Hard to miss this one if you’ve opened your phone over the last week.

In an incident condemned across the political sphere, a young black man was told to leave a park bench because there were women and children nearby who didn’t feel safe.

To quote directly: “They don’t feel safe with foreign men, sitting, staring at them on the thingy.”

Lancashire Constabulary says no crime was committed, a decision that has been condemned in today’s edition.

Blackpool briefing

🗳️ Don’t live your life on Facebook? Good for you, but you might have missed the result of the Claremont by-election on Thursday. We were there and our full report is available below.

🚔 A bin lorry crashed into three cars and a house in Cleveleys - with a 44-year-old man arrested on suspicion of drug-driving.

The smash happened at about 12.15pm on Friday, with the Enveco wagon hitting the porch of a home in Valeway Avenue after ploughing into one moving and two parked cars.

Firefighters freed a man from one of the vehicles involved - with photographs showing a heavily damaged grey Mercedes with its roof cut off - while specialists were called out to assess the house for structural damage.

📞 Tributes have been pouring in for Dame Esther Rantzen, whose helpline for older people moved to Blackpool a decade ago, following her death at the age of 86.

Age UK, which took over the running of The Silver Line in 2019, said Dame Esther’s work means “that tens of thousands of lonely older people have someone to talk to”.

It said: “It is a gift that will continue to keep giving to those in need of a reassuring voice during the day or night. The helpline’s work tackling loneliness continues, meaning Ether’s legacy will too.”

The Silver Line, whose patron is the Queen, was run locally from Wesham before its national launch in late 2013. It moved to Blackpool three years later.

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Police take no action after young black man ordered to leave park bench by ‘patriots’

By Michael Holmes

A lack of police action against men who ordered a young black man to leave a Thornton park because nearby women and children were “scared” will embolden so-called “patriots”, it has been claimed.

Officers investigated after at least two men approached a youth, who was sitting on a park bench beside his push bike while looking at his phone, and told him he could not “sit here where the women and children are”.

In the interaction, which happened near the Church Road play area off Fleetwood Road North, a man filmed as he told the lad: “Can you just go round there, please? There are women and children on the park.

“Women and children don’t feel safe around here at the minute, that’s all.”

As the youth looked confused, the cameraman added: “They don’t feel safe with foreign men, sitting, staring at them on the thingy.”

But, with Lancashire Police telling The Blackpool Lead that no crime has been committed - taking a similar stance to when far-right figure Ryan Ferguson said “no blacks” would be welcome at a protest in the resort - there is now a risk that the men, reportedly part of a new group calling itself the Blackpool Patriot Platform, could be emboldened.

That is according to Brendan Bunting, a youth worker of almost 20 years who has spoken openly about his experiences growing up in Blackpool as someone who is mixed race.

In a now-deleted Facebook post which included the Thornton video, The Blackpool Patriot Platform reportedly wrote: “If you see any migrants hanging round your local areas please message the page and we will peacefully patrol these areas.”

Bunting, 46, said: “What the police don’t realise is that they will make this harder for themselves.

“That little gang of Blackpool Patriots are going to go out there as a mob - because that is what they are - and try to police Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre.

“The police have a chance to stamp on it and say that behaviour is unacceptable.”

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Bunting, who was born in the 1970s, said that during the ‘80s, there would be “gangs, marauding like these, and they’d call it ‘P***-bashing’.

“That happened. It took place. I remember friends’ older brothers going out and doing that.”

He continued: “Thankfully, during the ‘90s things became more liberal and there was more tolerance.

“Things have gone back the other way now.”

Bunting described a statement by Lancashire Police, in which the force said hate crime “will not be tolerated” but the men involved in the Thornton video face no further action, as “wishy-washy” and “mealy-mouthed”.

“All it’ll do is empower racists to do things,” he warned.

The Blackpool Patriot Platform, which describes itself on Facebook as a “news & media website”, was set up on September 23 and attracted 436 followers in its first week.

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The result for the Claremont by-election is one from which many conclusions can be drawn - it just depends on the outlook you choose and few of them will be safe.

For Labour, the election of new councillor Katie Donnelli-Hunn is evidence that they can stand up to Reform UK’s popularity in Blackpool and maybe even that they can win elections under Andy Burnham that they might have lost under Keir Starmer.

For Reform UK, and Mark Butcher, it was an extremely close result on the night. You should always exercise caution when trying to assume that the 79 people who voted for Restore would naturally want a Reform UK councillor rather than a Labour one. Things are rarely that straightforward.

But the truth remains that those 79 votes would’ve been enough to see Mark Butcher elected for the first time. That will be frustrating for Reform UK - who will have one eye on the same happening in the future elections.

Both of those things can be true at once - it is a result for Labour to be pleased with in a seat they will have been very concerned about losing. But it is also evidence that no seat is safe. In 2023, Lynn Williams and the late Ivan Taylor returned 538 and 504 votes respectively in being elected. The next candidate was on 222 votes.

In those elections, the turnout was 19.19% - and while 20.02% this time could be viewed as disappointing on the surface - it is an improvement on what happened during the last full elections.

What all of this means is that there are precious few safe conclusions to draw from the result.

Cllr Donnelli-Hunn told The Blackpool Lead after the result was announced: “I feel ecstatic. I am so happy that the residents of Claremont have seen how hard I want to work, have believed in me and that they’ve gone out and voted. It really means the world to me.

“I think it’s understandable that some people can be frustrated [with Labour] but I know firsthand from working with Blackpool Labour how hard they have worked. Especially Lynn Williams and Ivan Taylor in the ward of Claremont.

“I think it’s fair that people have their suspicions, they’ve trusted me and trusted what I’ve said on the doors. I’m going to work hard, work with the local council and work with all the different organisations to ensure that they continue putting their trust in me moving forward.”

The result had become apparent about thirty minutes before the result was formally announced. It was going to be a Labour victory - but it was going to be close. Votes were recounted. It was a gap of 39 in the end.

Mark Butcher, who appeared emotional at another electoral defeat but came closer than ever and could feel confident about any future elections, was aware of the result but stayed until the official confirmation to congratulate Katie in person. It was a small bit of class at the end of a campaign that has been incredibly heated. He will be back.

But for Cllr Jim O’Neill, the longest-serving Reform UK councillor in Blackpool, it was a frustrating result.

He told The Blackpool Lead: “We want to congratulate Katie on winning, but Mark fought a fantastic campaign in Claremont - which has been a very safe seat for Labour for decades. We took this so close, and that proves there are no safe seats anymore.

“But the headline is that if we want to remove Labour, the right-of-centre has to get behind Reform UK. What we’ve just seen there is a demonstration of what happens when we split the votes.”

“I’m not really sure that there has been a Burnham bounce. The last time I dropped an egg, it had more of a bounce than what Burnham has done in Blackpool.

“I look forward to seeing Katie in the chamber at Blackpool Council.”

For the other parties, there is little to conclude. The Conservatives and Restore Britain broke past 50 votes - just - while the Lib Dems, Greens and the independent candidate trailed behind. For all the talk of a more splintered electorate, there was a clear acknowledgement this was a two-horse race. The Lib Dems did not campaign - the Greens were ‘testing the ground’.

Such scenarios are likely to repeat when there are full elections - more local government reorganisation drama notwithstanding - for Blackpool Council in May 2027. Every seat will be up for grabs, and Blackpool Council as a whole.

There was a nod to battles of the past if you were to glance at the guestlist for this by-election. Alongside names like Mark Butcher were Chris Webb and even Scott Benton. The latter two did not show, ultimately.

Reform UK will not walk away from this result feeling like they can’t take control of the authority - but Labour may feel more confident of holding on than they might have done a few months ago too. So overall there is very little to safely say other than 2027 will be a fierce contest.

This by-election was called after the death of Cllr Ivan Taylor - who at the time was the longest serving councillor in the whole of the UK. For Labour, his absence was especially noteworthy.

Cllr Lynn Williams, leader of Blackpool Council, told The Blackpool Lead: “This is my first election that I’ve ever played any part in that I’ve not had him by my side or at the end of a telephone, so I’m quite emotional really.

“It has been a really hard election. Not just because we’ve lost Ivan but also because of the undercurrents, more so than any other election that I’ve been involved in.

“We’re very grateful for the residents of Claremont that voted for Katie, but for those that didn’t, we’re there to represent everybody and it’s back to work tomorrow.”

Full result

Kevan Benfold (Lib Dems): 18

Paula Brooksbank (Restore Britain): 79

Mark Butcher (Reform UK): 419

Katie Donnelli-Hunn (Labour): 458 - elected

Rob Jones (Green Party): 44

Kim Knight (Independent): 16

John Thomson (Conservative): 62

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Claremont will be the site of a by-election this week, called after the death of the UK’s longest-serving councillor Ivan Taylor in June.

It has been fiercely contested over the last few weeks and is, ostensibly, expected to be a battle between the high-profile Reform UK candidate Mark Butcher and the Labour candidate hoping to hold the seat for the party in Katie Donnelli-Hunn.

A few months ago - in the final stages of Keir Starmer as Prime Minister - this would’ve been down as a straightforward victory for Mark Butcher.

That may still transpire, but there has been a bounce for Labour under Andy Burnham - plus plenty of local controversy - that might make this closer than otherwise expected.

Our reporter Michael Holmes spent some time in Claremont in the build-up and that is today’s edition.

Blackpool briefing

🗳️ Seven candidates will stand to be the next councillor for Claremont on Thursday (October 1).

Standing in the by-election are Labour’s Katie Donnelli-Hunn, Reform’s Mark Butcher, the Conservatives’ John Thomson, the Liberal Democrats’ Kevan Benfold, the Green Party’s Rob Jones, independent candidate Kim Knight and Restore Britain’s Paula Brooksbank.

The by-election was called following the death in July of Labour councillor Ivan Taylor, aged 86. Mr Taylor was confirmed as the UK’s longest-serving councillor in June, having served his community for almost 60 years.

Voters are reminded to make sure they have an accepted form of photo ID.

🎞️ Blackpool’s original 1920s cinema The Regent is playing host to an international festival of short films which is normally staged in Manchester.

The white tiled Art Deco cinema, on the corner of Church Street and Regent Road, will welcome the special 10th anniversary edition of ‘From the Vaults’ on Saturday October 3, from 7pm.

Among the films being shown is the latest opus from Fylde coast filmmaker Anton Arenko, a quirky and warm-hearted release called Malcolm’s Subject.

This documentary follows Malcolm Wilson, a former campsite owner who after closing his site, sought human contact through his pursuit of UFOs and other phenomena.

🏠 Plans to open a small children’s home in Carleton have been refused by Wyre planners.

The proposals were for a change of use to a children’s residential care home at 16 The Paddock, off Arundel Drive, catering for children aged aged between 8 and 17 years.

The property is an existing four-bedroom, detached residential house.

Although the planning agents argued that the scheme would not lead to an intensity of vehicle use on the residential street, the planning officer disagreed and refused the proposals for those reasons.

A portrait of Claremont: What life is like for locals in their own words

By Michael Holmes

It is just after 10 o’clock on a Friday night. It is windy and dark but dry.

The half-moon illuminates Claremont whenever there is a break in the clouds.

Three teenagers collect parcels from a locker outside an off-licence, chatting away as they scan their phones and collect their online purchases.

Nearby, a man in a tracksuit strolls down the street towards his destination.

Other than that, all seems to be quiet, despite the fact that this is, according to Reform’s by-election candidate Mark Butcher, “the Bronx” and a no-go area after dark.

The Blackpool Lead is visiting the neighbourhood ahead of the by-election on October 1, triggered by the death in July of Labour veteran Ivan Taylor, 86.

