Any journalist hoping for a quiet week after the 48 hour slog that is the local elections had their hopes dashed - for conversation has now turned to the future of Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

It looked for a while on Tuesday that we were seeing the beginning of the end, but as we write to you on Wednesday morning Starmer is reportedly more confident that he will keep his position. As we know however, it doesn’t take much for that to change.

Lancashire MPs, and Blackpool specifically, have had something of a cool relationship with the government since 2024. Both Webb and Beavers have spoken out against the two-child benefit cap and the way that the winter fuel allowance was going to be means tested.

We’ve looked at what they, and their Lancashire colleagues, make of what’s happening this week.

Blackpool briefing

🛎️ A run-down eyesore building in the middle of one of Blackpool’s tourist areas is attracting large groups of children and youths who are putting themselves at risk. Visitor Steve Clews was shocked to see the youngsters climbing into the crumbling building, on the corner of Havelock Street and Central Drive, which has not been made properly secure. At the time, Mr Clews was visiting the neighbouring Pine Lodge B&B on Havelock Street, and saw the youngsters getting inside the abandoned property next-door. The former hotel, which fronts onto Central Drive, appears to have been left to decline and its condition is deteriorating each year. The building is close to a number of small, neat hotels and B&Bs which are continuing to represent the hospitality industry which once dominated the street. Now just a handful are left there. One of those neighbouring hoteliers, Steve Savage, says the building is potentially “lethal” and is calling for something to be done about it.

🩺 Blackpool Council has appointed a new Director of Adult Services (DASS) as the authority looks to continue its programme of improvements to services. Martin Lawton, who has been confirmed as the new DASS, succeeds Karen Smith, who retired from the role at the end of 2025 after 25 years of committed service in the town. She stepped down following a December 2025 announcement, four months after the department received an “inadequate” rating from the CQC, although she stated her retirement was not directly related to that report. Mr Lawton is currently Deputy Director of Adult Services at Rochdale Borough Council and will join Blackpool this summer.

🏅 A married couple who are both councillors will be taking up their chains of office as the mayor and mayoress of Blackpool this week. Cllr Danny Scott will be installed as mayor when Blackpool Council holds its Annual Meeting on Wednesday, while wife Michele will become mayoress. Danny Scott, who represents Warbreck ward for the Conservatives, was first elected onto Blackpool Council in May 2015. Michele, who also represents Warbreck, was elected in 2017. The pair will succeed the outgoing mayor, Cllr Kim Critchley, who has enjoyed a successful year in the role, supported by her consort, Cllr Mel Fenlon.

MPs split on Keir Starmer’s future after appalling local elections for Labour

By Luke Beardsworth

One Blackpool MP was among those who called for Prime Minister Keir Starmer to resign in the wake of the disastrous 7 May local election results.

Lorraine Beavers, MP for Blackpool North and Fleetwood, was among the first to publicly call for Starmer to step aside and is part of a group of more than 80 MPs to have done so.

That group includes Paul Foster, MP for South Ribble, Jonathan Hinder, MP for Pendle and Clitheroe, Lizzi Collinge, MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale and Sarah Smith, MP for Hyndburn and Haslingden.

It does not include Blackpool South MP Chris Webb who has joined a number of Lancashire MPs in keeping his powder dry.

The Blackpool Lead understands that on Tuesday (12 May) Webb was considering making a statement but wanted to keep his focus on Blackpool.

More than 100 MPs have signed a statement saying it is ‘no time for a leadership contest’ as names like Andy Burnham, Wes Streeting, Angela Rayner and Ed Miliband continue to be linked with leadership bids.

The names on that list have been contested by some but it does include Burnley MP Oliver Ryan.

“Last week we had a devastatingly tough set of election results. It shows we have a hard job ahead to win back trust from the electorate,” the letter said.

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People living in the shadow of the Jameson Road landfill would be forgiven for not getting their hopes up, but the slow mechanisms that are in theory designed to look after residents are finally coughing into action.

First, Wyre Council served Transwaste with an order demanding they start to seriously resolve the issue - something people had been asking after for well over a year.

And now, The Environment Agency has said, for the first time, that they are seriously exploring whether closing the site is the best option.

Blackpool briefing

🩺 A nurse who provides treatment and support for homeless people in Blackpool says he wants to help break the cycle which stops them getting a place to live. Tony Norman, 55, who works for a Fylde coast health care provider, has seen all too often the way that living on the streets can have a devastating effect on people’s health. In his job he is able to ensure homeless patients, some of whom are very vulnerable with complex issues, can get to see a GP and he personally helps with issues such as wound care. He says the most frustrating thing he sees is the difficulty many people on the streets have in being able to get a place to live, despite help for homeless people being available via various organisations in Blackpool. If they do not meet the criteria, he says some homeless people fall between the cracks and can’t get a flat, condemned to not having their own space where they can shut the door and feel safe. He says even taking medication is hard on the street because it can be lost or stolen. Now Tony, supported by a small number of work colleagues, is on a personal mission and is trying to raise funds to buy a property which he hopes can be the first of several safe spaces for homeless people who otherwise might not get their own place. Anyone wanting to hear more about the scheme or who want to support it can visit the GoFundMe here.

🏠 Plans to change the use of a former eight-bedroom hotel into a massive private house have been lodged with Blackpool Council. The former Kings Court Hotel at 34 King Edward Avenue, North Shore, was classed as a small hotel or guesthouse when it was in operation but as a private house there is substantial internal accommodation across three floors. The retrospective planning application seeks to “regularise” the current occupation of the property as a single household. Changing a hotel into a private house or residential property can significantly increase its value if the hotel is small, outdated, or in a high-demand residential area.

🗳️ No elections in Blackpool this week but there were by-elections at Kirkham Town Council and Ansdell and Fairhaven Parish Council. Bucking the national trend of very strong showings for Reform UK, both elections returned Conservative candidates. Cllr Karen Buckley, the Conservative leader of Fylde Council, said that it’s a reflection on what they deliver locally. Fylde is quite clearly not part of Blackpool from a local authority perspective, but the two authorities are likely to be grouped together after local government reorganisation is complete.

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Environment Agency finally considering permanent closure of Jameson Road landfill

By Michael Holmes

The Environment Agency is now seriously exploring the closure of the Jameson Road landfill, The Blackpool Lead can reveal.

It comes after Blackpool residents became the latest to kick up a stink over a nasty whiff allegedly emanating from a controversial tip in nearby Wyre.

A strong, rotten egg-like smell lingered over the north of the resort last Saturday night (2 May), forcing some to keep their windows shut and avoid their gardens after a warm spring day.

The suspect was quickly fingered as Fleetwood’s Jameson Road landfill, where the pong over the past 18 months is alleged to have triggered health issues such as headaches and nosebleeds.

But Transwaste, which runs the site, said it is “highly unlikely to have been the cause” - instead suggesting sewerage or “decomposing seaweed and other intertidal material” from the beach could be to blame.

The stench was so strong on Saturday that it wafted for miles, past packed hotels, and lingered over swathes of the town as the sun set.

One local, Lee-Ann Davy, said it stunk of “rotten sewers” in Cleveleys, writing online that she had never “smelt it like that before”.

Gayle Cherri Ward claimed: “It’s the Fleetwood landfill site. Could smell it in Layton as well.”

And Peet Right urged people to report the odour to the Environment Agency (EA), saying: “The stench is reaching all over the Fylde coast and Over Wyre.

“Each report helps us towards getting (the tip) shut down.”

The same smell was noticeable in Bispham days later, on Friday evening.

The EA, which said it received 310 complaints about the tip over the bank holiday weekend, taking the total number of reports since the start of last year to 17,880, said it is now considering suspending Transwaste’s licence or shutting the site in the “context of the latest information”.

Changes to the operator’s permit are also one of the “serious options which are being explored”, a spokesperson said.

They said in a statement to The Blackpool Lead: “The community should not have to tolerate odour pollution and we have made this position clear to Transwaste.

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The death of a father-of-four last year means that all of Lancashire Police, Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust, Blackpool Victoria Hospital and Blackpool Council will be compelled to give evidence at a jury-overseen inquest.

Tom Boocock was able to walk out of the Vic’s A&E department despite telling police he was suicidal. Allegedly under surveillance, he was able to leave unnoticed. His body was found a few hundred metres from the hospital.

All those involved will be asked to explain what their role was in mitigating the risk to Mr Boocock’s wellbeing.

Blackpool briefing

🌹 Both Blackpool MPs did not enter a vote when the Conservatives brought forward a motion which said Sir Keir Starmer should face a parliamentary investigation over claims he misled MPs about the process to appoint Peter Mandelson as US ambassador. Starmer has denied misleading MPs. 52 Labour MPs, including Lorraine Beavers and Chris Webb, did not enter a vote. Asked to explain that decision, Webb’s office said that he was away. Beavers’ office did not respond. 14 Labour MPs supported the motion, with some saying that Starmer should have referred himself to avoid accusations of a cover-up.

