Council Legal Shambles: Tribunal Threatens to impose 'Costs Orders' against Hartlepool Borough Council Over “Utterly Contemptuous” Conduct...

HHJ David Dixon

HHJ David Dixon this month slammed Hartlepool Borough Council over its alleged 'Contempt of Proceedings', as cost orders loom if further 'without merit' defences are brought...

7th June 2025

Hartlepool Borough Council's been warned it faces punitive sanctions & even cost orders being slapped upon them, if they continue to bring meritless defence claims in court proceedings HBC Exposed has been told.

A First-tier Tribunal of the General Regulatory Chamber ruling earlier this month uncovered just how low Hartlepool Borough Council’s legal department has fallen, with judges now said to be openly criticising the council’s failure to engage with the courts in formal legal processes, warning the local council that cost penalties and even personal summonses may be handed to council officials in the future compelling them to attend hearings..

The scathing remarks by the Judge come in the case of Joanne Liddle, a Hartlepool resident who successfully overturned a Fixed Penalty Notice issued by Hartlepool Borough Council’s environmental enforcement team. But what should have been a routine defence of the council’s actions reportedly turned into a legal disaster — exposing a complete breakdown in basic legal procedures and professionalism...

Judges Warn of Summons and Costs Orders being Slapped on HBC...

The imposing of 'costs orders' against the local council is seen as a rare move by Judges who've slammed the local councils behaviour

In a move rarely seen in court proceedings, the judges — Judge David Dixon and Judge Armstrong-Holmes — earlier this month explicitly warned Hartlepool Borough Council that if it fails to comply with the court in any further litigation proceedings, the Tribunal will:

“require the attendance of individuals by way of a Formal Summons and the issue of costs to be addressed.”

This is not casual courtroom language. It’s a judicial slap-down of major proportions. The Tribunal has effectively accused Hartlepool Borough Council of ignoring due legal process, issuing defences to claims they know would fail at trial, as well as disrespecting the authority of the court itself— raising a potential contempt issue.

“Utterly Contemptuous”: The Tribunal’s Judgement Handed Down !,

The recent ruling in the case of Joanne Liddle, Judges described Hartlepool Borough Council’s conduct as:

“Utterly contemptuous.”

This language wasn’t used lightly either. Its claimed Hartlepool Borough Council ignored Tribunal deadlines, failing to respond to case management directions, and offered little to no defence to support the penalty notices it was dishing out — even when its claimed the court gave them numerous chances to do so. In most cases, local councils will at least attempt to defend their actions when such cases are brought to court. Here, However, it seems Hartlepool Borough Council simply didn’t even bother to show up, opting instead where those cases were truly int he favour of the claimants, opted simply to ignore them !

Six-Figure Salaries — For Working from Home ?

Hayley Martin, HBC's Chief Solicitor is facing calls to be sacked over the blunder that many claim has brought HBC's legal department into disrepute

What makes this all the more infuriating for local taxpayers is that Hartlepool Borough Council is said to be paying out hundreds of thousands of pounds a year to employ senior legal staff which, according to what a source told HBC Exposed are all working "a hybrid working pattern".... effectively meaning 'they're working from home' the majority of the time, with the councils Chief Solicitor Hayley Martin— said to be trousering a salary of reportedly £90k a year. The councils Deputy Chief Solicitor Neil Wilson trousering in a salary said to be in the region of around £70k, as well as the additional costs of legal assistants, compliance officers, admin staff and pensions.

With a council legal department said to be costing local tax payers hundreds of thousands of pounds, residents have every right to ask: where were they when the Tribunal needed answers? Why was there no response, no explanation, not even in some cases any evidence filed?

A Pattern of Neglect?

It seems working from home, has made HBC's legal team 'lazy'... & its not gone unnoticed !

This isn’t an isolated case either. Local campaigners have increasingly questioned the competence and leadership within Hartlepool Borough Council’s legal department. Whether it’s mismanagement of public assets, solicitors running side hustles, enforcement overreach, or unlawful deductions from residents’ benefits and council tax, the same pattern seems to be emerging: silence, denial, delay — followed by defeat, with the council’s top brass — including its Chief Solicitor and Deputy — said to be facing serious questions about their conduct, legal strategy, and abuse of public funds. If private legal firms behaved in this way, they’d be sanctioned. Therefore, why should a local council's legal team be exempt?

A statement by Hartlepool Borough Council in relation to the incident read:

"As we are still awaiting formal notification of the outcome of the appeal from the tribunal, we are not in a position to comment further."