Councillor pays council tax arrears after Teesside Lead investigation
Plus: Tory councillor suspended for holocaust comparison and how much of £173m MoD contract will Teesside see (£)?
We made it. We got to the end of January. Well done, everybody. I’ve got to say, that I didn’t think we’d make it by the time we got to the 95th day, but we all pushed on through and got there in the end.
Our reward for travelling this far is the 28th edition of The Teesside Lead.
Today’s edition has a new chapter in my ongoing investigation into the naughty councillors who aren’t paying their council tax, as well as news of a Tory making the sort of anti-semitic remark one might be used to seeing coming from the other side of the political spectrum (this is Teesside politics, after all), and lots more besides.
For paid subscribers I look at this week’s announcement of a £173m government defence contract being awarded to Draken. I spoke to the government and make an educated guess as to how much of that £173m is coming to Teesside (take a guess!).
Thanks to the ever-growing cohort of you who have a paid subscription. It’s incredibly humbling to check the stats each week to see how many people are willing to put their hands in their pockets to support independent journalism.
Meanwhile, if you can’t take a paid subscription (fair enough) please at least sign up to get The Teesside Lead emailed to you twice a week for free. The more people on the mailing list, the more power to my arm!
As always, I’m more than happy to receive feedback or story tips. Get in touch at teesside@thelead.uk or via BlueSky.
I’ll be back on Wednesday
Leigh
A Hartlepool councillor paid outstanding arrears to the council he represents, after an investigation by The Teesside Lead.
Despite clear legal precedent for councillors who are in debt to the council they represent to be named, Hartlepool Borough Council has refused to name the councillor who was in arrears.
The Teesside Lead sent freedom of information requests (FOIs) to all councils in the Tees Valley in November, requesting disclosure of the number of council members with unpaid council tax arrears, their names, the amounts owed by each, and the dates any outstanding amount of unpaid council tax was initially due.
In their initial response, Hartlepool Council refused to reveal the number of councillors in arrears, saying there were “Less than 5”, adding, “Given the subject matter we do not believe it is in the public interest to disclose these figures.”
I requested a review of this response, citing the 2016 case of DH v Information Commissioner and Bolton Council where journalist Dale Haslam won in the High Court following a three-year FOI battle. It meant Bolton Council had to reveal the names of councillors who were in council tax arrears.
Hartlepool Council missed its statutory deadline to complete its review within 20 working days. After eventually responding, the council confirmed “at the time of [the] initial request one councillor was in council tax arrears.
“This was for a payment which was due on 30th September 2024 for £176. This was later paid by the councillor.”
The council’s response continues, saying they still believe the councillor’s name should be exempt from disclosure.
This is in spite of the judgement in the cited case law, where Kate Markus KC said: “it is not reasonable for a councillor to expect not to be identified where he is summoned for non-payment of council tax.”
The arrears of £176 is equal to a single month’s payment on a band C property in Hartlepool.
It’s the latest development in my on-going investigation into councillors who owe council tax in the region.
Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council refuses to name two councillors who owe a collective £6,443.57 to them, while independent councillor Thom Robinson owes Darlington Council £1,763.10.
No Middlesbrough councillors were in arrears at the time of our FOI, but Stockton-on-Tees Council expect to provide a response to the initial FOI next week - over a month later than they were legally obliged to provide it.
Tory councillor suspended for alleged anti-semitism
A Conservative councillor on Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council has been suspended by his party following a social media post in which he compared Israel’s actions in Gaza to the holocaust.
Skelton East councillor Justin Thompson posted a comment on a Facebook post by Labour MP Luke Myer in which he shared a photo of himself signing the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Book of Commitment. He commented: “It is more important than ever that we remember the victims and the terrible consequences of the Holocaust… we must pledge that it should never be repeated and stand firm against ideologies of hatred”.
Thompson replied: “Very much in support of the Memorial Day but how can we pledge never to see another when the previous and current government are supporting a 2024/25 holocaust in Gaza?
"This makes not [sic] sense.”
Most institutions in the UK have adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of anti-semitism. In the 11 examples of anti-semitism the IHRA provides, it includes “Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.”
Myer responded: “What is happening in the Middle East is horrific, and I sincerely hope the ceasefire holds… But nothing is comparable to the singular evil of the Holocaust and the atrocities committed by the Nazis against the Jewish people.”
A Conservative Party spokesman told the Jewish Chronicle that Thompson has been suspended pending an investigation.
They added: “The Conservative Party has a robust complaints process in place, which is rightfully confidential.
“The Conservative Party has a zero-tolerance approach to discrimination of any kind and has always acted to deal with any incidents of hatred, abuse or intimidation.”
Teesside stories you may have missed…
🚌 A Marske bus shelter has been replaced over a year after it was destroyed in a crash
🔴 Darlington MP Lola McEvoy put a sign on the outside of her office without planning permission
🍺 The disused Crown pub in Middlesbrough will cost over £4m to restore
And staying on Linthorpe Road…
🚲 Middlesbrough Council is expected to approve the removal of Linthorpe Road cycle lane on Wednesday
MP asks for polyhalite to become ‘critical mineral’
Scarborough and Whitby MP Alison Hume spoke in the House of Commons this week asking the Government to add polyhalite to its list of critical minerals.