🌳 Work to revamp a Bispham park, with thousands of pounds already spent, is set to continue, says the group behind the scheme. But not everyone is happy about the way the project at Cavendish Park has developed so far, with claims that the scheme has made it worse for the community. Using different funding pots amounting to a total of around £60,000, members of a committee which has seen a merging of the Friends of Cavendish Park and Cavendish Bowling Club have introduced a number of changes. But a group of mums say they are furious about the project, because they believe the high fencing has locked the community out of half the park and say the upgrade benefits the bowling club.

🚮 A fed-up Blackpool resident says she has been trying to get fly-tipped rubbish removed from outside her back gate – and is still waiting after two months. Annie Valentine, 59, of Danesbury Place in central Blackpool, says not only have the items not been removed, but even more items have been dumped there since she first reported it. Items discarded in the alley directly behind her house on Danesbury Place include a black bin bag full of domestic rubbish, cans and bottles, pieces of wood, two drain pipes, a broken patio table and the shattered glass from the top of it. Enveco was contacted for a response and said the issue at Danesbury Place would be looked into.

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Why was a dad-of-four in distress allowed to walk out of hospital to his death?

By Jamie Lopez

Two investigations will be carried out to examine how a dad-of-four was able to leave Blackpool Victoria Hospital and take his life after being sectioned.

Tom Boocock was not taken to a secure unit despite telling police he was suicidal in September but instead taken to the A&E department where he was able to exit unnoticed despite apparently being under police supervision.

An inquest into his death will be carried out next year in which his family will be able to ask for answers to a series of questions about his care in the hours before his death.

Unlike most inquests, this one will focus on the month leading to his death and is likely to be held in front of a jury, meaning its conclusions can be more critical.

Meanwhile, a separate investigation will be carried out before that by Blackpool Safeguarding Adult Board (BSAB) to identify any failings by the various services who dealt with Tom.

A pre-inquest review was held at Blackpool Town Hall last week and heard that Tom, 39, had told a friend he intended to end his life in September 2025 during a mental health crisis.

The friend alerted police when Tom left the address suddenly and informed them of a location he had mentioned.

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Louise Rae, assistant coroner for Blackpool and Fylde, explained that police were able to find Tom who presented himself to officers and willingly came with them.

Due to concerns over his wellbeing, Tom was detained under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act but rather than a secure unit such as The Harbour, he was taken to Blackpool Victoria Hospital’s A&E department.

At around 3.15am, roughly three hours after he was detained, Tom left the hospital. At 10am the following day, he was found dead just a few hundred metres from the hospital.

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We’ve covered sewage pouring into the sea and the harm it is causing Blackpool - and the perception of Blackpool - on these pages extensively. United Utilities told us the same thing: record investment is coming, and bill increases are necessary to pay for it.

But their results, unpicked for today’s edition, show that profits have soared in line with water bills while that investment is happening. Which begs the question: did bills really need to increase so dramatically to fund those long overdue upgrades?

Blackpool briefing

🚮 Pupils at a Blackpool pre-school got fed up of the rubbish that kept blowing off the street and into their playground. The problem seemed to be made worse by the fact that there was no bin directly outside Devonshire Road Primary Academy Pre-School. So, with help from preschool manager Giuliana Hornby, they staged a placard-waving protest outside the premises. Outside the school, on Devonshire Road, the youngsters, aged between 3 and 5 years old, marched with their banners, chanting “We want a bin, we want a bin!” And their campaign has not been for nothing. After hearing about the protest. the two councillors from Brunswick ward Cllrs Laura Marshall and Matthew Thomas, pledged to provide a bin.

🏠 An application seeking lawful approval to use a Blackpool property as an HMO for up to four people has been refused. Blackpool Council planners rejected the proposals for a Certificate of Lawfulness in respect of operating a house of multiple occupation (HMO) at 62 Regent Road. The statement, by architectural consultants Abbot Hull Associates, argued that the property was converted from a dwelling house to an HMO before Blackpool Council change is rules, meaning the current use was lawful. The planning officer rejected those arguments.

⚠️ A controversial landfill site has been given 60 days to stop the stink. Jameson Road waste site in Fleetwood has been subject to a campaign for the past 18 months over the smell it has been sending across the town. Wyre Council has this week confirmed an abatement notice has been served ordering Transwaste to sort out the smell which has triggered thousands of complaints - and plenty of criticism of the authority itself. Dr Barbara Kneale is one of those who has been heavily involved in the campaign. She told The Blackpool Lead: “We have been challenging Wyre Borough Council to issue a statutory nuisance for odour following confirmed smells by the council. We’re very pleased this is happening and means that the activities of Transwaste will be curtailed for the time being and we look forward to further information. Over the last few months you might have noticed we’ve been pressurising them [Wyre Council] about conflict of interest and as a result they’ve had to take legal advice about this they’ve been refusing to share the legal advice so I would imagine that now as they’ve done some further monitoring on Harbour Village and confirmed two smells by their environmental health officers they have no choice but to go for an abatement notice.”

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United Utilities profits soar while water bills rocket to make up for underinvestment

By Michael Holmes

It “beggars belief” that water bills are rocketing when United Utilities is making so much money, water campaigners have said.

River Action’s CEO James Wallace hit out after financial results showed the water firm, which supplies seven million people across much of the North West, including on the Fylde coast, enjoyed a more than doubling of pre-tax profits to £779m over the past year.

That is after it hiked bills by 9 per cent last month, adding about £57 to people’s annual bills, under five-year plans agreed with Ofwat that will reportedly see bills rise by a total of 32 per cent.

Wallace said: “It beggars belief that bills are rising to make up for decades of underinvestment since privatisation, while private profits have soared.

“Nothing will change until the privatised water industry is fundamentally restructured for public benefit.

“Anything less risks continuing the normalisation of environmental harm on an industrial scale.”

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The Blackpool Lead asked United Utilities a number of questions, including about its plans to raise £800m to help pay for upgrades to its infrastructure and how they would stop sewage spills into the Irish Sea, given people continue to be warned against bathing in the water off Blackpool.

A spokesperson initially responded wrongly: “There is no warning against swimming on the Fylde coast.”

They later retracted the statement and said some £2.1bn will be spent between now and March 2030 to “reduce the activation of storm overflows”.

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Plans to turn the Abingdon Street Post Office into a shiny four-star hotel collapsed in 2025 after the Indigo Hotel group pulled out.

It meant a high-profile regeneration project was left in ruin after £1m had already been spent.

Now, we look at how government cash intended to transform the site into the hotel is being spent.

We are, at least, relieved to not have to debunk rumours that it’s turning into a site for asylum seekers.

Blackpool briefing

🏰 Norbreck Castle will not be used to house asylum seekers, despite the usual rumours currently doing the rounds. One person, citing ‘inside knowledge’ said that rooms are already being set aside. But the government is now moving away from using hotels and it is expected that the majority of people still in the Metropole will have their claims heard before it closes in July. Britannia Hotels themselves have now added their voice to that, stating that the hotel is not being used for any housing programme. We’ll see you next week for more nonsense rumours.

🕳️ Some 21 residential roads in Blackpool – including many with the worst potholes – have been resurfaced as part of council investment in extra road maintenance. In the past 12 weeks over 44,000m2 of road has been repaired, improving journeys where people live. Blackpool Council’s road maintenance budget has increased by £6m this year, targeted at resurfacing and restoring key routes, as well as improving the condition of residential roads across the town. With potholes seen as a major nationwide issue, Blackpool Council has been recognised as one of the stronger performers in the UK at addressing potholes across its network.

🔃 A new attraction for Blackpool is taking shape. The Upside Down House, which was given planning approval by Blackpool Council last month, is being built on the site previously occupied by the Theatre D’amour, just to north the South Pier, following the demolition of the puppet theatre in December. The attraction is a two-storey structure which is designed to appear to be upside down on its roof with a slight angle, creating novel scenarios with selfie opportunities inside, such as a bed appearing to be on the ceiling. A first-time novelty for Blackpool, the Upside Down House has already proved a success across the UK and Europe.

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Cash meant to transform Abingdon Street Post Office now used for patch jobs

By Michael Holmes

Government cash earmarked to transform Blackpool’s crumbling post office into a four-star hotel is now being used to patch up the decaying building.

Plans to convert the prominent Grade II-listed building into a £26m Indigo Hotel collapsed last September - after £1m had already been spent - when the developer realised the scheme would be too expensive to pull off.

The three-storey building, designed by architect Walter Pott and opened between Abingdon Street and Edward Street in 1910, has fallen into disrepair since closing in 2007.

Reportedly owned by Fylde-based businessman Joe Thompson, it was due to be sold to developer Ashall Hospitality, part of Cheshire-based Ashall Property, using £8m of government funding and then transforming into an “upscale” hotspot for visitors.

But the grant cash was later used by town hall bosses to buy the building “to secure and safeguard its future”, the council said last year.

And now The Blackpool Lead can reveal that a litany of works have been and are being carried out in order to protect the building, which had become a magnet for bored teenagers and so-called urban explorers, from further deterioration.

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The building has long been run down, with leaks and rats inside and youngsters occasionally spotted on its roof.

