Martin Scarborough set to be appointed as Deputy Leader of Hartlepool Borough Council...
- teessidetoday
- May 14
- 3 min read
Labours Leadership reshuffle, sees Cllr Martin Scarborough becoming Deputy Leader of Hartlepool Borough Council.....
13th May 2025
Hartlepool Labour councillor Martin Scarborough, who represents the towns Throston ward, is set to be officially confirmed as the new Deputy Leader of Hartlepool Borough Council at a meeting set to be held later this month, with the move said to come as part of a wider reshuffle within the local Labour party following the departure of former Labour Deputy Leader, Tom Feeney..
Feeney, who stepped down from the Labour Party just one day after the bruising May 1st by-election defeat in Throston to Reform UK, has since declared himself an Independent councillor. In a statement posted online, Feeney cited “Trans Rights” as one of the key reason's for his resignation from Labour.
Cllr Scarborough, a solicitor at Hartlepool law firm Smith & Graham, was nominated for the Deputy Leader role at the Hartlepool Labour Group’s Annual General Meeting earlier this month. His appointment is expected to be formally confirmed at the upcoming full council meeting at the Civic Centre on 20th May 2025.
In addition to Scarborough’s promotion, Labour sources suggest a broader cabinet reshuffle is underway, where several councillors are expected to be moved into new positions across major committees, including Planning and Children’s Services, as the party looks to reassert control and demonstrate a renewed leadership.
Labour currently holds Hartlepool Borough Council with an 8-seat majority. However, that majority's said to be looking increasingly fragile. With Reform UK making gains and one Labour councillor quitting the party to serve the remainder of their term as an Independent, suggesting fractures are beginning to form between Labours extremist left, & its more centrist members.
A source close to the Reform UK told HBC Exposed recently that Reform is already laying the groundwork for a full-scale campaign ahead of the 2026 local elections, with plans to stand candidates in every single council ward in Hartlepool, with Local Labour insiders said to be deeply concerned, particularly given the national political climate and Labour’s recent losses in Hartlepool.
Without a dramatic shift in public sentiment or a change in leadership at Westminster, Labour's hold on Hartlepool Borough Council may be on borrowed time one source told us. If the 2026 elections follow the pattern of this year’s by-election, Labour could once again lose control of the council—after what would be just two years in control of HBC.
Labour has a year to 'get it right' one member told us !
The local Labour group's now said to be 'under immense pressure' to put on a united front and prove to the electorate that they offer both stable leadership and a credible plan for Hartlepool’s future. However many fear the damage by Reform UK has been done, & 2026 will see a very different council make up for HBC & its said to be worrying Labour Party Bosses terribly....
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