Revised vision for Blackpool pledges new ways of working

A revised version of the Council Plan for 2019 to 2024 will reflect recent events including the Covid pandemic and improvements in the Children’s Services department.

But in a joint introduction to the plan, council leader Coun Lynn Williams and chief executive Neil Jack say the town has not been standing still during the last few years.

They say describing the resort as ‘left behind’ or in need of ‘levelling up’ gives “an impression that Blackpool has been passively waiting for rescue. Nothing could be further from the truth.”

The introduction adds: “Over the past decade, we have shown that we can do things differently.

“We have worked creatively and built partnerships, both locally, nationally and internationally, to change things in the town for the better.”

Pledges moving forward include delivering masterplans for areas including Revoe and Claremont, with South Shore the next area to be focussed on.

Supporting communities, improving health outcomes, delivering better housing, supporting the climate emergency and boosting the local economy are all strands of the updated strategy.

The plan says: “Over the next five years we will begin to deliver a new world-class leisure quarter at Blackpool Central – as well as opening our new conference centre to re-capture a larger slice of this burgeoning market; and opening a new museum.

“All this will bring extra visitors, who will be able to get around the resort more easily thanks to investment in our transport infrastructure, and stay in a much expanded selection of high quality hotels.

“And crucially, all of these new developments will create new jobs for local people.”

The updated plan is due to go before the executive on Thursday February 24 for approval.

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