Blackpool Council's potential role in death of much-loved dad to be examined at inquest
PLUS: Is fracking about to be back on the table on the Fylde Coast?
Hello and welcome to The Blackpool Lead.
Today we provide an update on the death of a very well-liked Blackpool dad. Various parties have questioned whether Blackpool Council’s behaviour in attempting to purchase homes for the Multiversity project may have overstepped the mark.
Now we have been able to confirm that the inquest into his death - when it opens - will call on Blackpool Council to give evidence.
We also report on plans that, if Reform UK is elected in 2029, could see fracking return to Lancashire. Fracking was once extremely unpopular in Lancashire and all areas where it affected people - but public opinion may have shifted. Reform UK locally have reiterated their stance that they do not support it in Fylde.
By Luke Beardsworth
Blackpool Council will be called upon to give evidence at an inquest which will examine the death of a much-loved dad.
Alistair Taylor, a barber with his own shop on Topping Street, was found dead at his Milbourne Street home in October 2024. His death was not treated as suspicious and the matter was handed to the coroners service.
The Blackpool Lead reported on a pre-inquest review in February this year where senior coroner Alan Wilson explained he is considering a request from Alistair’s family to look at evidence of his dealings with the council in relation to the sale of his home and the closure of his barbershop at Abingdon Street Market.
His home is among those which will be demolished to make way for the Multiversity development which is seen by the council as a key element of Blackpool’s transformation.
Alistair had been among those who objected to the plan, but later withdrew that objection when he agreed a sale. His wife Donna told the hearing that the purchase of a new home had stalled around the time of his death. This, she said, had been due to Blackpool Council failing to provide information relating to the purchase of the Milbourne Street property.
The Blackpool Lead has now learned that requests from Alistair’s family for Blackpool Council to be called to give evidence have been granted.
Paul Taylor, Alistair’s father, said that promises were made and taken away during the sale process.
He said at the hearing in February: “He got so sick and tired he just agreed to it and said ‘I need to get out’. The sale was agreed in late August but he had difficulties with the estate agent of the property he wanted to buy because he couldn’t get confirmation from the council about the property he was selling to convince them.”
Mr Wilson, senior coroner for Blackpool, had said that it is unusual for investigations to consider evidence more than the immediate time before a death and requested more information from Blackpool Council.
Earlier this year, we reported how property consultancy Gateley Hamer wrote to Blackpool Council in May 2024 objecting to the plans to acquire Alistair Taylor’s home at Milbourne Street.
They said the council’s approach to acquiring properties had become ‘insidious’ and risked infringing on the family’s human rights, although Blackpool Council denied this
The Blackpool Lead approached Blackpool Council for a new statement given they will now be giving evidence at the inquest but they did not respond.
A spokesperson for Blackpool Council said previously: “This is a desperately sad situation and the family have our deepest sympathies. However, it would be wrong to speculate on the matter until the inquest is concluded.”
🚗 A Blackpool carer and his neighbours have been left outraged after the council told them work being carried out on their street meant they weren't allowed to park in front of their homes 'without notice'. Neil Raine, 44, said that the issue has caused 'real frustration' for residents of Lynn Grove - an area just minutes away from Blackpool Promenade, which sees an influx of visitors parking up during the summer months. Full story here.
🎨 London-born interior design expert Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen has revealed his passion for Blackpool, saying that most southerners don't really understand the Lancashire town's cheeky appeal. "I always feel rather sorry for the poor mealy-mouthed, magnolia-shaded Farrow and Ball-obsessed south because they never really will get that," he told The Guardian. For more paint metaphors, read here.
🚔 A new investigation into black cab rapist John Worboys is under way over an alleged sex attack in the 1990s, police have said. Lancashire Police has confirmed it is investigating an alleged rape more than 25 years ago in Blackpool, when Worboys worked as a stripper. Full story from the BBC here.
‘Fracking is unsafe, unwanted, and expensive’
By Luke Beardsworth
Reform UK’s plans to row back on a fracking ban would set the national party against local campaigners.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to The Blackpool Lead to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.