Hartlepool's Conservative MP describes local election results as 'fairly positive' for party

Labour have 18 of the 36 councillors on Hartlepool Borough Council after making gains in five wards and claiming nine of the 12 seats on offer.

However, a gain for the Conservatives in Hart, where the party had just two more votes than Labour after a pair of recounts, and a hold in Rural West, helped ensure no single party had an overall majority on the council.

Hartlepool MP Jill Mortimer, who was present at the count, said she was pleased to see Labour miss out on gaining outright control.

She said: “I think looking at the thing in the round, what we were expecting could happen here, I think it’s fairly positive for us.

“Labour have failed to take overall control of the council, which is what they were boasting they were going to do, they were going to take the council back again, so I think that’s very good.”

She added most of the seats gained by Labour had been from independent councillors, with just two being held by Conservatives prior to the polls.

Looking ahead to a potential general election in 2024, where her seat would be up for grabs, Conservative MP Ms Mortimer, speaking at the count, added: “I never take anybody’s vote for granted.

“I think what we’ve seen tonight is all my Conservative voters out there who want us to keep bringing positive change to Hartlepool need to come out and vote in the general election.”

Councillor Jonathan Brash, Labour’s prospective Parliamentary candidate for Hartlepool, and deputy leader of the party’s group on the council, said he too will take “absolutely nothing for granted” ahead of future polls.

He said: “The most important thing we can say is we will continue to work hard for the people of Hartlepool, there is no sense in taking this for granted.

“We will continue to fight every single day to make life better for Hartlepool people.

“We’ve got a cost of living crisis that is causing unbelievable pain to people in our town and the Labour Party will be the party that delivers for people because the Conservatives have left them behind.”