As Labour versus Reform battlelines are drawn and politicians spend weeks arguing over Claremont, it is time to hear from the people who live there.

What is life like for locals, in their own words?

How do they feel about comparisons between their community and what was once one of the most feared areas of New York City?

And how do they feel about their neighbourhood being at the frontline of national politics, with a Reform wounded by repeated controversies trying to prove those allegations have not damaged their ability to win votes?

The statistics paint a difficult picture. Blackpool is one of the most deprived areas of the country and Claremont is one of the most deprived in Blackpool.

Crime rates are high - though, as already reported, there is nuance behind the headline figure - and flytipping, poor-quality homes and joblessness are among the key problems.

But has it been neglected, as has been claimed?

That is where things become more subjective.

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The City of Culture title values how much an area encourages ‘high levels of cultural involvement across all parts of the community’.

So then why has Blackpool Council - which can sling five figures at Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen every year to work on the illuminations - turned to AI for a new illuminations display rather than the literal thousands of creatives in the town?

A missed opportunity - for the council and for creatives - and it’s hard to see it as anything other than the wrong decision.

That’s the topic of today’s issue.

Blackpool briefing

👀 A lifestyle and swingers club in Blackpool has successfully argued that its discreet approach and private members arrangement means it operates differently and doesn’t need door staff like other clubs.

Club Play, based at Back Ribble Road in central Blackpool, has been granted a premises licence despite facing opposition from the police.

Paul Bevon, director of club owner Innuendo Ltd, told Blackpool’s licensing panel that the door staff demanded by police “would lack the specific skill set that a personal licence holder, sensitive to the customer and community’s specific needs, would have.”

The discreet venue welcomes like-minded couples and singles who meet up in designated lounge and bar areas and make use of specialised spaces including 19 themed rooms.

The venue applied to Blackpool Council’s licensing panel for its first premises licence, which would allow the club to carry out licensable activities such as live music, recorded music and the sale of alcohol.

However, Lancashire Police objected to the application because the club did not agree to conditions to employ SIA (Security Industry Authority) door security at the site.

The club argued that because it is a private members’ amenity, it does not need to use such measures, which would affectively cost the club £10,400 a year for one door person alone, working at weekends.

The Licensing Panel agreed to grant the licence subject to the condition that “at all times while licensable activity is taking place, a personal licence holder will be on site, except in the case of an emergency.”

🗳️ A trio of council leaders who are leading negotiations with the government over more powers and funding for Lancashire have met with the minister responsible.

Cancelled numerous times in the past few months the recently returning minister for local government, devolution and regional growth, Jim McMahon MP, has now met with the power-brokers on the Lancashire Combined County Authority (LCCA).

Reform leader at County Hall county councillor Stephen Atkinson, alongside Phil Riley the leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council and Lynn Williams the leader of Blackpool Council, both Labour, were all round the table for the meeting.

In a joint statement released by the trio they said: "We were pleased to host the Minister for Local Government, Devolution and Regional Growth, particularly given his strong understanding of Lancashire and the opportunities and challenges facing the county.

"The meeting was a positive and constructive discussion which has helped inform ongoing conversations about the future of Devolution to a Mayoral Authority in Lancashire. The Minister provided further information for leaders to consider, including the potential opportunities, including financial advantages that could come through a mayoral combined authority model and how these could support Lancashire's ambitions for growth, investment and public services.

"We will now take time to consider the information provided and discuss any potential next steps.

"Any proposal would need to be approved by each of the constituent councils and the Lancashire Combined County Authority before being formally submitted to government."

The Burnham government has made clear they intend to push greater funding and powers down to Mayoral authorities.

At present Lancashire does not have agreement for a Mayoral authority - only a combined authority - but it's understood a pause in local government reorganisation may open the door to an earlier than expected Mayor for Lancashire.

🚔 Stalled plans to build a new multi-million pound magistrates court in Blackpool are progressing with a new developer for the major project announced.

His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service, which is delivering the project, has revealed that the project is finally progressing once again after a frustrating setback caused by the original contractor, ISG, going into administration in September 2024.

While ISG’s situation delayed proposals to build the much-needed new courthouse on land at the junction of Devonshire Road and Talbot Road, the old court building was demolished in March 2025 along with the old Bonny Street Police Station, clearing the site for the ambitious £300 million Blackpool Central scheme, a major leisure-led regeneration project.

ISG was reported to be holding more than £1bn worth of government contracts before falling into administration, putting 2,200 workers at risk of redundancy.

Meanwhile, the need for a new court building gained increasing urgency, with defendants, lawyers, and court staff having been forced to travel to alternative courts outside of Blackpool – including Preston and Lancaster – for the past three years following the initial court closure in November 2023 following the discovery of RAAC (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete).

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Blackpool Council wants that City of Culture title but has taken its AI off the ball

By Rachel Howarth

Blackpool artists have criticised the council for using AI to generate images for new illuminations displays while bidding for the City of Culture 2029.

In the summer, Blackpool Council launched a competition asking the public to vote on nine designs which would eventually be turned into giant postcards for a display named ‘Seaside Giggles’ set for the Comedy Carpet on the Promenade.

However, residents were quick to point out that the images seemed to be AI-generated, something that the council later confirmed after widespread backlash, admitting that designers used a “little bit of AI support” when creating the initial concepts.

Ahead of the launch, which will see the four winning designs transformed into hand-painted illuminated installations, Blackpool artists have slammed the authority for opting for gen-AI, saying it is ‘disrespectful’ to local creatives at a time when it is trying to put its most cultural foot forward.

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James McKnight is a graphic designer and illustrator, creates brand identities, user interfaces and assets for businesses including cards and menus.

“The council’s decision to use AI is problematic, both ethically and as a matter of principle,” he told The Blackpool Lead. “Depriving creative workers of opportunities is a decision made in complete disregard to local artists, or students, who could have contributed to the project from concept to final outcome.

“Outsourcing this work to machines owned by billionaires contributes nothing toward our local economy, something the council should be obliged to care about more than the average person or public entity.

“It’s also blatantly antithetical to the bid to be a City of Culture. We cannot claim we are a cultural hotspot whilst endorsing tools that erase said culture. If we’re celebrating creativity it should be a vision represented by the people of Blackpool and not billionaire-funded capitalistic ventures.”

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While schools across Lancashire battle joining a multi-academy trust, as covered in The Lancashire Lead today, one school in Blackpool absolutely needs the extra support it can offer.

Hawes Side Academy was inspected in April and two weeks later, months before the inspection report was published, it was confirmed it would join the Endeavour Learning Trust.

But now the report, analysed by The Blackpool Lead today, shows exactly what the shortcomings were in that inspection. Here’s hoping the move means better days ahead.

If you’re reading this, we need your support. The Blackpool Lead can only continue to publish the news that has much bigger titles scrambling to mimic us if we have paying subscribers. We are ad-free and clickbait free - only the news that matters most before everyone else gets to it. Consider taking a paid subscription here - for less than £1 per week - and keep independent journalism thriving in Blackpool.

Blackpool briefing

🏠 Blackpool Council’s Shareholder Committee will today (23 September) consider measures to help home owners in Revoe who feel they cannot sell their homes to the council because it will leave them financially worse off.

The report says that one focus is “on households where the main barrier to voluntary sale is financial circumstances, supported by evidence that selling their home to the Council for the market value would leave them unable to purchase a reasonable and comparable replacement property in a reasonable and comparable area – even when statutory compensation is applied.”

The Central Housing Regeneration Project is part of Blackpool’s wider ambition to improve housing quality and life chances for residents living in the town’s inner area. The project is supported by £90.4 million of funding secured through Homes England and aims to create high-quality homes and new public space.

It has been controversial from the start - with a number of residents comparing it to the displacement of a community.

↗️ A vital service in Blackpool offering support for people recovering from addictions has staged a special event to highlight the impact it has been having.

Blackpool Recovery Hub opened in May last year in premises at 258 Church Street, as a welcoming, non-judgemental space for people recovering from alcohol, drug and gambling addictions.

To mark National Recovery Month today it was also an opportunity to announce Blackpool as the first location in the North West to sign up to the Inclusive Recovery Cities Charter.

The Hub offers a wide range of holistic recovery services and community re-integration programmes to help build fulfilling futures.

The dedicated drop-in facility chose National Online Recovery Day (22 September), which occurs during the UK’s National Recovery Month, to help shine an important spotlight on the people, stories and support behind its pioneering service.

💩 A rugby club has hit out over dog fouling on its pitches and called on dog walkers to try and keep their pets off the playing areas.

Blackpool RUFC, which plays home matches at Mossom Lane, off Fleetwood Road in Norbreck, has put out a message on social media saying its players are having to contend with dog mess when they play matches.

There are concerns about serious infections associated with dog faeces which can have long-term health implications.

To make matters more complicated, some of the land where the club is based is also open to the public, and although the club stresses the pitches are on land owned by the club, the area is not within an enclosed sports ground.

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Damning Ofsted inspection sets out exactly why Hawes Side Academy joined a trust

By Luke Beardsworth

A school that has been open in Blackpool for almost 90 years was told that it requires special measures in the same month it was confirmed that it would join a multi-academy trust.

Hawes Side Academy was told that it requires special measures because it was failing to provide an acceptable standard of education, and the senior staff did not have the capacity to improve performance.

The Ofsted inspection of the primary school, which opened in 1937 and was converted into an academy in 2012, happened on 14 April. It yielded damning results with the school told it needs urgent improvement in pupil achievement, the standard of teaching and leadership and governance. It was a marked decrease from the ‘Good’ standards the school achieved in all areas in the 2022 Ofsted inspection.

By 28 April, it was confirmed that Hawes Side Academy would be joining the Endeavour Learning Trust (ELT) - the first school in Blackpool to do so. The school formally joined the trust for the start of the 2026/27 academic year.

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In announcing the move, the ELT said the school was known for its ambitious curriculum, strong pastoral care and deep roots in the school community. The school stresses there were positives in the inspection - and that joining the trust would help it progress further.

But the publication of the Ofsted inspection from April shows that the trust will need to implement dramatic improvements for those claims to be even partially true.

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In March, we told you that a senior teacher had been arrested on suspicion of running a brothel.

Today, though the arrests are not linked, we bizarrely find ourselves reporting almost the exact same story.

Blackpool briefing

⚽ This year’s Ballon d’Or ceremony has been moved from Paris to London in tribute to the gong’s first winner, the late Blackpool hero Sir Stanley Matthews.

It is 70 years since the award, given each year to Europe’s best player, was handed to Matthews.

The England international won the prize three years after his performance in the famous Matthews final of 1953 and when he was, even at 41, still at the top of his game.

Matthews, who also played for Stoke before going on to manage Port Vale and Hibernians, died aged 85 in February 2000.

On this year’s Ballon d’Or shortlist are the likes of Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice, Erling Haaland, holder Ousmane Dembele, Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappe, Rodri and Bruno Fernandes.

The ceremony, held in the English capital for the first time, is on October 26, with Bayern Munich sharpshooter and Three Lions captain Kane considered the bookmakers favourite to lift the trophy.

🍔 A bid by a Blackpool town centre restaurant and takeaway to open until 5am has been refused after police raised concerns – particularly after several assaults on the premises were reported.

Fusion Bites, based at 54 Talbot Road, submitted an application to Blackpool Council to obtain a premises licence for the first time.

Applicants CM worldwide Ltd requested permission for the provision of late night refreshment, covering Monday to Sunday between the hours of 11pm and 5am, with opening hours from 8am through to 5am each Monday to Sunday.

The applicants stressed that the licence would not be used to allow alcohol or live music, but simply to provide food at a later hour each night.

However, police objected to the plans, raising concerns that the operators had a lack of experience of early hours opening, had no current CCTV provision at the time of the application and no door security in a location on a busy street close to late night bars.

