Blackpool Council has today announced proposals to achieve £5.5 million of savings in the next financial year, 2018/19, due to Government funding cuts.



Cllr Simon Blackburn, Leader of Blackpool Council, said: “This year we have tried to protect front line services, as much as we possibly can, by looking at new and creative ways of saving money and generating income. However, the difficult reality is that the budget proposals may result in a maximum of 50 redundancies with an additional 20 contract posts ending - although we expect the final figure to be lower. In addition, all employees will be asked once again to volunteer to take unpaid leave which will save approximately a million pounds a year.

“This is nowhere near as many posts as have been lost in previous years, but that is no consolation to the hard-working staff that will be affected. The fact that we are in such a relatively strong financial position, compared to other councils, is that we took difficult decisions early on, and have invested heavily and boldly in the town.

“It is vital that we remain forward thinking in this challenging environment. As a council we have the ability to borrow money at a lower interest rate than others. We need to take this opportunity and use it to our advantage, both to invest in key infrastructure and help businesses in the town to expand whilst guaranteeing the council an income in future years.

“The only way that we can survive and create a town that is great to live and work in is by being entrepreneurial; investing in our infrastructure, people and businesses to generate our own income, instead of relying on reduced Government grants.

“Look around our town and you will see big changes happening and it’s all about ‘making Blackpool Better’ for all our residents, businesses, shoppers and visitors.

“Numerous big construction projects are underway that are giving people work, creating new jobs for locals and helping revitalise the town and drive forward our economy. We have also worked hard to secure additional funding from both the Government and other bodies to deliver significant positive infrastructure transformation.

“Exciting projects include the extension of the tramway from North Pier to Blackpool North Station (the vast majority of which is being paid for by the Government), upgrading roads and creating modern streets, building a new 21st century conference centre and extending Houndshill Shopping Centre. These are just some of the huge investments that will transform Blackpool into a town that we can be proud of and help it thrive. Temporary inconvenience whilst multi million pound investments are taking place is unavoidable.

“Votes of confidence in the future of Blackpool can also be seen in the construction of the £20m 131 room Hampton by Hilton complex near to the Pleasure Beach and the multi-million pound Sands Hotel, both private investment schemes.

“All of these projects are not only safeguarding and generating jobs, new builds such as the Winter Garden conference centre promise to create additional year-round employment opportunities across the town. Enhanced levels of skills will also be delivered through flagship developments such as the Lancashire Energy Headquarters which opened in the Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone and offers a high standard training facility, providing a full range of technical and professional education.

“Investing now is absolutely vital to create jobs, boost visitor numbers, drive the economy forward, and secure income for future generations. Those who would refuse to carry out essential bridge repairs, highways improvements, public transport improvements and making sound financial investments in Blackpool businesses are not only short sighted, but are condemning the town to a downward spiral that would ultimately end in failure.”