Blackpool South by-election candidates debate town's future

The Blackpool South constituency, which takes in much of the town's centre, is one of the poorest areas of the country

The people of Blackpool South will head to the polls next Thursday to elect a new Member of Parliament.

The Westminster by-election on 2 May has been triggered by the resignation of former Conservative MP Scott Benton.

He was suspended by the Tories last year after telling journalists, posing as gambling industry investors, that he could lobby ministers.

Nine candidates are vying to replace him in the House of Commons.

The five representing parties which already have parliamentary representation have taken part in a special debate which will be broadcast on BBC Radio Lancashire and BBC Sounds from 10:00 BST on Thursday.

Mr Benton was elected in December 2019 with a slim majority of 3,690 over Labour, for whom Gordon Marsden had held the seat since 1997.

An investigation which followed The Times sting concluded Mr Benton had caused "significant damage" to Parliament's reputation and he announced his resignation as an MP last month.

BBC Radio Lancashire has spoken with all nine candidates to get a sense of what they'd do for the town if elected.

They are listed below, alphabetically, by surname.

Stephen Black (Independent)

Stephen Black

Mr Black says there "needs to be a complete system change" and that "the established political parties are stuck in the mud".

"We've got to look at where the money's going. The money's going, really, offshore. Let's keep our money local through local banks," he said.

Mark Butcher (Reform UK)

Mark Butcher

Local charity worker Mr Butcher, who founded the Amazing Grace foodbank, says people in Blackpool South "are fed up of the mess that we're in".

He said both Labour and the Tories were responsible for the "neglect" of the town in recent decades..

"We need to look after our own first," he said.

"We've got a four-star hotel in Blackpool that's full of people that don't come from here and then there's many homeless people that don't get looked after."

Andrew Cregan (Liberal Democrats)

Andrew Cregan

Mr Cregan, whose family run a B&B in the Foxhall Village neighbourhood, says both the Labour and Conservative parties are to blame for the town's decline.

"I'm tired of seeing my family, my community and my hometown being let down by a lazy Labour-run council and by this appalling Conservative government in Westminster," he said.

Howling Laud Hope (Official Monster Raving Loony Party)

Howling Laud Hope

Perennial by-election candidate Howling Laud Hope, standing in his 34th Westminster election, says Blackpool is looking "dated, a bit scruffy in places".

Proposing a revitalisation of the town, he said: "We [should] sell Blackpool to Walt Disney" and pledged to reopen Blackpool Airport and rename it as Stanley Matthews Airport.

David Jones (Conservative)

David Jones

Mr Jones points to government investment in Blackpool.

"Through the Conservative government," he said, "We've had £110m of Levelling Up money come into Blackpool South. I'll make sure that every penny of that money goes towards helping people understand the benefits of Levelling Up, so that they can start to look for better, higher-paid jobs with the investment it brings."

He acknowledged people in the town were "feeling left behind" but blamed the local Labour-run council.

Kim Knight (Alliance for Freedom and Democracy)

Kim Knight

Ms Knight says she wants "derelict" properties in the town to be "repurposed".

"I'd like to see investment in the people who have made Blackpool their home, such as those who work in the guesthouses", Ms Knight said, adding that "there are a lot of people here who are trapped into Universal Credit who cannot work because they can't afford to come off it".

Damon Sharp (New Open Non-Political Organised Leadership [NON-POL] Party

Damon Sharp

Mr Sharp says novel ways are needed to fund improved infrastructure in Blackpool.

"We'd look at maybe making public transport free for the residents and maybe looking at putting a charge on anybody coming from outside of Blackpool who's not a resident," he said. "We might look to take the money that comes from that to redevelop [the town]."

Ben Thomas (Green Party)

Ben Thomas

Mr Thomas says a lack of infrastructure to help people get around Blackpool is a stumbling block to opportunities.

"The infrastructure we have right now, especially around public transport just isn't good enough," he said, "My partner drives to work now and it takes her 10 minutes, but she used to get the bus and it'd take an hour. It's things like that which are stopping employability options for people in the town."

Chris Webb (Labour)

Chris Webb

Despite the government's Levelling Up policies aimed at communities like Blackpool South, Mr Webb says "people still feel worse off than five years ago".

He added: "There's a £500 wage gap compared to the South [of England] and Levelling Up funds have gone on buildings, not people. We need to rejuvenate the high streets to create those well-paid jobs because we so desperately need them in Blackpool".