Rick Dewhurst, a development project manager at the local authority, said money from the Local Regeneration Fund will be used to repair the roof to “minimise” leaks and “preserve the … building and limit further damage until a full renovation/development … is carried out”.

And, while scaffolding is up, there will be an opportunity to fix other problems, including brickwork, windows and lintels.

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A bar in Blackpool - rather ominously named Notorious - has an uncertain future after police moved to suspend its licence over the last seven days.

The owner gave an interview to The Gazette this week in which he said it was due to a ‘messy brawl’.

But the work done by The Blackpool Lead this week shows that this summary rather understates what happened and why police have taken the action they have.

Blackpool briefing

💩 United Utilities has pleaded guilty to five environmental offences at locations across the Fylde coast. The water company was brought before Preston Magistrates’ Court on April 22 to face charges in relation to Anchorsholme, Manchester Square (Blackpool) and Chatsworth Avenue (Fleetwood) pumping stations, all of which occurred throughout in June 2023. In each case, United Utilities admitted that it had failed to comply with an environmental permit condition in that it failed to operate the works in accordance with the Fylde Tunnel and Storage Tanks Operating Philosophy. The court heard that United Utilities had been unable to secure the services of an expert witness to complete a report in time for the hearing and its sentencing was adjourned to September 8 when it will present a basis of plea to explain its failings.

🛎️ Britannia, the group behind the Metropole Hotel which we recently confirmed will close by 13 July, is unsurprisingly keeping its cards close to its chest on the hotel’s future. A new statement from the group makes no commitments after calls from Chris Webb to return to the hotel to its ‘former glory’ - said glory predating the group’s stewardship of the site of course. A spokesperson said: “We welcome constructive conversation regarding the future of The Metropole Hotel in Blackpool and fully understand the local interest in restoring this iconic hotel as a community asset. “We are currently reviewing our options while giving due consideration to local perspectives, and we will share further updates with the community once a plan has been finalised.”

🍔 New jobs are now on offer as Blackpool’s ambitious Southbeach Streetfood project moves closer. The new food destination is located opposite the Sandcastle Waterpark on South Shore promenade and will feature 19 converted shipping containers. It will include food concessions ranging from Thai and Mexican to Spanish tapas and wood fired pizza. The site will offer seating for up to 400 diners, and be designed with entertainment space so it can host events and music, with screens to show big sporting occasions. It was hoped the attraction would be ready to open in June but the physical preparations needed for the groundwork have taken longer than anticipated and now it looks set to launch in July. FBS Engineering of Poulton has officially begun transforming the shipping containers that will form the backbone of the development after recently moving into a larger workshop to accommodate the scale of the project.

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Future of Notorious under threat after 4.16am stabbing and drug-debt intelligence

By Luke Beardsworth

A nightclub in Blackpool has had its licence suspended after a man was stabbed when the bar should have been closed.

Sergeant Nat Cox of Lancashire Constabulary requested the licence of Notorious Bar, on Queen Street, be suspended temporarily after a man in his 30s was stabbed inside the venue at 4am on Saturday (18 April) and ‘lost a lot of blood’.

That person was taken to hospital with serious injuries - but the venue has faced other drug-related problems that are not limited to that incident.

Notorious Bar had its licence suspended pending the outcome of a full review which will be held on Monday 11 May.

This follows a hearing on Tuesday, 21 April when the decision was taken by Blackpool Council’s licensing committee to uphold the police’s recommendation.

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Speaking to The Gazette this week, Matthew Crook - the owner of Notorious Bar - said that ‘a fight had broken out and it had gotten a bit messy’.

He added that he is confident that the bar will reopen.

But according to the police documents seen by The Blackpool Lead, that is not the only reason the venue has attracted their attention.

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Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has been forced into action after it emerged that 6,000 letters to patients were delayed.

In response to questions from The Blackpool Lead, the chief operating officer has apologised but did not say that nobody was harmed as a result of the backlog.

Nor did it say what caused the backlog.

That is the focus of today’s edition.

Blackpool briefing

🚔 A former secondary school teacher sexually assaulted his adopted baby before smothering him to death, a court heard. Jamie Varley, 37, is accused of killing 13-month-old Preston Davey, and faces 25 further charges of sexually and physically mistreating the child. His partner, John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, is also accused of sexual assault, of causing or allowing the death of the child, and four other offences. Both men, from Blackpool, deny all charges. The child was in a state of cardiac arrest when he was taken to Blackpool Victoria Hospital by the couple. Attempts to revive him were unsuccessful.

♻️ Community-minded Blackpool resident Tracy Harries decided to lend a hand to help her neighbours get to grip with how to use the new bins. There have been some big changes in the way household waste is collected, as part of a Government recycling scheme, with each household receiving a range of new bins – including brown bins for paper and new waste caddies for food. The new system comes into play in Blackpool from Monday (April 20), and as part of the new changes, many households will also have a new bin collection day and recycling collections will move from fortnightly to a three-weekly cycle. Grandmother Tracy, 56, who lives on Drummond Avenue in Layton, decided to push some simple instructions – 79 letters in total – through every door on her street, knowing some elderly neighbours were struggling to understand when the bins were collected and what to do with the new caddies.

🎉 Organisers of Blackpool Carnival say this year’s event is going to be the “biggest and best” so far. The carnival is a celebration of Blackpool by the people who live in the resort, involving live music and dance, fun activities like tug of war and beach football, plenty of stalls and much more besides. A major highlight is the colourful parade which rolls down the promenade from North Pier to South Pier, including fancy dress costumes, bands and classic vehicles. The very first version of Blackpool Carnival was a major spectacle held back in 1923 and it was revived by volunteers in 2017 to create a free event for local people and the community, backed by a Lottery grant of £10,000. This year Blackpool Carnival takes place on Sunday July 5, with start and finish times to be confirmed.

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Potential harm to outpatients after 6,000 delayed letters at Blackpool hospitals

By Michael Holmes

Thousands of outpatients on the Fylde coast could have been put at risk because of a huge backlog in letters, it can today be revealed.

The 6,000 delayed letters from the gastroenterology clinic, which deals with digestive issues, led the Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s Quality Assurance Committee to raise the alarm with bosses.

It “expressed concern about potential patient harm arising from delayed communication following outpatient appointments”, a report obtained by The Blackpool Lead shows.

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And the panel warned: “The absence of reported complaints does not provide sufficient assurance that harm has not occurred.”

The trust, which runs Blackpool Victoria Hospital and Clifton Hospital in St Annes, has since set up a “task-and-finish group” to “address the issue”, documents show.

In response to questions from The Blackpool Lead, chief operating officer Janet Barnsley apologised.

But she stopped short of saying no-one had been harmed as a result of the backlog, saying only that no “significant” hurt had been identified.

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It was relief all round this week when it was confirmed that The Metropole Hotel will close in July.

Whether wanting the hotel to be used for tourism purposes, believing it is unfit for any humans or just being against the very idea of providing asylum, there has been near unanimous opposition to the hotel being used as a temporary home for refugees since September 2019.

In today’s edition, we look at some of the context behind the move and have been able to get hold of the specific date the hotel will close.

There are details in this story that no other publication has been able to report. Journalism isn’t free to produce and we can only keep doing it with more support from paid subscribers.

Blackpool briefing

⚽ A multi-million pound community sports village for Blackpool has taken a major step forward as new details on the project emerge. A planning application for the Revoe Community Sports Village project, which is primarily funded by £6.5 million from the UK Government’s Town Deal, has this week been submitted to Blackpool Council, which is working with Blackpool FC and Blackpool FC Community Trust. The scheme includes the provision of two 7- a-side synthetic 3G football pitches, two padel courts and a Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA) and associated floodlighting. A 3G (third-generation) football pitch is a modern, high-performance synthetic turf surface designed to replicate natural grass, featuring long fibres (40mm-60mm) infilled with sand and rubber crumb. They offer durable, all-weather play for training and competitive matches. In addition, the plans also include proposed enclosures and boundary treatments, hard and soft landscaping, car parking and installation of two storage containers and associated works.

🏠 Planners at Blackpool have thrown out proposals to turn a three-bedroom house in South Shore into holiday accommodation have been lodged with planners. The applicants were seeking planning permission for a change of use of the existing residential property at 5 Hill Street, Blackpool, from Class C3 (residential dwelling) to self-contained serviced holiday accommodation. Holiday Accommodation planning guidelines establish a clear presumption against new holiday accommodation outside designated areas, unless exceptional circumstances justify such a departure. This is particularly the case given Blackpool’s current housing shortage.

🪨 The RNLI have raised serious safety concerns and are formally objecting to plans to include rock groynes on Blackpool’s beaches as part of a major coastal protection scheme. The proposed Blackpool Beach Management scheme is a £57m investment in the town’s coastal defences, which aims to protect homes and businesses from flooding and preserve the resort’s golden sandy beaches for future generations. Amidst a warning that the sands could be lost forever if not protected, the application seeks planning permission for the installation of 17 groynes, with associated structures and periodic beach recharge works. But last month. Cllr Gerard Walsh voiced concerns that the rock structures were not safe, citing serious incidents elsewhere in which children had become trapped in the rocks, including a tragic drowning. Blackpool Council, which is driving the scheme with funding from the Environment Agency and delivery by Balfour Beatty, argues that the groynes are the most effective way to prevent coastal erosion.

