is set to stand down, offering a headline salary of £155,000 per year for what it describes as a “career-defining opportunity” to lead the local council which in 2023 was declared an authority with no public confidence through its next phase of change.
In the recruitment pack, seen by the Teesside & Durham Post. Hartlepool is portrayed as a “vibrant and energetic Borough” on the rise, with bold ambitions to create inclusive, resilient and thriving communities. The successful candidate is promised the chance to lead a council that claims it is:
Delivering “Outstanding” children’s services
Supporting healthier lives through integrated health and care
Protecting vulnerable residents
Driving economic growth, new housing, and infrastructure investment
The role is framed as inspirational and transformational, with the incoming Chief Executive expected to empower staff, reshape the organisation under a new management structure, and “lead a council on the rise”.
Big Claims, Big Numbers
Central to the council’s pitch is its regeneration narrative. According to the advert, Hartlepool is in the middle of one of the most ambitious place-making programmes in the UK, including:
£160 million in regeneration schemes
A new leisure centre
A film and TV production village
A re-imagined town centre
Major highways infrastructure
£20 million invested in “resilient communities”
These projects are presented as long-term renewal initiatives that will “unlock potential” and deliver lasting benefits for future generations.
However, these promises all sound familiar. Regeneration has been a recurring theme in Hartlepool for decades, often accompanied by big announcements, borrowed money, and limited visible improvement at street level.
What the Council Wants in a Chief Executive
The advert makes clear that this is not just a managerial role. The council's looking for someone who:
Understands the “enabling power” of local authorities
Can work closely with political leaders
Builds partnerships with developers, investors, and private sector bodies
Engages meaningfully with local communities
Maintains financial resilience and strong governance
In short, the new Chief Executive will sit at the centre of politics, finance, regeneration, and public accountability—while being paid more than most Hartlepool residents will earn in several years combined.
While the council talks about ambition, momentum, and opportunity, many residents will inevitably ask some much harder questions, specifically about just what tangible benefits have past regeneration schemes delivered?, How financially resilient is the council in reality? & Will this appointment bring real accountability—or simply another highly paid figurehead who remains unaccountable to the public?
And with a salary of £155,000 per year, its one of the most highly paid public sector roles in the town, with expectations correspondingly high.
The current Chief Executive, Denise McGuckin, took up the post in August 2020 following the retirement of Gill Alexander, whose tenure at the council was widely regarded as one of the worst in terms of Leadership. McGuckin’s period in charge of Hartlepool Borough Council has, according to staff and internal sources, proven no less disappointing and, in some respects, even worse, with staff Morale said to have fallen to exceptionally low levels, culminating in 2025 with the departure of at least three senior officers. Other staff have since complained of excessive workloads being piled upon remaining employees, while the Chief Executive reportedly benefited from significant pay increases amid accusations she contributed little in terms of day-to-day leadership or delivery, with staff morale being labelled a crisis, leaving her position at the embattled council untenable.
Recruitment Details
The recruitment process is said to be being handled by executive search firm GatenbySanderson.
Interested candidates are directed to contact:
Applications close 9 January 2026 at 12 noon.