They also raised concerns about an incident in which a customer assaulted members of staff and his own girlfriend on the premises.

🚃 Blackpool Transport is on the lookout for a suitable location from which to temporarily display the town’s iconic and much-loved heritage fleet.

And the council-owned transport firm is keen to hear from anyone who has a suitable site for the venture.

The company’s long-term plan is still to restore the original tram shed at the Rigby Road depot, creating a refurbished home for the heritage fleet.

This will house operational trams and static displays in the original tramway workshop.

Work has also begun reconfiguring overhead line equipment (OLE) in the area in preparation for the demolition of the old workshop and refurbishment of the original tram shed.

However, in the meantime the pop-up plans are also a priority.

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Fylde coast teacher is second in 2026 to be arrested on suspicion of running brothel

By Michael Holmes

A second Fylde coast teacher has been arrested on suspicion of running a brothel, it can be revealed.

The man, a senior teacher at a primary school, has been quizzed by detectives about a property allegedly being used for prostitution in “Thornton Cleveleys” and released on bail, police said.

The case is not believed to be linked to the arrest of a Blackpool teacher - and his female partner - on suspicion of the same offence in March.

Neither the teachers nor the schools can legally be named.

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It feels like a decade ago but it was, in fact, just north of two years ago that Scott Benton resigned as the Conservative MP for Blackpool South, rather than waiting for the outcome of a recall petition.

That followed an investigation by The Times newspaper where he was recorded offering to lobby ministers and table parliamentary questions on behalf of gambling investors. A complaint to IPSO about the behaviour of the reporters was (correctly, in our incredibly biased view) turned down because there was a clear public interest.

Since then, numerous people have contacted The Blackpool Lead trying to tell us what he’s been up to in the intervening period.

Now, with his husband Harry Symonds entering Big Brother, which still exists, we’ve looked at what Benton has been up to.

Worth noting - numerous publications have referred to their marriage status as “unconfirmed” in the last few days. We’ve nothing to tell you about that.

Blackpool briefing

🎸 Blackpool Council insists it has not ruled out the prospect of a top arena for the town, despite the proposals not being explicitly included in an update on its ambitious Blackpool Central proposals.

The council was responding after being quizzed on the arena and if the proposals for the 20,000-seat amenity fitted in with its own Blackpool Central regenerations plans.

The Blackpool Central project is a major £300 million leisure-led regeneration scheme on the former Central Railway Station site just off the Golden Mile. It is one of the largest single investments in Blackpool in over a century.

When the project’s original developer Nikal collapsed into administration in 2024, Blackpool Council moved quickly to appoint leading marketing consultants Newmark HDH and theleisureway in October 2025, who have been working with the council to promote the development potential both nationally and internationally.

Now a procurement exercise to find a new developer and investor is being recommended to Blackpool Council’s Executive at its next meeting on Monday and a brochure has been prepared which includes proposals for the site.

The arena is not included, despite the announcement this year of a £20 million Government concept to explore the delivery of a new arena for the town in the same Blackpool Central area, as well as Blackpool South MP Chris Webb’s backing for it.

However, the council has made it clear it has not excluded the area scheme from its vision for the site.

🩳 Police are objecting to a premises licence application by a lifestyle and swingers club in Blackpool.

Club Play, based at Back Ribble Road in central Blackpool, is a private members’ club where like-minded couples and singles meet up in designated lounge and bar areas and make use of specialised play spaces including 19 themed rooms.

The discreet venue features couples’ areas, a dungeon, and dedicated zones for various alternative lifestyle preferences, including an on-site heated pool, hot tub, sauna facilities and cinema.

The venue has applied to Blackpool Council’s licensing department for its first long term premises licence, seeking permission to carry out licensable activities such as live music, recorded music and the sale of alcohol.

The application requests permission for the performance of live music and playing of recorded music from Sundays to Thursdays from 11pm to midnight and Fridays and Saturdays 11pm to 3am, and also the supply of alcohol (on and off the premises) Sundays to Thursdays from noon to midnight and Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 3am.

The application is made on behalf of Paul Bevon, the director of club owner Innuendo Limited who is also the proposed Designated Premises Supervisor.

However, Lancashire Police say they are objecting to the proposals because the club does not agree to conditions to employ door security at the site.

The club argues that because it is a private members’ amenity, it does not need to use such measures, which would affectively cost the club £10,400 a year for one door person alone, working at weekends.

But the police have raised concerns and due to the police challenge, the matter will be determined by Blackpool’s licensing panel on Thursday.

🗳️ A leading Blackpool councillor is calling for Blackpool, Fylde, Wyre and Lancashire County councils to create a new partnership despite a proposed merger hitting a major setback.

The controversial Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) proposals were put on hold after the government launched a review in light of new legal advice.

After the process hit a road block the leaders of Wyre and Fylde council reiterated their opposition to LGR.

Wyre Leader Michael Vincent stated that the reorganisation process should be abandoned completely, while Fylde Council Leader Karen Buckley condemned the “prolonged uncertainty” created by the sudden pause in the government’s plans she had opposed from the start.

Despite this, Blackpool Conservative Group Leader Cllr Paul Galley believes some of the ideas of LGR, particularly the prospect of the councils working more closely together, had some positive aspects which could still be taken onboard.

Cllr Galley wants to see a new ‘Fylde Coast Partnership’ which he says would cut duplication, share expertise and make it easier for residents to access council services across local authority boundaries.

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What Scott Benton did next

By Michael Holmes

Anti-abortion and pro-death penalty former MP Scott Benton embarked on an NHS management training scheme before reportedly working for Restore Britain, it can be revealed.

The disgraced ex-politician, brought down by a national newspaper sting, sat in on Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust meetings as a “graduate trainee” at least twice last year.

It is not known whether bosses there knew of the 39-year-old’s controversies. He is listed as an observer under the name Scott Benton Symonds, having taken his husband Harry’s surname.

The trust said Benton attended as part of the national NHS graduate management training scheme, which offers people the “opportunity to develop into a future leader in one of our specialisms including general management, human resources, finance, digital health informatics and engineering and estates management”.

It is organised by the NHS Business Services Authority, which said it was unable to comment. The authority would not say whether Benton remains on the programme or what he was specifically training in.

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Benton was a Blackpool MP from the 2019 general election until 2024, when he was suspended from Parliament for breaching lobbying rules and subsequently resigned.

The Commons Standards Committee said Benton had sent the message that he was “corrupt and ‘for sale’” after footage was published by The Times apparently showing him offering to table parliamentary questions, leak a confidential policy paper on gambling reforms and provide ministerial access for money.

Benton believed he was talking to betting industry investors but was actually being targeted by undercover journalists, which, The Blackpool Lead understands, followed a tip-off from a local political rival.

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Seven candidates will ask for votes from residents of the Claremont ward in a by-election on 1 October 2026.

It’s an extremely high-profile by-election for a number of reasons.

Firstly, it comes after the death of Cllr Ivan Taylor, who all but the most vile Facebook trolls have had nothing but respect for since his passing earlier this year.

Secondly, it is a test of Reform UK’s electoral pull in a place where they clearly prioritise and expect to make gains - with arguably their most high-profile local candidate hoping to win his first election after two parliamentary defeats in 2024.

And thirdly, it is a test of how Andy Burnham’s appointment as Prime Minister has lifted Labour’s chances in the North West in particular.

It is a battle of two outlooks on Claremont - where the Reform UK candidate Mark Butcher has been either highlighting real problems or talking down the area, depending on your viewpoint.

The crime rate in particular has been used on the campaign trail - and not entirely unreasonably - so we’ve put those figures to the test along with the words of the man saying them.

Blackpool briefing

🍺 Police are calling for the review of a Blackpool pub’s licence after a stabbing incident occurred there after a live screening of the tense World Cup match between England and Argentina.

The licence review of the Boars Head, on Preston Old Road, will be made by Blackpool Council’s licensing panel on September 16.

The Force says the disturbing incident and previous ones raise serious questions about the pub’s premises licence.

The incident occurred on July 15, when England were knocked out of the World Cup by Argentina after a 1-2 defeat.

Later in July, long-serving Boars Head landlady Karen Bracegirdle announced on social media that she was leaving the pub after seven years at the helm.

After thanking regulars for their long support, she stated: “In light of recent events, along with ongoing issues over the past couple of years involving antisocial behaviour and noise complaints from the surrounding area—matters that have been completely beyond our control—the licensing authorities have recommended a change in management with immediate effect.”

Managing group Dobiere Pub Group has been approached for a comment.

💷 Blackpool’s Illuminations are famous the world over but the council is looking to borrow £90,000 to provide lighting for the building where they are stored and repaired.

The Illuminations Service has been based at the Lightworks building, on Amy Johnson Way, since 2010, after moving from the old depot on Rigby Road.

The council is also seeking a loan of an additional £230,000 to purchase vehicles and plant for the Illuminations Service.

The authority plans to borrow £320,000 for the two projects combined, in addition to interest payments of £43,250 for a total bill of £363,250.

The proposals are that this will be paid in instalments over a period between 2027 and 2036.

This arrangement is what is known as ‘prudential borrowing’, a self-regulated system that allows local authorities to borrow money for long-term capital projects without needing central government consent.

Blackpool Council’s Executive Committee, which is the main decision-making group responsible for the day-to-day management, policies, and services, will meet on Monday (September 14) to consider the proposals.

🛎️ The future of a large and prominent hotel on Blackpool seafront remains uncertain after the operators went into liquidation.

The 46-bedroom Skye Oceans Hotel at 333-335 Promenade, Blackpool, closed in the summer when operators Skye New Oceans Ltd, who has taken over in 2021, went out of business.

However, that company is part of a larger enterprise, Skye Hotels Ltd, which is still operating and has a number of other hotels under its umbrella across the North West.

Although the hotel is still listed as operational for bookings on certain travel sites, such as Top-Hotels-Uk.com, Companies House lists Skye New Oceans Ltd status as ‘liquidation’ and the phone numbers no longer ring out.

The hotel’s last’s review on Trip Advisor, where it had mixed notices ranging from good to very poor, was back in February.

Skye Hotels Ltd was contacted regarding future plans for the hotel, which one Trip Advisor reviewer described it as having “so much potential” but needing a revamp.

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The truth about crime levels in Claremont - dubbed the Bronx by Mark Butcher

By Michael Holmes

Claims about crime in Claremont - which Reform candidate Mark Butcher has branded “the Bronx” - may not tell the full story, analysis of official police figures by The Blackpool Lead suggests.

While the area has been dubbed “the middle of lawless Britain” by Butcher as he vies to take a seat at the town hall in a by-election early next month, The Blackpool Lead’s analysis found that more than a quarter of police reports were linked to nightlife hotspots.

Some 27.7% (969) of the 3,499 reports to Lancashire Police from August last year to July this year were linked to Queen Street and The Strand, which are packed with pubs and bars, or nearby nightclubs.

And the most commonly reported offences over the past three years are those often associated with the nighttime economy - violent and sexual offences and anti-social behaviour.

Meanwhile, robberies have dropped by more than half, while burglaries, theft from a person and drug offences have also fallen.

The analysis adds context to figures recently released by a property data website, which said Claremont had the highest crime rate in the north west, with 349 offences per 1,000 people, which Butcher said “backs up exactly” what he has been saying on the campaign trail.

Making law and order a focus of his campaign, Butcher a week earlier gave an even higher figure - 427 offences per 1,000 people - and said Claremont has the “highest crime anywhere in the UK”.

In a video on the T Explore TV YouTube channel, he said that “after nine, 10 o’clock, this is the Bronx”, saying it is the “middle of lawless Britain” and dangerous after dark.