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Metropole Hotel one of five Serco sites which will close in coming months

By Luke Beardsworth

The Metropole Hotel will be one of five hotels to be closed for the use of housing asylum seekers in the coming months.

It was announced this week that the Metropole Hotel would close by the end of July with both Chris Webb, MP for Blackpool South, and Blackpool Council giving positive reactions to the news.

Webb appeared on GB News on Thursday (16 April). The broadcaster badged the story, announced on social media at 8am, as an exclusive and said that the Metropole would be the 12th hotel to close after the 11 that were closed this week.

But The Blackpool Lead has learned that three other hotels will close in the coming weeks and another on the same day.

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They are the OYO Evesham Hotel on 31 May, the Britannia Ashley Hotel on 30 June, The Chimney House Hotel on 30 June and the Britannia Nottingham on 13 July.

The Metropole in Blackpool will close on 13 July.

Emails sent by Serco - one of the firms who manage the housing of asylum seekers in the UK - to staff say that the five hotels will close because The Home Office has chosen not to extend the contracts that it has with the company.

Serco has also started a formal redundancy process as a result of the closures.

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This story was almost slightly different - in that the original headline read that The Metropole will not be part of the first wave of asylum hotel closures.

The Blackpool Lead has been asking questions all this week after it emerged at the weekend that the closure of 11 hotels would be announced.

And we were originally told definitively that The Metropole would not be included in that. But as we publish on Wednesday morning, there is less certainty around the issue and this story reflects that.

It is very clear, however, that people in Blackpool from top to bottom deserve clarity - as soon as possible.

Blackpool briefing

📚 Blackpool and the Fylde College has been chosen to provide major new courses linked to Britain’s defence industry and potentially “highly-skilled, well-paid jobs”, thanks to a £10m investment. The college has been selected as one of five new Defence Technical Colleges to offer vital skills training for the defence industries, as the Government looks to bolster Britain’s security in ‘an increasingly unsafe world’. The courses are expected to begin in September this year. The move is part of the government’s wider launch of 19 new Technical Excellence Colleges to train key skills for growth industries across the UK. Defence minister Luke Pollard, who visited the college’s Bispham campus on Monday, said: “We’re able to announce that the Ministry of Defence is investing £50m in five new Defence Technical Colleges, one of which is Blackpool and the Fylde College. It’s an investment of £10m for Blackpool.

🕳️ A Blackpool councillor has called for immediate emergency action to address a dangerously deteriorated stretch of road with some of the worst potholes on the Fylde coast. Cllr Paul Galley says part of Faraday Way in Anchorsholme is creating serious safety concerns for motorists. He says that while the majority of the road within Blackpool is maintained to a good standard, the section falling under Lancashire County Council has fallen into severe disrepair and is riddled with multiple potholes, creating a hazardous environment for drivers Lancashire County Council says it repaired some of the most hazardous potholes on the road at the weekend but further works won’t be carried out until next month.

⚽ A new floodlighting scheme proposed for part of Blackpool FC’s Bloomfield Road stadium has been given the green light by planners. The club was seeking planning consent from Blackpool Council to replace the six tall floodlights currently located at the East Stand with 24 lower-set lights which will lead to less ‘light spillage’. Now it proposed that the work will be carried out during the summer, once the current football season is over. The applicants for the scheme were listed as Blackpool Football Club Stadium and Property Limited. A covering letter from agents PWA Planning states that they have been retained by the club to “progress a full planning application for the replacement of floodlights at Bloomfield Road Stadium, Blackpool.”

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No clarity over whether Metropole will be in first wave of asylum hotel closures

By Luke Beardsworth

It is not clear whether a Home Office announcement on plans to close 11 asylum hotels will include Blackpool - even to leaders in the town itself.

The Home Office will this week announce that 11 asylum hotels will close. The government has pledged to close all facilities by the next general election.

There are almost 200 hotels in use and they accommodate around 30,000 asylum seekers. A further estimated 70,000 live in other types of accommodation, which can include barracks or shared housing.

The Metropole has been a regular spot for anti-migrant protestors and The Blackpool Lead’s own investigations have shown that the hotel, now managed by Serco but owned by Britannia Hotels, is in a severe state of disrepair.

The Blackpool Lead was initially told that The Metropole would not be in this first wave of 11 closures. That was then supported by sources from Blackpool Council who said that their expectation is that the hotel would not be prioritised due the fact that it primarily houses families and, protests notwithstanding, has not been associated with any high profile incidents.

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But that later changed and now Chris Webb, Labour’s MP for Blackpool South, said he has been assured that closing the Metropole is a priority. Despite that, it remains unclear which hotels will be in the first wave.

An announcement either way is expected this week, The Blackpool Lead understands.

The Blackpool Lead contacted Blackpool Council, Serco and the Home Office for clarity on the matter but nobody was able to answer definitively.

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Ever the centre of political rows, it remains the case that the Illuminations are a fantastic advert for Blackpool and bring millions to the local economy.

For today’s edition, we met with Richard Williams - the man ultimately responsible for making sure they are as good as they can be. And not always having the budget he would wish for it to happen.

He tells the story of feeling incredibly proud and fortunate to work with the responsibility he does - but also the need to accept that many of his ideas stay on the drawing board.

Blackpool briefing

🩺 Blackpool Council has appointed a team with ‘lived experience’ as it looks to create better quality adult social care after a damning “inadequate” CQC report last year. The voices of people with real experience of adult social care have helped form a co-production board to ensure people with lived experience of adult social care, for either themselves or people they support, will shape the council’s improvement plan. The council is currently working with care partners across the town to create better quality adult social care and create stronger communities in the town. It comes after the CQC (Care Quality Commission) rated Blackpool Council’s adult social care “inadequate” in a highly critical report in August last year. Although inspectors found that staff were passionate about their work and proud to work for the council, they concluded services suffered from poor safeguarding, weak leadership, and fragmented strategies for mental health and substance abuse. Inspectors found inefficient assessment processes, limited independence for service users, and inequitable care, particularly for LGBTQIA+ individuals Since then, Blackpool Council has established an improvement board and began implementing measures to enhance senior management oversight, strengthen safety training, and improve user involvement.

🍦 Proposals by a Blackpool seafront hotel to sell ice cream on its forecourt as part of a beach-themed garden enhancement area have been thrown out by planners. The scheme was planned for the Craig Y Don Hotel at 209-217 Central Promenade, one of the most prominent hotels in Blackpool. A planning application was submitted to Blackpool Council’s planners for the erection of a seasonal temporary building to the front forecourt for use as ice cream kiosk, ancillary to existing hotel use. The applicants were applying for a certificate of lawfulness for the proposals instead of planning permission, believing that the kiosk would not constitute ‘development ‘ which is defined as the carrying out of building, engineering, mining, or other operations or the making of any material change in the use of buildings or land. However, the planning officer decreed that, contrary to what he applicants had been told, the plans did constitute development and planning permission was needed. The application for the certificate of lawfulness was refused.

🍴 Police are objecting to an application for a new premises licence at a takeaway food outlet in Blackpool town centre which would see it open until 5am each night. The operators of Just Hungry, at 7 Topping Street, have applied to Blackpool Council for the premises license which will be considered by the licensing panel on Friday April 17. If granted, it would see the business, which opened in November and offers a popular selection of hot food refreshments currently from 11am until 8pm, also open from 11pm to 5am from Monday to Sunday each week. Police have objected on several grounds, pointing to the level of recorded crime in the area over the past two years, specifically within a 100 metre radius from the property. The police also stated that the applicant has a recent drink driving conviction.

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Behind the scenes at the depot where Blackpool Illuminations are worked on

By Michael Holmes

Decades-old Illuminations sit inside a state-of-the-art depot behind Blackpool Airport - a neat reflection of how their boss thinks the show should evolve.

Richard Williams is trying to balance heritage with modern efficiency: the charm that has defined the Lights for generations with the technology needed to keep them running.

Specially made plastic LED bulbs from the Far East - designed to withstand harsh coastal conditions - now illuminate vintage tableaus. Alongside them, giant, alien-like sculptures are being refurbished to sit alongside traditional festoons.

Some ideas, though, remain out of reach, with some plans for major new attractions shelved because of cost.

Asked whether cashflow or the weather is his biggest concern, Williams does not hesitate: “Both.”

There is also a recognition that the Illuminations are more than a line on a balance sheet. They are a source of civic pride - and a proven economic driver.

A recent council report found that for every £1 spent on the Lights, around £200 is generated for the local economy.

The display itself includes more than 500 festoons, 30 large-scale installations, 526 columns and more than a million bulbs.

Williams is not responsible for setting the budget.

Instead, he oversees a team of 41 staff tasked with maintaining an attraction that first debuted before the invention of the electric light bulb.

“I just say, ‘Give me more money,’” he says.

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On a warm Wednesday afternoon, workers in high-vis jackets move around the vast depot preparing for another season - one likely to bring far less forgiving conditions along the Fylde coast.

