Calls for a Review of Councils 'Bloated' Management Structure, after its revealed its costing local Taxpayers nearly two million pounds a year...

Hartlepool Civic Centre

Calls for a comprehensive Restructure of a councils senior management team grow, after its revealed a colossal £1,826,884 is being paid out by the local taxpayer in Hartlepool every single year....

29th April 2025

Calls for a comprehensive review of Hartlepool Borough Councils senior management structure are said to be growing, following claims local taxpayers are now funding a staggering amount of Bureaucracy & waste at what's widely regarded as one of the countries smallest unitary authorities,.

Hartlepool Borough Councils Senior Leadership Chart (The latest chart dated May 2023)

HBC Exposed discovered that Hartlepool Borough Council is now shelling out almost two million pounds on what's been described by many as an overly 'bloated' senior management structure which has now left the local council which in 2023 was declared an authority of no public confidence boasting.....

• Five Directors

• One Chief Solicitor

• One Director of Public Health

• Ten Assistant Directors

• One Assistant Chief Solicitor

And by using the lowest end of the council's official pay bands, its claimed the supposedly 'elite' leadership team is now said to be costing Hartlepool taxpayers a colossal £1,826,884 every single year, almost TWO MILLION POUNDS in salaries just to keep Hartlepool Borough Councils managerial machine running, And that’s reportedly before the addition of any other parks, such as pension contributions, bonuses, car allowances, and golden handshakes.

Questions are being asked over just what locals are actually paying for?

Nearly two million pounds on a bloated senior management structures beginning to look like money going down the drain

Critics claim its more than enough evidence to show that a 2020 management reshuffle in a bid to reduce operational costs at the troubled institution was 'a complete failure', with seemingly little improvement seen for local taxpayers in return, with one source telling HBC Exposed that the councils senior management team is now so oversized, it’s insulting to every local taxpayer struggling to make ends meet.

In the space of a decade, its claimed Council Taxes in Hartlepool have increased by over £400 pounds a year for the average household, with council services then systematically slashed year on year. Whilst its been acknowledged that at least some improvements have been made in the last year, with the now Labour elected council investing in new street cleansing equipment & taking on at least four additional members of staff, critics claim it goes nowhere close to addressing the sheer scale of the cutbacks which have occurred over the last decade, whilst senior officer pay has exploded beyond all reasonable proportions.

Council executives argue these positions are “necessary” and “reflect the complexities of running local government.” But many claim this is once again Hartlepool Borough Councils senior officers frightened that their gravy train could be set to be derailed with the justification of a near £2 million pounds a year spend in salaries whilst volunteers are left litter-picking the streets said to be leaving locals with a very bitter taste in their mouths, & whilst its claimed things are supposedly 'improving' under a newly elected council, families are said to be still struggling under immense levels of poverty, with public trust in the local council reportedly 'at an all-time low'...

Its no wonder there's no services left at HBC !

Even some local councillors are said to be making it known that a number of the councils top officers 'have to be shown the door' !

HBC Exposed understands that talks have been quietly underway about the proposals for yet another restructure of the councils senior management & even the possible resignation of HBC's Managing Director Denise McGuckin, following claims the continued spend in the councils top tier is becoming increasingly unsustainable, with the most recent Council Tax hike only serving to shine the spotlight even further upon the councils 'fat cat' top table, with expenditure such as a near two million pounds on the councils 'chosen few' becoming increasingly questioned by local members of the public over just where the value for money aspect lies in a visibly 'bloated' management structure that's left frontline services striped to the bone & locals starting to ask.

Is this really a council working for the people, or simply out to line its own pockets ?