MP steps down as councillor to focus on 'full-time' job

Labour's Jonathan Brash won Hartlepool from Conservative Jill Mortimer

Hartlepool's recently elected MP has stood down from his role as a councillor on the local authority to focus on the "full-time job" of representing the parliamentary constituency.

Labour's Jonathan Brash represented the Burn Valley ward on Hartlepool Borough Council.

A by-election is to be held next month to fill the vacancy.

Mr Brash said he had been "incredibly proud" to represent the ward.

Mr Brash first served as a councillor in Burn Valley for 10 years from 2006, before returning to the position after the 2021 local council elections and retaining his seat in the 2022 polls.

During his time on the council he held positions which included chair of the audit and governance committee and deputy leader of the Labour group, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Posting on social media, Mr Brash said: "Being an MP is a full-time job and now that the dust has settled on last month's general election, it's the right time to step down as a councillor."

He would be supporting Labour's Owen Riddle, an NHS worker, to fill the council vacancy and looked "forward to campaigning alongside him", he said.