26 BLACKPOOL & FYLDE
Continued from Page 25
A £21m investment in the town’s leisure sector, the impressive multiplex features one of the largest IMAX screens in the North. John has worked closely with the council to create what he describes as a unique “multimedia centre”.
He says there is local pride in the town but identifies housing as a major problem. He adds: “The council’s doing a great job in transportation, in industry, in education, in linking all this up, but quite frankly the housing through Blackpool is a disgrace.”
However, he also believes there is an opportunity, through regeneration, to create “potentially great neighbourhoods” pointing to the work being done in other communities including Birkenhead.
Michael Dugdale, managing director of Trident Utilities, believes better housing is vital when it comes to attracting businesses into the area and stopping talent from leaving.
Bloomfield Road, in the shadow of the Blackpool Tower, has been home of the town’s football club since 1901. It is playing its part in the regeneration of the town’s more deprived areas.
The club is spearheading a plan to create Revoe Sports Village, a community facility with all-weather pitches next to the stadium, with the help of £6.5m of Blackpool’s Town Deal cash.
Martin Booker, the football club’s commercial manager, says: “The aim is to benefit people in the area to get active and healthy.
“It is making good progress. We’ve just completed a tender phase on the land, which is quite a large site. We’re hoping to start work on the development by the end of the year with a view to completing in late 2025.”
Further investment is planned in the area, including a £20m project to improve the stadium. Maring says: “It will be a fantastic development, and again there will be facilities for the community to use.”
Multi-million pound developments are being delivered but attracting investment into the area remains difficult, says Rob Green, head of enterprise zones.
He says the previous government put “a lot of money and faith in this area” but adds: “We can’t ask people to come and invest here if we’re not doing it ourselves. That’s one of the reasons why the council has been very proactive in supporting developments like Backlot.
“We will take out some of that risk, we will provide funding when it’s not always available.
“We’ve seen that in the investments in the new Holiday Inn and the Marco Pierre White restaurant. We’re now seeing the success of that because it is bringing in more private investment and the momentum is building.
“It takes a long time to change perceptions, we are seeing a shift in that. There is a much more positive perception.”
Chris Brown Sarah Hall
The Talbot Gateway development area
MEETING THE BIG SKILLS CHALLENGE
Chris Brown is clear what’s the biggest issue facing businesses on the Fylde coast. “We hear if from every single business,” says Chris, managing director of accountants Brown & Co. “Their biggest challenge is recruitment.”
Part of the problem, in his eyes, is a lack of knowledge among local people about the employment and career opportunities available to them on their doorstep.
He adds: “It is about getting the message out there and working a lot more closely with schools and colleges to show that we are home to some cracking businesses and there are opportunities locally.”
Ensuring the right skills exist locally to meet the demands of employers and the Fylde coast’s economy is another part of the picture. It is also an important component of the work to tackle deprivation.
Sarah Hall, director of business development at Blackpool and The Fylde College, says it works closely with employees to ensure those needs are being met, not just today but in the years to come.
She welcomes the investment in the town’s proposed Multiversity, a new £65m state of the art education campus which will be occupied by the college and the role it is set to play.
Sarah says: “Good education can transform people’s lives. It is ensuring that people in the local community can get the education that they need to improve their prospects, which in turn will support businesses.
“All the investment that’s come into Blackpool is going to create jobs. We want to ensure those jobs go to our local residents,
“When it comes to young people and apprenticeships, we want as many businesses as possible take them on.
“Our challenge is to get these people work ready, so that employers do want them.”
Laurence Hancock is chief executive of The Boathouse Youth, a charity that works to transform young people’s lives on the Fylde coast. He says attitudes to work are very different in 2024 compared to even a decade ago.
And he adds: “I wonder if some of the challenges around recruitment are about creating conditions where young people can thrive in a workplace.”
When it comes to Blackpool’s housing situation he says: “We need to shift the language a little bit. The challenges people are experiencing are not exclusively linked to their houses and actually just moving them into a better-quality home isn’t going to solve every single one of
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