Amy set to stay on as Blackpool Mayor

The council's annual meeting and mayor-making ceremony usually takes place at the beginning of May but lockdown restrictions mean this will not be possible this year.

Coun Cross has agreed to carry on in the role for a further year, with mayor-elect Coun Christian Cox taking over in 2021.

The arrangements are expected to be formalised by the council at a meeting on May 11 using video technology.

Coun Cross, who became Blackpool's youngest mayor when she took up the honour aged 30 last year, said: "My mayoral year has been cut short and Coun Cox won't get his full year either, so it makes sense for me to carry on.

"It means I can reschedule my fundraising mayoral ball which had to be cancelled when lockdown started, and I have a few ideas about what I want to do.

"In the meantime I am working as a volunteer for the council carrying out welfare visits to people on the shielded list.

"I am also still chairman of the Winter Gardens Board and we are doing a lot of emergency planning to ensure the Winter Gardens is ready to operate in a different way when restrictions are eased."

Coun Cox, who works as a nurse at Blackpool Victoria Hospital, said while the postponement of his mayoral year was disappointing, it was the right decision.

He said: "It’s disappointing for both of us really as Amy had her mayoral ball scheduled just as lockdown started and I was due to take office in two weeks time.

"However it’s completely understandable in these current uncertain times.

"I look forward to taking up the office of mayor next year and sincerely hope we will all be in a better place and hope the virus will have disappeared by then. In the meantime, it’s just keep calm and carry on."