Labour MP Jonathan Brash Heads Calls to Scrap Council Tax — While Claiming His Own £955 Bill on Expenses...

Jonathan Brash, Labour MP for Hartlepool

The Labour MP for Hartlepool has again called for Council Tax to be scrapped & replaced with a more 'fair' system, despite Mr Brash himself claiming back his entire £955.00 council tax bill on his Westminster Property.

15th October 2025

Hartlepool’s Labour MP Jonathan Brash has taken to social media once again to position himself as the champion of “fairness” — this time calling for the abolition of Council Tax.

In a recent post, Brash declared:

“The whole Council Tax system is unfair and I won’t stop until it’s scrapped completely and Hartlepool families get a fair deal.”

But while he publicly campaigns to scrap Council Tax, it's been reported that Mr Brash has quietly claimed back his own Council Tax bill — worth £955 — on parliamentary expenses. In other words, while ordinary Hartlepool residents struggle to pay or are refused full Council Tax discounts by the council, the Labour MP has effectively had his entire Council Tax bill on his Westminster residence paid for by the taxpayer.

For local families hit by rising living costs and council enforcement letters, the double standard is hard to ignore.

A “Fair Deal” That Doesn’t Apply to Locals

Many Hartlepool residents are still waiting for fairness in the Council Tax system, where its said that thousands of council tax payers cannot access full discounts, even those on low incomes, due to tight local policies and means-tested criteria brought in by Hartlepool Borough Council — the same Labour-run authority that Brash credits for “tough choices” and “keeping bills frozen.”

Meanwhile, the MP for Hartlepool not only escapes the burden of paying Council Tax from his own pocket, but also publicly applauds his party’s so-called restraint in freezing bills — a freeze ironically funded by the same taxpayers footing his expenses.

Hypocrisy at the Heart of the Message

Brash’s post proudly claims:

“Hartlepool Labour is keeping [Council Tax] frozen. That’s thanks to tough choices by our brilliant local councillors and the fairer funding deal I’ve fought for.”

For ordinary residents, the 'tough choices' Brash refers to comes in the form of cutbacks to local services, fewer housing repairs, and no access to full Council Tax relief — while elected officials such as Mr Brash himself continue to claim every penny back from Westminster.

His message also takes aim at the Reform Party, a party likely to unseat Mr Brash at the next General Election, accusing them of wanting to increase Council Tax — a statement that may resonate with Labour loyalists, but rings hollow when Brash’s own Council Tax is effectively subsidised by the public purse.

Freezing Bills for the People, Expensing Bills for Himself

Not practicing what he preaches, Mr Brash accused of Hypocrisy, after he claimed his entire Council Tax bill back on his Westminster Parliamentary residence..

It’s one thing to argue for reform of the Council Tax system. It’s another to preach fairness while personally insulated from the very tax ordinary people must pay.

Brash’s call to “scrap Council Tax” might sound appealing, but to many in Hartlepool, it smacks of political theatre — a photo opportunity dressed up as a crusade for fairness in the wake of the upsurge in support for Reform UK, a political party Brash simply cannot stop bashing on about.

Until MPs like Jonathan Brash lead by example — by refusing to claim their own Council Tax back from the taxpayer — their words about “fairness” will ring hollow, especially while families are forced to choose between heating and paying their Council Tax, & the Labour MP already having his own Council Tax bill refunded in full.