They vary in age and experience, but share a common aim: to keep the six-mile display looking its best.

Fresh from a trip to Zagreb, where an annual festival of light is funded through a tourist tax, Williams wonders whether a similar approach could ever work in Blackpool.

For now, he accepts that “the cloth has had to be cut”.

Displays have been spaced out, and new ideas often remain on the drawing board.

Of a £2.7m overall budget, around £1.7m remains after central costs, including asset depreciation - roughly half of what Williams believes is needed.

Even so, his enthusiasm for the future is clear.

A new tableau designed by singer and TV presenter Toyah Willcox is under construction, complete with a 28-minute bespoke soundtrack and narration.

Odyssey - the largest installation to date - is being transformed, while South Shore is set to get a new laser and water feature called Venus.

With the season now running until January rather than ending in November - a change introduced during Covid and later retained - efficiency has become even more important.

“Ultimately, we are an economic tool,” Williams says.

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A school in Blackpool has drawn some ire for changes to a school uniform that mean pupils who wish to wear a skirt will need to wear thick tights.

The minimum thickness is at 80 denier - which are considered to be thick as well as fully opaque.

The changes were rolled out at Unity Academy Blackpool to ensure ‘a safer school environment where every student is ready to learn’.

And one parent spoken to by The Blackpool Lead said they believe it is because there are concerns male staff may otherwise be distracted. You’d expect the school to deny that. They didn’t.

All of which comes at a time when the former school caretaker was in court last month on grooming charges.

Blackpool briefing

🏠 A demolition crew has arrived on the site of boarded up terraced houses at the back of Blackpool FC’s stadium. Plans to demolish the houses on Henry Street as part of a major sports-themed regeneration project in Blackpool have taken a step forward after a three year delay. Back in February, an application seeking approval for demolition of existing dwellings at 2-28 Henry Street was granted by the planning officer at Blackpool Council. This week, Preston-based I&R Demolition were on the site to “soft strip” the interior of the buildings. However, the houses are unlikely to be bulldozed this month, as one last remaining home is owned by a private landlord and is still occupied by a family who are renting the home.

💪🏻 A gym user has blasted the ‘disgusting’ state of amenities at a council-run leisure centre in Bispham. William Eadie, 61, said the condition the equipment at Moor Park Health and Leisure Centre on Bristol Avenue was unacceptable and needed urgent action from Blackpool Council. Mr Eadie, who said his own professional job entailed ‘infection control’, said he was particularly concerned about the amenities from a hygiene perspective and called for basic but urgent repairs to the torn equipment. Blackpool Council said increased use of he gym had led to an increase in wear and tear and said that a refurbishment project was planned.

♻️ Blackpool Council is expecting to increase the amount of waste it recycles when new waste changes start from late April. This will include the rollout of weekly food waste collections and see changes introduced to bin collection days for many residents. From the week commencing April 20, households will begin receiving a new weekly food waste collection service. This forms part of national changes introduced by the government, aimed at reducing the amount of food waste and increasing recycling rates.

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Thick tights must be worn with skirts at top school to ensure ‘safe and focused’ learning environment

By Luke Beardsworth

An updated uniform policy at a top school in Blackpool mandates that pupils wearing skirts will have to wear thick black tights.

Unity Academy Blackpool, on Warbreck Hill Road, is part of the largest group managing schools in the area - the Fylde Coast Academy Trust.

It said that the changes to school uniform brought in earlier this year - which are not limited to pupils wearing tights of a minimum 80 denier - were designed to ensure a safer and more focused school environment.

Other changes to school uniform include the reintroduction of ties for Key Stage 3 students.

But one parent said her child was informed the change was brought in because otherwise it could prove distracting to male staff at school.

That messaging was not communicated to parents in an announcement of the uniform policy but the school declined to comment on the matter when challenged by the mother and when approached by The Blackpool Lead.

They said instead that policy is introduced based on feedback from parents and carers.

But the mother, from Blackpool, said that the policy indicates that pupils are being made to cover their skin so that teachers do not sexualise them.

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Hello and welcome to The Blackpool Lead.

I hope you’re having a peaceful Easter Bank Holiday and Storm Dave has left your home unaffected.

The Blackpool Lead was the first local newsletter started by The Lead and, as such, holds a special place in all of our hearts.

Despite starting from scratch a little over two years ago, we regularly break stories that leave the other journalists covering Blackpool playing catch up. And we always do it in more depth.

In that time we have generated thousands of subscribers, reads, shares and even won an award in the Autumn for the quality of journalism we have produced. It’s been a privilege to write for you.

The reality though, is that we need more people willing to pay for our journalism if we’re to ensure our future.

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Already this year, we have broken the news of Ghislaine Maxwell trying to arrange a meeting between Mandelson and Clinton, that a teacher responsible for safeguarded was arrested on suspicion of running a brothel, that the company running Blackpool’s piers failed to pay the minimum wage and that the Pleasure Beach removed free carer access.

We continue to cover issues like the future of Blackpool’s heritage trams, problems at Blackpool Victoria Hospital, the planned redevelopment of Revoe and concerns about how the council undertakes processes like that following the death of Alistair Taylor.

Over a year ago, we were the first journalists on the ground with residents in Fleetwood upset about the health impacts of the Jameson Road landfill. That is now getting attention from the national press, who more than once have asked The Blackpool Lead what is going on t help out with their reporting.

In almost every example, we are the news provider doing the most to cut through politician bluster to give you the human impact of decisions made. And we always do it without adverts, and completely free from misleading headlines and clickbait.

To help keep us moving, growing and reporting on Blackpool, we ask you to take a paid subscription if you can. All of our plans ultimately come out at less than £5 per month but go a long way to funding our journalism. Help to keep us going here.

Thank you for reading and we’ll be back with a full edition on Wednesday.

Luke.

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If you form your opinion on any place - or subject - based on what you see on social media, it’s reasonable to conclude that opinion would be negative. Such is the way in which conversations are had online.

But it’s YouTube where people are really making money out of how they present Blackpool. Blackpool knows it has problems, but they are rarely presented accurately, fairly or in a balanced way by high profile content creators who visit the town.

It’s a challenge to combat the sort of message these creators give - and how unmoderated the content they post is - but Blackpool Council has a plan that, if nothing else, acknowledges the problem

Thanks for reading as always. If you do not have the means to become a paid subscriber to The Blackpool Lead, the best way to support us is by sharing this article.

Blackpool briefing

🪨 Blackpool Council has responded to concerns over the safety of proposed rock groynes for Blackpool beach – and insists they are the best option to safeguard the resort’s famous golden sands. It comes after a Blackpool councillor, Cllr Gerard Walsh, questioned if the rocky structures were safe after highlighting a number of instances in which children had become trapped in similar structures elsewhere. The groynes have been proposed as part of the Blackpool Beach Management Scheme, a multi-million pound coastal protection project led by Blackpool Council and being delivered by international infrastructure group, Balfour Beatty. A planning application for the massive project has just been submitted to the council.

🚧 A former Blackpool councillor has launched a stinging criticism of plans to demolish more than 300 homes in the town’s Revoe area. Tony Williams, the former leader of Blackpool Council’s Conservative group for eight years, says the council has not done enough to support residents who face the loss of their homes as part of controversial regeneration plans. Mr Williams says the council should have learnt vital lessons after an inquest found that the “relentless stress” of a Blackpool Council Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) to demolish his home for the Multiversity project contributed to the suicide of 34-year-old Alistair Taylor in 2025. The father-of-two died following a two-year dispute over his Milbourne Street home’s valuation, which reporting by The Blackpool Lead revealed he described as a “hostile” process. Mr Williams said: “I was concerned about the mixed messages the council were giving to residents in this area many of which are extremely worried as to where they will find alternative places to live “I don’t think the council has done enough to support these residents, many of whom are seniors and have mobility issues. “Have they used due diligence in respect of how this is going to impact people’s lives?

🏠 Proposals to create new apartments in one of Blackpool’s most iconic buildings have been amended. The former Woolworths building in Blackpool Town Centre recently housed a Sports Direct store and before that, Pricebusters. In July last year, an application was submitted for use of the third, fourth and fifth floors as 38 self-contained apartments. However, the proposals have been revisited and are now for only 32 apartments. The scheme is awaiting planning approval. The impressive Art Deco building, which opens onto both Bank Hey Street and the Promenade and features a prominent clock, was first opened as one of the UK’s largest Woolworth buildings in 1938.

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High-profile content creators targeting Blackpool presenting narrow, misleading picture

By Michael Holmes

Town hall chiefs are set to counter online Blackpool bashing by paying influencers to visit the resort and promote it to their followers.

It comes after a string of trips by high-profile online content creators, including Kurt Caz, who made a series of claims about the resort to his more than four million YouTube subscribers and has been accused of presenting “a narrow, exaggerated and misleading picture” of life here.

The South African’s recent video - headlined “Don’t come to this town in the UK” - has a manipulated thumbnail appearing to show a reveller aggressively challenging him - when the uploaded footage actually shows him repeatedly shaking his hand and telling him he is a fan.

