Blackpool could get 4,000 plus jobs from a green recovery, survey says

More than 4,000 jobs in Blackpool would be created or be in higher demand in a shift to a green economy, new analysis suggests.
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But thousands of other roles would be at risk, with workers needing new skills and training.

The study – published by council leaders’ group UK100 – is calling for a “Green New Deal” to drive the recovery from the Covid-19 crisis while creating a zero-carbon society by 2050.

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An estimated 4,856 jobs would be generated or would be readily adaptable to more sustainable industries in Blackpool, the analysis says.

Blackpool and the Fylde's Lancashire Energy HQ is one place where retraining to aid a green revolution could take placeBlackpool and the Fylde's Lancashire Energy HQ is one place where retraining to aid a green revolution could take place
Blackpool and the Fylde's Lancashire Energy HQ is one place where retraining to aid a green revolution could take place

Such jobs would come to make up eight per cent of the local landscape in a green revolution. The findings – based on figures compiled by the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment – also suggest how people in various sectors might retrain.

These could include a car mechanic learning to repair electric vehicles, roofers becoming solar panel installers, or oil and gas technicians transferring to offshore wind.

In Blackpool, which has the B&FC Energy HQ for retraining, 4,814 such roles would be affected – almost as many as those created or in demand.

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Polly Billington, director of UK100, said: “We need to ensure this is not a car or carbon-led recovery.

“There is a huge opportunity here to skill up our workforce and invest in the jobs we need right now.

“A New Deal for Green Skills and Growth will kick start the recovery, ensure we are internationally competitive and put us on a path to a cleaner, greener economy, so we can meet the net-zero target.”

According to the research, the most at-risk sectors in terms of the number of jobs that will require retraining in Blackpool are:

Business administration and support services (604)

Public administration and defence (600)

Manufacturing (599)

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But the same areas were flagged as standing to benefit the most in terms of high demand and new roles:

Manufacturing (1,148)

Public administration and defence (810)

Business administration and support services (506)

UK100 said the Government had committed five times as much public money for road building over the next five years than for buses, cycling and walking – £27bn compared to just £5bn.

A Treasury spokesman said: “Throughout this crisis, we’ve continued to take our environmental responsibilities seriously and remain committed to meeting our climate change and wider environmental targets, including our commitment to net zero by 2050."

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