Discredited Newspaper claims of allotment holder fee increase being "rumours" found to be false.....
- teessidetoday
- Dec 17, 2024
- 3 min read
The Hartlepool Mail continues its campaign of 'misinformation', after documents reveal the proposals for a potential allotment rent increase were set to be discussed at a council meeting, but councillors chose to defer the decision until the new year.
17th December 2024
A discredited local journalist is once again being accused of spreading 'misinformation' after its claimed he's publishing significantly questionable articles in a newspaper that many now see as a hired mouthpiece for a local Extremist Group....
The Hartlepool Mail, often criticised by locals for its alignment with the town’s "extremist" Local council, stirred controversy once again yesterday by attempting to dismiss concerns over a proposed allotment fee increase. The Mail attempted to claim that reports published by rival news outlets on social media were "rumours,".....
The facts tell a different story.
Last month, a report presented to Hartlepool Borough Council's Audit & Governance Committee outlined significant cost-saving measures aimed at addressing the council's spiralling budget deficit. The deficit, a result of years of financial mismanagement within council departments, has left the local council which in 2023 was declared to have no public confidence scrambling to make savings. One of the recommendations included increasing allotment fees, following findings that the service was running at a loss that the council could no longer justify shouldering.
Despite this, the Hartlepool Mail—widely accused of acting as the council’s propaganda arm—was quick to label these reports as "rumours" and "unconfirmed." Yet a rival news outlet Hartlepool Borough Council Exposed published documents that directly challenged the Mail’s claims, showing council officers had indeed recommended the proposals for approval as part of broader budget-balancing measures & that had councillor not deferred the decision in Late November, a decision on the proposals would have been made at the councils Finance & Policy Committee.
Other Cuts on the Table
The allotment fee hike is just one of several proposed cuts locals could have to contend with in the not too distant future.
Other cost-saving measures include:
The Closure of OSCARS: A council-run children’s service currently operating out of Golden Flatts School.
Scrapping Sunday Free Parking: A move many local businesses fear will devastate trade on one of the busiest shopping days.
Scaling Back Public Events: Cuts to council-backed events like firework displays and a reduction in the number of Christmas trees provided for the festive season.
Many residents see these proposals as a symptom of deeper financial mismanagement, yet the Hartlepool Mail appears seemingly more focused on silencing rival outlets rather than holding the council to account.
“Discredited Journalism at Play”
James Barker, Editor of Durham & Teesside Today—which also operates the Hartlepool Borough Council Exposed page—commented on the controversy:
"We’re aware that a certain discredited journalist has embarked on a personal vendetta alongside their Paymaster 'Hartlepool Borough Council' to undermine rival outlets such as ourselves because our reporting supposedly posed a threat to his own content, content that I must stress often mirrors (and then plagiarises) our work. Readers trust us because we base our reports on official council documents and committee discussions, not on ‘hearsay’ or school-yard gossip."
Mr Barker, went on to assure readers that action is being considered against this disruptive campaign adding:
"This kind of ‘journalism,’ seen in declining outlets like the Hartlepool Mail, with its dwindling readership of just over 1,000 readers, represents everything that's wrong with modern local journalism
Journalists, such as those employed by the Hartlepool Mail are exactly why trust in media is at an all-time low.
The public deserves facts—not extremist spin."
Hartlepool Borough Council Exposed was effectively de-platformed by Meta UK in December this year on request by both The Hartlepool Mail & Hartlepool Borough Council ironically just one day after a publication by both the Mail & HBC claimed social media posts were "harming council staff morale"....
Durham & Teesside Today considers the actions taken by the above extremist groups to be an affront to the removal of freedom of expression & jealousy of a rival media publication being able to successfully engage with its readers.
Hartlepool Borough Council Exposed is appealing Meta UK's decision & is currently engaged in litigation proceedings with Meta UK on the matter, however the group is still operational on the X platform (formally Twitter)...
