Plans to merge Blackpool with Fylde and Wyre, predictably, split the room and cut through party lines
Local government reorganisation plans announced for Blackpool (and everywhere else, in fairness) have divided opinion
Hello and welcome to The Blackpool Lead.
After more than a decade of debating and disagreements, the plan for the abolition of Blackpool Council has been set - and its coming in 2028.
Ahead of that, there will be shadow elections in May 2027 which will give the Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde public the chance to elect an entirely new council. They will work in collaboration ahead of the planned changeover.
Local government reorganisation has been controversial. Certainly more controversial in this round than in previous examples such as Cumbria and Somerset. Some support it and some don’t - but there seems to be a near universal agreement (looking at you, Snowden) that everyone needs to come together to make it work.
We pick through the reaction in today’s edition.
Blackpool briefing
🍴 Plans to create one of Blackpool’s most innovative food destinations are pressing ahead as 19 converted shipping containers were moved on site for the first time. The ambitious Southbeach Street Food project will give the resort the type of attraction which Blackpool residents would normally have to travel to outside the town to experience.
Now, in just a few weeks, it will be on their doorstep – and provide a key attraction for visitors too, in addition to creating 120 new jobs. With Blackpool bidding for the City of Culture in 2029, Southbeach Street Food is one of the new amenities which will help broaden the appeal of the town, introducing an element that would not look out of place in Liverpool or Manchester.
🎸 Speaking of City of Culture, a free gig celebrating David Bowie, along with Blackpool’s campaign, with be held later in July at Blackpool’s Opera House. The Hallé Orchestra, Jack Savoretti, the All-Star House Band featuring musicians from Britpop favourites, and Blackpool-born performers like Little Boots and Rae Morris will all perform.
The show will be hosted by Blackpool-born journalist John Robb and in association with Showtown - which is hosting the David Bowie: On Tour showcase. All artists will perform a cover of a David Bowie track on the evening. The gig is free and 2,500 tickets will be available through a public ballot that is now open.
🛎️ Plans to create additional rooms in the attic space of an un-named and apparently empty Blackpool hotel have been refused by planners. The proposals were lodged with Blackpool Council for alterations to a property at 36 Lonsdale Road in South Shore. Despite the proposals, the council’s principal planning officer noted that the property appeared to have been empty since 2020 and had seemingly not been used as a hotel since 2007.
Refusing the application, the planning office said it unclear what the current lawful use of the property was or what the proposed use of the property would be, from the information submitted. Due to insufficient information on the use, layout, operation and management of the proposal it was therefore not possible to come to a full and proper conclusion on the application.
Plans to merge Blackpool with Fylde and Wyre, predictably, split the room and cut through party lines
By Luke Beardsworth
Blackpool found itself in the odd position of the Conservative leader of the opposition backing Labour government plans while the Labour council leader condemned them.
Cllr Lynn Williams, the Labour leader at Blackpool Council, did not pull her punches when discussing the plans which will see Blackpool’s unitary authority merge with Fylde and Wyre’s lower tier authorities to create a new so-called super council.
Blackpool Council had previously put forward a preference which cut the borough of Wyre in half and included the Preston City Council area, although it was never considered one of the favourites for selection in political circles.
The four new unitary councils, replacing the 15 councils from before, are made up of North Lancashire (Lancaster, Preston, Ribble Valley) East Lancashire (Blackburn with Darwen, Hyndburn, Rossendale, Pendle and Burnley), South Lancashire (West Lancashire, South Ribble and Chorley) and West Lancashire (Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre).
Those names are not the finalised names for the new local authorities but rather working titles.
But while Cllr Williams spoke of being ‘disappointed’ that their proposal was not brought forward, while acknowledging it was the most difficult to do, the leader of the Conservative opposition chose a different approach.
It is not unusual to see Cllr Paul Galley disagree with Cllr Williams - it is unusual to see him agree with the Labour government, however.
He said in one of his now-trademark videos on Facebook: “There are great opportunities. I think we’re a natural border, we’ll be able to sort out things like out transport hubs, certainly things around tram lines, the railway line on the south Fylde, the harbour at Fleetwood needs to be brought back - so there’s a lot of things that we can do together.
“It is about focusing for what works best for the people of the Fylde Coast. There are great opportunities, although it will come with a lot of responsibility over the next few years on all the councillors to make it work.”
He continued: “There are great opportunities and that’s what we’ve got to focus on. I see a lot of positives if we get this right and that’s what our focus should be.”
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Fylde’s Conservative MP Andrew Snowden does not echo his party colleague’s enthusiasm for the plan.
