Now that the dust has settled
The dust has now settled over the Hartlepool Council elections and the work of the Boundary Commission has paid dividends. The political map of Hartlepool has once aging been washed red!
The Tories have been pushed back into their rural heartland and their enclave behind the park. It’s probably going to be a generation before the Tory Party sees more than three councillors in the Hartlepool Council chamber.
Hartlepool Council is now a Lib-Dem free zone. They have disappeared completely and will probably never be seen again and the troublesome tendency of the Ancient Borough of Hartlepool to reject the Labour rose has been swamped by the Labour tide from Stranton.
All in all a fairly satisfactory day for the Labour party - they now effectively have the two thirds majority that they need to block anything the Mayor may put forward.
Labour’s failure to take the Seaton Ward was not an issue as they have three solid supporters in that ward under the independent banner. The only fly in Labour’s ointment was the election of Keith Dawkins for Putting Hartlepool First in Jesmond ward and of course the miscalculation in the boundary changes for the new ward of Fens and Rossmere. A miscalculation meant that unlike the merged St.Hilda and Stranton ward not enough Labour votes were moved into Fens and Rossmere and the ward returned three Putting Hartlepool First councillors.
It will be interesting to see if Labour and the Tories continue their cosy relationship. The Labour group no longer needs the Tory votes in council. However, the Tories may still be of use to the Labour Group by providing vote splitting candidates in future elections. The labourer is worthy of his hire and in this case a Tory Chairman of Licensing may well be a price Labour are willing to pay to continue having the Tories providing an illusion of some democratic accountability at the ballot box.
Putting Hartlepool First achieved four councillors and has over 80 members across the town. This is a phenomenal achievement for a party that has only been actively campaigning and recruiting since January this year. The party is already organising for the Mayoral contest and will be back on every ballot paper in May 2014. The political map of Hartlepool might be washed with red at the moment but the time to Put Hartlepool First is getting closer by the day!
Steve Allison
Secretary
Putting Hartlepool First
Your vote could spark that change.
When I was editor of the Mail I always put Hartlepool first. My position made me many, many friends as well as a few enemies. Most of the enemies were local politicians (as well as one or two national politicians). The fact that I was taken to task on a regular basis by Labour, Conservative and Lib Dem politicians told me everything I needed to know: I was putting Hartlepool first without fear or favour. Being hated equally by all parties is some feat.
I've always believed there is no place for party politics in Hartlepool. By any measure, Labour has failed the people of Hartlepool for the whole of my lifetime. It's time for change and voting for an independent candidate won't just signal change in Hartlepool but it will scare the pants of national politicians. It could be the start of a seismic change in British politics. Your vote could spark that change. Go on, do it. Hartlepool deserves it.
Harry Blackwood
Ex-editor of the Hartlepool Mail
Hartlepool
A few surprises to be had?
May's elections could well see a few surprises for the town. Even diehards ("I voted Labour as did my father/grandfather") must have had their eyes opened by what could be seen as blatant disregard of and apparent disrespect for the town's citizens. Not only the sorry saga of the hospital, but what seems to be some self seeking individuals, visible bickering, infighting and some distinctly peculiar goings on do not show some of the current mob in the best of lights.
Surely the fact that Hartlepool First's aims are clear - i.e. working towards the best for the town without dogma indicates that they aim to do 'what it says on the tin'! A party which contains interested and willing individuals without a history of electioneering - (political virgins?) may well prove distinctly appealing to a town which is jaded by and sick of the same old figures trotting out the same old spiel!
Kate Erskine
Admiral Way
Hartlepool
Peace in our Time
The mayor's decision to sack his labour cabinet members, delayed though that decision was, had really raised my opinion of the mayor. That was until I read the mayor's Mail column tonight. Any rise in my estimation of the mayor's leadership ability or management prowess was totally wiped out by the way he almost grovelled for forgiveness to the cabinet members he sacked. He was so gushing in his praise of them that I really wonder why he bothered to sack them at all? I don't think there is any doubt that if they are re-elected in May (as the mayor says he hopes they will be) then they will be back in his cabinet as soon as the election results are announced.
The image going through my mind when I read the column was of Prime Minister Chamberlain clutching his "peace in our time" communiqué from Herr Hitler. Appeasement never works but that is what the mayor was doing in his column tonight. Once he decide to fight back against the sort of treatment the labour group dished out to him the mayor had to stand his ground. Anyone who has ever faced a bully will know it just makes it worse in the long run if you cave in the moment you are challenged. Drummond was kicked by the Labour Party, he fought back, good on him, but couldn’t keep it up so now he is very sorry and is desperately trying to pretend it never happened. Chamberlain’s “peace” was a humiliation for him just a few months later. Appeasement just encourages the bully to demand more and more, it never works, once you stand up to a bully you have to carry it through, otherwise it just gets even worse in the long run!
