The Grange ward councillor became the authority's first chairman in 2002 when he replaced the defunct job of the ceremonial mayor. He's still in the seat today.

CHRIS CORDNER met him.

COMMITTED. Loyal. Reliable.

They are all plaudits which were heaped on the only man ever to have held the post of Hartlepool Borough Council chairman upon his re-election.

But for Carl Richardson, the lofty heights of chairman mean a dream come true - and completely against the grain of his own early ambitions.

He remembers a conversation with a colleague at the start of his career in local politics 20 years ago.

"He told me 'when you are chairman, you will have this problem and that problem to deal with. I was thinking 'chairman of a committee? I won't even become chairman of a sub-committee.

"But fortunes change."

Carl is like many other people. Speaking in public doesn't come easy to him.

"I still get nervous," he says, a man with nearly 25 years as a councillor behind him.

He's spoken to audiences of hundreds and has even championed causes which have reached national level.

He admits: "Some people can speak quite naturally for an hour but not me. I wish I could."

He recalls the first time he spoke in public. He was 17. It was a party conference. There were 300 people watching.

"When I came off stage, my back was aching and I was in a terrible state. I can still get into that situation now especially if I am speaking about something that I don't know anything about."

He recalls one such occasion when he had to give a talk at short notice on the history of bell ringing. "I didn't know much about it and I had to read up on it. You need to prepare yourself before the meeting."
Nerves or not, he likes a good debate.

But his role as council chairman often means he can't get involved too much in discussions.

He explained: "As chairman, you are like a referee. You see things that are going on. You might see people do things wrongly but unless they are trying to curtail other people from speaking you can't say anything.

"My job is to ensure free debate and a chance to express themselves."

Coun Richardson, 53, lives with his 80-year-old mother, Elizabeth. His sister Anna Lisa lives in Canada. Mum may soon be joining her over the water.

It would leave the council's chairman trying to find somewhere to live. "I am trying to find somewhere in my own ward but the housing market is not very good. It's a bit difficult."

Life wasn't easy for Carl in his childhood. Poor circulation in his legs meant he missed a large amount of his schooldays while he underwent operation after operation.

But he loves the topics he missed out on. He's a big fan of history and geography, loves his chess, classical music and is a keen stamp collector.

Che Guevara, the Argentinian Marxist revolutionary who died in 1967, and Ho Chi Minh - who led the North Vietnamese in the Vietnam War - remain his political heroes. "I am a product of the 60s," he proudly tells Mail2.

He's living up to the family history of strong beliefs. His father Dennis was a major influence in his life.

His grandfather, Jack Richardson, was the town alderman for Hartlepool in 1936.

Carl's first job was with a health authority in Yorkshire. The Richardsons had moved to York when his dad got a job on the railways. "We lived in Knaresborough. I was 16 then."

But he remembers he "wasn't too keen" on his job in the health authority's legal department.

He left and worked for the Co-op, becoming section head in the electrical department working at Ripon.

"I liked it because I was working with people," said Carl.

His political career began to take shape. He became active within the USDAW union. Titles of steward and branch secretary soon followed.

His campaigning nature helped to promote the college he attended in Barnsley as a training centre of significance.

That same determined nature has made a difference with the Deaf Centre in Hartlepool. He has helped change its committee line-up.

It has gone from having one person in 10 with hearing problems on the committee to its current make-up of nine people with hearing difficulties.

He also wants British Sign Language to be taught in schools alongside French and German. It's up for discussion at a national level.

"The Government is trying to get it into schools. Hopefully one day it will be part of our education curriculum and I will be proud to see that happen."

But there are times when such a high profile pays a price. The public wants him to sort out problems all hours of the day - and he never says no.

"I will always try and be as open as I can and I never turn anyone away."

Being elected for a sixth year as chairman is a "great honour. I am very proud," says Carl.

"Sometimes when people put on a chain of office it can go to their head. I try to never be like that."

I asked him if he would ever pack in politics and local council activities.

He can't see the day when that happens. But he admits he wants more time to represent his own ward.

That's when the difficulty of dividing his time between the chairman's role and representing his public kicks in.

"I worry constantly about it," he says.

But it's a sign of the man that he will always think about his public.

"At the end of the day you must not forget the people who elected you."