Tackling Blackpool 'deprivation' targeted in £1bn plan

Director Baroness Jo Valentine said she wants to change negative perceptions of the resort

A plan to tackle deprivation, improve health and boost Blackpool's economy by £1bn by 2030 has been unveiled.

Blackpool Pride of Place Partnership aims to create 3,000 quality homes, 10,000 jobs and encourage investment.

Director Baroness Jo Valentine who is leading the project said she wanted to change negative perceptions of the resort which has one of the UK's lowest life expectancy.

She said it also aims to clean up the "slum" area beyond the promenade.

The partnership hopes to secure government funding in a second "town deal" after Grimsby was given £67m in the first town deal in July.

It would be used to support plans to:

• Create 3,000 new quality homes to tackle deprivation in inner Blackpool

• Improve employment rates of 16-25-year-olds - focusing on health, wellbeing and work readiness particularly with secondary schools

• Transform national perceptions so Blackpool is seen as a destination for business investment

Baroness Jo Valentine said she cannot pretend the resort has not got problems beyond the promenade

The partnership is made up of local businesses like Merlin Entertainment, which runs Blackpool Tower, the town's council and other public bodies and voluntary groups.

'Kick-start developments'

Baroness Valentine said improvements had been made to the promenade in recent years and five new hotels and a conference centre in the Winter Gardens were being built.

"[But] we can't pretend there aren't problems when you go back from the promenade but... we are doing something about it," she said.

"We are having a conversation with the government about how we actually get to a position by 2030 where it is not as bad as it is now.

"It is not what you could call a slum in the inner area."

Blackpool Council leader Simon Blackburn, said it aims to "help make Blackpool the great place it deserves to be".

He said there were "challenges in our town" but "our ambition is to kick-start new developments and partnerships to provide more opportunities for people and build on the town's strong position as a quality tourism destination."

A report by the Social Market Foundation published last year found Blackpool is the second worst in the UK for health.