A ROW has erupted after a “secret” decision was made to give Peter Mandelson the Freedom of Hartlepool.

The town’s former MP is to receive the honour amid claims Hartlepool Borough Council’s Labour group forced through the recommendation.

Disgruntled councillors claim they were railroaded into giving Lord Mandelson the honour or deny it to four other recipients, including Hartlepool-born sports presenter and Countdown host Jeff Stelling and two charity campaigners.

Councillor Stephen Allison, a UKIP member for St Hilda ward, lashed out at the action, maintaining he was forced to vote against the proposal.

He said: “My main problem with it was the way that it was done – there was no need to group Mandelson with the other people nominated.

“If I was one of those I would feel upset that my name had been used in that way, because the Labour group knew they wouldn’t get enough support for him any other way.

“The other people were very worthy of the honour, after years of working for the benefit of the town, but this was an underhand, deceitful way of getting him (Mandelson) the honour.

“This was not a good day for democracy or for the people of Hartlepool, but that is what you expect from the Labour group.”

The decision was taken at a meeting of the council on November 5, held under so-called pink paper rules, which ban councillors from discussing what happened. The rules get their name from pink paper used to flag up confidential items on council agendas.

At the meeting, councillors had to vote on all the nominations, which needed a twothirds majority to go through, after Labour group leader Jonathan Brash proposed they were all put together.

If members had not voted in favour of Lord Mandelson, they would have been forced to block Isobel Wilson of the town’s Pansies Breast Cancer Support Group and Wendy McLoughlin MBE, 63, who runs Hartlepool Families First for disabled children.

A total of 32 votes were cast, which meant 22 votes were needed to secure Lord Mandelson’s freeman title. The result was 22 to ten – with six abstentions.

Labour group leader Councillor Jonathan Brash was unavailable for comment last night.

Speaking to a national newspaper, Lord Mandelson said: “I am thrilled once again to be honoured by the people of Hartlepool.”