Hartlepool councillor criticised over Covid-19 pandemic 'scaremongering' claims

Councillors from across the chamber hit out at Cllr Karen King, For Britain Movement party representative on Hartlepool Borough Council, after she made the comments at Thursday’s virtual full council meeting.

Cllr King said if people want to help children in Hartlepool schools they should ‘turn off the television’ and stop exposing them to ‘scaremongering’.

However Cllr Stephen Akers-Belcher called for a point of order at the meeting, stating Cllr King’s comments were ‘reckless’ and not helpful in fighting the virus, adding she should not be allowed to continue her point.

Cllr Karen King, De Bruce ward representative, made the comments while debating a motion around helping schools tackle the Covid-19 pandemic.

She said: “I think if you want to help the kids in Hartlepool schools then I would encourage them to turn off the TV.

“If you look at mainstream media they are totally ramping up the fear factor for Covid for a virus which has a low number of cases and a low death rate, so I think you need to stop exposing kids to all this scaremongering.

“The second issue I have is that I think if you’re going to help these kids then we need to oppose the tier system that the Government has implemented.”

Cllr Stephen Akers-Belcher said the comments were against the council’s code of conduct due to misleading the public, which was backed by chair of the meeting Cllr Brenda Loynes, who therefore stopped Cllr King from continuing her address.

Cllr Akers-Belcher said: “There are people out there who have lost loved ones and I think it’s absolutely insensitive and bang out of order to describe it as scaremongering.

“I would suggest that we don’t hear any more of this baseless comment because it’s actually detrimental to the public health of Hartlepool.

“I feel as a member she is breaching the code of conduct and she is actually misleading members of the public so I would ask that this irresponsible, reckless behaviour stops now.”

Ceremonial mayor Cllr Loynes, who herself contracted Covid-19 earlier this year, said the virus is no joke.

She said: “From one person who’s had coronavirus, early days in March/April, it’s no joke and it’s real, it’s out there.

“When you’ve had it yourself you know it’s real and it’s not very nice, it does leave you with some problems.”

Cllr Lesley Hamilton added she was ‘staggered’ by what Cllr King said and called for her to have a discussion with health experts to learn about the impact of the pandemic.

She said: “I would suggest that she has some discussion with our director of public health who may be able to offer some enlightenment on the Covid pandemic and the impact it’s having just in Hartlepool.

“Hopefully she will understand why we should be worried, particularly in areas that experience deprivation, because it’s areas of deprivation that have been suffering most from the Covid pandemic.

“I wouldn’t really call it scaremongering, I would say it’s just issuing the facts.”

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