While most eyes were on the election of the Tees Valley Mayor, Hartlepool has quietly returned a Labour council.
Every year, Hartlepool re-elects a third of its council members. After the 2023 election and the later defection of an Independent to the Tories, the council has been run by the 18-strong Conservative and Coalition Group comprised of 12 Tories, five of the six Independents and one Independent Union councillor. The Labour Party, although the largest group with 17 representatives, had no power.
This time, there were as usual 12 council seats up for election – one for each Ward. Labour won six seats, the Conservatives lost six and the Independents lost one.
This leaves the new political composition of the council as:
- Labour 24 (+7)
- Independents 6 (-1)
- Conservatives 6 (-6)
Labour has not been in control of the council since 2019.
The town does not have an elected mayor and its mayoral role is largely ceremonial. It is a duty that Conservative Shane Moore must now relinquish. Cllr Moore has had a full-circle journey around the right wing of politics, starting with Tory, then moving to UKIP, Independent, Independent Union, Brexit Party, Independent Union and then back to the Conservatives.
The Independents of Hartlepool have a mix of politics, although there is a history among some of Ukip membership.
After the news of the win, Labour Leader Brenda Harrison told North East Bylines:
“On behalf of Hartlepool Labour Party, I would like to offer my heartfelt thanks to everyone who voted Labour in this year’s local election. You have placed your faith in us and in return it will be our mission to serve our town.
“This victory is not a moment for celebration, but a time to get down to work. Our Labour Council will be resolutely focussed on delivering for our town and fixing the damage done by the Conservatives. We have a Labour Council, but now we need a Labour Government if we are to get our town’s future back.”
While the recent vote represents a landslide for Labour, the town nonetheless voted in Tory Ben Houchen as Tees Valley Mayor. Houchen won 10,074 votes from Hartlepool, Labour’s Chris McEwan 8,732 and the LibDems’ Simon Thorley 972.
The Labour council will have to contend with both Houchen and the local Tory MP Jill Mortimer.
