Locals Could Be Left Having to Pay £48,000+ Golden Goodbye for Departing Hartlepool Council Chief

Hartlepool Borough Council CEO set to stand down in the Summer of 2026

Taxpayers could be left having to fork out yet another Golden Goodbye Payment, five years after a previous £48k payment to an outgoing CEO caused a public outcry...

19th November 2025

Local residents could once again could be left footing the bill for a substantial “golden goodbye” payout as outgoing Hartlepool Borough Council Chief Executive Denise McGuckin prepares to step down next summer—potentially triggering a minimum compensation package of around £48,000, according to early estimates seen by the Teesside & Durham Post.

Former CEO Gill Alexander caused a public outcry, after it was revealed by the Then Hartlepool Borough Council Exposed group that she'd walked away with £48k of tax payer money as a retirement gift...

The revelation comes following a Teesside & Durham Post investigation, which uncovered McGuckin’s predecessor, former Chief Executive Gill Alexander, walked away in 2020 with a taxpayer-funded exit payment of just over £48,000. That payout was listed in official documents as “compensation for loss of office,” and it came on top of Alexander’s eye-watering financial package, which at the time, included a £160,000 salary and pension contributions totalling a further £71,000.

History Set to Repeat Itself?

With McGuckin recently announcing her intention to leave her post in summer 2026, concerns are growing that Hartlepool taxpayers may once again be landed with a hefty bill—as part of the disgraced institutions long-criticised habit of rewarding failure at the top whilst ordinary services face deep cuts.

Although the council has not yet disclosed any details of McGuckin’s exit arrangements, senior staff departures at Hartlepool Borough Council have historically come with sizeable compensation packages, regardless of performance or controversy. Given this precedent, the minimum payout is expected to mirror or exceed the previous £48,000 benchmark handed out to the previous council CEO who retired back in 2020...

A Bitter Pill for Residents from a council claiming its approaching bankruptcy.

Financial records set to go before councillors next week will reveal Hartlepool Borough Council could be approaching bankruptcy in less than two years...

The possibility of yet another large payoff comes at a time when local services are stretched to breaking point, council tax bills are rising, and residents are being told there is “no money left.” Staff morale remains at a historic low, and the council continues battling the fallout of multiple scandals—including the ongoing Hartlepool Homesearch corruption debacle, which reportedly played a major role in making McGuckin’s position at Hartlepool Borough Council untenable.

For many locals, the idea of a golden goodbye for a departing chief already facing widespread criticism will be seen as a slap in the face—especially given the council’s recent reputation as an authority declared to have “no public confidence.”

Campaigners are now calling on Hartlepool Borough Council to immediately confirm whether public funds will be used to bankroll McGuckin’s departure, and if so, how much the final settlement will cost local households, especially in the wake of claims the local council is set to lose around £500,000 in lost revenue from the collapse of Teesside Chemicals Giant Venator Materials PLC...

If the past is any indication, residents could once again find themselves paying the price for decisions made behind closed doors—whilst those at the top walk away with tens of thousands of pounds in taxpayer-funded compensation.

Compensation for Failure !