Hello and welcome to The Blackpool Lead.
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.