Labour set to fulfill free admissions election promise 'within weeks' to Blackpool residents

The council's deputy leader Coun Gillian Campbell made the disclosure in response to questions at a meeting of the full council.

The town’s Labour group included the pledge in its manifesto ahead of the May 2019 local elections, when it retained control of the town hall for a third term.

It has since said the scheme will be in place in time for the 2020 tourism season.

Coun Campbell said: "There will be an announcement from this administration within the next six weeks regarding the residents pass."

Last November a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by a member of the public found all discussions up until then had been informal with no written guarantees.

But council leader Simon Blackburn said at the time negotiations were continuing "with a variety of operators" and it was intended to launch the scheme "prior to the start of the 2020 season, as promised, and as originally planned."

Meanwhile claims by Conservative group leader Coun Tony Williams that the Theatre of Dreams virtual reality attraction earmarked as part of the £300m Central Station site investment would be out-dated by the time it opened, have been dismissed.

Coun Williams told full council: "Technology moves at such a high pace. One of the things within this ride is virtual reality but by the time this is built in 2029 the technology will be out of date."

But Coun Blackburn said the Flying Theatre would not be virtual reality but "will be of a nature that does not currently exist" and so it was wrong to compare it with existing attractions.

He added negotiations are continuing with the Ministry of Justice to relocate the magistrates courts on the site to another site in Blackpool which is key to later phases of the scheme.