Town’s mayor unable to match hartlepool council tax commitment

The mayor of Middlesbrough has confirmed he cannot match Hartlepool’s council tax commitment at this time. It was announced earlier this week that council tax in Labour-run Hartlepool would

be frozen for the next financial year. When Middlesbrough Labour Mayor Chris Cooke was asked if he would be following suit, he said that the council was not yet ready to publicly discuss

next year’s budget, leaving open the possibility of either an increase or a freeze. The Middlesbrough mayor added that his focus was on ensuring financial stability and restoring previously

cut services. Middlesbrough MPs Andy McDonald and Luke Myer, along with Mayor Cooke are all supportive of the campaign of Hartlepool MP Jonathan Brash to reform the "unfair"

council tax system. The recent news from Hartlepool means the town’s residents will not see any increases in their council tax bill in 2026-27. The news, announced by leader Councillor

Brenda Harrison and Mr Brash comes in stark contrast to the 4.99% council tax increase that was part of this year’s budget. Opposition councillors in Middlesbrough took issue with the

town's 4.99% council tax increase as part of this year’s budget. Middlesbrough Independent Councillors Association (MICA) Councillor Ian Morrish made a statement at the time of the

vote, on behalf of the MICA group, describing the budget as a “money grab” from people in Middlesbrough. He said: “Our residents won’t support yet another above inflation cost for poorer

council services”. When asked if Middlesbrough would be following Hartlepool’s lead and freezing council tax next year, Mayor Cooke said: “Hartlepool Labour led by Brenda Harrison are doing

an amazing job for the people of Hartlepool and this is a great sign of the financial stability that they have achieved. While we are not yet in a position to talk about our budget for next

year, my aim is not only to ensure financial stability but to continue restoring our services that were cut back due to relentless under funding from consecutive Tory governments. “Council

tax is not a fair mechanism for funding local government and I have consistently made the case that councils should be funded on the basis of need - I hope to see the system change in the

near future.” Responding, Conservative group leader Councillor David Coupe cited Sir Keir Starmer's previous council tax commitment. During the 2023 local elections, Sir Keir said that

were Labour in government that year, council tax would be frozen. Council tax was not mentioned in the party's manifesto during the general election in July 2024. Following the general

election, council tax increased across much of the country, including in Middlesbrough. As for the "principle" of council tax, Cllr Coupe asked would the council be able to afford

it? He said he would "love" to cut the amount council tax goes up, or freeze it altogether, "but of course, we've got to have a balanced budget, and we've got to see

what finances - the finances of the council are in a better shape now." He said there was a need to "see the figures and things for next year" but concluded that a 5%

increase is "terrible", highlighting that under the previous independent administration, it went up 4%. This figure relates to the 2023/24 financial year. Since being elected as

Hartlepool’s MP in July 2024, Mr Brash has campaigned for council tax reform in the country. Back in February, the Government committed to working with a cross-party group of MPs and Lords

that Mr Brash leads to explore ways of tackling the regressive tax system and ensuring a fairer deal for communities like Hartlepool. Speaking in the House of Commons in March, Luke Myer,

Labour MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, agreed with Mr Brash that the council tax system “is outdated, regressive and in desperate need of change, and our region is

disproportionately impacted”. He said: “One solution would be to replace the current system with a proportional property tax, removing the antiquated 1991 bandings and instead asking

residents to pay a percentage of their up-to-date property value every year. That would create a more progressive system, preventing those in lower-value homes from paying disproportionately

higher rates, while ensuring that wealthier property owners elsewhere in the country contribute a fairer share.” At the time, he added: “The choice is clear: either we keep patching up a

system that punishes regions like ours, or we build one that is fair, proportional and fit for the 21st century. Teesside cannot afford to wait another 30 years.” JOIN TEESSIDE LIVE'S

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