Caz, who was also in the national headlines recently after being accused of using AI to add a balaclava to a man’s face and change shop signs from English to Arabic, uses his 48-minute film to say: “I’ve been all around the world; this is up there with probably some of the most dodgy places I’ve ever been.

“I feel an air of hostility, like something might just kick off any second. You know what I mean? Like some drug dealer might not like us filming and try to stab us or something.”

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At a cash machine outside Coral Island in the town centre, Caz is seen pleading for protection from fellow YouTuber @WendallExplores, who was himself criticised last year for comments made to an Aboriginal man during a street interview in Australia.

“Hopefully we’re not going to get robbed,” Caz says on a sunny afternoon last year while wearing a rastacap in the colours of the Jamaican flag.

“I’ll protect you,” says Wendall, in a pink kiss-me-quick hat.

Caz adds: “You watch my back, please. Make sure no crackies come and mug me.”

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Next week will mark exactly a year since we first started reporting on the Jameson Road landfill.

In April 2025, we joined over 100 residents in at Fleetwood Town Football Club as they set out the symptoms that had resulted in over 3,000 complaints being made to the Environment Agency in that March alone. A year on, little has changed, but the smells and gases from the site have gotten worse, residents say.

It was a surprise to be the only written journalist present in that room 12 months so it was heartening that, on Friday, protesters were joined by the Lancashire Telegraph, the Daily Mail, GB News and BBC Lancashire with BBC North West tonight also covering the issue the night before. Sincere apologies to anyone who I missed.

All of which is a reflection not just on the level of upset this landfill has caused to a community, but also to the diligent campaign work that has been carried out.

We were there on Friday and what follows is our full report.

Blackpool briefing

🚧 A leading Blackpool councillor says residents in the town’s Revoe area are being frightened by misinformation over plans to demolish homes. Cllr Neal Brookes, deputy leader at Blackpool Council, says that although the council is looking to press ahead with the controversial proposals, he believes a combination of confusion and scaremongering has panicked residents. Cllr Brookes says that despite residents complaining of a lack of council dialogue, the authority is desperate to talk those affected by the plans and give them the correct information The council is looking to knock down around 320 residences on several streets off Central Drive, within a designated ‘red line’ area – and replace them with modern housing. But the proposals have left many residents furious and worried about where they will go. They say they are being forced out of their homes and feelings are running so high that on Tuesday night a number of protesters disrupted a planning meeting at Blackpool Town Hall and forced it to be held in anther room.

🍎 Work is now under way for a new Tesco store in the heart of Blackpool town centre. The former Miss Selfridge/Topman/Topshop unit at 18-22 Victoria Street, opposite from the Hounds Hill shopping centre, is now boarded up as extensive work is carried out inside. A public notice advertised that Tesco Stores was applying to Blackpool Council for a premises license to allow the sale of alcohol to be served off the premises from Monday to Sunday, between the hours of 6 am to midnight. In addition, an application has been submitted for the “Display of 1 internally illuminated fascia signs , 4 non illuminated fascia signs and 1 internally illuminated, double sided projecting sign” at the site. The planning documents state that the site is earmarked for a Tesco Express, with the signs all consisting of the chain’s name and branding. Tesco first expressed its intent to open a store at 18-22 Victoria Street back in February 2023.

🏠 Councillors have approved a new visitor attraction for Blackpool – the Upside Down House . The attraction is a two-storey structure which is designed to appear to be upside down on its roof with a slight angle, creating novel scenarios with selfie opportunities inside, such as a bed appearing to be on the ceiling. The Upside Down House is proving a success across the UK and Europe but has never opened in Blackpool before. Now it has been permitted to set up on the site previously occupied by the Theatre D’amour, just to the north of South Pier, following the demolition of the puppet theatre in December.

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The case to close Jameson Road landfill has never been stronger

By Luke Beardsworth

The people of Fleetwood reiterated their desire to see the immediate closure of the Jameson Road landfill at a protest on Friday (27 March).

A slow-walk was held from the Fleetwood Road entrance to Jameson Road to the site itself with traffic slowed and the entrance to the landfill blocked as protestors turned to more direct action as thousands of reports continue to lead to minimal change.

March 2026 has already been a record month for complaints made to the Environment Agency against the Jameson Road landfill with 3,972 up until the morning of 25 March. This passes the previous record of 3,221 complaints made in March 2025.

The strength of opposition to the landfill, operated by a company called Transwaste, means that their campaigns have now drawn national attention. Journalists or photographers from BBC News, GB News and the Lancashire Telegraph were all present, while Reform UK’s Blackpool and Fleetwood chairman Mark Butcher has also recently joined the campaign. One protester is wearing a Donald Trump mask - another a Restore Britain shirt.

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Lorraine Beavers, who is Labour’s MP for Blackpool North and Fleetwood, has been with the campaign for over a year. The landfill reopened quietly in late 2023 with the first spike in complaints coming in March 2024 before dropping off until early 2025, by which point the 2024 general election had taken place. Before being an MP, Beavers was a Lancashire County Councillor for Fleetwood East and Wyre Borough Councillor for Park ward.

She told The Blackpool Lead: “We’ve had enough. It’s been over two years and it’s continuous. There’s a pattern where the Environment Agency comes in, they make them cap something and then they open another cell and we’re back to where we are.

“This weekend has been absolutely horrendous. The smell was in everybody’s homes and as far as Bispham. We are fighting for the right to breathe clean air.

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A teacher at a top Blackpool school was arrested this week, we can exclusively reveal. The man, along with another person, was brought in on suspicion of running a brothel.

The reportable details of this are somewhat limited at the moment from a legal perspective, but we have told you everything we are safely able to in today’s edition.

Blackpool briefing

🏠 Plans to transform a former independent hotel in Blackpool into assisted living accommodation for up to 12 residents have been thrown out. The owners of the Ardsley Hotel, at 20 Woodfield Road, South Shore, submitted an application to Blackpool Council proposing a change of use for a property which is still classed as an existing hotel (Use Class C1) in planning terms, but no longer operates as one. They argued it would now be better served as assisted living accommodation. A viability report on behalf of the plans says the property was previously operated as a small independent hotel but was located within an area of Blackpool that had “experienced a significant decline in traditional tourism, particularly affecting smaller, independently run hotels. ” But Blackpool’s planning officer said the property was not suitable for what the applicants intended, on several grounds, and refused the proposals.

🗼 Blackpool’s holiday trade is in optimistic mood for the forthcoming season and anticipates that the resort is on the up again. Hoteliers who attended this week’s busy StayBlackpool Trade Show and Open Day said a number of factors were at play which gave them confidence about 2026. Many felt that uncertainty over the Middle East crisis and the rising cost of fuel could help draw in more ‘staycation’ visitors to the town. Ian White of StayBlackpool, a premier trade association for holiday accommodation in the resort and on the Fylde coast, said: “I’m very encouraged by the way things are looking. “Kate Shane of Blackpool Tourism has declared how she wants to work with us and I believe their new Ultimate Ticket will encourage people to stay longer in the town, and bring more money in. “Now Blackpool is on the short list for City of Culture, we’re also seeing the town being talked about in a positive light”

✏️ Proposals to convert one of Blackpool’s most distinctive buildings into a house have been given the green light by planners. The imposing property on Lytham Road, which features a side turret, was formally a freemasons lodge with meeting rooms in the outbuilding. A planning application was lodged with Blackpool Council for conversion of the property into a single dwellinghouse with the outbuilding used as a nonself-contained residential annex. Approving the scheme, the planning officer said there was no reason to refuse the application.

Teacher responsible for safeguarding arrested on suspicion of running brothel

By Michael Holmes

A teacher at a Blackpool school has been arrested on suspicion of running a brothel, it can be exclusively revealed.

The figure, whose duties include looking after children’s welfare, was taken into custody by detectives earlier this week and quizzed over the alleged offences.

He was held alongside a woman who is not believed to be linked to the school, which teaches hundreds of children on the Fylde coast.

The teacher has since been released under investigation, while the woman has been bailed, Lancashire Police told The Blackpool Lead.

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Today we report on two subsidiaries of the parent company that runs Blackpool piers, who have been rapped by the government for failing to pay the minimum wage to a total of 74 workers.

The company employs a large number of seasonal workers as you’d expect, and the amount owed to each person averages out at just north of £30, which makes them far from the worst culprit on the almost 400-strong list released by the government this week.

It all comes as negotiations continue regarding the sale of Blackpool’s North Pier.

Nobody else has reported this story this week, an odd one given the amount of reporting that goes on in Blackpool, and I’d like to take the opportunity to request that you take a paid subscription to support our work. If you can’t, then it is very helpful if you share what we do.

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Blackpool briefing

🚔 Three people who were arrested in Blackpool in relation to the murder of Thomas Niven, who was found dead in a wheelie bin in Coventry, have now been charged. Tammy Sturdy, 45, Camron Sturdy, 21 and Shane Turkington, aged 37 have been charged with murder. The three, all from Coventry rather than Blackpool, have been remanded in custody and appeared at Coventry Magistrates’ Court earlier this week.

