Hartlepool Borough Council Director of Public Health RESIGNS....

Craig Blundred

Hartlepool Borough Council's Director of Public Health Craig Blundred announces his departure from the local council, marking yet another senior official departing the 'troubled' local council.

26th August 2025

A senior council official has formally announced his departure from a local borough council mired in controversy, marking the third senior figure to depart the public institution in as many months

Craig Blundred, Hartlepool Borough Councils Director of Public Health, has announced he's to stand down as the Director of Public Health and will leave on 9th November 2025 to take up a new role as The Director of Public Health at Bradford City Council.

Mr Blundred joined Hartlepool Borough Council in 2019 as the Deputy Director of Public Health before being promoted to Director in 2020. His departure marks the third senior resignation from Hartlepool Borough Council in just three months, following the exits of Tony Hanson and Sally Robinson, sparking questions over senior officials confidence in its top officer Denise McGuckin....

According to a report due before councillors next week, Mr Blundred’s role is a statutory position and must be filled. However, the council admits that no current employees are suitably qualified to take it on, meaning interim arrangements will be required. Options said to be being considered include sharing the role with a neighbouring local council or turning to an external recruitment agency to attract applicants.

The spate of resignations has reportedly forced Hartlepool Borough Council to draw up yet another senior management restructure—the third in just six years. Proposals to go before councillors include:

• Deleting the vacant post of Director of Development, Neighbourhoods and Regulatory Services.

  
  

• Creating new positions, including a Director of Housing, Growth and Communities, a Director of Neighbourhoods and Regulatory Services, and an Assistant Director of Housing and Growth.

  
  

• Scrapping the title of “Managing Director”, currently held by Denise McGuckin, and reverting back to Chief Executive. However, the change will reportedly not affect the controversial top officer’s pay packet.

  
  

Councils 'reputation' is causing recruitment of new candidates to be "challenging"

Sources also suggest that Hartlepool Borough Council’s troubled reputation, its public declaration of No Confidence back in 2023 & apparent unwillingness to democratically engage with the public is making senior recruitment “challenging,” with increasing reliance on external headhunting agencies having to be made, with discussions said to be 'ongoing' over whether the new roles will be filled internally or through outside recruitment.

The string of high-profile exits is expected to raise further concerns over confidence in the council’s Managing Director at a time when stability is badly needed with one of our sources working closely to Hartlepool Borough Council claiming staff morale "is at its lowest ever seen" & that senior officials are departing the local council not because of better job prospects elsewhere, but because confidence in the councils top officer Ms McGuckin "has gone"....