Labour Council Leader’s Private Companies End Year In Stronger Financial Position...
- Apr 30
- 3 min read
Hartlepool Labour Council Leader’s Firms Worth More Than £730k On Paper as Companies Report Stronger Balance Sheets...
30th April 2026
Two businesses headed by a Hartlepool Labour Council leader now hold combined net assets said to be worth more than £730,000, newly filed company accounts show.
The latest unaudited financial statements for Hargreaves Brash Properties Ltd and W B Tees Valley & North York Moors Ltd show both companies improved their balance sheet positions during the year to 31 July 2025, with the two businesses reporting combined net assets of £733,014, & both companies recording stronger positions than the previous year.
Accounts for Hargreaves Brash Properties Ltd, a company specifically set up to buy a property in Spennymoor County Durham for the Labour Councillors swimming lessons firm, shows the company had net assets of £58,505 at 31 July 2025, up from £36,672 the previous year.
The property company’s balance sheet shows fixed assets of £597,561, unchanged from the previous year, alongside current assets of £894. However, it also carried creditors falling due within one year of £5,281 and creditors falling due after more than one year of £534,274 amounting to the mortgage on the Spennymoor property itself. Despite the company being heavily asset-backed, with substantial long-term creditor commitments behind its property assets, its overall net asset position actually improved by £21,833 over the year.
Councillor Hargreaves’ other company, W B Tees Valley & North York Moors Ltd, reported a much larger balance sheet position, with Its latest unaudited accounts showing net assets of £674,509 as of 31 July 2025, up from £623,808 the year before, representing an increase of £50,701 over the year. The company held fixed assets of £315,557, including £280,000 in intangible assets listed in the notes as goodwill, and £35,557 in tangible assets. Its current assets stood at £462,577, including £179,353 cash at bank and £281,724 owed to the company by debtors.
The company also reduced its creditor position, with amounts falling due within one year reducing from £104,438 to £93,047, while creditors due after more than one year falling from £31,356 to £5,918. Secured debts, listed as bank loans, also reduced from £58,459 to £31,355.
Directors 'Loan' Declared
The accounts further disclose a director-related loan position. Under “directors’ advances, credits and guarantees”, the company reported a balance of £4,128 outstanding at the start of the year, £5,158 advanced, and £4,128 repaid, leaving £5,158 outstanding at the end of the year. The accounts state that no interest was charged on the loan.
Unlike the property company, W B Tees Valley & North York Moors Ltd reported an average of 16 employees during the year, down from 18 the previous year. Across the two businesses, combined net assets rose from £660,480 in 2024 to £733,014 in 2025 — an overall increase of £72,534.
The filings come as Councillor Hargreaves continues to hold senior public roles in Hartlepool, including as leader of Hartlepool Borough Council and the Chair of the Hartlepool Development Corporation, while also being listed as a director of both businesses.
Her Husband, the current Labour MP for Hartlepool Jonathan Brash stood down as the director of the property company in January 2025, months after taking on the role as MP for Hartlepool. Mrs Hargreaves Brash is set to be defending her council seat in the May 2026 local council elections for the Labour Party, however she's widely expected to lose her council seat in the towns Manor House Ward where Reform UK are expected to see significant gains in the town potentially seeing labour out of control of the local council in just weeks.
