I want people in Blackpool to have more money in their pockets - pledge from Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves during her visit to the town

We will put more money in your pocket' - that was the pledge from shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves during a visit to the resort.

While the town has received hundreds of millions of pounds of regeneration cash from the Government's Levelling Up Fund, Ms Reeves warned "real levelling up is ensuring people in Blackpool have more money in their pockets and public services they can rely on again".

She said this could be achieved by policies including banning zero hours contracts and investing in future industries to create better paid jobs.

Rachel Reeves was joined by Labour supporters at Blackpool Cricket Club and Jonathan Ashworth, Labour’s shadow paymaster general, to launch a poster campaign attacking the Conservative government's record on taxes.

Tackling the cost of living crisis is one of three pledges set out by Labour's Blackpool South by-election candidate Chris Webb, along with regenerating the town and delivering new, well-paid jobs, and reducing anti-social behaviour with a return to neighbourhood policing.

The shadow chancellor said her party wanted "to see Blackpool prosper and thrive" but in some parts of the town "the majority of people have wages below the national average and far too many families are in poverty."

Regenerating communities was key to improving their prospects, and Ms Reeves said: "A Labour government working alongside Chris would be absolutely committed to achieving those three pledges and ensuring more people in Blackpool have more money in their pockets to spend on the things that matter to them, and that we have public services that are properly working for people."

She said Labour could achieve these aims through policies including insulating millions of homes so people would save on their energy bills, building on the minimum wage to make it a real living wage, and banning 'exploitative' zero hours contracts giving people better job security.

Ms Reeves admitted there were 'huge challenges' in terms of tackling poverty, but she said investment in fast-growing industries including green energy and areas such as life sciences could bring jobs to areas like Blackpool.

She added: "We will also ensure as a Labour government that when people go out to work, they have what they deserve from going out to work - a secure job paying a wage they can live on - and at the moment too many people in work don't have that."

She also warned the "thousands of people in Blackpool stuck on NHS waiting lists" was "not good enough" and said Labour's commitment to providing a named police officer "for every neighbourhood" would help fight crime."

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She added: "I know in Blackpool we have the highest levels of crime in Lancashire. That's a huge cause for concern and that's why the second of Chris Webb's pledges is about tackling crime."

Labour claims people are facing a "double whammy" of tax rises due to the government freezing income tax and national insurance thresholds which means as people earn more, they are faced with higher tax bills.

This combined with rising council tax means the average household will be £870 worse off, according to Labour.

What the Conservatives say in response

The Conservatives say Labour's plans for the economy are "unfunded" and would herald a return to higher taxes.

Conservative parliamentary candidate for Blackpool South David Jones said: “On the same day the Conservatives are cutting taxes for 29 million working people, Labour have proved all they will do is hike up taxes, taking us back to square one.

 “Labour refuse to back the Conservative’s plan to cut the double tax on work and cannot name a single tax they would cut because they do not have a plan.

"Their £2.7 billion of unfunded spending promises would take us back to square one, with higher taxes.

"The Conservatives are striving to put more money in the pocket of local people here in Blackpool South, something Labour won’t do and can’t do and this Blackpool boy will be focussed on getting that delivered if elected in this upcoming by-election.

 “Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives will stick to the plan to strengthen the economy, which will put £900 back in the pockets of the average worker on £35,400 as we continue to make progress to end the double tax on work.”

Other candidates

Six candidates have so far announced they will be contesting the Blackpool South by-election on May 2. The other candidates announced are Andrew Cregan (Lib Dem); Mark Butcher (The Reform Party), Ben Thomas (Greens) and Kim Knight (The Alliance for Democracy and Freedom).