Hello and welcome to The Blackpool Lead.
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).
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.
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.”