Residents' despair as once booming Blackpool struggles amid hope for crucial by-election

Blackpool South will soon be in the political spotlight with a by-election on May 2 to replace shamed former Tory MP Scott Benton

Blackpool, the seaside town known for its bright lights, could soon be the centre of attention for a different reason.

The town’s South district is gearing up for a by-election on May 2nd to replace Scott Benton, a former Tory MP, who stepped down after being caught trying to influence ministers for gambling investors.

But there’s more to Blackpool than just politics. It’s a place that shows the struggles faced by coastal towns and the challenges of ‘levelling up’. Blackpool, with its long sandy beaches, funfair and theatres full of top entertainers, has been one of the best places for a good time in the North of England since the late 1800s.

However, things have changed over the years. As people started going abroad for their holidays, Blackpool was left with lots of old terraced houses and growing social issues.

Lots of people still visit every year for a bit of seaside fun – including a whopping 20million in 2023. But sadly, just a few streets away, some of the country’s poorest people live, reports the Manchester Evening News.

In 2019, Blackpool was home to eight of the ten most deprived neighbourhoods in the country and 12 of the top 20. People living there earn less than anywhere else in the UK, and it has the highest number of drug-related deaths.

Scott Benton, a local representative, told the Commons last month that parts of his area are among the top 0.1% of most deprived communities in the country. He compared the low life expectancy to that of sub-Saharan Africa, blaming poor housing for the town’s issues.

In the heart of Blackpool, 18-year-old bartender Edison Steel shared his thoughts on the town’s current state. He said: “I’m definitely leaving this year. I’ve got a one-bed flat and the rent is ridiculous for what it is, just tiny, and cramped. And there’s just no opportunities here compared to the other cities, even in the North.”

However, 78-year-old Herbert Chatters, who moved to Blackpool, praised the efforts of local leaders. He said: “And it has got problems, there’s no question about it. And I do say that the selection of MPs that we have at the moment is attacking this in a robust and also human manner. So I applaud what they’re doing and I think people should support them.”

Soon, there’s going to be a big vote in Blackpool South on May 2. Chris Webb from Labour might win the seat which his party hasn’t had for long.

The Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, and his Conservative party are worried because they don’t have someone to take over after Scott Benton left.

Reform UK is getting stronger and will show everyone their new person, Mark Butcher, who helps charities. Andrew Cregan is also running for the Liberal Democrats.

Chris Webb, who used to work for the late Rochdale MP Sir Tony Lloyd, says that if Labour were in charge, they would pay more attention to places outside of Blackpool’s town centre. He said: “The residents here have a fighting spirit. They always have. Blackpool has adapted over the decades and it’s always modernised.”

“And we see that with record numbers of visitors. We’ve got 20 million visitors in the last year that have come to Blackpool. That is a huge endorsement of what we’re doing.”

“But the potential that Blackpool has going forward, that’s something that I’ll be championing to try and get not just public money but private money to invest into Blackpool. We can shape into a resort where we’re winning the awards every year for the best budget value holiday, we’ve got a hotel that was awarded one of the best in Europe.”

“We have the staples, we’ve got the new conference center, we are booming. But we just need a little more help from the government.”

Blackpool could really use some help to get better, which is what Boris Johnson promised when he wanted to win votes from Northern towns in the 2019 General Election. And the Conservative government says they’ve been helping, with Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove announcing £90m in new funding to fix up bad housing in the poorest parts of Blackpool.

Lynn Williams, the Labour leader of Blackpool Council, is excited about big changes in her town like Showtown, a new university and lots of new jobs when civil servants come to work near the train station.

She says: “Obviously we have challenges in Blackpool and as leader of the council, this is my hometown, and the council’s priority, all of the regeneration work, it’s for our people.”

“It’s about creating better jobs and opportunities and the housing, housing, housing. We know that a lot of those health inequalities, addiction, domestic abuse, poor educational attainment is linked with poor housing.”

“And that has been our absolute obsession over the last 10 years, which resulted in the announcement the Secretary of State made of £90 million.”

“Most importantly that’s a recognition from central government that they’re going to work with us to resolve this issue because it is so important.”

She adds: “Blackpool council has been working on this housing obsession for a lot longer than Mr Benton has been in town.”

“This has been a journey for over 10 years because it is misery for our families and our residents who are living in that poor quality accommodation. It is fundamental to the regeneration of this town, is housing, housing, housing.”