🗼 Blackpool is part of the longlist if locations invited by the government to bid to be the UK’s City of Culture 2029. Blackpool Council will receive a £60,000 grant towards creating a scalable bid, ahead of making a full application this summer. If successful, Blackpool would land £10m to host a year-long celebration of arts and culture. Cllr Lynn Williams, leader of Blackpool Council, said: “Blackpool is bursting with culture and variety. We’ve just celebrated a week-long festival of circus and magic and are looking forward to welcoming the works of both Claude Monet and William Shakespeare in March - all of which is complemented by our year-round celebration of the art and culture of today and tomorrow. Our diverse culture and entertainment offer means Blackpool has something for everybody, from all age groups and backgrounds. Being named as the City of Culture 2029 would showcase the talent and creativity that we already have on our doorstep, making all our residents proud of our bold, vibrant and cultural town. To top it all off, 2029 would mark the 150th anniversary of one of Britain’s first and most loved mass arts displays – the Blackpool Illuminations.” Also in the running are Ipswich, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, Portsmouth and Sheffield. It is not necessary to technically be a city to make the list.

🚗 Blackpool Council has implemented key changes to the layout of the Aldi car park in Bispham at Holyoake Avenue. The former entrance on Holyoake Avenue has been revised to ‘Exit Only’, with vehicles now required to access the car park via the entrance near Pets at Home. The changes include: the installation of new entrance and exit signage, updated carriageway markings and adjustments to the internal Aldi car park layout These improvements were introduced following a series of concerns about safety at the Holyoake Avenue junction.

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Businesses used to run Blackpool’s piers rapped for failing to pay minimum wage

By Luke Beardsworth

The companies behind some of Blackpool’s piers have been caught short-changing their own staff — with government investigators finding dozens of workers were paid less than the legal minimum.

R S Leisure Blackpool and Northern Victoria Pier were named this week as part of 389 employers in the UK who have been ordered to repay wages owed to workers.

Both businesses are considered subsidiaries of The Blackpool Pier Company which manages Blackpool’s three piers and has a directors sheet composed entirely of members of the Sedgwick family.

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Any plans to get spades in the ground for an arena in Blackpool won’t start for several years - due to the sea defence work which will hopefully protect the town from the threat of rising sea levels.

The arena is far from a certainty - but the news that the site is written off for the purposes of whatever permanently ends up there for the next few years is also poorly timed as Preston launches its own campaign to get a modern new venue of its own - as The Lancashire Lead has covered this week (that story will be live at 8am). The council insists there is a deal in place to move the compound if an investor is found.

We look at what’s planned for Blackpool beach in today’s edition.

Blackpool briefing

🚔 Three people have been arrested as part of a West Midlands Police murder investigation triggered by the discovery of a body in a wheelie bin in Coventry. A man and a woman in their 40s, and a man in his 20s, were arrested in Blackpool on Saturday night on suspicion of murder and assisting an offender. Enquiries are ongoing to formally identify the man found in the wheelie bin and the investigation continues.

🚗 A road in Blackpool will be closed for 12 weeks while essential repairs and repainting take place on the Waterloo Road bridge. Seasiders Way will be closed for around 12 weeks and the work will take place between 7 April and 26 June. The work includes removal lead-based paint and repainting, brickwork repairs, improved barriers and an improved pedestrian footbridge. Phase 2 will take place in 2027 and mean the closure of Waterloo Road.

🏠 The owners of up to 500 properties in Thornton have been advised to attend a drop-in session to find out more about the presence of a chemical linked to cancer. It comes after one allotment site has been closed temporarily as part of an ongoing investigation into historic contamination by the chemical used at a nearby facility, while another has closed as a precaution. Wyre Council launched a multi-agency investigation last year to consider potential historic contamination from the former ICI site on part of Hillhouse Technology Enterprise Zone. The investigation is looking into whether Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA), used on the site between the 1950s and 2012 and released into the air, may have been deposited on land in the surrounding area.

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Project that will transform Blackpool beach could also stop progress on potential arena site

By Michael Holmes

Equipment needed for upcoming sea defence work will be stored at a compound on the site of the proposed Blackpool Central development - and is expected to be there until 2028, when the £300m plans were originally expected to come to fruition.

The compound - one of four needed for the £57m project between Gynn Square in North Shore and the Sandcastle Waterpark in South Shore - will host work cabins, welfare facilities and secure storage space for materials, plant and equipment.

It will be built by this autumn and remain in place until summer 2028, when a hotel, theatre, indoor theme parks and other public spaces such as bars and restaurants should be preparing to open.

It could mean delays at the 10-acre site, where the old police station and magistrates’ court used to be and where there remain ambitions to build some kind of top-class tourist hotspot - such as a 15,000-seater arena.

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As residents of Fleetwood - and further afield - continue to report symptoms like nosebleeds, nausea and headaches, little of consequence is being done to protect them.

Operations at Jameson Road landfill continue despite the apparent unanimous view locally that it needs to stop.

A reminder that today is the deadline to report feedback to Lancashire County Council regarding odours and symptoms. You can find the surveys here.

Today we report on one campaigner who says that the entire saga has the feel of something that will end up portrayed as a documentary or drama on Netflix in the coming years. And if that happens - how would the authorities who have allowed it to continue end up being portrayed?

A separate campaign group has also analysed the air quality reports and concluded that more needs to be done to provide accurate data on how gases from the site are affecting people.

Blackpool briefing

🎨 Proposals to install a steel anti-vandal art feature directly onto the frontage of Sainsbury’s flagship Blackpool store have been thrown out by planners. The store chain said the structure, inspired by a roller coaster design, would save money on habitually having to replace smashed windows at the Talbot Road superstore. Given that the store frontage is largely made of glass, Sainsburys felt it was vital to protect it, whilst employing a design inspired by Blackpool’s leisure heritage. But the design of the scheme has not gone down well with planners at Blackpool Council, who blasted it as “significantly detrimental to the appearance, character and quality of the building”. Even worse, it would create the impression that an area of Blackpool which has undergone significant regeneration wasn’t “safe”. The application was for the installation of a public art feature to Talbot Road elevation comprising the erection of 155 steel columns at various heights in front of Perspex panels and the installation of window vinyl across five glass window panels at the store.

🚒 The owners of the fire-ravaged Warbreck House site in Bispham said discussions on its development are continuing. It comes as the local community remains in the dark about what is happening at the massive site, formerly the base for almost 3,000 civil servants employed by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). Owners Pipesafe, a London-based property development company, previously said its plans for the 20-plus acre site included housing, shops and a playpark. The ambitious proposals created a great deal of interest locally and it was hoped that the plans would press ahead.

💷 Security fencing measuring seven-and-half feet high is to be installed along part of the Bonny Street Market site in readiness for the market reopening. After a wait of around four years, the Market is set to begin trading again on March 27. In order to secure the site, an application was lodged with Blackpool planners for the erection of 2.4m (7.9m) high paladin security fencing along the north eastern boundary.

How will history treat those who have allowed Jameson Road landfill operations to continue?

By Luke Beardsworth

Authorities failing to take action to protect residents from the controversial Jameson Road landfill should think on how history will treat them.

That is the verdict from one campaigner who has predicted that the impact of the landfill will be subject to a ‘Toxic Town’-style serialised drama or documentary in the coming years.

Complaints regarding the Jameson Road landfill in Fleetwood have risen since the start of the year with an increase in reports of symptoms including nosebleeds and severe headaches.

Should a drama or documentary be made about the impacts on the landfill in the future, one campaigner has asked senior figures in the area if they think they would be happy with how they will be portrayed.

Jess Brown, from the Action Against Jameson Road Landfill group, told The Blackpool Lead: “I bet at some point the Jameson Road landfill will end up in a Netflix documentary or drama, with everything that has come out over the last two years and how little people feel has been done to properly protect residents. All the lies and cover ups that have been exposed.

“When that day comes, how will people at places like Wyre Council and the Environment Agency be portrayed? Do you think they will be happy with the outcome? I honestly don’t know how some of the people involved sleep at night knowing the level of distress and harm this situation has caused in the community, especially for vulnerable people and children.

“It’s disgusting that residents have been left feeling this way for so long and people need to be held to account.”

The landfill has been operated by Transwaste since it was reopened in 2023. It has been subject to thousands of complaints, multiple suspension notices, repeated calls from the area’s Labour MP Lorraine Beavers to shut it down and two campaign groups.

Wyre Council, who is the leaseholder for the site, have been collecting evidence for a potential legal challenge in the form of odour diary sheets - although the authority - has been criticised for not taking firmer action.

The same criticism has been levelled against Lancashire County Council and the Environment Agency.

This week, the Close Jameson Road landfill group has reiterated its view that residents in Fleetwood and the surrounding area have been let down by authorities who should be protecting them, with Wyre Council, Lancashire County Council, the UKHSA and the Environment Agency response all criticised.

They said that because there is just one mobile monitoring facility capturing data from the site, and that it is further away from the site than the Harbour Village residential development, the validity of health risk assessments should be called into question.

