Hartlepool Leisure Centre Works Continue to Dominate Council’s Biggest Quarterly Payments...

Feb 10
3 min read

Wates Construction Among Biggest Winners in Council’s Third Quarter Accounts Recently Published

Millions of Pounds Paid Out in Just Three Months, as Hartlepool Borough Council Spending Returns Are Laid Bare....

10th Feb 2026

Hartlepool Borough Council’s Quarter Three 2025/26 spending returns have revealed a continued concentration of large payments to a narrow group of organisations, with tens of millions of pounds flowing out for contracts spanning construction, transport, accommodation and community support.

Payments for the Construction of the Highlight leisure Centre continue to dominate the councils quarterly spending....and its not even open to the public yet !

At the top of the table for the Third Financial Quarter was a payment of £1,267,798.74 made on 15 October 2025 from the Housing, Growth and Communities Account to Wates Construction Ltd, recorded under “Payments Under Contract” for work on leisure centres. Following close behind was a £1,064,002.50 pounds contribution to the Tees Valley Combined Authority on 21 October 2025 from The Neighbourhoods and Regulatory Services budget, under “Third Party – Bus Companies,” reflecting Hartlepool’s contribution to regional transport services.

Another £354,667.50 was paid to the same regional authority on the 2nd of December, reiterating the pressure that transport concessionary and service funding places on the council’s revenue budget, with Heavy investment in modular construction also figuring prominently on the councils spreadsheets, with Portakabin Ltd receiving a total of £1,205,636.53 pounds across two large transactions of: £765,697.04 on the 21st of November 2025 and £439,939.49 on the 12th of December, both under capital expenditure for accommodation services. These outlays reportedly align with the delivery of a new drug and alcohol treatment centre at Whitby Street in Hartlepool — a facility the council describes as a £3.7 million purpose-built resource designed to offer high-quality support and treatment services for residents struggling with substance misuse.

According to the council’s own press release published at the time the centre was officially opened, the centre was constructed using modern methods of construction (MMC) by Portakabin, providing a modern, welcoming environment complete with 18 consultation rooms, meeting spaces and purpose-built clinical areas to improve access to specialist care. The facility was officially opened in January 2026 by the Chair of the Adult Services and Public Health Committee, who stressed that its design and capacity will help residents take positive steps towards recovery and stability.

Wates Construction Ltd also again received further capital payments of £923,405.00 and £502,247.80 on the 19th of November and the 17th of December respectively, confirming that over three million pounds worth of public funds were allocated to a single external construction contractor in the third financial quarter alone.

Elsewhere in the council’s accounts, Trustmarque Solutions received £712,756.99 on the 22nd of December for software user fees & In a notable social care-linked transaction, the Housing, Hardship and Welfare service paid £441,702.50 to Blackhawk Network (Europe) Ltd on Christmas Eve for “Provisions – Food/Beverages,” almost certainly associated with supermarket voucher support for vulnerable households.

Taken together, the ten largest payments in the Quarter Three returns are seemingly dominated by construction, transport contributions, modular accommodation and community support services, which accounted for well over £6 million Pounds worth of council expenditure for that financial quarter alone.

For council tax payers, the returns will hopefully provide a much clearer picture of where significant sums being paid by Hartlepool Borough Council are being directed.

While investment in community infrastructure such as the new drug and alcohol treatment centre may carry tangible social benefits, the repetition of large sums to a small cohort of suppliers is likely to renew questions about procurement practice, contract management, and long-term financial sustainability as Hartlepool Borough Council faces the twin pressures of service demand and constrained budgets & calls from finance chiefs for Council tax Bills to be hiked in April, despite claims the Labour Run Council wants to freeze household bills pushing the burden onto tax payers merely a year down the line.

What Do You Think ?

Do you think the council’s spending priorities are right for Hartlepool?