Reform-Led Hartlepool Council Confirms Committee Chairs After Local Election Shake-Up..

Independent Seaton Ward Councillor becomes the towns Ceremonial Mayor despite the official role of Mayor being abolished in 2012

Independent Councillor Lands Ceremonial Mayor Role In Hartlepool as the now Reform led Council Sets Out New Committee Chairs...

22nd May 2026

Independent Seaton Ward councillor Sue Little yesterday evening become Hartlepool Borough Council’s ceremonial mayor for 2026/27, following the latest round of appointments to the council’s committees, forums and outside bodies, despite the official role of Mayor in Hartlepool being abolished back in 2012.

The appointments, set out in the Council papers seen by the Teesside & Durham Post, confirm who will chair the main decision-making committees over the coming municipal year, following the huge changes to the political make-up of the troubled Teesside Council in the May Local Elections.

Cllr Little is listed in the papers as Chair of Council, a role traditionally associated with the borough’s ceremonial mayoralty. She is also named as chair of the Appointments Panel, which deals with senior appointment matters, and is listed on the Councils Constitution Committee in her role as Chair of Council.

The key committee chair appointments show Reform councillors taking a number of leading roles across the council’s policy committees.

Cllr Graham Harrison was yesterday officially named as the Leader of Hartlepool Borough Council and chair of the Finance and Corporate Affairs Committee, with former Conservative Cllr Mike Young listed as vice-chair and Deputy Leader.

Cllr Wiley has been appointed chair of the Adult Services and Public Health Committee, with Cllr Doyle as vice-chair. The committee will include members from Reform, Labour and the Independent group.

A number of other appointments included the Neighbourhoods and Regulatory Services Committee which will be chaired by former Reform leader Cllr Napper, with Cllr Buglass as vice-chair. This committee is expected to cover key local issues including neighbourhood services, regulation and community matters.

Another former Conservative Councillor Rob Darby has been named chair of the Housing, Growth and Communities Committee, with Independent councillor Cllr Aaron Roy listed as vice-chair.

Children’s Services Committee will be chaired by Independent councillor Cllr Jim Lindridge, with Cllr Brian Cowie appointed vice-chair. The same membership will also form the council’s Corporate Parent Forum, which oversees issues relating to children in the council’s care.

Other appointments include Cllr Adam Gaines as chair of the Licensing Committee, Cllr Young as chair of the Planning Committee, and the Health and Wellbeing Board being chaired by Independent councillor Cllr Roy.

The papers also show that the chair of the Audit and Governance Committee was still subject to final confirmation between Cllr Jorgeson and Cllr Little, with the document noting that the chair and vice-chair of that committee must not come from the majority group.

Outside of the main committees, councillors have also been nominated to a range of outside organisations and partnership bodies, including the Cleveland Fire Authority, Tees Valley Combined Authority committees, Northumbria Regional Flood and Coastal Committee, and a number of community and advisory bodies. Cllr Little is also listed for the Northumbria Regional Flood and Coastal Committee and the Teesmouth Field Centre.

The appointments mark the official formal reshaping of Hartlepool Borough Council’s committee structure for the 2026/27 municipal year, setting out who will lead key areas of council decision-making over the next 12 months and leaves the now drastically reduced Labour Group almost completely frozen out of any any control of the local council.

Labour's Choice of Leader has Already Proven to be Controversial

Martin Scarborough was officially appointed as the Hartlepool Labour Group leader

Labour officially revealed, albeit Controversially that their leader for the Municipal Year was to be Hartlepool Solicitor Martin Scarborough, although he comes tightly packed with his own set of controversies, after previous expose's unearthed the shocking number of serious sexual offenders the town Councillor & Solicitor had been defending in court, many of which had gone on to be handed hefty prison sentences. This is despite the town councillor being listed as being on the board of directors of a Local Children's & Families Charity.

Labour MP for Hartlepool, Jonathan Brash, has this week written to the new leader of Hartlepool Borough Council, congratulating Reform councillor Harrison on his election victory and stating that he will work constructively with the council’s leadership, regardless of which party holds political control.

However, that message of cooperation is said to come against the backdrop of what many expect to be a turbulent year for the council, with concerns already being raised over possible future council tax increases, parking charges, service reductions, and the potential reduction of Council Tax Support for vulnerable residents. As the new administration begins its term, those issues are likely to dominate the political agenda in Hartlepool.