Blackpool Council submits reorganisation plan to government
Blackpool will support a model that sees four councils delivering services across Lancashire.
Blackpool Council has today released details of the business case it will submit as part of local government reorganisation – and it impacts on the whole of the Fylde coast.
Blackpool will support a model that sees four councils delivering services across Lancashire.
In the proposal, the areas of Blackpool, Fylde and Preston councils would combine along with the western half of Wyre borough up to the River Wyre.
The proposed new council would deliver services across the Fylde coast, as well as out to Preston. This would reflect the way many people on the Fylde coast live their lives with families and workplaces.
It also follows the physical geography of the River Wyre and River Ribble, the natural transport networks of the Blackpool tramway and the north and south Fylde train lines, as well as the A583, A584 and A585.
The council’s Executive is recommended to submit the proposal and business case to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government by 28 November.
What Blackpool Council says
Cllr Lynn Williams, Leader of Blackpool Council, said: “We’d rather be left alone to deliver services in Blackpool, however burying our heads in the sand won’t make local government reorganisation go away.
“We’ve had to be practical and suggest what we think will be the best solution for people in Blackpool and across the Fylde coast.
“It would be inefficient to create a council that delivers services from Lytham to Lancaster and everywhere in between – when that isn’t how people live their lives.
“This proposal creates a place on the Fylde coast and western Lancashire where everybody has a stake, from coastal Blackpool out to the more suburban towns and villages and across to the city of Preston.
“A lot of our economy works in this way already. People might live in Poulton but work in Blackpool, or work in Preston and have family in Kirkham or St Annes. It also means that services and monies can stay relatively local to strengthen our area collectively, including our transport routes.
“We’ve taken on board the comments from the recent survey, where people are scared that they could lose their voice in a council that is too big, and that they want to retain councils that understand the communities and identities of their local area.”
Blackpool Council, alongside Blackburn with Darwen Council, is a unitary authority, meaning that it currently delivers all council services within the town, from waste collections, leisure and housing, up to social care, education and roads.
Across the rest of Lancashire, two-tier authorities deliver services, where district councils like Wyre and Fylde empty bins and look after parks but Lancashire County Council is in charge of social care and highways. In these areas, people pay council tax to both authorities.
The government’s plan for local government reorganisation would see all 15 councils across Lancashire abolished and replaced with unitary authorities that would deliver all services.
Amongst the other areas in the proposal, this would create a rural Lancashire council around the Trough of Bowland, incorporating Lancaster, the north of Ribble Valley and Wyre borough east of the River Wyre.
Cllr Williams added: “Our proposal looks at Lancashire as a whole, and what is best for all of its communities. Rural villages like Bentham and Carnforth have little connection to places like Blackpool or Preston.
“Creating a council for the Trough of Bowland will allow rural communities and businesses to have their voice heard properly and allow Lancaster to better engage with south Cumbria, where their economies are more closely aligned.”
A further authority would be based in Lancashire’s manufacturing heartland, incorporating Blackburn with Darwen, Hyndburn, Rossendale, Burnley, Pendle and the south of the Ribble Valley.
“Pennine Lancashire, the heart of Lancashire’s historic mill towns, is now a manufacturing powerhouse,” Cllr Williams continues, “where business growth is high and housing costs are low.”
It would also create a single authority for market towns Ormskirk, Leyland and Chorley by combining West Lancashire, South Ribble and Chorley councils.
Propsals best for Lancashire too
Cllr Williams adds: “Lancashire’s traditional market towns can grow around Edge Hill University, BAE Systems and the National Cyber Force at Samlesbury, allowing them to also cement roots to grow by close association with Greater Manchester and Merseyside.
“Ours is a proposal that works for all of Lancashire – we have not just focussed on our own area, as many of the other proposals have. It means that our Combined County Authority would be led by four strong authorities where growth across the county can benefit all areas. Disparate voices will be heard at a strategic level, cities, towns, coastal, rural, urban, big business and small, farms and factories.
“This system allows everybody to better control skills too, with quality higher education establishments in each of the four councils.
“And for people, they can identify with places where they live and work, so that everybody can benefit from a stronger Lancashire.
“Reorganisation and devolution are about taking a long view, thinking about the future and what we want to deliver for our communities.
“My singular focus, as always, is how we can build a stronger Blackpool. I believe that a stronger Lancashire helps us improve the lives of our residents and grow our economy.
“Our plan can help improve connectivity for Blackpool and across Lancashire, improving access to work and education, create new jobs and build a better future for our children.”
The government is expected to lead a public consultation on the proposals early next year with a preferred option selected in summer 2026.
If approved, elections for shadow authorities could take place in May 2027, with the new councils taking over all services from 1 April 2028.