Labour Slams Reform Over Eight-Month Gap Between Hartlepool Safety Meetings...
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Reform Led Council Accused of Putting Public Scrutiny on Hold Until Next Spring
28th July 2026
Hartlepool’s opposition Labour group has criticised a decision by the towns Ruling Reform Council to schedule no further formal public meeting of its Safer Hartlepool Partnership until the 1st of April 2027.
Reform UK councillor Amanda Napper took over as the partnership’s new chair following her appointment as chair of Hartlepool Borough Council’s Neighbourhoods and Regulatory Services Committee in May 2026.
The council’s official meeting calendar shows that, following the partnership’s meeting on the 23rd of July 2026, its next scheduled formal public meeting will not now take place until the 1st of April 2027 — a gap of more than eight months.
This is despite the council’s own website stating that the Safer Hartlepool Partnership meets quarterly and that its meetings are open to members of the public.
Labour brands decision a “disappointing start”
Hartlepool’s Labour group, who lost control of Hartlepool Borough Council in Mays local elections believe the lengthy break sends the wrong message about Reform UK’s priorities for crime, anti-social behaviour.
Labour has described the decision as a disappointing start to Councillor Napper’s chairmanship and questioned why a partnership with responsibility for some of Hartlepool’s most serious community-safety issues apparently requires no further formal public meeting until next spring.
The Labour group believes regular meetings provide an important opportunity for the police, council officials and other agencies to explain what they are doing, respond to residents’ concerns and account publicly for the progress being made.
It also argues that conducting work privately or through informal discussions cannot entirely replace formal meetings where reports are published, questions can be raised and decisions are placed on the public record.
What is the Safer Hartlepool Partnership?
The Safer Hartlepool Partnership brings together Hartlepool Borough Council, Cleveland Police, Cleveland Fire Brigade, the Probation Service, health representatives and other organisations.
Its responsibilities include coordinating action to reduce crime, anti-social behaviour, reoffending and substance misuse.
The partnership is also responsible for delivering community-safety outcomes and overseeing strategies covering anti-social behaviour, serious violence, domestic abuse, drugs, alcohol, youth justice and the prevention of reoffending.
A different approach under Reform
Under the previous chairmanship of Hartlepool MP Jonathan Brash, the partnership held formal public meetings at intervals throughout the year.
Council records show meetings were held in January, March, July and October 2025, followed by meetings in January, March and July 2026.
Labour says those formal meetings were supported by informal discussions, “Face the Public” sessions and area-specific meetings when particular neighbourhoods or urgent issues required attention.
The approach, according to the opposition, was straightforward: when a serious problem arose, the relevant organisations were brought together and expected to work towards a solution.
Labour believes the lengthy gap now appearing in the public meeting calendar suggests Reform UK has chosen a markedly different approach.
Reform challenged to explain the gap..
The absence of a scheduled public meeting does not necessarily mean that the partnership will undertake no work until April 2027.
Council officers, police representatives and other partner organisations may continue to communicate through working groups, private meetings or operational discussions. An additional meeting could also potentially be arranged should circumstances require one.
However, Labour says that simply isn’t a sufficient answer to concerns about transparency.
The opposition is calling for Reform UK to explain why there is such a lengthy gap in the formal public schedule, whether additional meetings will now be arranged and how residents will be able to raise concerns directly with the partnership before April 2027.
Labour also wants to know whether “Face the Public” events and neighbourhood-specific meetings will continue under the new chair.
Public scrutiny simply cannot be placed on hold Labour Group Say…
Reform UK became the largest group on the Troubles Teesside Council following the 2026 local elections and now leads HBC as a minority administration, with its councillors promising a different approach to running the town. Labour’s argument now is that reducing the frequency of visible public scrutiny is the wrong kind of change & the wrong message to be sending out !
