07/10/2026
Councillor and group leader Joanne Rush, Reform UK - Nunthorpe Ward is a fantastic Cllr who works tirelessly for her residents day in and day out.
It’s a pathetic attack from the Local Lib Dem’s who were rejected by the people of Nunthorpe because they failed to speak up on the issues that mattered most to them.
We fully expect to see 1000s of leaflets with lies and dodgy graphs across the whole of the region from a group that has bitterness, lies and bile as its main messages of choice.
Keep going Jo and ignore this pitiful, pathetic rubbish.
THE ELECTION IS MONTHS AWAY , BUT A PARTY EXPECTED TO FIELD A CANDIDATE AGAINST ME HAS ALREADY STARTED ATTACKING MY RECORD WITH CLAIMS I COMPLETELY REJECT
I was extremely disappointed to see this Liberal Democrat leaflet being circulated around Nunthorpe claiming that I have “hardly been seen or heard from”, have “already disappeared” and am “not showing up for residents”. I completely reject that portrayal of my record. Since residents elected me in December, I have worked relentlessly for this ward, taking up individual casework, reporting and chasing problems with roads, pavements, potholes, parking and highways, tackling concerns around speeding and antisocial behaviour, working with police and other agencies, fighting for better infrastructure and repeatedly raising the pressures further development places on our roads, schools, GP provision and local services. And anyone who follows Middlesbrough Council will know I have certainly not been “missing in action” in the Council Chamber. I have stood up repeatedly for Nunthorpe, challenged decisions, asked difficult questions and fought hard to make sure residents’ concerns are put directly to those making the decisions. I will speak up even when what I have to say is uncomfortable or unpopular, because that is what residents elected me to do. Alongside my Borough Council work, I serve on Nunthorpe Parish Council, continuing to work directly on issues affecting our community. Being a councillor is not about how many photographs you can put in a leaflet or how often you tell people you are working; it is about answering residents, dealing with casework, chasing officers, attending meetings, challenging decisions and actually fighting to get things done. With elections approaching next year, political campaigning will inevitably increase, and I have no problem whatsoever with my record being scrutinised, but scrutinise my actual record. I will not stand quietly by while residents are given a completely misleading impression of the work I have been doing on their behalf. I know how hard I work, I know how many residents I have helped, and residents who have contacted me know how hard I fight for them. I was elected to be a strong voice for Nunthorpe, and that is exactly what I will continue to be, in our community, behind the scenes and, when necessary, loudly and clearly in the Council Chamber. Political leaflets will come and go. My focus remains exactly where it has been since the day I was elected: fighting tooth and nail for Nunthorpe and the people I represent. I stood in the last election on my own morals and did not attack a person or a party and I will do that again. But I won’t allow lies to be published without speaking out.