Blackpool regen body restructures

THE regeneration body set up to replace ReBlackpool two and-a-half years ago is itself set to be restructured, with many of its functions being taken in-house by the council.

Blackpool, Fylde & Wyre Economic Development Company is to be restructured with secretarial services for its board brought into Blackpool Council. The organisation’s chief executive, Damien Bourke, also left the body earlier this month to take up a new role as head of strategic development and investment at Tameside Council.

Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre Economic Development Company had started life in 2010 with a reported revenue budget of around £2m and a complement of 40 staff, but this has since been reduced to around 11 as funding sources from external organisations have dried up.

A report due before Blackpool Council tonight by the council’s cabinet member for regeneration Cllr Gary Coleman, states that a restructuring of the organisation “in order to make it more cost-effective” was ongoing.

It also said that it planned to strengthen the board “with additional private sector representation during the summer” – following a similar model adopted by most of the region’s Local Enterprise Partnership boards.

Meanwhile, the council is also looking to form a “Town Team” with retailers and landlords, including the Catalyst Capital/Blackstone team which took over the Houndshill Shopping Centre in an £85m deal last year.

Cllr Coleman’s report said that the team “would not seek to replicate the work of the existing Town Centre Business Improvement District company, but would aim to take a more strategic view of town centre initiatives” – such as tackling the issues emanating from the recent Portas Review of Britain’s high streets.

A consortium of six tourism businesses including Merlin Entertainments, Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Crown Leisure, Blackpool Transport and Blackpool Zoo is to bid for up to £1m of skills funding that would help to create a “Tourism Academy” providing 40 apprenticeships a year within the visitor economy.

The bid will be submitted with in partnership with the council and Blackpool and the Fylde College to the new Employer Ownership of Skills fund set up by the government.