The Mail Poll showed the mayor has the overwhelming support of the people of the town for his actions. Why then did he need to shower praise on the councillors who betrayed him and deserted him when he needed their support? Tonight’s column showed that the mayor is like a little dog who after daring to show his teeth and challenge the big dog is now having second thoughts and rolling on its back in surrender. Hartlepool really needs a mayor who can face down the labour bullies and stand up to the labour pack. Hartlepool needs people in the council chamber who can fight for the town and put Hartlepool First. On his performance in the Mail tonight I don't think the mayor has the stomach for the fight!
Steve Allison
Secretary
Hartlepool First
What next? Vote Labour and get a free television?
A recent decision by Hartlepool Borough Council has seemingly resulted in £50,000 of taxpayers’ money being set aside for a ‘furniture project’. In short the ‘project’ will provide low income families, who cannot access affordable credit, with cheap ‘white goods’ such as washing machines and cookers.
Designed to provide a cheaper alternative to ‘rent-to-buy’ high street stores such as ‘Bright house’ the scheme, at first glance, appears to be a noble gesture to help families in this tough economic climate. However, on closer examination what has actually just been voted through, is a £50,000 war chest which will now enable current council members to ‘acquire votes’ and maintain their seats at the expense of rival candidates who are not in a position to promise ‘discounted fridge freezers’ to their electorate.
It’s worth remembering that people who use stores such as ‘Brighthouse’ aren’t forced to do so, as the predominantly Labour council would try to have us believe. Nobody is dragged kicking as screaming in there and made to buy a 42” Plasma screen TV with HD, 3D and built in DVD at ‘only’ £18 per week.
People use shops such as Bright house because they want the nice things that hardworking people reward themselves with, but they simply aren’t prepared to do a day’s work to get them. As a hard working Hartlepool tax payer, this decision must surely act as a ‘wake up call’ to the ‘squeezed middle’ propping up our town.
It is already difficult to stomach working hard every day knowing that the council tax we pay doesn’t even get out bins emptied weekly, let alone deal with the potholes which wreck our cars or the litter which blights our streets. Now, we’re expected to sit back and ‘smile’ every month knowing that some of our council tax has gone straight to ‘Sharon in Baden Street’ because she fancies a new dishwasher!
Name and address supplied
They should be given even more spare time
It’s nice to see that the former Labour members of the mayor’s cabinet are now going to concentrate on their respective wards (must be an election coming up), now that they have been relieved of their cabinet duties. So what did they have to say about being sacked from the cabinet? Well lets see;
Jonathan Brash says “being a councillor is putting the needs of the residents first in everything you do”. Ged Hall says “ I have tried to make good decisions for the people of Hartlepool”. Pamela Hargreaves says “ what is important right now is that the whole council focuses on delivering the best services it can”. Peter Jackson Says “ I have always tried to make decisions that are in the interests of the people of Hartlepool”. Robbie Payne says” I have had a good 10 year run in the cabinet”. and Chris Simmons says “ Cabinet positions are entirely within the gift of the mayor”.
So what is lacking from the above statements? That’s right - an apology to the people of Hartlepool. These people were elected to make local decisions for the benefit of the town. So what has our Labour dominated council done for us?
Well lets see, they have managed to give us one of the highest council tax rates in the country, managed to take public transport off the roads after 6pm, overseen the reduction in services provided by the hospital, managed to put the 2012/13 budget into total confusion and are now planning to increase their allowances after the elections in May.
How can the Labour Councillors say that they are doing the best for the Town when they are clearly influenced by national party policies and also say that they are putting the needs of Hartlepool first when they can on a whim, overturn a year’s worth of work? I just hope that the people of Hartlepool remember this come election time.
Alec Gough
Linden Grove
Hartlepool
Infamy! Infamy! They've all got it in for me!
With regard to the current debacle surrounding HBC's budget plans and the disarray which follows a distinct 'volte face' by certain Councillors, I would like to commend them in achieving what I once considered impossible - my sympathy for Stuart Drummond.
The poor chap must feel as Caesar did when he cried 'Et tu, Brute?'...or was it 'Infamy! Infamy! They've all got it in for me!' ? Surely it is time that such petty political wrangling ceased and elected members of HBC were seen to be Putting Hartlepool First.
Kate Erskine
Admiral Way
Hartlepool
Cultural Events or Cultural Services or both?
In case you missed the announcement of "Grease Mania" in the Hartlepool Mail on Saturday you get another chance to see it announced in the Hartlepool Mail tonight. Only this time the headline is "Join in the big diamond lunch" and Greasemania (a celebration of the classic high school film) only rates a one line mention.
