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7 May 2026
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| 13 out of 39 seats to Hartlepool Borough Council 20 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2026 Hartlepool Borough Council election will be held on 7 May 2026, alongside the other local elections across the United Kingdom being held on the same day, to elect 13 of 36 members of Hartlepool Borough Council.[1]
Council composition
[edit]| After 2024 election | Before 2026 election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Seats | Party | Seats | ||
| Labour | 24 | Labour | 22 | ||
| Reform | 0 | Reform | 4 | ||
| Conservative | 6 | Conservative | 2 | ||
| IU | 1 | IU | 1 | ||
| Independent | 5 | Independent | 7 | ||
Changes 2024–2026:
- August 2024: Jonathan Brash (Labour) resigns – by-election held September 2024[2]
- September 2024: Owen Riddle (Labour) wins by-election[3]
- March 2025: Cameron Sharp (Labour) resigns – by-election held May 2025[4]
- May 2025:
- June 2025: Steve Wallace (Independent, elected as Labour) resigns – by-election held July 2025[8]
- July 2025: Ed Doyle (Reform) nominally gains by-election from Labour[9]
- August 2025: Mike Young (Conservative) joins Reform[10]
- Andrew Martin-Wells (Conservative) and Scott Reeve (Conservative) leave party to sit as independents
Summary
[edit]Background
[edit]In 2024, Labour gained the council from no overall control.[11] They held the council previously until 2019.[12]
Election result
[edit]| 2026 Hartlepool Borough Council election | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | This election | Full council | This election | |||||||
| Seats | Net | Seats % | Other | Total | Total % | Votes | Votes % | +/− | ||
| Labour | 16 | |||||||||
| Independent | 5 | |||||||||
| Reform | 3 | |||||||||
| Conservative | 0 | |||||||||
| IU | 0 | |||||||||
| Liberal Democrats | 0 | |||||||||
| Green | 0 | |||||||||
Incumbents
[edit]| Ward | Incumbent councillor | Party | Re-standing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burn Valley | Owen Riddle | Labour | ||
| De Bruce | Rachel Creevy | Labour | ||
| Fens & Greatham | Bob Buchan | Conservative | ||
| Foggy Furze | Melanie Morley | Labour | ||
| Hart | John Leedham | Conservative | ||
| Headland & Harbour | Shane Moore | IU | ||
| Manor House | Pamela Hargreaves | Labour | ||
| Rossmere | Moss Boddy | Labour | ||
| Rural West | Andrew Martin-Wells | Independent | ||
| Seaton | Gordon Cranney | Independent | ||
| Throston | Amanda Napper | Reform | ||
| Victoria | Gary Allen | Labour | ||
Results
[edit]![[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (January 2026) |
References
[edit]- ^ teessidetoday (25 January 2026). "Is Your Hartlepool Councillor up for Election in May: Local Elections 2026 To Set the Stage for a Pivotal Political Contest". The Teesside. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
- ^ "Hartlepool MP steps down as councillor". BBC News. 11 August 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
- ^ "Local Elections Archive Project — Burn Valley Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
- ^ Marko, Nic (21 March 2025). "'It has been an absolute honour' Hartlepool's youngest ever Labour councillor stands down on obtaining new job". Hartlepool Mail. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
- ^ "Local Elections Archive Project — Throston Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
- ^ Payne, Mark (9 May 2025). "Why one Hartlepool councillor has decided to defect from Conservatives to Reform UK". Hartlepool Mail. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
- ^ Boothroyd, David. "Halifax banks on Reform". LocalCouncils.co.uk. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
- ^ Marko, Nic (5 June 2025). "Voters face second by-election in months as Hartlepool councillor resigns". Hartlepool Mail. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
- ^ "Local Elections Archive Project — Throston Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
- ^ Marko, Nic (7 August 2025). "Hartlepool's former Conservative leader Mike Young joins Reform UK". BBC News. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
- ^ "Hartlepool result - Local Elections 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
- ^ "Win for Labour in Hartlepool as they lead council for first time since 2019". The Northern Echo. 3 May 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
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