Hartlepool Borough Council elections usually take place for a third of the council, three years out of every four. Hartlepool Borough Council is the local authority for the unitary authority of Hartlepool in County Durham, England. Until 1 April 1996 it was a non-metropolitan district in Cleveland.
On 18 October 2001 there was a referendum on whether Hartlepool should have a directly elected mayor. The referendum saw a narrow vote in favour with 10,667 yes votes and 10,294 no votes on a turnout of 31%. The first election in 2002 saw an independent candidate Stuart Drummond elected and he has been re-elected in both the 2005 and 2009 elections. A referendum to abolish the mayoralty in 2012 succeeded, with 58.7% favouring a cabinet system.