Spare a thought for poor old Claire Munroe (Marketing Officer for Hartlepool Borough Council’s Cultural Services) who was so excited by grease mania but gets squeezed out of the Diamond Lunch report by Lesley Strickland (Hartlepool Council’s Cultural Events Officer) who provides the big quote of the day by saying “We’re aiming to recreate some of that special atmosphere from the summer of 1977 when people across the country came together to celebrate at Jubilee street parties. We’re inviting people to bring along their food and we’ll do the rest! It’s sure to be a party to remember.”
I wonder if Lesley Strickland in Cultural Events is part of the same department as Claire Munroe in Cultural Services? Maybe Cultural Events and Cultural Services are both stand alone departments and thereby both have to have a full complement of managers and assistant directors? Of course there is still no sign of Michelle Durrant yet. Maybe Tall Ships future event planning is yet another department on its own? Still the Jubilee celebrations are due to last 5 days so lots of time yet for further announcements and Mail hype!
Steve Allison
Secretary
Hartlepool First
Hartlepool Needs Leadership
I refer to W. Hunters letter, which was published in the Hartlepool mail on Thursday 16th February. I totally agree with him that the town needs leadership.
It appears that the Labour party has gone into meltdown; the Conservatives are looking to score political points and the Lib Dems seem to have gone to ground. All this at a time when Hartlepool is faced with cuts to its front line services and having to make front line staff redundant.
I am sure that there are others out there who think as I do that all the political parties should be pulling together for the good of the Town. I have no doubt that come the May elections that the Labour Party will be smug enough to believe that the people Hartlepool will vote them back in because they believe that there is no choice but them.
I for one will be voting for the new political party “Hartlepool First” and I hope that a lot of others do to.
Alec Gough
Linden Grove
Hartlepool
Let's keep it clean!
Hartlepool First has gotten off to a good start with new members joining almost every day at the moment. Our first leaflet and our time outside the central library on Saturday are definitely paying dividends. The target of 11 potential candidates in the May 2012 Elections has already been exceeded and a full slate of 33 is not an impossible dream.
However, it is already obvious that the fight will not be a clean one based on policies or aspirations for the town. The established parties have already deployed the twin weapons of sarcasm and ridicule against Hartlepool First. Of course what that really means is the established parties in the town have no answer to our demand that it's about time someone in the civic centre started putting Hartlepool first.
I first became involved in local politics a decade ago and in that time I have been on the receiving end of some fairly vitriolic attacks. Some were attacks on my politics, some were attacks on ideas or suggestions I had put forward, others were just plain bigotry or nasty personal attacks about my character, my integrity or my physical appearance. Inevitably after such attacks people would ask me why I bothered with local politics, or indeed politics in general. My answer was usually to quote Burke “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing”.
Which is not to say anyone who attacked my politics or criticised ideas or suggestions I made is an evil person. Quite the opposite. I accept that many individuals hold different views to mine and so will have different politics and different concepts of how things can be improved. These individuals would probably give the same Burke quote as their reason for being in politics. I think there needs to be challenge and debate in politics. In something as complex and important as politics it is impossible for any one individual, group, party or organisation to be 100% correct at all times. Challenge and debate are a way of identifying potential problems and generating an even better answer to a problem. In politics we should welcome challenge.
Unfortunately many people in politics today at both local and national level are completely intolerant of any form of challenge to their preconceived ideas. I find it ironic that some of the most intolerant people I meet are often those who constantly go on about equality, tolerance and fairness in society. What they really mean is freedom to agree with them and anyone who doesn't needs to be rooted out and destroyed. It's like freedom of speech. Many people are 100% supportive of the freedom to say anything they agree with and 100% against allowing anyone to say anything they disagree with. Of course these people are often so convinced that they are right that they are unable to see the contradiction their own stance.
The people I do consider “evil” in politics are those who attack as a reflex action if anyone dares to say anything different to them. Those people who “know” they are correct and everyone else is wrong. These people are totally closed to any argument, debate or exchange of views. You either agree with them or you are wrong. They see no middle ground. Unfortunately in politics these people often rise to the top. They present their rigid, unbending views as “strength of conviction” and their refusal to even consider alternatives as “strength of purpose”. The inability to even see there may be a different way is paraded as a virtue “This lady is not for turning” as Margaret Thatcher famously said. t's not a weakness to change your views if you receive fresh information or new facts. Its not strength to blindly carry on with something that is patently wrong.
Evil people in politics are there to impose their views on everyone else. Evil people in politics are the ones who use personal ridicule to belittle their opponents. I am not the most lithe of individuals and in the past few years the expansion of my waistline has inversely matched that of my hair line. However, when someone calls me a “fat, bald, bastard” then I know they have no answer to my politics, my ideas or my suggestions.
