Hartlepool Borough Council leader Mike Young and Tory colleague Tom Cassidy apologise for breaching code of conduct over council tax leaflet

An independent investigation ruled Conservative council leader Mike Young and Councillor Tom Cassidy made the breach following “untrue statements” in a leaflet circulated in Hart over the summer.

It was concluded the pair breached Section 5.1 of the council’s code of conduct which states “as a councillor I do not bring my role or local authority into disrepute”.

A private hearing was conducted by the council’s audit and governance committee at which the independent investigating officer Melvin Kenyon presented his findings.

The committee was satisfied there had been a breach of the code of conduct by both councillors and that sanctions should be “immediately imposed for the remainder of the municipal year”.

These included asking both councillors to give a public apology to full council and recommending they be formally censured if this did not occur.

Cllr Young, speaking at February’s full council meeting, said it has been a “difficult few months” but after reading all of the information he is “here now and apologising for that mistake”.

He continued: “I do need to apologise to this council and to the public, especially the Hart ward, for misleading them in the leaflet.

“It was not my intention to do that, I think members here know me well enough to understand that would not have been my natural intention.”

Cllr Cassidy, who wrote the leaflet titled Conservatives to freeze council tax in 2024/25, was unable to attend the meeting but submitted a written “formal apology”.

Labour’s councillor Brenda Harrison, the complainant, said she accepted the apologies.

The investigator took issue with two statements in the Conservative Party leaflet, including the line “FACT: No other political party in Hartlepool has ever frozen council tax”, which he ruled had no “factual basis”.

They also found it to be “untrue” that Cllr Young “immediately instructed officers to start preparing for a budget that froze council tax”, as claimed in the leaflet, with it being ruled it was council officers being referred to.

An extraordinary council meeting in October unanimously agreed to the investigation following appeals by Labour councillors.

Reports noted the investigation cost around £8,500, excluding council officer time.