Petition of no confidence in Hartlepool Borough Council tops 2,000 signatures

Town resident Peter Joyce and former Rossmere councillor Tony Richardson started the campaign after becoming frustrated over numerous issues with the running of Hartlepool Borough Council.

They include council tax rates, a new £32 garden waste collection charge, and senior council officers’ pay.

The petition states supporters have no confidence in the council and is seeking a referendum for Hartlepool to join a larger authority as well as considering other options.

Mr Joyce and Mr Richardson have been out collecting signatures over the last few weeks including in the town centre, on the Headland and at Throston.

“We’ve got around 2,000 at the moment including about 1,000 on an electronic version,” said Mr Joyce.

"For a small town like this the amount of council tax we pay is annoying people.

"There is a lot of opposition against the brown bin charge. It is making people so angry.”

They are aiming to get at least 3,500 – just over 5% of the population of the town required – to present the petition to Hartlepool council for consideration.

Mr Joyce, 72, who was previously restricted to contacting the council on one day a week after making “a large number of enquiries” on various issues, added: "We’re not going out and saying ‘this is what we want’, it’s about what residents want.”

A 4.9% rise in Hartlepool households’ council tax and the new brown bin charge, were approved at a meeting of the full council in January.

Mr Richardson lost his council seat in 2021, and during his time in office was sanctioned for sharing offensive Facebook posts which later saw him sentenced to six weeks in prison.