Fylde coast regen body slimmed but surviving
THE body set up to carry out the work of former regeneration company ReBlackpool has survived the culls experienced elsewhere in the region but will operate on a reduced basis.
A spokeswoman Blackpool, Fylde & Wyre Economic Development Council said that there were currently ten people working in the organisation, which will soon reduce to nine. This compares with a reported 40 in May last year and 20 last summer.
Like other regeneration bodies in the region including the now defunct Preston Vision and the Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company, Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre EDC relied on the North West Regional Development Agency for a significant chunk of its funding.
The remainder of its revenues came from a variety of other public sources including the European Regional Development Fund, Blackpool Council and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
“We are currently going through a restructure and have been aware of the NWDA’s funding position or some time and have planned accordingly,” said a spokeswoman.
She added that the organisation’s role as an economic development organisation was now “to provide strategy for the economic growth of the whole of the Fylde Coast”.
It no longer holds responsibility for overseeing housing and physical regeneration projects in the area, but will contiue to focus on “inward investment, strategies for economic growth, bring development sites together and liaising with the private sector to encourage and facilitate investment and growth”.
The spokeswoman was not able to confirm what level of budget the organisation would be able to command in the future. During its last financial year, Blackpool, Fylde & Wyre EDC had a revenue budget of £2m and was responsible for a capital programme of around £13m.
