‘Andrew Tate is not bee’s knees’: Councillors discuss attitudes and violence towards women and girls
Andrew Tate reacts while speaking to media after checking in at a police station as part of his judicial control, which requires him to appear before judicial authorities in Romania when summoned, after returning from the United States, in Voluntari, Romania, Monday, March 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)(Image: )Social media influencer Andrew Tate came to the fore during a council meeting discussing violence against women and girls. Middlesbrough Council’s adult social care and health scrutiny panel were looking into the topic on Monday, January 12, and discussed levels of crime, as well as education on the subject in schools.Claire Moore led on the matter, she serves as the council’s domestic abuse and sexual violence strategic lead. She talked through some of the examples of violence against women and girls (VAWG), including sexual offences as well as stalking and harassment.Mr Tate received much criticism during the meeting. Cleveland Police's capacity issues were discussed and some of the data relating to the force’s area makes for grim reading, along with Middlesbrough-focused statistics. The force said they take VAWG “extremely seriously”.Ms Moore said there are lots of myths within the subject matter, highlighting the perception that women are most likely to be raped after dark by a stranger. In reality, only 10% of rapes are committed by a stranger, Ms Moore explained.Ms Moore said: “We know that violence against women and girls is at epidemic proportions.” Some statistics shared depicted a situation that isn’t improving, with one in three women globally experiencing partner or sexual violence during their lifetime - a statistic that has barely changed since 2000. She described national police data as “bleak” and honed in on the Cleveland Police force area.Teesside has one of the highest rates of VAWG. In 2024, there were more than 20,000 domestic abuse related incidents and crimes recorded in the police force area. Of the crimes recorded, only 9% of the perpetrators were charged/summonsed. Cleveland Police pointed out that this figure is now 10%, explaining that the numbers include non-recent sexual offences that have been reported now and that a lot of investigations are still ongoing.Ms Moore set out how Cleveland also has a lower arrest rate compared to national rates, with 37 arrests per 100 domestic abuse crimes, nationally it is 44 per 100.Zooming in even more to just Middlesbrough, the town has a high rate of sexual offences - 5.3 per 1,000 population, compared to 3.9 per 1,000 as an average amongst other local authorities in the North East. However, Ms Moore also highlighted good work being done in Middlesbrough, saying: “We’re one of the only areas that actually still invests in prevention work”, detailing the work that goes on in schools and colleges.She added that the more that the council does in terms of prevention, the more that people present themselves to services, explaining that not only did more people know about the council’s offering, but more people are confident in the services that they receive. However, Ms Moore added: “We know that there’s a cultural acceptance of violence against women and girls in Middlesbrough.”Labour Councillor Jack Banks described the data that had been shared as “harrowing”, adding: “Yet again, our area is number one.” He asked if Ms Moore thought there was a link between deprivation and the level of domestic abuse, to which the reply was “yes”.Councillor Jack Banks in his seat under the Union Jack when he became the chair of Middlesbrough Council and (inset) his council head shot(Image: Daniel Hodgson/Middlesbrough Council)Cllr Banks also asked: “What do you think breeds the next generation of violence against women?” Ms Moore spoke about violence/domestic abuse often being “hidden”. She went on to discuss online issues, discussing social media personality Mr Tate being viewed as a “role model” by a large proportion of young men and boys. Additionally, she explained that people will now be exposed to porn and “degrading” content online, even if they aren’t looking for it.Cllr Banks, who is a teacher in Middlesbrough, explained that through conversations with kids - and having taught PSHE - he understood coercion and controlling behaviour to only be getting worse, adding: “It is so bad”. He said the amount of conversations he has about Andrew Tate on a weekly basis is “ridiculous”.Concerns regarding Andrew Tate’s views towards women were raised again later in the meeting, with Ms Moore saying: “For young men and and boys at the moment, I think it’s really confusing around what is a healthy relationship and what expectations are.” She spoke of a lack of an alternative to Mr Tate, while Conservative Councillor David Coupe said that in spite of progress made in society, people like Mr Tate still think they rule the world, adding: “Andrew Tate is not the bee’s knees, in fact far from it, he’s in a lot of ways the lowest of the low.”Conservative David Coupe, a Middlesbrough councillor(Image: )When contacted for comment, Cleveland Police's Detective Chief Superintendent Caroline McGlade said: “I understand how difficult it is to come forward and report these incidents to police and I’d like to reassure victims that you will be listened to and you will be believed. We have specially trained officers who will support you throughout along with our partner agencies.She added that the force takes VAWG “extremely seriously” and tackles it under Operation Soteria. The force said that the number of victims of VAWG in the 12 months ending October 2025 was down more than 1,100. As of November 2025, the force had secured more than 370 Domestic Abuse Protection Orders, which provide “enhanced protection” for victims.DCS McGlade said: “Every single report is investigated so please report incidents to us on 101 or online via the Cleveland Police website.”Join Teesside Live's WhatsApp community for top stories and breaking news sent directly to your phone Teesside Live is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join our community.Through the app, we'll send you the latest breaking news, top stories, exclusives and much more straight to your phone.To join our community group, you need to already have WhatsApp. All you need to do is click this link and select 'Join Community'.No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Teesside Live team.We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like.To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'Exit group'.If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.Click here to join our WhatsApp community.For crime news in your area direct to your inbox every day, go here to sign up to our free newsletter