Dressed in a patterned shirt and sunglasses, he said: “You cannot walk down this street, here.”

For direct comparison purposes, Lancashire Police was asked for the latest crime statistics per 1,000 people, but the force did not provide them, initially saying they would need to be requested under freedom of information laws, before later saying they may not be held.

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Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner Clive Grunshaw’s office said it did not have the figures.

Blackpool Council said context “is important” when looking at crime rates, which are worked out per head of the resident population and according to where offences are recorded.

A spokesperson said: “In a major visitor destination such as Blackpool, these calculations do not take account of the millions of people who visit the town each year.

“This is particularly relevant in Claremont ward, which includes a number of busy visitor, nightlife and transport locations, including Walkabout, Queen Street, Ma Kelly’s, Blackpool North railway station and the Metropole.

“Recorded incidents associated with these locations will involve people who are visiting the area, but they are still counted locally against Claremont’s resident population.”

Butcher told The Blackpool Lead: “When I compared conditions in Claremont to ‘the Bronx’, it was a forceful metaphor referring to the documented levels of crime, anti-social behaviour and environmental neglect affecting parts of the ward.

“It was not intended to insult residents. My criticism is directed at the problems residents are being forced to endure and the authorities’ failure to address them - not at the people of Claremont.”

He continued: “I believe firmly in holding offenders accountable while also recognising that early intervention, stable homes, positive role models, education and proper addiction support can prevent young people from being drawn into crime.”

Butcher’s focus on crime has prompted questions, especially after his appearance in a documentary that described him and his family as having been “feared” figures on the Grange Park estate.

A voiceover said: “As a child in Blackpool, Mark grew up far from the attractions of the seaside in the poorest parts of the town in the middle of the Thatcher years, when poverty had already exploded.

“At the time, the restaurateur and his family were feared offenders.”

Butcher was then shown telling the makers of the programme, which is available on YouTube, albeit not in the UK, that his family members were known as “The Butchers”.

Walking through the area, dressed in a tracksuit top and body-warmer, Butcher told the TV crew: “You start off with petty crime; you’re stealing bikes, you’re robbing cars.

“And then you move on. You move up the ladder and you go from one stage to another.

“And so that’s what happened.”

In a statement to The Blackpool Lead, published in full above and at the bottom of this article at his request, Butcher said he was “not admitting that I personally stole bicycles, robbed cars or committed the offences described”, but was instead giving a “general description of the environment and progression into crime”.

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It is likely no surprise to see United Utilities back on these pages. It was back in May that we reported United Utilities had more than doubled its pre-tax profits to £779m.

And while the subject of today’s report doubtless had a significant impact on water quality in Blackpool - it is absolutely worth noting that Blackpool North has been branded ‘poor’ since 2022.

United Utilities have been slapped with a big fine and promised to put the work in to make things right. But as Chris Webb told us, this is far from an isolated incident.

The Blackpool Lead spent the day at Preston Magistrates’ Court yesterday to hear all about it.

Blackpool briefing

🗳️ There are calls for a wholesale rethink of plans to abolish and replace all of Lancashire’s councils after ministers announced the process had been paused while checks are carried out to ensure it is lawful.

All 15 main local authorities in the county are due to be scrapped in April 2028 as part of a government-ordered restructure designed to streamline the council landscape in almost two dozen areas nationwide.

News of the hold-up prompted Lancashire County Council leader Stephen Atkinson to renew his previously rejected push for a local referendum on the subject.

Meanwhile, Wyre Council leader Michael Vincent said the process should now be abandoned completely – and the leader of Lancaster City Council, Caroline Jackson, insisted the government should go “back to the drawing board”.

The 15 existing Lancashire councils had already agreed to set aside £30m between them to cover the cost of the transition to the new arrangements. While it is understood that that cash pot has not yet been significantly dipped into, the individual authorities have had to absorb the direct and indirect costs of the work involved in answering the government’s call to come up proposals for their replacement. Five different visions were produced over the course of last year, collectively running to more than 800 pages.

Any elections set for 2027 will now go ahead as planned.

A spokesperson for Blackpool Labour, who lead Blackpool Council, said: “The reorganisation in Lancashire has been paused with immediate effect to allow due process to be followed. Lancashire joins 13 other areas announced in July, while decisions affecting four areas have been withdrawn, all to ensure the proper review can take place.

“Elections next May will still proceed on the existing Blackpool Council boundaries, and there will be no shadow elections for the new authority.

“We understand that many people will have questions, and we will continue to share updates as further information becomes available.

“Whatever happens next, our priority remains clear. We will keep working every day to build a better Blackpool, to make our town an even better place to live, work, and visit, and to deliver the best possible future for our residents.”

🛝 Demolition work has been carried out on an unsafe fire-damaged play ship in Anchorsholme Park which was targeted by arsonists last December.

The attack on the much-loved climbing ship on December 28 last year caused thousands of pounds of damage and much upset in the community and for the past nine months the ship has been fenced off.

Now £10,000 raised by the Friends of Anchorsholme Park towards the cost of replacement play equipment and an overhaul of the play area had been presented to Blackpool Council, which has overall responsibility for the park.

Anchorsholme councillors Paul Galley and Anita Cooper, along with Norbreck member Julie Sloman presented the community-raised funds to the council.

They had recently called on the council to push forward with the upgrade scheme and offer an update , raising concerns about the pace of progress on the project.

The councillors were also concerned that the £10,000 would have to be used for the demolition of the ship.

However, the council has confirmed it is paying for the demolition work so the money raised will go towards the upgrade of play equipment instead.

🏚️ Plans are being drawn up by Blackpool Council to tackle the issue of the town’s empty and derelict buildings which have been an ongoing scourge in the resort.

Latest reports show there were 1,500 empty homes in the resort last year, among the highest in the country.

Unoccupied shops, long-term empty B&Bs and deteriorating, disused hotels create a number of serious issues for Blackpool, but the council is also concerned about the number of empty houses.

Apart from the negative visual impression, empty houses also raise health and safety concerns, conflict with a serious shortage of affordable homes in the town and also impact financially through the deficit in council tax payments. They are also a magnet for vandalism.

Blackpool Council is the primary driver and co-investor behind the £350 million mixed-use regeneration Talbot Gateway scheme around Blackpool North train station, including the Multiversity, and has put an impressive bid in for the 2029 City of Culture accolade.

To deal with the run-down buildings issue, the council is setting up an Empty Property Strategy which will look at using a broad scale of approaches, ranging from guidance and support to various enforcement measures extending as far as Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPO).

United Utilities fined almost £1m after collapsed pipe during peak summer season

By Jamie Lopez

Significant economic and reputational impacts were felt across the Fylde Coast when a collapsed pipe resulted in untreated sewage being pumped into the sea.

United Utilities has been fined almost £1m following an incident which led to the public being warned against swimming in eight designated bathing waters in June 2023. Bacteria including E. coli was found in the sea after the water company pumped untreated sewage for 35 hours across 12 days in June 2023.

Preston Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday (7 September) heard the discharge was caused when a pipe which had been laid at the incorrect depth collapsed. The pipe had barely been inspected in almost three decades after installation and its breakdown meant the maximum water which could be processed at Fleetwood Wastewater Treatment Works was reduced by more than half.

When heavy rainfall occurred, this led to huge amounts of untreated waste being discharged into the Irish Sea from three pumping stations in Blackpool, Fleetwood and Anchorsholme and high levels of bacterial contamination being found by the Environment Agency. Checks by Surfers Against Sewage and the Citizens Scientists Group found E. coli was present in water which would normally be used by swimmers.

As well as causing a public health risk, the breach had a significant impact on visitor numbers which lasted throughout the summer, the court heard.

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According to Blackpool Council, the spillage coincided with the start of Scottish summer holidays - when many flock to the resort - and at a time when the authority had spent £600k on an advertising campaign.

It said the negative press from the ‘no swimming’ warnings effectively wiped out the effects of this campaign and led to the water company paying it £250k to counteract this. The fall in visitor numbers across the summer was estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands.

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Facial recognition technology is a thoroughly divisive matter and views will range from it being a necessary step to keep us safe to it being a dangerous infringements of our civil rights.

It’s 2026, so there is no room for nuance or middle ground in most debates. But we have done our best to capture that nuance in our reporting today.

Blackpool briefing

🪨 A decision on 17 rock headlands on Blackpool’s beach has been deferred by Blackpool Council’s planning committee.

Blackpool Council has vowed to spend more time working with the RNLI on the safety measures attached to the scheme.

The RNLI had delivered a 27-page objection against the proposal saying it would create a level of risk that could not be adequately protected against.

A spokesperson for the RNLI said: “The RNLI has objected to the scheme and welcomes the decision to defer the application for further consideration following representations made to the Planning Committee by the Chair of Blackpool RNLI.

“Our detailed objection sets out concerns about the effect the project, in its current form, could have on the RNLI’s ability to save lives and on the safety of those using the coastline.

“Many of the incidents attended by Blackpool RNLI occur close to the seawall, often during hours of darkness and in challenging sea conditions. The proposed introduction of multiple rock groynes could significantly affect our volunteers’ ability to launch quickly and access, assess and assist casualties. There are also concerns that the groynes could restrict access to areas of the foreshore currently used for safe lifeboat operations.

“While the RNLI supports efforts to protect and preserve the coastline, it is vital that any proposal does not adversely affect our lifesaving service or our ability to operate effectively. Our focus remains firmly on saving lives at sea.”

A spokesperson for Blackpool Council said: “The Planning Committee has deferred a decision on the Blackpool Beach Management Scheme so that more time can be spent working with the RNLI on the scheme’s safety measures.

“The planning committee report recognised the work already undertaken to mitigate safety concerns and acknowledged that the council has taken its duty to protect the public seriously.

“The Blackpool Beach Management Scheme is vital for protecting more than 4,000 properties from flooding and coastal erosion, while helping to preserve Blackpool’s sandy beaches for future generations.”

🍔 Police are objecting to a Blackpool restaurant and takeaway’s late night premises licence application after raising safety concerns.

Fusion Bites, based at 54 Talbot Road, submitted an application to Blackpool Council to obtain a premises licence for the first time.

Applicants CM worldwide Ltd have requested permission for the provision of late night refreshment, covering Monday to Sunday between the hours of 11pm and 5am, with opening hours from 8am through to 5am each Monday to Sunday.

The applicants have made it clear the licence will not be used to allow alcohol or live music, but simply to provide food at a later hour each night.

However, Lancashire Police say the establishment’s lack of experience in late night opening in a busy location surrounded by bars, coupled with the lack of CCTV and door staff, means there is a genuine concern about crime and disorder.

☔ A Blackpool mental health charity has reopened its South Shore hub almost a year after massive storm damage left it uninhabitable.

Counselling In The Community’s (CITC) Waterloo Road base was reopened this afternoon by Chris Webb, MP for Blackpool South, alongside CEO and Founder Stuart Hutton-Brown.

The hub was forced to close last October after storms caused extensive damage throughout the building, with water ingress badly damaging ceilings, walls and floors on both floors and leaving more than 100 people a week at risk of losing access to their therapy sessions.

Its reopening has been made possible by funding from the government’s £1.5m Pride in Place Impact Fund, secured by Chris Webb MP and allocated by Blackpool Council.

Around £40,000 of those funds has gone towards the repair works, while a further £100,000 has been put up to allow the council to purchase the building outright – securing its future as a community-owned asset.

The refurbishment has also added two extra counselling suites and improved accessibility throughout, alongside the hub’s existing sensory room.

Facial recognition software watched Switch-On punters for the first time

By Michael Holmes

Police in Lancashire have been accused of being Big Brother bobbies by privacy groups after rolling out facial recognition technology at the Switch-On.

