Council Leader Secures Loan on 2nd Property just days before being appointed Leader of Hartlepool Council..

Concerns the Labour Councillor for Hartlepool who was recently appointed the Leader of the Borough Council is using her position to further push her business interests, after the Teesside & Durham Post finds she's taken out a hefty loan against a property she bought with her husband & Labour MP Jonathan Brash back in 2022...

12th October 2025

A new Companies House document which recently emerged into the public domain reveals Hargreaves Brash Properties Ltd, a company co-owned by Hartlepool Borough Council’s new leader, Pamela Hargreaves, has taken out a fresh financial charge with National Westminster Bank plc, —ironically just days before she was officially appointed as the new leader of Hartlepool Borough Council..

According to the official MR01 registration document, the charge — formally registered on 8th October 2025 — includes both fixed and floating charges over the company’s property and assets, along with a negative pledge, meaning the business cannot use those same assets as security for another loan without the bank’s permission...

The development is said to be raising serious questions about the timing and purpose of the financial arrangement, coming so soon after Mrs. Hargreaves assumed one of Hartlepool’s most prominent political roles following the snap announcement of the departure of Labour Councillor Brenda Harrison from the role.

What Does a ‘Charge’ Mean?

For readers unfamiliar with company finance, a charge is basically a legal claim registered by a lender — usually a bank — over a company’s property or assets as security for a loan.

In simple terms, it means the lender has a right to take control of, or sell, the secured asset (such as land or buildings) if the company fails to meet its repayment obligations.

A fixed charge normally applies to specific property (for example, a house or commercial building), while a floating charge covers all other business assets such as equipment or future income.

In this case, the registration confirms that Hargreaves Brash Properties Ltd has pledged its property and undertaking to NatWest Bank, suggesting that new borrowing or refinancing made directly against the property itself has recently been arranged.

The Company’s Financial Position

A website seen by the Teesside & Durham Post shows Mrs Hargreaves appears to be running the bungalow as "a wellbeing centre"...

Unaudited accounts filed for the year ending 31 July 2024 show the company held fixed assets valued at £597,561, believed to relate primarily to the bungalow known as Parkside Bungalow, Carr Lane, Spennymoor, County Durham — a property the business appears to have been set up specifically to purchase by Mr Brash & Mrs Hargreaves in back in 2022...

The firm’s net assets stood at £36,671, a modest increase from the £1,263 reported the previous year. It reported no employees and minimal current assets, indicating (at least on paper anyway) that little or no active trading was taking place, in what seems to be a direct contradiction to the website our investigators has seen. The company remains heavily leveraged with liabilities, with over £549,000 in long-term creditors, likely representing mortgage or loan debt.

Background and Political Links

Hargreaves Brash Properties Ltd was incorporated in August 2022, with Pamela Hargreaves and her husband Jonathan Brash — now the Labour MP for Hartlepool — as founding directors. Mr. Brash resigned as a director in January 2025, Ten months before his wife became council leader.

The company narrowly avoided being struck off the Companies House register in November 2024 after a compulsory strike-off notice was issued due to missed filings. The notice was later withdrawn after the company then brought its paperwork up to date.

Concerns Over Influence and Timing

Many are finding the coincidence of the wife of the town's Labour MP bagging a leadership role as too stark to ignore...

The registration of a new bank charge so close to Mrs. Hargreaves’ leadership appointment has prompted concerns about potential conflicts of interest.

Critics argue that such timing risks undermining public confidence, particularly given her family’s close political ties and the company’s prior compliance issues.

While there is no evidence of wrongdoing, the optics are questionable: a council leader securing new finance through a private company — one closely linked to her household — just as she assumes political control of one of Teesside's most dysfunctional institutions. .

With a newly registered charge, a history of administrative trouble, and links to both Hartlepool’s political leadership and Parliament, Hargreaves Brash Properties Ltd is always likely to remain under public scrutiny.

Whether the charge represents a business in significant financial crisis, or a more strategic business move, the timing however has left many in Hartlepool asking difficult questions — and waiting to see if the council leader will address them publicly.