Hartlepool Borough Council will change the way its executive decisions are made from Thursday 10 December 2026, replacing the current committee system with a Leader and Executive , also commonly called Leader and Cabinet.
The change is about the council’s internal decision-making structure rather than the delivery of everyday services. The council says residents should not experience disruption: existing routes for contacting councillors, using services, joining consultations and attending public meetings will continue.
What changes on 10 December?
Under the new system, the Leader will be elected by the full council. The Leader will then appoint an Executive of councillors, with individual members taking responsibility for major areas such as children’s services, housing, finance and . These councillors are often described as portfolio holders.
The Executive will make executive decisions and work with council officers on policy and service delivery. Full Council will responsibilities including setting the authority’s budget and overall policy . Detailed portfolio responsibilities, meeting dates and decision-making arrangements are due to be published by the council as the system comes into operation.
Hartlepool has been using a committee model, in which decisions are distributed across subject committees. The council says the transition follows the Government’s June 2025 announcement that still using committee systems would be required to move to a Leader and Executive arrangement.
How and will work
Councillors who are not members of the Executive will continue to have a formal role in examining decisions. Overview and Scrutiny Committees will be able to review council services, question Executive members and senior officers, examine policy and performance, and recommend improvements.
The new arrangements will also include a “call-in” process. Subject to the rules in the council’s constitution, this allows certain Executive decisions to be reviewed before they are . Scrutiny provides challenge and oversight, but it does not replace the Executive as the decision-maker.
The council says the move is intended to make responsibility easier to follow because residents will be able to identify which oversees a service and who took a particular decision. The transition is expected to be delivered within existing resources rather than increasing council costs.
What stays the same for residents?
councillors will continue to represent their communities, raise local concerns and for residents. People will still be able to contact them directly, contribute to public consultations and attend public meetings where appropriate.
Many meetings of Full Council, the Executive and scrutiny bodies will remain open to the public unless confidential or legally exempt information is being considered. Agendas, reports, decisions and later approved minutes will continue to be published online.
For people who want to follow a particular issue, the most useful practical steps are to check the council’s meetings pages, read published agendas and reports, and look for the named Executive member responsible for the relevant service. Meeting arrangements can change, so anyone planning to attend should confirm the date, time and venue shortly beforehand.
Why this matters beyond the council chamber
structures can sound remote, but they determine where responsibility sits for decisions affecting neighbourhoods and public services. The important test will be whether the new system makes decisions easier to understand while preserving meaningful scrutiny and access for residents.
The council’s current information says services will continue as normal and that further details will be added as the 10 December change approaches. This article will be updated if the final portfolios or public meeting arrangements materially change.
: Hartlepool Borough Council’s 10 November announcement and its resident guide to the new governance arrangements.