Hartlepool Councillor RESIGNS, Months After Assault Conviction – Throston Ward Faces Second By-Election

The former Labour Councillor for Throston who was forced to stand for the remainder of his term as an Independent was facing mounting calls to stand down, a move which has now triggered a second Throston Ward By-Election...

30th May 2025

In what's said to be yet another blow to the credibility of Labour in Hartlepool, former Labour councillor Steve Wallace this week resigned from Hartlepool Borough Council, a move which is said to trigger a second by-election in the Throston Ward in just a matter of weeks.

Wallace, who was elected in 2023 as a Labour councillor, reportedly faced sustained public and political pressure after being convicted of assault earlier this year. Sources close to Hartlepool Borough Council claim he'd been “considering his options” for some time, but finally “could take no more” and stepped down on Friday afternoon, ahead of an official report urging him to vacate his seat.

His resignation now sets the stage for what’s being described as a historic moment in Hartlepool politics, where its claimed Reform UK, who recently claimed a shock victory in Throston Ward from Labour, are said to be mobilising rapidly for a second by-election in the same ward – an unprecedented scenario in recent memory...

Wallace’s political fall from grace began just weeks after being elected in 2023, when allegations of sexual assault soon emerged, prompting his swift expulsion from the Labour Party forcing him to sit as an independent councillor. Due to concerns over receiving a fair trial locally, the case was then moved to York Magistrates’ Court, where Wallace is understood to have accepted a plea deal for a lesser charge of assault, resulting in a financial penalty rather than the prospect of any potential prison sentence, which could have disqualified him from the role automatically.

Despite the conviction, Wallace initially refused to stand down, telling a local newspaper that he was “reflecting on his future.” His political background includes a previous stint as a Labour councillor in the mid-2000s as well as serving as a personal assistant to the former Labour MP and Cabinet Minister Peter Mandelson.

The final straw from what HBC Exposed was informed appears to have been a damning internal report, which is said to have urged his resignation, as councillors across the chamber reportedly began pilling the pressure on Wallace to quit.

Now, Throston residents will once again head to the ballot box on what sources claim will be the 10th July 2025 – a by-election many see as a potential death knell for Labour’s dominance in the town.

Reform UK, riding high after their recent victory in the same ward, are widely expected to contest – and possibly win yet another council seat, taking their numbers to three & solidifying their growing influence in Hartlepool.

As the political fallout continues, one thing is clear: Labour’s grip on Hartlepool is loosening, and voters showing they're no longer willing to tolerate scandal, complacency, or party politics as usual.