Top brass said a live camera feed was used to compare revellers on Friday against a “predetermined, secure watchlist of individuals for serious offences, subject to court orders, or who pose a risk to the public or to themselves”.

They claim that the controversial technology - introduced amid increased anti-terror measures along the Promenade - can keep innocent people safe and help officers net bad guys.

The cameras are now expected to be used elsewhere in the county, too.

But they have been criticised by human rights organisations, including Liberty, a non-profit aimed at defending freedom, and Big Brother Watch, a civil liberties campaign group.

“This is an enormous expansion of the surveillance state,” Big Brother Watch said.

It added: “We must stop this dangerously authoritarian surveillance now.”

In a media release posted to its website on Tuesday, Lancashire Police quoted Ch Supt Chris Hardy, who oversaw policing in Blackpool and on the Fylde coast as superintendent, as saying that the force takes people’s “privacy very seriously”.

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It is all-too-easy to end up believing that all of the hate you read online is representative of the real world. I know that I am guilty of it.

But speaking to Nudrat last week, a woman who came to Blackpool from Pakistan via Saudi Arabia, was a timely reminder that people in real life are - mostly - significantly kinder.

She has lived in Blackpool since 2017 and says she has never faced racism since arriving.

That’s a wonderful thing - but her son has experienced some of that and overcame it to deliver a remarkable set of GCSE results. Both of them say, that incident aside, they have always been welcomed in Blackpool.

So today’s story is one about overcoming difficulty - but also an resoundingly positive story about how Blackpool welcomes people.

Blackpool briefing

🖊️ Fears that the case of Preston Davey has led to a decline in the number of people coming forward to adopt locally have been dispelled by Lancashire’s main adoption agency.

Adoption Lancashire and Blackpool accepts that the number of children needing adoption is much greater than the availability of families looking to adopt.

However, the agency, which is run in partnership with three local authorities, host agency Lancashire County Council, Blackpool Council and Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, says the case has had no bearing on the figures.

The horrific and tragic case of little Preston culminated in his killer, former teacher Jamie Varley, 37, being given a whole-life order on June 18 after being found guilty of murder, child cruelty, sexual offences and indecent images relating to the 13-month-old toddler.

Varley and his partner, John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, who was convicted of offences included causing or allowing Preston’s death, and sentenced to 25 years, were in the process of formally adopting the youngster.

After the case concluded, a probe began into how the pair were accepted as adoption candidates by Adoption Now, a company providing services to Greater Manchester councils, including the toddler’s home authority, Oldham Council.

🩺 The Lancashire and South Cumbria Cancer Alliance has been recognised for its work to improve earlier diagnosis and outcomes by being shortlisted for a Health Service Journal award.

It comes after data showed that the alliance, one of 21 across England, had the biggest improvement for diagnosing cancers at an earlier stage.

The team is up for the Excellence in Narrowing the Health Inequalities Gap.

There are eight other finalists, with the winner announced in London on November 19.

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Overcoming primary school bullies to become a Blackpool maths prodigy

By Luke Beardsworth

A mother has spoken of her glowing pride after her son achieved remarkable GCSE results - after his education in Blackpool started with him moving school because of bullying.

Nudrat Khawaji, 44, came to Blackpool in 2017 after first working in Saudi Arabia and was born in Pakistan.

Her son Shahmeer Amir has one eye on a place at either Oxford or Cambridge after top GCSE results in subjects that include Maths, Further Maths and Extended Maths.

Nudrat works at The Harbour, a mental health hospital in Blackpool, and has been doing so since she settled in Blackpool. When she moved, her son Shahmeer came with her.

She told The Blackpool Lead: “I wanted to do higher training and it’s the best in the UK. I did all of the exams to work in the UK and moved here in February 2017. We spent the first few months in Preston but I got a job at The Harbour in Blackpool.

“We loved Blackpool immediately so we moved. Since then, we have been in Blackpool and bought my property here - despite all the other doctors who live in Preston.”

Both Nudrat and Shahmeer have been very positive about their experiences in Blackpool - stressing that it is a welcoming and inclusive place.

But Shahmeer’s education got off to a rough start when he attended Mereside Primary School and faced bullying over his name, culture, background and ambitions.

Nudrat told us: “There was unfortunately quite a bit of bullying aimed at Shahmeer in that school and we had to change.

“Students would make fun of his name, they’d sing funny songs about him. I had to write a long letter to the school headmistress and intervene.

“It caused him a lot of stress, he’d be walking around school on his own, he wouldn’t be able to make friends.”

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We have been pretty persistent in our short existence that Blackpool is getting ripped off when it comes to council tax. The difference in amounts paid between Blackpool and the very poshest areas of London is absurd.

It is one of the most regressive tax systems out there and in need of reform - but it is feasible that Labour’s mansion tax plans could at least go some way to resolve the matter.

That’s the hope from Chris Webb at least, who said the money generated could be used to give authorities like Blackpool (or Fylde Coast Council in future) more funding and give council tax payers a break.

That’s the topic of today’s edition and it’s a drum we will keep on battering.

Blackpool briefing

🗳️ In Wednesday’s edition, we suggested there had been enmity between Reform candidate for Claremont Mark Butcher and their group leader at Blackpool Council Cllr Jim O’Neill. Cllr O’Neill subsequently joined Butcher for campaigning efforts and the latter said “Blackpool Lead report this & and stop the misinformation reporting!!”. The post wasn’t even written with ChatGPT.

We are happy to report that, as one Reform source said this week, the two are able to present a ‘united front’ in a key campaigning period. But it was not, and is not, misinformation.

🌳 The overhaul of a play area torched in a mindless vandal attack is still on schedule, insists Blackpool Council after ward councillors hit out at delays.

The much-loved play ship in Anchorsholme Park was destroyed in the incident on December 28 last year, causing thousands of pounds of damage and much anger and upset in the community.

Local Conservative councillors pledged to get the park’s play area upgraded with new replacement equipment and the Friends of Anchorsholme Park charity committed £10,000 towards the park and surrounding security to help get the restoration project moving.

But this week Anchorsholme councillors Paul Galley and Anita Cooper, along with Norbreck member Julie Sloman, said the council was dragging its feet over its promise to push ahead with the scheme – and they demanded firm dates.

However, Labour-led Blackpool Council says the project was always intended for an Easter 2027 completion in late March and says it has fully committed to all aspects of the project, including its promised involvement of local schoolchildren.

🪏 More details have emerged of ambitious plans to develop and change the use of a prominent town centre building described as “one of the most exciting development opportunities in Blackpool”.

A new application has been submitted to Blackpool planners in connection with a proposed use of the Prudential House on Topping Street as 54 self contained flats.

This 48,000 sq ft landmark mixed-use and office building, which currently houses an Iceland supermarket on the ground floor, was once used by learner drivers sitting their theory tests.

The move is part of an application by developer ALB, which is set to acquire the property, for Prior Approval under Part 3, Class MA of the General Permitted Development Order (GPDO).

GPDO is a permitted development right in England that allows the change of use of a building from commercial, business, and service use (Class E) to residential use (Class C3 dwellinghouses) without needing a full planning application.

ALB’s Prior Approval application is set to be lodged with Blackpool planners imminently.

As part of those proposals, a detailed Noise Assessment report has now been lodged on behalf of ALB by NOVA Acoustics, which will require written approval from the council prior to work commencing.

These stringent tests are essential to ensure eventual occupants are not subjected to unacceptable levels of external noise.

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Absurd that families in Blackpool pay more council tax than mansion owners in Mayfair

By Michael Holmes

It is a “longstanding unfairness” that Blackpool residents living in band D homes pay more in council tax than someone swanning around a £10m mansion in Mayfair, the Government has finally accepted.

Labour is planning to introduce a so-called “mansion tax” - a charge on owners of properties worth more than £2m - to support local government services.

Local MP Chris Webb said it is “absurd” that a “family in a modest terrace in Blackpool pays more council tax than the owner of a multi-million pound mansion in Mayfair” - and hopes cash from the new levy will be used to cut bills on the Fylde coast.

The Labour man told The Blackpool Lead: “Places like Blackpool have carried the weight of an unfair system for decades. The very wealthiest owning multi-million pound properties should be paying their fair share.

“I support a high-value council tax surcharge and I believe strongly in directing a portion of the revenue raised from it towards reducing council tax bills in places like Blackpool.

“I raised this directly with the former chancellor (Rachel Reeves), and I’ll be raising it again with the new Chancellor (John Healey) when Parliament returns.”

Webb, who represents the Blackpool South constituency, added: “We need to fix this system that lets the wealthiest off lightly while towns like Blackpool pick up the bill.

“We have been overlooked for too long and this is a chance to start putting that right.”

People in Knightsbridge, home to the UK’s most expensive street where it costs an average of £20.35m to live, pay less in council tax than those living on Blackpool’s Grange Park estate, The Blackpool Lead reported last year.

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Blackpool Council will be abolished in 2028 - and share power with shadow authorities in 2027 - but do not expect the Claremont by-election to be any less heated as a result.

Following the death of Cllr Ivan Taylor - who drew tributes from across the political spectrum and from across the country due to the length of time of his service and scale of his achievements - Claremont is expected to go to the polls on 1 October.

It will be a short term for whoever is elected thanks to local government reorganisation, but the candidates are already campaigning before Blackpool Council has even confirmed their identity.

The Blackpool Lead will be covering the build-up - and the by-election day itself - extensively in the coming weeks. Make sure you’re signed up to get it all .

Blackpool briefing

🪨 A plan to install 17 rock groynes on the southern end of Blackpool’s beach has been hailed as the saviour of its famous golden sands – but almost 60 people and the RNLI are objecting.

And councillors on Blackpool’s planning committee are set to make a decision on this controversial scheme when it comes up for determination next week.

The heavy rock groynes are seen by many as the only workable solution to halt the worrying loss of the resort’s precious golden sands, a habitat which is at risk of being eroded away forever.

Apart from the importance as a tourist attraction and as a natural marine habitat, the beach sand provides vital protection to the shoreline from the ravages of the sea at a time of climate change.

But opponents say the solid rock structures are not safe for children who face the risk of being trapped in the face of oncoming tides.

🛎️ Planners at Blackpool will make a decision next week on ambitious proposals to demolish an empty hotel near South Shore seafront and replace it with 15 self-contained flats.

The proposals will offer 33 percent of the apartments (a total of five) as affordable housing, if the scheme gets the go ahead.

The application is for the erection of a four storey building comprising 15 self-contained permanent apartments, following demolition of the former Henderson Hotel at 1 Wimbourne Place, a site close to Blackpool Pleasure Beach Resort.

The Henderson Hotel was one of three adjoining hotels being offered for sale early in 2025 at £1.9m as part of a potential redevelopment project.

The site comprised three buildings – the Waldorf Hotel, the Kimberley Hotel and the Henderson Hotel – which required demolition before development takes place.

However, the current application involves the Henderson Hotel only, with no reference made to the other two properties.

🐀 Residents living close to a former civil service office which is being transformed into flats say they are suffering from an outbreak of rats.

And they fear the rodents are coming from Mexford House, the one-time DWP office where work on the site is still ongoing.

The site, on Mexford Avenue in North Shore, was home to the DWP civil service offices until its closure in 2009.

In June 2024, a planning application for the “use of premises as 120 self contained flats with associated parking, access, bike store and bin store” was approved by planners at Blackpool Council, with a number of conditions.

That large-scale project is still ongoing on behalf of the owners, the Manchester-based Mexford Group, and residents believe the more recent site clearance has disturbed the rats.

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Reform UK’s big Blackpool figure Mark Butcher hoping to take his seat at Blackpool Council

By Luke Beardsworth

A by-election will be held in Claremont after the death of Ivan Taylor - who was the UK’s longest serving councillor before his passing in July.

