Pair launch 'no confidence' petition against Hartlepool Borough Council

Rossmere residents Tony Richardson and Peter Joyce say they have already collected more than 500 hundred signatures supporting their cause.

The pair put together the petition, which the council said it has noted, over concerns including high rates of council tax and anticipated further rises.

They are also angry over a proposed £41.50 garden waste collection charge, arguing senior officer wages should instead be looked at to make savings.

Mr Richardson, 70, said they want to force a referendum for Hartlepool to join a larger authority as well as considering other options from petitioners.

He said: “This is for the public of Hartlepool to state that there is no confidence in the council and the way they deal with the public.

“We’re asking the people what do you want, we want our streets cleaning more, bins emptied more, longer tip hours, just the basics.

“As soon as we mention council tax and now we mention brown bins, people say give us that paper here.”

They are attempting to collect 3,500 signatures, which they say equates to around 5% of the town’s electorate and which would allow them to take the issue further.

Mr Richardson is an ex-councillor for Fens and Rossmere, losing his seat in 2021, and during his time in office he was sanctioned for sharing offensive Facebook posts.

He was jailed in July 2021 for six weeks by Teesside magistrates after admitting an offence of sharing posts on Facebook in December 2019 that were grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character.

Mr Joyce, 72, was previously restricted to contacting the council on Wednesdays after making “a large number of enquiries” on various issues.

Hartlepool had the fifth highest council tax rate in the North East for Band A properties in 2022-23, behind the likes of Durham, and just £24 per year, or £2 a month, higher than the region’s average.

Seven out of 12 North East councils already charge for the garden waste service although collection schedules vary.

A council spokesperson said: “We note the petition, and acknowledge that it is part of the democratic process that allows people to express their opinions.”