Council denies Blackpool conference centre '£10m over budget'

It comes after Conservative group leader Coun Tony Williams told a meeting of the full council he believed the project was as much as £10m over budget.

He said some of this was due to disputes between the council and contractors during the construction of the complex built as an extension of the Winter Gardens on Leopold Grove.

Following the meeting, Coun Tony Williams said: “I welcome the news that the conference centre is now open and fully functional after such long delays.

“Any new addition to the town’s visitor facilities is welcomed.

“However, I have heard from several sources that the cost of the centre is a massive £10m over budget.”

He called on the council to “produce a full report on the financial details of the whole scheme including any overspends and court costs”, and also wants a full scrutiny to be carried out of the development process.

Coun Lynn Williams told full council the conference centre was “not over budget”.

She said: “We have acknowledged we have had disputes with the contractor, but we are confident of our position in terms of these disputes.”

Building work began in 2018 on the conference centre which originally had a budget of £25m including £15m from the government’s Growth Deal, £7m from Blackpool Council, and £2.9m from the Coastal Communities Fund (also government funding).

In May 2018, the council agreed to put extra cash into the scheme with the executive agreeing to an undisclosed sum, with a council report saying “a number of significant issues have been uncovered” during initial work to prepare the site.

The opening of the centre was delayed after architects had to revise the plans in 2019 due to the complexity of the scheme.

Hopes of opening in spring 2020 were then derailed by the Covid pandemic and subsequent lockdowns.

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