Cllr Taylor, who shared the ward with council leader Cllr Lynn Williams, died at age 86 after almost 60 years serving his community.

And while there is still over a week until candidates for the by-election are confirmed by Blackpool Council, it’s clear that Reform UK are going to campaign hard to take their fifth seat at the authority.

The election is expected to take place on Thursday, 1 October.

Mark Butcher, who twice lost to Labour’s Chris Webb in parliamentary contests for Blackpool South in 2024 but grew his vote significantly the second time round, is arguably Reform UK’s most recognisable face in Blackpool and will stand for Claremont ward.

He is known for his years at the head of the Amazing Graze Charity - the Bolton Street charity set up with the aim of helping the homeless and otherwise vulnerable in Blackpool.

When, in 2025, The Talbot was rechristened as the UK’s first ever Reform UK pub, it was Butcher who was smiling for the camera next to Nigel Farage as GB News and the Daily Mail visited.

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And the pull of Reform UK in Blackpool continues to be strong - in campaign images shared over the last week is Rick Scott. In 2025, Rick Scott was the Conservative candidate in Greenlands ward as they finished second to Jonathan Morgan representing Reform UK. Before that, he had stood as an independent in the Bispham by-election of 2024.

But while Butcher has twice been selected as a parliamentary candidate in Blackpool for Reform UK, and is chairman of the Blackpool & Fleetwood branch, he remains a divisive figure. How much of that is because Reform UK continue to be divisive as a party is not entirely clear.

The enmity between Butcher and Reform UK’s leader of Blackpool Council, Jim O’Neill, is not especially well-documented - neither is keen to criticise the other on the record - but it is common knowledge.

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The FREE Switch-On event isn’t so free after all.

Between £25,000 and £100,000 will be generated for Blackpool Council for the event this year after a £5 booking fee was implemented for the first time.

The charges have not been reported in any meaningful way elsewhere, but critics have said they change the vibe of an event that has always been free to attend. Time will tell if it succeeds in preventing no-shows.

Blackpool briefing

Blackpool Council leader Lynn Williams says she believes not having one of the “best-known places in the country” in the name of the new council for the town and its neighbouring districts is a “missed opportunity”.

The Labour politician said that she had wanted the new authority – which is on track to be christened Fylde Coast Council – to be called ‘Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre Council’, but had been unable to get the necessary agreement of the two other authorities in the arrangement.

“I wanted it to have a name that people could understand immediately,” Cllr Williams said.

“Blackpool is the economic and cultural centre of this part of Lancashire – [and] it’s also internationally recognised. But if you ask someone outside of Lancashire – and even some people within it – ‘Where’s the Fylde coast?’ they wouldn’t have a clue.

“[So] people aren’t going to know where Fylde Coast Council is – they’re just not. It’s a bit of a shame really.”

She added that she was hopeful “progress” could be made on the issue once the new authority was operating in fully-fledged form in 2028 and had the opportunity to re-name itself if its members can come to an agreed position.

In response, Karen Buckley, the Conservative leader of Fylde Council, said the ‘Fylde Coast Council’ name “aptly fits the geography of the area and is widely used already by residents, businesses, tourism bodies, health services and media”.

“It is recognisable and authentic – and we’re happy to stick with it,” Cllr Buckley added.

Meanwhile, Wyre Council’s Conservative leader Michael Vincent said he did not believe that ‘Blackpool Fylde and Wyre’ was “a better name than Fylde Coast Council”.

“If people don’t know where the Fylde coast is, then it’s up to the new council to put it on the map,” Cllr Vincent said.

💷 The owner of Poundland has declined to comment on reports that it has put the discount chain up for sale.

Gordon Brothers, an American-based investment firm, acquired Poundland in July 2025 for a token £1 and immediately closed 200 shops, leaving it with 600.

On the Fylde coast, it currently has branches in Bank Hey Street and Squires Gate. The chain’s Cleveleys store closed in March this year.

Although Poundland has been approached for a comment, it has not confirmed industry reports it is to auction off its 600 stores, including the two on the Fylde coast.

It currently employs around 12,000 people across the country.

The reports cast doubts about the future of the chain, despite the fact it appears to have enjoyed something of an upturn in trade in 2026.

🛎️ A long-established seafront hotel is to get a change of name after a new operator took over – and the re-launch will see a new Indian restaurant open as well.

The Harlands Hotel in Bispham is being rebranded as The Royal Bay Hotel, following an extensive revamp, and the former Kesariya Fusion restaurant in the hotel is to reopen under the Royal Bay banner.

The big changes will be ushered in on Friday August 28, when a Bollywood-style launch is being planned for the reopening of the restaurant.

The upgraded hotel is already up and running but will be given its new name on the same day.

The new man is charge is 34 year old Jay Chuttugulla, who has already set about revamping the upstairs and ground floor of the 23-bed hotel, at 298 Queens Promenade.

Indian-born Jay, who has a Masters degree in IT and hospitality management, spent time in the hospitality trade in Australia before heading to the UK and Blackpool.

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Blackpool Council forced to defend stealth charge on ‘free’ Switch-On tickets

By Michael Holmes

Tourism bosses in Blackpool have been accused of getting “greedy” after introducing a booking fee of up to £5 for “free” Switch-On tickets.

For the first time, those entering a ballot for the annual event have had to cough up a fiver within 24 hours - or face losing the tickets.

Town hall chiefs say they have been forced to act after no-shows in recent years - but have faced an avalanche of criticism on the official I Love Blackpool Facebook page.

One woman, Emma Lou, said she was “absolutely gutted” to miss out after being unable to afford the fee until pay day.

Jason Davies said he refused his ticket after finding out about the hidden cost.

And Paul Jackson said the “council got greedy”.

The booking fee has been introduced for two key reasons, a spokesperson for the council’s arm’s-length company Blackpool Tourism said.

“Firstly, to help cover the administration costs associated with the ticketing process, including the distribution of tickets and the redemption/entry process on the night of the event,” they said.

“Secondly, each year we see a drop-off of up to 30% between people accepting tickets and attending on the night.

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Today we report on the outcome of an appeal made by Blackpool Pier Company in response to Blackpool Council’s refusal to allow them to build new rides at the entrance.

You may remember that we first reported on this back in July - when Jamie was the only reporter who was present. That meant we were able to hear in real time the arguments from both parties.

Blackpool Pier Company said the rides would allow them to better fund repairs. The council said they aren’t spending the amount that is quoted on repairs in the first place.

The Blackpool Lead is award-winning, independently-produced journalism made in the area where you live. We want to keep doing what we do - but we need 50 more paying subscribers to be able to do so. A paid subscription can cost less than £1 per week and helps us pay reporters a fair rate and keep those in power in check. It is always original and never-ever produced by AI. We hope you can join today.

Blackpool briefing

🛎️ New plans for a luxurious hotel on Blackpool seafront has sparked renewed interest in another hotel project already granted planning permission – but still not built after two years.

On Friday ambitious proposals were announced for a stylish four/five star hotel, designed by noted architect Joseph Boniface, which was still going through the planning process. The hotel has been earmarked for a seafront site whose location has yet to be confirmed.

Meanwhile, another ambitious four-star hotel scheme for a £30m hotel on Blackpool Promenade was given the go-ahead by town hall planners back in April 2024.

At that time, the developers pledged to start work as soon as possible on the 143-bedroom hotel on a Promenade site previously occupied by the demolished St Chad’s Hotel.

The applicant was the Singapore-based hotel chain Fragrance Group, which owns some of Blackpool’s most prominent hotels, specifically The Imperial Hotel and the Lyndene Hotel.

Alistair Shepherd, representing the Fragrance Group, told the planning meeting in April 2024 that if the scheme was approved, work would begin on site straight away.

🎥 Proposals to use part of the former Odeon Cinema building in Blackpool as a storage facility have been lodged with planners.

The former Odeon multiplex on Rigby Road permanently closed on June 5, 2023, after its lease expired. However, in June this year more than half of the building was re-opened as a major entertainment complex by operator Tenpin.

The Tenpin site includes 24 state-of-the-art bowling lanes, an immersive 4D laser tag arena for high-energy group battles, Houdini’s escape rooms, private karaoke rooms, a games arcade, modern darts, a children’ play area and a bar with light bites.

In spite of this, there is still considerable space left in the other side of the building which currently lies vacant. The building’s owners, Preston-based developer Austringer Capital, which operates locally as AIM Land Ltd, have been advised by property agents that only two uses would be deemed appropriate to fill the premises – either cinema use or storage.

A planning application for a nine-screen cinema has also been submitted, as a separate proposal.

🍺 Blackpool is to get a vibrant, new Irish bar which is set take over the premises of the former resort mainstay Brannigans Bar.

The new venue, to be called Nelly Mulligans, is being launched at the Market Street site by the operators of Ma Kelly’s, who have established a string of popular outlets in the town. Brannigans Bar, which for many years was one of Blackpool’s busiest weekend venues, closed earlier this year.

Nelly Mulligans will be offering live music seven days a week, live screenings of all major sports, multiple giant screens, drinks offers and bar snacks. Andy Johnston, marketing manager for the project, said the new venue would be different from Blackpool’s existing Irish bars by being a predominantly live music venue, which will also screen major live sports events.

He said: “It’s a live music venue which will include single performers, live bands, Irish acts and commercial acts as well.

“We’ll be screening plenty of live sports and there’ll be lots of Irish drinks, including excellent Guinness, proper Irish Tayto crisps and some really good merchandise. This will be the place to go for an out-and-out good time in Blackpool.”

No opening date has been confirmed yet.

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Back to the drawing board for Blackpool Pier Company after appeal thrown out by government

By Jamie Lopez

The company responsible for South Pier has said it will consider how to refine its plans after a planning inspector agreed with Blackpool Council’s decision to refuse permission for new rides.

Blackpool Pier Company, which also owns Central Pier, wanted to operate a Star Flyer and Log Flume either side of South Pier for six months each year but was refused planning permission by the council.

In rejecting the applications, the local authority concluded the plans would harm the character and appearance of the area; constitute piecemeal development; harm the heritage assets of the pier and Blackpool Tower; and go against its own development plan for the Promenade.

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Following a three-day public hearing in Marton, government planning inspector Paul Freer agreed with the council’s decision and rejected an appeal.

In a statement shared with The Blackpool Lead, the company said it was disappointed with the decision but welcomed recognition of the financial challenges it faces in maintaining the historic structures.

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It’s feasible you’d never heard of ‘vertical drinking’ before this week. Actually, it’s feasible you’ve never heard of ‘vertical drinking’ before.

It essentially refers to standing up when you’re having a pint - something thought of generally as a very British thing.

And there’s nothing that gets outlets like GB News and The Sun out of newsy bed quite like suggesting something British is under threat. “Can we get the word woke into this headline?” you imagine they ask. Whether something is actually under threat is secondary.

So from that comes the reports over the last week that Blackpool Council is looking to BAN vertical drinking. Reader: it is not looking to do that.

For today’s edition, we unpick exactly what’s happened there because reading writing about Blackpool put together from London is never a good plan.

Blackpool briefing

🎞️ Part of the former Odeon Cinema building in Blackpool could return to its former use as a cinema under new proposals.

A scheme is being put forward which would see a nine-screen cinema complex operating from the west side of the huge Rigby Road premises.

The former Odeon multiplex on Rigby Road permanently closed on June 5, 2023, after its lease expired.
However, in June this year more than half of the building was re-opened as a major entertainments complex by operator Tenpin.

The Tenpin site includes 24 state-of-the-art bowling lanes, an immersive 4D laser tag arena for high-energy group battles, Houdini’s escape rooms, private karaoke rooms, a games arcade, modern darts, a children’ play area and a bar with light bites.