So let's all keep on challenging. Let's all keep on having the debates. No one side or the other has the monopoly on being right or being wrong. That is why Hartlepool First approach each issue on its merits and with only one criteria set in stone. “Is this a good or a bad thing for Hartlepool?” If it's a good thing then we'll support it to the hilt. If it's as bad thing then we'll fight it as hard as we can.
As regards those who seek to reduce the campaign to or stifle any debate with ridicule and saracasm then I have two things to say.
Firstly it is behaviour like that which is turning people off from politics. They want to see grown up debate and real ideas, not just playground name calling.
Secondly I would tell them to remember the words of Mahatma Gandhi “"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win”
Well the established parties have tried to ignore Hartlepool First, they have tried to ridicule Hartlepool First and in May they will have to fight Hartlepool First. With the support of the people of the town who are sick of party politics them May 2012 is when Hartlepool First will win!
Steve Allison
Secretary
Hartlepool First
Politics and Elections
Is it any wonder why the electorate of this country and this town do not bother to vote? I believe that the reason is the performance of the politicians as a whole and the way they treat people.
I always thought that when I went to a polling station to mark a piece of paper for a politician, they were telling the truth about what they would do for my family, and for the people. From the election of Mrs Thatcher and her party and new Labour under Blair, Mandelson, etc, we have had untruths and false promises. Is it any wonder why people won’t vote?
Coming down to the local politicians, our mayor and our local MP have stood by while an unelected group have closed down the only hospital in town and surrounding area. From 20 April 2011 to 27 February 2012 I have had to travel 1293 miles to James Cook, Middlesbrough for operations and treatment. I have records of my visits. This has nothing to do with the front line staff they have been excellent.
There is an alternative to this sort of treachery if people just take a little time to look around.
John Ringwood
Headland
Hartlepool
Mayors True Colours
So our illustrious mayor has finally shown his true colours regarding the A&E department. He states that not having an A&E department in Hartlepool “does not mean much”. This is an arrogant statement from an arrogant man.
As the elected mayor he is supposed to provide political leadership and carry out the local authority's policies. One of those policies, which was agreed by the full council, including the mayor was the vote of no confidence in the North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust.
He has now withdrawn his support for this motion and states that he has “no confidence in the Council to effect any changes on the NHS Trust. If the mayor has no confidence in the council and can not provide the political leadership then he should resign and make way for someone who can do the job.
Alec Gough
Linden Grove
Hartlepool
Well done Steve
How refreshing it was to read the article where Hartlepool Borough Councillor Steve Gibbon (Fens representative) said that the allowance he received was sufficient to carry out council business (Mail, January 25).
It’s good to know that some of our councillors really do have the good of Hartlepool and its residents first and foremost and are not in it for what they can get out of it.
Keep up the good work Steve and well done!
Susan Preece,
Flaxton Street,
Hartlepool
Councillors Allowances
Over the last week I’ve received a number of emails regarding the request made by some Hartlepool councillors for the Independent Remuneration Panel to review the allowances received by members.
The reasons given for the review are the reduction in the number of councillors and the increase in the size of the new wards as a result of the review made by the Boundary Commission, which may put extra pressure on the remaining councillors.
I receive a basic allowance which is more than enough to pay for across town travel, phone calls/internet and I don’t see a need for the increase.
The council has already started to reduce the number of committees councillors sit on. The Neighbourhood Forums and the Police and Community Safety Consultative Forums have all but disappeared and there’s more to come. Surely any time saved by not attending meetings can be spent in the wards.
At the very least members allowances should be frozen until 2013, this would give time to review the situation and see if an increase was deserved. With so many people being made redundant or having wages frozen is this the right time to review councillor’s allowances?
Earlier this week the Mail reported that members of Stockton Borough Council are holding a meeting to discuss reducing allowances by 4%. Perhaps this is an example we could follow. My advice to anyone who is thinking of standing in the election in May is” lets put Hartlepool first, if you don’t like the allowance package that’s on offer don’t stand, we can’t afford to offer you more”
Cllr Steve Gibbon
Treasurer
Putting Hartlepool First
Return of Hospital Services
I was pleased to read in the Hartlepool Mail that a number of services may return to the University Hospital of Hartlepool. If this is the case then I for one would like to say a big thank you to the “Save our Hospital Group” and would urge them to keep campaigning and some day we may see the return of the Accident and Emergency Department. I would also like to remind our elected members that they have a duty to fight for people of Hartlepool and should fighting along side the “Save our Hospital Group” to secure the return of all hospital services, lets face it they should be putting Hartlepool first.
Alec Gough
Linden Grove
Hartlepool
Constitution
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