Row over political leaflet amid claims 2024-25 budget 'will see council tax frozen for Hartlepool residents'

The issue was raised at the latest full meeting of Hartlepool Borough Council and centred on a Conservative leaflet distributed in the Hart ward in recent weeks.

It stated: “The new Conservative leader for Hartlepool Borough Council (Cllr Mike Young) has revealed that the next budget for 2024/25 will see council tax frozen for Hartlepool residents”.

Councillor Jonathan Brash, deputy leader of the Labour group, read out the statement and questioned Cllr Young as to why a council tax freeze for next year had not been proposed to council to support the leaflet’s claims.

Cllr Young responded by stating “the leaflet that went out was meant to say that we were looking towards the possibility of that”.

He added officers are working on a report looking ahead to next year’s budget which is to come before the finance and policy committee in November.

Cllr Young said: “We’ve got the director who is responsible for finance who is looking at stuff and I think there is almost a need for us to be reviewing that after they have done work on the medium term financial strategy.”

Labour’s Cllr Brash subsequently proposed a council tax freeze being referred to the next meeting of finance and policy committee, which was defeated by 18 votes to 17.

He added: “You are not allowed to mislead council.

“That is what the people of the Hart ward have been told by the leader of this council, who seeks not to make that direction to officers or indeed this chamber.”

Labour group leader Cllr Brenda Harrison afterwards asked the leader in writing to “apologise to the voters of Hart ward” or to give details on when and how council tax freeze instructions were given.

Hartlepool Conservatives, posting on Facebook, said it is “common practice” the ruling group “starts the process at the beginning of the new year to set out proposals for a council budget” and accused Labour of “hijacking the process”.

They added: “The Hartlepool Conservative coalition are working on a budget that will freeze council tax in Hartlepool for 2024 which has been known since this summer.”