However, there is still considerable space left in the other side of the building which currently lies vacant.

📚 A Blackpool primary school has been given the green light to construct an external canopy and two metre high mesh fencing.

Westminster Primary Academy, on Westminster Road in North Shore, submitted a planning application to Blackpool Council seeking permission for the scheme.

The proposals were aimed at improving security in the school, particularly to support its special educational needs (SEND) provision.

The application was for a Lawful Development Certificate, which would mean the application would not require planning permission.

Blackpool Council’s Head of Development management said the proposals would come under ‘permitted development’, meaning that in this case the applicant would be able to build, expand, or change the use of a property without submitting a formal planning application.

Accordingly, the application was permitted.

🏠 Proposals have been made to use a semi-detached house in Blackpool as a residential home for up to two adults in receipt of care.

A planning application has been submitted to Blackpool Council for a Lawful Development Certificate for the scheme, at a property at 7 Sandon Place, South Shore.

A Lawful Development Certificate (LDC) is an official legal document from the council, confirming that a building use or development is lawful for planning purposes.

If granted, it proves that the specific work or use cannot face council enforcement action. The statement says the proposal does not materially alter the planning character of the existing dwellinghouse.

In particular, no physical alterations are proposed and the property will remain visually indistinguishable from neighbouring houses. There will be no commercial signage, no reception or administrative office and no members of the public will visit the property as part of its operation.

Staffing will comprise daytime support together with one overnight sleep-in worker, while vehicle movements will remain comparable to those associated with a typical family home.

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No, Blackpool is not about to ban ‘vertical drinking’ in pubs

By Michael Holmes

Hold on to your kiss-me-quick hats - because town hall bosses in Blackpool have promised not to ban so-called “vertical drinking”.

It comes after pint-sized panic was sparked by speculation in corners of the national press that standing up while enjoying a drink in the resort would be outlawed for locals and tourists alike.

Reports in The Sun and GB News had suggested - based on language used in licensing papers - that it will be bottoms down when it comes to bottoms up by the seaside.

Blackpool Council was branded a ‘woke council’ in those reports.

But the claims have been blasted as “misleading” by authority chiefs, who say they are simply trying to clean up Blackpool’s party hub image.

“Applications for premises whose predominant offer is vertical drinking are not encouraged,” the cited documents say.

“But if applications are made for such premises, it is expected that the operating schedule will demonstrate robust arrangements for promoting the licensing objectives.”

Speaking after London’s Westminster Council triggered widespread furore by consulting on a policy encouraging bar staff to put out tables and chairs in place of space to drink standing up, a spokesperson for Blackpool said discouraging predominantly vertical-drinking holes has been part of its policy for over a decade.

“It isn’t a ban on ‘vertical-drinking’ establishments and it also doesn’t mean people can’t order drinks at a bar or stand within premises,” they told The Blackpool Lead, however.

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The Metropole may be finished as an asylum hotel, but that doesn’t mean the auditors will leave Blackpool alone.

A transgender march of visibility and solidarity was held in Blackpool last week. And while there was a counter-protest alongside it, what that really means is an opportunity to verbally abuse a different minority in Blackpool.

This matters. Scepticism towards transgender rights have grown across the board since 2022.

All of which makes a statement like “they all need slaughtering” being given by a counter protestor - and police taking no action - especially hard to stomach.

We dig into the story of the march - and counter protest - for today’s edition.

Blackpool briefing

🩺 More than 140 members of managerial staff at Blackpool Victoria Hospital are facing demotion to a lower pay grade as part of emergency savings proposals.

Worried and unhappy employees say they morale is at an all-time low as cash-strapped Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust looks to make saving of around half a million pounds.

The Trust employs 6,000 personnel providing acute and community healthcare services across the Fylde Coast, Lancashire, and South Cumbria. The staff affected by the proposals, employees at Band 6-8 level, have been informed that a 30-day consultation period has been launched into the proposals, which is due to end on August 30.

It comes as Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is experiencing significant financial difficulties, as part of the wider NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB), which needs to make massive savings.

Some staff would see pay cuts by as much as £300 a month – up to £3,600 a year.

🏠 Blackpool Council is seeking a development partner for its ambitious - but controversial - regeneration project around Central Drive.

Backed by £90.4m of Homes England grant funding, the plan will see the demolition of up to 300 properties to be replaced by 230 ‘energy-efficient’ homes.

While most accept the area is in need of regeneration, campaigners feel they are being forced out of their home by the process.

Cllr Lynn Williams, leader of Blackpool Council, said: “People who live in central Blackpool deserve quality housing, nice neighbourhoods and green spaces where they want to raise their children.

“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for a developer to be part of Blackpool’s transformation story. We are looking for a development partner who shares our ambition to create high-quality homes, attractive public spaces and a thriving community that will improve the lives of local people for decades to come.

“Central Blackpool has enormous potential. This project is about far more than housing. It is about creating a sustainable neighbourhood, tackling long-standing challenges and providing the foundations for future growth and investment. The project doesn’t stand alone either. We are bringing new social housing, jobs and community facilities to the central Blackpool area already and are in the middle of a wider £2bn transformation of Blackpool as a place.

“We want to hear from organisations who have the vision, expertise and commitment to join us on this journey to make Blackpool better for the people who live here.”

🫣 Reform UK home affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf has been caught in a war of words on the former-Twitter with former Conservative defence secretary Ben Wallace.

Wallace, once MP for Lancaster and Wyre and Wyre and Preston North, criticised Reform UK’s pledge to deport foreign nationals from jails to countries such as El Salvador. In response, Yusuf called him a moron and a traitor.

It was beyond the pale for even Nigel Farage, who promised to give him a ‘ticking off’.

Andrew Snowden, Conservative MP for Fylde, told The Blackpool Lead: “Zia Yusuf, a former banker, calling Ben Wallace, a former Army officer who was mentioned in despatches for gallantry, a ‘moron, says far more about Reform’s leadership than it does about anything else.

“Reform tells people what they want to hear, without any credible plans to actually deliver. When challenged, its leaders resort to lashing out and trading insults rather than answering serious questions.”

📚 A disciplinary case against a now-former Blackpool teacher has ended with her being cleared of wrongdoing.

Clare Percival’s impending hearing was covered by The Gazette in June, though the accusation against her was not detailed.

At Percival’s request, the Teacher Regulation Agency has revealed that its professional conduct panel “did not find the case proved”.

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March marred by counter-protest calls for trans people to be slaughtered - and no action taken

By Luke Beardsworth

Protestors who marched in solidarity with the transgender community in Blackpool have expressed their shock that no action will be taken by police against a counter protestor who called for them to be slaughtered.

A march was held on Wednesday, 5 August, after the new rules were brought in which mean single-sex toilets, changing-rooms and hospital wards must be used based on a person’s birth sex rather than the gender by which they identify.

This followed the April 2025 Supreme Court ruling which confirmed that the legal definition of a man and a woman is made from their biological sex at birth.

But critics believe that the ruling, and new rules brought in by the UK government in response to the ruling, will create extra challenges for an already vulnerable community.

The march in Blackpool was broadly deemed to be successful by organisers but they were met by a counter protest which included the recording of the march, abuse being shouted, one person walking across the transgender flag brought to the comedy carpet by protestors, and another saying that transgender people should be ‘slaughtered’.

It was that remark that caused the most upset and, while Lancashire Constabulary investigated the incident, they concluded that no further action was necessary.

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Cllr Matthew Thomas, who represents Brunswick ward but also acts as LGBT community champion for Blackpool Council, says the failure to take action is dangerous.

He told The Blackpool Lead: “I can’t understand why the police have not taken action. I can’t see any logical reason behind it other than perhaps it has not been shared enough. If more people have seen it, there is potential the CPS realise they have made a mistake.

“But without a doubt, the language and the words used were a hate crime and incitement of violence towards a particular community. Unchecked, that could be incredibly dangerous.”

The protest was held with the aim primarily of being ‘visible’ but also highlighting the challenges the new rules will create for the transgender community. But it very quickly became apparent that it was not going to pass completely smoothly.

Cllr Thomas said: “Police were well aware there was going to be a counter protest. When I got there, there were already a few of these so-called auditors gathered around trying to get footage for their TikToks and their YouTubes. At that point, things were fairly calm.

“However, throughout the walk it was increasingly more intimidating. When a few more people that are well-known in those circles were there, they started weaving in and out of the march. That included Tom O’Keefe, who has a restraining order, putting himself right in front of Chris Webb [whom the order refers to] to start shouting at the march.

“These counter protestors weren’t representative of the people that were around in Blackpool. There were families that clapped and cheered when they saw the banner, so it was a shame that the counter protesters sought to intimidate in the way that they did.”

O’Keefe was arrested but later released with no action taken.

Things took a turn for the worse when the protest reached the Comedy Carpet.

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In 2017, residents were moved out of a care home as part of an ‘urgent decision’ to keep them safe.

That care home then reopened and, in 2020, it was told improvement was required. By 2025, it was placed in special measures.

Now inspected again, and under new management, we’ve looked into what inspectors found when they visited this time around.

Before you proceed, a little warning. The snippet at the top of the briefing section features an individual issuing a phrase that ranks among the worst things we have ever published.

We would typically not publish something like that, but the apparent decision by Lancashire Constabulary to take no action necessitates it.

Blackpool briefing

🚔 A peaceful pro-trans march took place on Wednesday in Blackpool, but were met with a counter protest led by far-right figure Ryan Ferguson.

Footage, taken from multiple vantage points, saw the transgender flag stepped on by Ferguson who was cheered on by a handful of counter protestors.

A 42-year-old counter protestor (not Ferguson) was arrested on suspicion of breaching a restraining order but has since been released without further action.

Reports of transphobic language being used were made to Lancashire Constabulary but no action has been taken.

Ferguson was recorded as saying: “A National Socialist government would not have allowed all this, And that is why that man, I won’t mention his name, that man many years ago was right. Because he’d have slaughtered all these and that’s what they need, they need slaughtering.”

🌹 Family, friends and Blackpool residents have paid respects to the late Cllr Ivan Taylor whose funeral was held on Friday.

The veteran Labour man, confirmed as Britain’s longest serving councillor, died early last month at the age of 86.

For 20 years, Ivan served alongside his wife Sylvia. Cllr Sylvia Taylor represented Claremont ward and was also Mayor of Blackpool in 2012-13. She died in 2021, aged 82.

Ivan’s funeral service was held at Blackpool’s Salvation Army Citadel, where a moving eulogy was given by his grandson Luke and the service was officiated by Major Richard Thompson, the Corps Officer.

Grandson Luke, who was particularly close to Ivan, invited those who wished to pay their respects at the services.

Blackpool Council has paid its respects to the councillor, who served on the council for six decades, most of it in the Claremont ward in North Shore.

And Blackpool South MP Chris Webb described as a man who “dedicated six decades of his life to serving the people of Blackpool.”

🎭 Blackpool is in with a brilliant chance of of being named the UK City of Culture 2029, says council leader Cllr Lynn Williams.

Cllr Williams was speaking just days before Blackpool’s bid for the accolade is sent off on Monday.

The council leader was in bullish mood about the resort’s chances, insisting that the town’s cultural significance is massive and should be celebrated.

Blackpool is one of nine places across the UK listed by the government’s Department of Culture, Media and Sport to be in the running for the prestigious accolade. Rivals include Middlesbrough, Wrexham and Ipswich.

Despite the name, it is not just for cities.

If successful, Blackpool would receive £10m from the government towards a year-long celebration of arts and culture, to be enjoyed by local people as well as increasing the tourism economy.

Fresh warning notices for care home after decade of trouble

By Michael Holmes

A troubled care home has been taken out of special measures - despite inspectors uncovering a string of dangerous issues.

