Hartlepool Council forced to increase council tax after disastrous government meeting

Government showed "arrogance, indifference and moral bankruptcy" according to the council leader. Something the minister Steven Reed disputes.

Today’s newsletter (a little later than usual) covers the latest happenings in Hartlepool.

Local Labour councillors had promised not to raise council tax, and are claiming that they haven’t, which is sort of true, but not true at the same time. Hopefully this edition of The Teesside Lead can explain what that’s all about.

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Leigh

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Hartlepool Borough Council (Image: Leigh Jones)

Hartlepool Borough Council has approved its budget with a 1.98 per cent increase to the amount of council tax paid by residents, after adjourning its previous meeting in order to seek more funds from Westminster.

The planned spending for 2026-27 was unanimously approved on Tuesday by the council, despite the Labour administration previously promising to freeze council tax. On a technicality, the amount of council tax has been frozen, but the 1.98 per cent increase will come through the adult social care precept.

Councillors from Hartlepool met with government minister Steve Reed MP last week to argue their case for an extra £3m of funding from Whitehall in order to balance their books, but on Monday the Guardian revealed the out come of the disastrous meeting.

Council leader Pamela Hargreaves told the paper that Mr Reed had shown “arrogance, indifference and moral bankruptcy” towards children in social care.

According to Cllr Hargreaves, Reed said the government would not “reward councils for having high numbers of children in care” and then “dismissed” the discussion by saying: “That’s life.”

“That comment tells you everything,” said Hargreaves. “Shrugging at abused and exploited children is not policy, it is moral bankruptcy.”

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government disputed the characterisation of the meeting, saying: “He absolutely did not say ‘that’s life’ in response to being asked about funding for children in social care as is suggested, and never would.”

Speaking to BBC Radio Tees, Cllr Hargreaves said their argument “kind of fell on deaf ears, which is very sad.

“But what we’ve managed to do locally is take that on the chin and we’ve worked with out financial team and we’ve managed to balance a budget.”