Row Erupts at Hartlepool Borough Council As Claims Emerge Deputy Mayor Was Chosen “For Diversity Reasons"...
- HBC Exposed
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
A row is said to have broken out regarding the Hartlepool Labour Groups decision to appoint a councillor who, barely a year into the role was selected as the councils Deputy Mayor, following claims the move was a DEI exercise by Labour bosses ....
24th May 2025
A political row is said to be brewing inside Hartlepool Borough Council, following allegations the recent appointment of Labour Councillor Quewone Bailey-Fleet to the role of Deputy Civic Mayor wasn't based on merit, but instead was a “diversity and inclusion” box-ticking exercise orchestrated by Labour bosses who were placed under significant pressure.
According to an insider who approached HBC Exposed recently, the controversial selection was reportedly made following 'threats' allegedly made by Cllr Bailey-Fleet to escalate a complaint to Labour HQ's bosses at Labour North—alleging racial discrimination within the local political party, with one Labour Party official describing her as “impossible to work with”, and that despite her 'Junior' role within the council as an elected member, she was pushed into the Deputy Mayoral seat not for her service, but to avoid a political backlash and “ticking the DEI [Diversity, Equity & Inclusion] box.”
“Typical DEI Hire” Says one Labour Insider
“This is a classic DEI hire,” said one senior Labour member in confidence to us. “The first time she turned up at a CLP [Constituency Labour Party] meeting she was handpicked—purely for diversity optics. Every time something goes wrong, or a vote doesn't go her way, she plays the race card.... It’s exhausting.”
Its claimed Cllr Melanie Morley was the natural candidate to remain in Deputy Mayoral post for another year, having already built relationships across civic functions. But its claimed that when Cllr Bailey-Fleet was set to be 'passed over' in the vote due to her one years service as a labour Councillor in favour of a second term for Cllr Morley, an uproar allegedly followed—led by none other than Cllr Bailey-Fleet herself, who claimed racism played a part in her being overlooked for the Deputy Mayoral Role. The accusation, sources claim, then pressured the Labour group into elevating her to the ceremonial role, despite her limited council experience of just one year....
Her Employment Background Simply Doesn’t Add Up?
In our ongoing investigation into Cllr Bailey-Fleet’s employment history, HBC Exposed has found several red flags. Businesses she claimed to have owned or run have little to no online presence. One company was voluntarily struck off the Companies House register shortly after she become elected & Another has had no social media activity for nearly three years and features a website that directs you to a broken link.
Efforts to verify her work history in both Jamaica and the United States have been equally fruitless.
One source at Labour North with knowledge of her background stated:
“Her CV is a complete fabrication of nonsense non jobs that cannot be verified with any tangible evidence.. Labour bosses have been sold an absolute fairy tale, and, worse still....they were daft enough to even buy it.”
To make matters murkier, one individual said to be closely tied to Labour’s inner circle—who also helped bankroll Jonathan Brash’s 2024 election campaign—is believed to have helped embellish her questionable credentials. Where, if true, the move would raise serious concerns about transparency and vetting inside the local party.
Internal Labour Divisions Widen Amidst claims of 'A Leadership Vacuum'
This revelation comes just weeks after Reform UK snatched a seat from Labour in a by-election triggered by a Labour councillor’s resignation in April 2025, with one Labour councillor then quitting the party in protest at what's claimed to be 'growing internal rifts' and what's been described as “a leadership vacuum at the top.”
Whilst Jonathan Brash seemingly remains the public face of Hartlepool Labour, more and more party figures are said to be becoming increasingly vocal about the influence of an unelected operator, namely working behind the scenes of Labours local HQ—seen by many within the Labour Group as the man truly pulling the strings behind the scenes.
“There may be a Labour leader on paper at HBC i.e. Brenda Harrison,” one source said, “but make no mistake— someone else is running the show....And he’s a dangerous figure.”
The situations said to be raising ever broader questions about political appointments, accountability, and the dangerous path of elevating individuals at HBC not based on service, integrity, or competence—but instead as pawns in internal political games and identity politics. Diversity should enrich governance—not be used as a shield to excuse poor decisions or mask deeper dysfunction, with Labours efforts to put on a united front to show itself as a stabilising force against the political tide only backfiring to reveal deep rooted internal political divisions not seen since the leadership of the Ackers Belchers, leading many to question just how long can Labour truly go on, as it tears itself apart at the seems over its diversity issues !