Abode, in Moorland Road, Poulton, has been handed two fresh warning notices by the health watchdog the Care Quality Commission (CQC) a year after being given three and being found in breach of six regulations.

Bosses there continued to breach two regulations linked to safe care and treatment and good governance, and one in respect of dignity and respect, documents show.

A garden gate - used as an escape in case of a fire - had no key for the lock, while “sharp objects” were left in the garden and paint was left in a smoking area, “posing a fire risk”.

A broken and loose dead electrical wire was trapped in a fire door, leaving the door without an alarm and people at risk of getting in or out of the building unnoticed.

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Not all toilets had privacy locks, while some residents said it was not up to them when they got up or went to bed. Others said they were not always given a choice when it came to food or activities.

One said: “Having my meals made for me is lovely but the food is not that good. If you don’t want the meal available, soup is not always a good alternative at lunchtime because it’s another soup at night.”

Another added: “The food is very ordinary and choice is poor. It’s always the same if you don’t want the set meals: eggs some way or a toastie.”

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One of the very first stories we covered on The Blackpool Lead, back in 2024, was the death of Blackpool couple Joshua Pearson and Danielle Bamber.

Even the rapid arrival of emergency services was not enough to save the parents when a fire broke out at their home on Peter Street in July of that year.

Now, the fire service have told The Blackpool Lead that it was ‘highly likely’ to be a converted e-bike that started the fire.

We explore the issue of e-vehicle fires in depth for today’s edition.

Blackpool briefing

☕ A community café in the middle of Anchorsholme Park is to close permanently at the end of this month.

A notice has gone up in the window of the Brew Café which announced the forthcoming closure but states the café will continue to offer a window-only service for three days after the closure.

The Brew Café first launched in July 2020 when the revamped park was reopened after five years of closure due to an £80 million water project by United Utilities.

After operating a limited service due to Covid restrictions at that time, the café went on to become a recognised community hub and central point to the park.

🚐 A Blackpool councillor has called for a crackdown on the increasing number of camper vans parking up for free on a main seafront road.

Cllr Julie Sloman says on a recent weekend up to 17 vehicles were parked on the promenade side of Queens Promenade, across the road from the Norbreck Castle Hotel and nearby houses.

She says residents have complained that some of the occupants appear to be living there permanently and even more of them appear to be coming than previously.

Cllr Sloman is calling on Blackpool Council to begin levying charges like the one introduced by Lancashire County Council in St Annes and Lytham two years ago. She has also reiterated earlier calls to impose double yellow lines on the prom side.

🚍 Plans have been put forward to set up an enlarged traveller site in Blackpool’s Marton Moss area.

An application has been lodged with Blackpool Council planners for the proposals.

The applicants are seeking permission for use of land as a residential traveller site on land north of School Road and east of Midgeland Road, with four pitches, each with one static caravan or chalet, one touring caravan, one ancillary greenhouse structure, associated amenity space, car parking and shared access off School Road.

The area in question is considered the largest area of green space in Blackpool and is a semi-rural in character.

Although the land in question is currently in use as a traveller site, at present it is much smaller than that being proposed, which will include landscaping.

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Dodgy e-bikes and e-scooters leading to ‘the stuff of nightmares’ for families in Blackpool

By Michael Holmes

A nondescript e-scooter leans against a wall in a similarly nondescript hallway leading into a kitchen.

It is 9am on the dot.

Two seconds later, in less time than it has taken to read this far, the scooter releases a brief wisp of smoke and then explodes into flames.

Within 10 seconds, the only thing visible through the black smoke on nearby CCTV is a scooter-shaped fireball.

The video, released by the Government to warn about the volatile nature of lithium-ion batteries, shows how a perfectly safe home can become a death-trap within the blink of an eye.

It is the stuff of nightmares - but it has also been the horrific reality for a string of families in Blackpool.

Firefighters in the resort have been to seven e-bike fires in the past year alone.

One of them, in Redcar Road, North Shore, last month, killed 13-year-old Coby Keogh, and 19-year-old Joey Gregory.

Police said early on that they believe the blaze, on June 30, was sparked by an e-bike, with an investigation also involving trading standards under way.

After an e-bike fire claimed the lives of Josh Pearson, 28, and Danielle Bamber, 24, in Peter Street, on July 17 2024, an electrical fault on the battery was blamed.

The make and model of the bike remains unknown - it is believed to have been destroyed by flames - but it was “highly likely a converted e-bike”, fire chiefs told The Blackpool Lead.

In fact, while lithium-ion batteries found in e-bikes, as well as mobile phones and laptops, all pose a risk when charging, there is an important distinction between bikes bought from the likes of Halfords and those bought second-hand online or modified.

“In recent years, the number of fires caused by lithium batteries has rapidly increased,” the Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service said.

“In the last three years, over 70% of these incidents involved a charger.”

But the service added: “LFRS does not regularly attend e-bike incidents that have been supplied by reputable manufacturers/retailers.

“Most of our e-bike incidents involve converted e-bikes or second-hand e-bikes and/or batteries.”

While all e-bikes are technically legal, there are rules that users must follow to use them in public.

They must have pedals and have riders aged 14 or older, their motor must not exceed 250W and the electronic assistance must automatically switch off when the bike hits 15.5mph.

Using bikes with a more powerful motor, faster speeds or twist throttle that propels the bike without pedalling classes them as a motor vehicle and requires registration, a licence and insurance to ride in public.

Modifying e-bikes to become faster - or adding conversion kits to turn regular bikes into e-bikes - is also not illegal.

But there is a legal responsibility for work to be done safely, and there is a particular risk when people tamper with legitimate batteries or conversion kits to boost power output with the sole aim of making bikes go faster.

There are also concerns about grey market imports, which “usually” come from abroad and “do not offer the same safety protections as those sold through reputable sources”, a spokesperson for Lancashire Police said.

“The same risks of overheating exist.”

The force has now issued a “warning to anyone currently in possession of such e-machines not to charge these within the home, never to leave these unattended, only use equipment as per manufacturers’ guidance and be very careful to understand what is being purchased”.

It added: “Cheaper products are cheaper for a reason.”

The council’s public protection boss, Cllr Dave Flanagan, said: “Our trading standards team have been visiting and advising local businesses concerned in the sale or modification of e-bikes.

“During spot checks on seven premises, we have issued guidance and advice. One business was found to be modifying and advertising bikes illegally, and eight modified pedal bikes were seized.

“Each had been retrofitted with conversion kits and then listed for sale as an e-bike without proper manufacturer testing, putting both buyers and the business at risk should an incident occur.”

The bikes are not just being sold in brick-and-mortar shops.

It took less than a minute for The Blackpool Lead to see e-bikes capable of 30mph being sold locally on Facebook.

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When Blackpool Council announced that Silicon Sands would be home to a data centre, those of an environmental mindset likely raised at least one eyebrow in concern. Data centres consume a lot of energy and, done badly, they can impact a community significantly.

It was an acknowledgement of that which means that Blackpool Council has taken steps to ensure the first data centre at Silicon Sands is as energy efficient as possible.

But as vast parts of the UK sit in drought and wildfires have wrapped around Lancashire through the summer, it is important to scrutinise how energy efficient and green a data centre can actually be.

Climate change coverage has been remarkably light in the UK this year despite some of the issues we’ve faced and that’s not a healthy position to be in. You’ll see that The Blackpool Lead is the only title to hold those claims from Blackpool Council up to the light for inspection.

The answer is quite nuanced.

Blackpool briefing

🌹 Blackpool Council’s leader has released a statement addressing the scale of the authority’s debt.

The topic has been front of people’s minds - particularly in Fylde and Wyre - as the two debt-free lower tier authorities look set to merge with Blackpool’s £500m indebted unitary authority.

Cllr Lynn Williams said the debt is not automatically a bad thing and compared it to a business borrowing to invest - noting that the area has significant challenges and the investment has brought in jobs.

She wrote: “It is easy to compare balance sheets without comparing responsibilities.

“The truth is that Blackpool has chosen to tackle the difficult issues rather than simply manage decline. We’ve invested in regeneration, jobs, housing, tourism and public services because our residents deserve opportunity.”

🚔 A man has been charged with manslaughter after the death of a man in 2024.

Robert Kerr, 42, died in Blackpool in September of that year after attending A&E with significant injuries. Initial police investigation suggested that he had been the victim of an assault in the weeks prior to attending hospital.

Five men were arrested on suspicion of murder over the last two years.

One of those men - Andrew McElwee, 29 of Sutherland Road in Blackpool, has been charged with manslaughter and will appear at Lancaster Magistrates’ Court on 21 August.

Four men have been released with no further action.

🎢 The Big Dipper has remained closed for the last week after an incident where parts of the wooden structure appeared to snap.

Pleasure Beach Resorts has not commented extensively on the closure, only to confirm there was a safe evacuation of the ride and that an investigation into the incident would take place.

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Can Blackpool Council’s Silicon Sands data centre really be energy efficient?

By Luke Beardsworth

Blackpool Council is in the process of finalising procurement for the development of an ‘energy efficient’ data centre at the Silicon Sands development.

The council intends to award the contract to HOCHTIEF Data Centre Partner UK Ltd who they said submitted the most ‘advantageous tender’.

The deal would mean the investment, construction and running costs will be met entirely by the private sector, after previous work to prepare the Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone site by Blackpool Council and the Lancashire Combined County Authority.

The new data centre will form the first phase of Silicon Sands, a new business park designed to attract technology and digital companies to the area, creating new jobs for residents. 

But there are an estimated 500-565 data centres operating in the UK - making it the largest data centre market in Western Europe. Research shows that number is set to grow by almost 100 over the next five years as the growth and investment in artificial intelligence increases the need for processing power.

The government considers it to be critical national infrastructure but the National Energy System Operator (NESO) says that the growth of data centres is projected to add up to 71 TWh of electricity demand over the next 25 years. That’s enough energy to power 26.2 million homes for an entire year, or 200 billion miles of driving in an electric vehicle.

Blackpool Council is framing the data centre at Silicon Sands as an environmental win.

Cllr Mark Smith, cabinet member for Economy and Built Environment at Blackpool Council, said: “This is a huge step forward for the future of Blackpool and showing the UK that data centres can create jobs and also tackle the climate emergency.   

“Silicon Sands is a transformational opportunity not just for Blackpool, but for Lancashire as a whole. It has the potential to attract significant investment, create thousands of well-paid jobs and establish our region as a leader in sustainable digital infrastructure.   

“This project is about more than just data centres. We’re working with responsible suppliers to develop energy-efficient data centres that are also environmentally friendly by using renewable energy, innovative cooling technology and a district heat network to maximise energy use and reduce waste heat.   

“Blackpool is becoming a leader in green technology with Silicon Sands leading the way in making the entire data industry more environmentally friendly, all while creating skilled jobs for local people. It’s all part of our plan to make Blackpool better for the people who live here.” 

But the expert spoken to by The Blackpool Lead said that while the Silicon Sands data centre is taking all the steps it can to mitigate against environmental impact, the impact is unavoidable.

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Adrian Friday, who is a professor in Computing and Sustainability at Lancaster University, told The Blackpool Lead: “My understanding of the Blackpool project is that they’re trying to be as good as they can be.

“They’re using what’s called immersion cooling. You literally immerse the servers in a liquid which has a better heat transfer property. What that means is that you’re not just taking drinking water and evaporating it.

“The plan to connect it to a heat network means that they maybe don’t need boilers because they’ve got a heat exchanger to the network. So I think if they’re going to build a data centre anyway, they’re doing the right sort of things.”

Whenever you build technology, there is an environmental impact. But data centres have been a source of particular concern to anyone with one eye on the climate.

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