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We are back at Blackpool Victoria Hospital for today’s edition, where the death of a newborn baby means more questions to answer for the trust that manages it.

Olivia-Rose’s mother, Nevaeh Wilson, 19, is now trying to raise £1,800 to open the Olivia Rose Bowtique, which would provide children’s clothes and other essentials through Better Minds Lancashire. If you want to contribute, you can do so here.

The Blackpool Lead has consistently held the Vic to account, revealing last month that a mother who bared her soul to a therapist turned out not to be qualified.

We reported on the unsolved murder of Valerie Kneale, who was found covered in blood on the stroke unit after being sexually assaulted.

And we revealed how police were also reportedly investigating possible corporate failings contributing to the death, ill-treatment or neglect of patients on the ward, where patients were secretly sedated by nurses - now behind bars - to keep them quiet.

More recently, The Blackpool Lead told how women and babies being operated on at one of the Vic’s two maternity theatres have been at risk of death by “electrocution and catastrophic equipment failure”. And that’s just a small amount of the coverage that wouldn’t exist without our reporting.

Blackpool briefing

🗣️ A busy Blackpool counselling centre which was forced to shut last year after being wrecked by massive storm is set to reopen. Counselling In The Community (CITC) has been awarded £40,000 to complete urgent repair works at its building on Waterloo Road, in South Shore. And to protect the charity’s future, further money – up to £100,000 – has been earmarked to allow for the purchase of the premises. The funding has come from the government’s Pride of Place Impact Fund, which is allocating a share of £1.5m to the UK’s more deprived communities. The charity was forced to close its hub in late October after storms caused extensive damage to the building, leaving more than 100 people at risk of no access to their therapy sessions. Now it is set to reopen again before summer, thanks to vital money plugging a funding gap for repairs. The charity had already invested in creating a new sensory room at the centre and is now using its repairs work to improve accessibility in the building and add two extra counselling suites.

🏗️ The landscape of Blackpool is continuing to change as a cordoned off area off area of Charles Street and Cookson Street is levelled off to make way for the town’s landmark £65 million Multiversity campus. Heavy machinery such as diggers and a steamroller were on the site on Tuesday (March 10), as contractors flatten the land which had previously been houses. White railings and fencing currently border the site, which is bordered by Cookson Street (East side) Milbourne Street (North side) George Street (West side) and Charles Street (South side). Traffic lights are currently in place at the junction of George Street and Cookson Street.

🛩️ New developments at Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone could bring more than 150 jobs to the Fylde coast as a new £18.5m road nears completion. A major milestone is approaching with the completion of Vickers Way, a new access road due to open this spring. This development, which follows the completion of remodelling works on Common Edge Road last month, will unlock prime development land for businesses – with enquiries from firms already coming in which could bring over 150 jobs to the site. Blackpool Council’s Executive is being recommended to continue its commitment to spending £54m to expand the Enterprise Zone, at its next meeting on March 16. Once fully open the new route will improve access and traffic flow to the Enterprise Zone and surrounding areas. These improvements are also part of a wider programme of infrastructure investment designed to free up the prime development land, allowing businesses to grow and creating valuable job opportunities for local residents. This would further add to the economic impact the Enterprise Zone is already delivering, with 2,700 jobs created so far across the development.

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Death of baby Olivia-Rose at Blackpool Victoria Hospital means fresh questions over safety of services

By Michael Holmes

A newborn’s death has sparked fresh questions about Blackpool Victoria Hospital’s maternity services.

An internal investigation opened after Olivia-Rose Smith was found lifeless at her Wesham home has highlighted possible safeguarding issues.

There was no formal policy setting out what midwives should do if they cannot gain access to homes during postnatal visits, papers seen by The Blackpool Lead suggest.

They also say maternity guidelines lacked a clear escalation pathway telling staff who to contact, when and how quickly if concerns arise about a mother or baby during pregnancy or after birth.

Safer-sleep audits are now to be carried out to identify any further learning, the report adds.

The findings do not suggest any wrongdoing by the 17-day-old’s parents, and it is not known if any of the gaps are relevant to Olivia-Rose’s death or were just uncovered during the probe.

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Parents have been getting in touch with us this year to express their concern over the removal of free carer access to Pleasure Beach Resort.

They are particularly frustrated that many of them had purchased their season passes for 2026 before later being informed that there would be additional cost from March.

But it’s also concerning for carers more generally who may now think twice before visiting the Pleasure Beach.

We’ve spoken to a number of people involved in that decision - and an affected mother from Blackpool - for today’s edition.

Blackpool briefing

🏠 Angry residents in Blackpool’s Revoe area did not hold back on Thursday after being given the chance to have their say about controversial plans to demolish homes. Blackpool Council invited residents, stakeholders and businesses to take part in a new consultation on the proposed Central Housing Regeneration Area Framework focusing on the Revoe area. The council is looking to bulldoze around 300 homes on several streets off Central Drive and replace them with modern housing. Leading councillors argue that the project will improve residents’ lives by replacing poor quality housing in one of the most deprived wards in England. The meeting will be led by Cllr Lynn Williams, leader of Blackpool Council and Cllr Jim Hobson, Bloomfield ward councillor. But at the meeting in the Ibbison Court Community Centre, they were confronted by both home owners and people living in rented accommodation who do not want the scheme. At one point in the meeting, one resident staged an on-the-spot poll asking for a show of hands of people in the room who opposed the project and wanted to keep their homes. The response was overwhelming as hands went up in the air. One woman asked: “We’re picking up the bill. It’s in your favour. How will it benefit residents now?” Cllr Hobson said: “It doesn’t. I’m doing this for the future of the children.”

🎨 An empty former charity shop premises in Blackpool town centre which was beginning to look run down is to be given a shopfront revamp. An application was submitted to Blackpool Council for the former LGBT Charity UK store at 100-102 Talbot Road has now been approved. The property has been empy for the past two years. The proposals were for the installation of a new shop front and the provision of a separate entrance to its existing upper floor flat. Although similar to Blackpool’s Quality Corridors project, a town centre upgrade scheme which is primarily funded by a £7 million government grant through the Lancashire enterprise partnership’s Growth Deal and additional funds from Blackpool Council, this scheme is not part of that enterprise.

🏗️ Councillors at Blackpool approved a number of changes to the town’s ambitious Multiversity scheme which effectively saved £450k towards its cost. The Blackpool Multiversity project, a new £65 million, five-storey higher education campus earmarked for the town centre on Cookson Street, was originally given planning permission in Spring 2024. But members of Blackpool Council’s Planning Committee needed to consider a resubmission of that original ‘reserved matters’ or detailed application, to substitute approved plans and update a number of associated technical submissions. These revisions included repositioning of the building by 2m to the south to avoid cables, alterations to the footprint of the building, reduction in roof height at the eastern end façade and changes in the finished floor levels. There would also be landscaping amendments and changes to the external surface of the building.

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Pleasure Beach under fire after removing free passes for carers

By Luke Beardsworth

Pleasure Beach Resort in Blackpool has come under fire for its decision to remove free passes for carers of people with disabilities.

The theme park said it is making the change to bring it in line with the ‘wider attractions industry’ - despite both Drayton Manor Theme Park and Alton Towers continuing to offer free Essential Companion tickets.

Previously, ‘Essential Carers’ could claim free entry if they could demonstrate eligibility through the Access Card which costs around £15.

A spokesperson for Pleasure Beach Resort said they had work with Nimbus Disability, an organisation that provides advice to professional organisations, in implementing the change. But Nimbus Disability told The Blackpool Lead the decision was Pleasure Beach Resort’s alone to make.

But now there will be a £25 per visit cost which Pleasure Beach Resort said is less than half the price of one full price ticket. However, during March, general access tickets can be bought in advance for £30.

The Blackpool Lead understands both Chris Webb, MP for Blackpool South, and Aiming Higher, a Fylde Coast charity which works to improve the lives of children with disabilities and special education needs, will be speaking with the Pleasure Beach about the changes.

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Hayley Gray, 38, lives with her husband Luis, 29, and her three boys in Bispham. Her youngest child, Harrison, has special needs.

She purchased a season pass for Harrison on 30 January on the understanding that she’d be able to accompany as his Essential Companion across the year.

She told The Blackpool Lead: “I thought that I’d try to treat Harrison and get him into more activities and make it more inclusive for him.

“He struggles to make friends, he struggles to go to any big events and I’m trying to introduce him slowly.”

Hayley and Harrison visited the Pleasure Beach a number of times in February, having to email the theme park each time to arrange Hayley’s then-free access.

They were due to visit on 7 March and so, in February, Hayley emailed Pleasure Beach Resort as she had before to arrange access. She was asked to email back on 1 March.

On 2 March, Pleasure Beach Resort responded to say that Essential Companions either had to pay £25 per visit or could purchase a season pass themselves.

Hayley said: “My point was that I wouldn’t have bought one for Harrison if I knew this change was going to happen. They should’ve told us this at the beginning of the year, but they haven’t done.”

Pleasure Beach Resort said in an email to Hayley that they are not offering refunds. She has reported the issue with trading standards.

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