'We are normal people here to help' says Reform UK Hartlepool leader after landslide local election victory

Reform is now the largest party on Hartlepool Borough Council with 15 seats, one more than Labour, after winning all 12 which were on offer in the polls.

This included the seat of Labour’s Pamela Hargreaves, who has been council leader since October 2025 and is the husband of Hartlepool MP Jonathan Brash.

Graham Harrison, chairman of the Hartlepool Reform UK group, speaking after the results were announced, said they were “really happy” with the outcome of the polls.

He added: “It’s a good result for Hartlepool.

“We’re not politicians, we’re just normal people, we’re here to help Hartlepool.

“We’ve got top class security men who are respected across the world, we’ve got businessmen who are in charge of their own businesses and finances, we’ve got a whole range of people with the expertise to take us forward in Hartlepool.”

He continued: “The reaction on the doorsteps was amazing, the people came out to talk to us, they wanted change in Hartlepool.”

Although Reform UK are the largest party on the council, they do not have the 19 seats required to hold an overall majority.

This means talks will now take place to see who can secure a deal or coalition to run the council for the coming year.

Mr Harrison added: “We’ll have to stop and have a look at the situation and see what we can do, we’re going to step back and take a look at the situation and we’ll take stock and see what we can do from there.

“I’m just taking in what has happened tonight, it’s been a fantastic night, it’s been a long few months, and the hard work starts now.”

He argued Labour have “not listened to the people” which helped allow Reform to pick up more votes in the borough.