The mineral is seen as having the potential to change global agriculture as it can be used as a low-carbon fertiliser. Much of the world’s known reserves are under North Yorkshire and the North Sea.
The mothballed Woodsmith mine project plans to extract polyhalite via a 23-mile long tunnel to Teesside where it will be processed and exported. Mine owners Anglo American stopped development of the mine last year after a failed takeover bid forced them to sell parts of their business and cut expenditure to increase their share price.
Ms Hume told the House: “The UK has the world’s largest deposits of polyhalite, which is used as a low-carbon fertiliser but is not on the Government’s list of critical minerals.
“The extraction of polyhalite is being developed at the Woodsmith mine near Whitby, employing over 1,000 people. Will the Minister meet me to discuss polyhalite’s inclusion on the critical minerals list, given the potential of the deposits at Woodsmith to cut carbon emissions, boost exports and create skilled jobs?”
The government’s list of critical minerals is part of its critical minerals strategy. It exists to improve resilience of the supply chain of critical minerals - like lithium, cobalt and platinum - and increase the security of the country’s supply.
The minister’s response was that the new government is currently developing its own critical minerals strategy which “marks a step change from the previous Government’s strategy.”
Middlesbrough Council anticipating marginal underspend in latest figures published
By Daniel Hodgson, Local Democracy Reporter
Middlesbrough Council has revealed it is now expecting a marginal underspend, rather than an overspend, come the end of the financial year.
Documents published ahead of next week’s Executive meeting detail how the forecast revenue outturn for 2024/25 is a year-end underspend of £6000 - which equates to 0.00% of the £143m revenue budget. In terms of the specific figures, the forecast 2024/25 revenue outturn as at quarter three is £143.184m against an approved budget of £143.190m
The report said: “Whilst this is a significant improvement from the £1.382m overspend reported at quarter two further management action, in consultation with Executive Members, should be considered to limit expenditure further to reduce the council’s need to draw down Exceptional Financial Support (EFS) and avoid associated capital financing costs of borrowing or use of capital receipts.”
If the council comes in exactly on budget, without an overspend or an underspend, then they will still be drawing upon £4.7m of Exceptional Financial Support from the Government, previously agreed to enable the setting of a balanced budget early in 2024. As a result, it is in the council’s best interest to have a greater underspend, come the end of March.
The forecast year-end underspend of £6,000 currently includes £3.048m of net savings where there is a high risk that they will not be deliverable in 2024/25, which are offset by £3.054m of operational underspends.
Building up the council’s financial resilience has been a priority for the current administration. The report added: “Based upon the quarter three forecast, the General Fund Balance is forecast to be £11.100m whilst the balance on usable unrestricted reserves is forecast to be £10.269m at March 31, 2025. This would be in line with that recommended by the Director of Finance in the Reserves Policy approved by council on March 8, 2024 to rebuild the council’s financial resilience.”
The council is in the process of setting a balanced budget for 2025/26 (as it is legally required to do so), without the need for any exceptional financial support from central government.
The other highlight of the report being presented to Executive said: “The 2024/25 Capital Programme forecast year-end outturn of £65.158m at quarter three is a reduction of £41.983m from the revised £107.141m budget. This is largely due to slippage of planned expenditure from 2024/25 into 2025/26 and 2026/27. The Executive agreed measures to improve capital programme management and forecasting at its meeting on 13 November 2024.”
Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen will appear with his North East counterpart Kim McGuinness on the BBC’s Politics North programme later this morning.
One of the interesting lines in the sand between them both is their approach to poverty, with both seeing huge levels of deprivation in their constituents.
While Ms McGuinness believes in providing for those most in need directly, Lord Houchen believes creating well-paying jobs benefits the poorest in society.
It just so happens that earlier this week poverty charity the Joseph Rowntree Foundation published its annual report on the subject, and said the support of a well-funded welfare state and social net was needed to supplement well-paid jobs in order to alleviate poverty.
Responding to the findings of UK Poverty 2025, Chair of the North East Child Poverty Commission – Beth Farhat – said: “As this important new analysis makes clear, economic growth and job creation – whilst vital – will not, on their own, be enough to make a dent in unacceptably high rates of child poverty here in the North East.
“Indeed, we know the hardship being experienced by so many families – both in and out of work – is itself acting as one of the single biggest barriers to growth and opportunity our local communities face.”
It was announced this week that defence contractor Draken had been the recipient of a £173m government contract.
The government press release heralded: “Teesside Airport boosted with £173m Government Defence Investment”.
It’s a really interesting spin, and it’s one which mayor Ben Houchen also went for.
“This is a massive boost for our airport and a clear sign that OUR airport is a key asset for both our regional economy and national security,” he wrote on social media.
But it really misrepresents the situation. Especially if you ask the government to provide information about the deal, as I did.
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