Censored in Hartlepool: Posters Showing Council Bosses’ Pay Torn Down...
- teessidetoday
- Nov 9
- 2 min read
The posters, placed up in strategic locations around the town have been quickly removed by 'jobsworth' officials, fearing the public backlash...
9th November 2025
Posters which recently appeared across Hartlepool — highlighting how much of the town’s money is being wasted on senior council officials salaries— have mysteriously disappeared almost as quickly as they went up.
The campaign, aimed at “shaming” Hartlepool Borough Council executives for what many residents describe as obscene salaries, appeared to struck a nerve with angry town officials who ordered they be removed at any cost. The posters, which reportedly featured details of pay and pension packages for the council’s top seven officials such as its CEO Denise McGuckin, were strategically placed in high-traffic areas such as the town centre and Hartlepool Marina. However, its claimed that within days, they were swiftly removed — reportedly on the orders of “flustered” council officers.
Organisers say the posters were meant to raise public awareness of the poor “value for money” offered by senior pay levels at a time when Hartlepool residents face some of the highest council tax rates in the country.
Council salaries at what many describe as Teesside’s most dysfunctional institution have long been a source of public anger. Critics argue that senior officials continue to enjoy inflation-busting pay rises whilst essential local services are being cut and residents are told to tighten their belts through increasing council tax bills.
The now Labour-run Hartlepool Borough Council has faced a deepening crisis of public confidence since being branded an authority “with no public trust” in 2023. In recent months, the council has attempted several initiatives to restore its image amid growing voter support for Reform UK — where its claimed Reform will introduce a “D.O.G.E-style” audit on Hartlepool Borough Council to rein in executive pay and expose wasteful spending.
In total, Hartlepool’s senior directors currently take home around £900,000 a year in salaries and pension contributions — money many believe would be far better spent on frontline services, rather than what they view as an oversized and out-of-touch leadership team, many of which reportedly dont even live in the borough, meaning all of their salaries wont even benefit the local economy.
