Repairs needed to Blackpool Town Hall warns Tory leader

Blackpool’s Grade II listed Town Hall is being neglected with “window frames hanging out” and “massive holes in the ceiling” , it has been claimed.
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Tory group leader Coun Tony Williams accused the council of letting residents down by not taking more care of the historic building.

But a meeting of the full council was told £39,000 had been spent in the summer on repairing and refurbishing the exterior of the town hall.

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However Coun Williams said it was a different story inside with “paint peeling off the walls and some of the window frames are hanging out.”

Scaffolding around Blackpool Town HallScaffolding around Blackpool Town Hall
Scaffolding around Blackpool Town Hall

He added: “If you go on the top floor, just turn around the corner opposite the Conservative offices and you will see massive holes in the ceiling where the rain is coming in.

“I know it’s a cost issue but surely this must be some sort of listed building but we are really letting it down, and we’re letting the people of this town down.”

Coun Mark Smith, cabinet member for business, enterprise and job creation, said exterior work had recently been completed and there was now a maintenance programme in place.

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Scaffolding was put up around the building in Talbot Square during the summer while improvements were carried out including cleaning of the facade and windows, repairs and painting of the windows, new pigeon protection, installation of new external lighting and new curtains and blinds internally.

The Grade II listed Town Hall was built between 1895 and 1900 in a Jacobean style.

Work was also carried out in 2019 to repair the decorative ceiling of the council chamber, at a cost of £13,000.

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