Council Grants Temporary Licence to local charity After Current Lease Ends...

Burbank Community Centre Hartlepool

Documents seen by the Teesside & Durham Post reveal Hartlepool Borough Council are willing to allow the charitable organisation’s continued presence at the community centre to provide security for the vacant building during the transition period, as the local council seeks to place the building out to tender.

9th October 2025

Hartlepool Borough Council has quietly granted a four-month licence to a local Charity to remain in occupation of a council-owned property, despite the formal lease officially ending on 30th September 2025.

According to an Officer Decision Record document seen by the Teesside & Durham Post, the council has granted the temporary licence extension to Community Links Hartlepool, as Hartlepool Brough Council reportedly plans to advertise the property on the open market by informal tender, opening it up to new bids for future tenancy. However, rather than vacating the building as expected, its claimed the local charity requested permission to stay put — claiming they had no alternative location available to move to. Council officers have now agreed to allow the charity to remain until February 2026, issuing a short-term licence effective from 3rd October 2025.

Agreement "will not impact the marketing process" council officials claim...

Council Officers defended the decision, stating that the arrangement “will not impact on the marketing process” because the property will still be advertised for two months, while legal and tender formalities could take at least that long to complete, with the document adding that refusing the request could “impact the users of the Licensee’s service,” and that the organisation’s continued presence will also provide security for the vacant building during the transition period.

The decision was made under whats known as 'delegated authority', meaning it did not go before elected councillors — a point that's likely to raise even more questions about transparency and fairness in how Hartlepool Council manages its commercial and community property portfolio.

While the council argues the move is practical and compassionate, some will see this as another example of behind-closed-doors decision-making from an organisation already criticised as being one of Teessides most dysfunctional institutions.

With the property now reportedly heading to the open market, it remains to be seen as to whether Community Links Hartlepool will attempt to secure a new long-term tenancy & who will eventually take over the day to day running of the community centre.