'More oomph' for body driving forward Hartlepool's future

Hartlepool Borough Council’s regeneration services committee was called into question in December 2020, when a meeting heard it may be no longer required.

The issue was raised again this week at a meeting of the council’s constitution committee, which discussed the impact of 2020’s senior management restructure and how it meant a number of service areas moved to report to different departments or directors.

However councillors unanimously backed keeping the regeneration committee, and called for it to be renamed the ‘economic growth and regeneration committee’.

Denise McGuckin, council managing director, noted the renamed committee could be a place to look at different sectors important to Hartlepool, such as the hospitality sector, and look at how they could be supported post-Covid-19.

Cllr Marjorie James said keeping the committee ensures there is a dedicated place to discuss such issues, and it helps ensure councillors get to sit on a committee.

She said: “I think it’s helpful to have something that is clear, what its role is, and to assist in scrutiny and public overview.

She added: “Residents need to be able to understand what committees do and what comes out of committees that affect their lives at the end of the day, so I think we should not be removing a committee.

“One of the other effects of doing that is you would have to increase the membership of all committees, or you’re at risk that you’ll have some members that can avoid being on any committee other than full council.”

Cllr Brenda Loynes added the committee was ‘invaluable’ and the name change will enable people to know exactly what the committee is about.

Cllr Brenda Harrison added the name change would give it ‘a bit more oomph’.

Cllr Shane Moore, Hartlepool Borough Council leader, said focusing on support for different sectors in the town would help ensure they ‘have a keen eye on the ball.’

He said: “As part of the restructure regeneration became everybody’s responsibility because it isn’t just the responsibility of one department, it cuts across so many of them.

“For a little bit too long we’ve relied on the [Tees Valley] Combined Authority to pull all of that data together for us so it would be good to be able to bring it back and make sure we have a keen eye on the ball.”

The recommendations will now go before a full council meeting for final approval.

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