This website exists because Hartbeat exists; a quarterly, propaganda magazine compiled by the Council's Public Relations Department and delivered to every household in the town. The magazine is funded by the taxpayer and yet is used to show the sitting Council and its administration in the most favourable light. In so doing, the magazine becomes a political magazine as it promotes the continuance of the status quo and seeks to colour the opinions of the local population. We regard the publication of Hartbeat as a blatant misuse of public funds.

Our first aim therefore is to counter-balance the sugar-coated content of Hartbeat Magazine.

Very few of the rights that we so take for granted have been given. Most have had to be fought for and many lives have been sacrificed. People may be surprised to learn that our modern democracy in which all UK citizens have a right to vote is only 77 years old. It wasn't until 1928 that women were finally granted the right to vote on the same terms as men and before 1867 the 'working class' were not allowed to vote at all.

It is perhaps the saddest thing that within such a short time this hard won right to express ourselves freely and to directly elect those who govern us appears to have lost its value in recent years through disinterest and apathy. In general elections, only about 60% of the national population bother to vote; in Hartlepool that figure is down to 52%. In local elections the figures are even worse - only 29% of Hartlepool people voted in the recent local elections.

Our second aim therefore, is to try and reinvigorate local democracy by getting people involved and fired up by raising local issues and by highlighting some of the actions or decisions of the local council.

There are plenty of people on all sides of the political divide within Hartlepool Borough Council who have something useful and interesting to say. The problem is that their affiliation to a particular party and therefore a particular political line too often prevents those same people from expressing a personal view. It's that personal view, based on personal knowledge and experience, that the town really needs.

So we'd like to see all Councillors opt out of their national political affiliations - at least for the purpose of local politics. We want to see Councillors speaking from personal experience and not from national manifestos. Ideally, we would like to encourage a system of local government similar to that practiced on the Scilly Isles which is based more on an apolitical, senatorial role for Councillors and which encourages true debate.

Our third aim is to show the irrelevance of the party political system when it operates in a local Government setting.

Right To Reply Policy

HTH operates a 'Right To Reply' policy which, in essence, means that we are prepared to give web space to anyone who feels we have unfairly represented a story or situation and who would like to give an alternative view. We don't edit such submissions other than for legal or grammatical reasons.

If you feel that you would like to provide a different point of view then send it to: righttoreply@high-tax-hartlepool.co.uk

Councillor Web Pages

Hartlepool Borough Councillors from all parties or affiliations are offered their own web page which they can use for whatever reason they wish.

To obtain a web page or update an existing web page send your content to: webpages@high-tax-hartlepool.co.uk