Hartlepool mayor speaks of disappointment after town votes to axe role

4:32pm Friday 16th November 2012 in News Photograph of the Author By Chris Webber, Reporter (Stockton/Hartlepool)

Stuart Drummond Stuart Drummond

THE mayor of Hartlepool today (Friday, November 16) spoke of his disappointment after the town voted to remove his role.

A total of 7,366 people voted against keeping a directly-elected major, with 5,177 people voting in favour of preserving the position.

Stuart Drummond, the former Hartlepool FC football mascot H'Angus the Monkey, stood as a stunt in 2002 and made headlines around the world when he won. He was then re-elected in 2005 and again in 2009.

Mr Drummond will continue to serve as mayor until next May and will work on the council’s next budget.

He also loses his job as chairman of Cleveland Police Authority following the election of Labour’s Barry Coppinger as the police force’s first elected commissioner.

Following the count, Mr Drummond said: “I’m a big supporter, obviously, of directly elected mayors and I’m particularly disappointed by such a low turn-out (18 per cent).

“But the public of Hartlepool are very rarely wrong and it’s been an honour to serve as mayor.

“I’m still here for six months and I’m certainly not going to take my foot off the pedal. There’s very important work to do.

“My time as mayor has been a rollercoaster ride, with never a dull moment. I was delighted to be voted in three times. The truth is I haven’t really looked back, there’s always something coming up.”

Asked about the future, Mr Drummond, who is married with children, said he would start “looking for something to pay the bills”.

He declined to criticise Labour for pushing for the referendum. The outcome means Hartlepool Council will now return to a committee system.

Comments (9)

5:58pm Fri 16 Nov 12

MSG says...

If Labour can't win it moves to scrap the mayor' position. it has done it in Stoke on Trent & now Pools. So much for democracy. Labour fascists strike again!!!
If Labour can't win it moves to scrap the mayor' position. it has done it in Stoke on Trent & now Pools. So much for democracy. Labour fascists strike again!!! MSG

6:26pm Fri 16 Nov 12

spragger says...

So more taxpayers money into the pocket of useless Labour Cllrs
Sounds about right ..
So more taxpayers money into the pocket of useless Labour Cllrs Sounds about right .. spragger

7:48pm Fri 16 Nov 12

frankyboy says...

Spot on MSG. If a Labour Mayor had been elected 3 times, would they have pushed to abolish the role? I think not.

More worrying; what's the voting population of Hartlepool, about 75,000? So 10% say they don't want a Mayor and the role is abolished. What happened to democracy? There should be a minimum turnout requirement, before major changes like this can happen.

I think if 5% of the town ask for it, a mayoral referendum has to take place. If I was a Poolie I'd f**k the Labour lot around, by pushing for a vote next year on restoring the Mayor!
Spot on MSG. If a Labour Mayor had been elected 3 times, would they have pushed to abolish the role? I think not. More worrying; what's the voting population of Hartlepool, about 75,000? So 10% say they don't want a Mayor and the role is abolished. What happened to democracy? There should be a minimum turnout requirement, before major changes like this can happen. I think if 5% of the town ask for it, a mayoral referendum has to take place. If I was a Poolie I'd f**k the Labour lot around, by pushing for a vote next year on restoring the Mayor! frankyboy

8:37pm Fri 16 Nov 12

billblackwood says...

This is the Labour fascist's revenge on the Mayor for sacking the labour cabinet members who voting against their own agreed recommendations on the budget last year.
This is the Labour fascist's revenge on the Mayor for sacking the labour cabinet members who voting against their own agreed recommendations on the budget last year. billblackwood

10:07pm Fri 16 Nov 12

ajtib3 says...

Odd that the commentors above, who are normally so vocal in demanding that councils save money, seem to object to Hartlepool saving £63,000 a year.

Very strange.
Odd that the commentors above, who are normally so vocal in demanding that councils save money, seem to object to Hartlepool saving £63,000 a year. Very strange. ajtib3

10:30pm Fri 16 Nov 12

frankyboy says...

I'm not convinced that ajtib3 would have made that comment if it was a Labour Mayor that had just been dispensed with.
I'm not convinced that ajtib3 would have made that comment if it was a Labour Mayor that had just been dispensed with. frankyboy

3:03am Sat 17 Nov 12

Onion Terror says...

Very glad to have got rid of the monkeyman, the town needs to save cash and why exactly do you need to pay someone £65,000 per year to tell you there is no money left in local government?????
He has sat on the fence for many years blaming left or right for the town's problems, an easy task when your an independent, as usual, but seemed to be happy for the council to make a loss of £2 million on the Tall Ships and wasn't very proactive on saving the A&E department if I recall.
Very glad to have got rid of the monkeyman, the town needs to save cash and why exactly do you need to pay someone £65,000 per year to tell you there is no money left in local government????? He has sat on the fence for many years blaming left or right for the town's problems, an easy task when your an independent, as usual, but seemed to be happy for the council to make a loss of £2 million on the Tall Ships and wasn't very proactive on saving the A&E department if I recall. Onion Terror

9:53am Sat 17 Nov 12

st-george1 says...

You will be missed Mr Drummond, I'll bet ...

The real cost … INSTITUTIONAL MISCONDUCT its called … changing the rules some will say and its yet another scandal at the heart of Teesside where only 50% of the councillors attended anything and were treated as winners, how sad … what will Labour offer when there’s no culture change and no money to spend is an even bigger concern !
You will be missed Mr Drummond, I'll bet ... The real cost … INSTITUTIONAL MISCONDUCT its called … changing the rules some will say and its yet another scandal at the heart of Teesside where only 50% of the councillors attended anything and were treated as winners, how sad … what will Labour offer when there’s no culture change and no money to spend is an even bigger concern ! st-george1

1:15pm Sat 17 Nov 12

ajtib3 says...

frankyboy wrote:
I'm not convinced that ajtib3 would have made that comment if it was a Labour Mayor that had just been dispensed with.
I don't believe in the role of a paid Mayor so the party political aspect is irrelevant.
[quote][p][bold]frankyboy[/bold] wrote: I'm not convinced that ajtib3 would have made that comment if it was a Labour Mayor that had just been dispensed with.[/p][/quote]I don't believe in the role of a paid Mayor so the party political aspect is irrelevant. ajtib3

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