Bank of England deputy discusses Blackpool's opportunities and challenges

Bank of England deputy governor Clare Lombardelli heard about the opportunities and challenges in Blackpool when she met a top delegation in the town.

The community forum discussion was arranged in partnership with Blackpool-based Social Enterprise Solutions CIC.

It was attended by more than 20 delegates from private sector organisations like accountancy firm Danbro and Coastal Radio DAB, alongside Business In The Community, a top team from Blackpool Council, Public Health, the Bank of England’s North West agent Ken Clark and staff from the Office for National Statistics.

They met in the £100m Department for Work and Pensions offices, opened in 2025, which forms part of the wider town centre regeneration scheme known as the Talbot Gateway.

The wide-ranging and insightful discussion covered business confidence, challenges in attracting finance to fund new developments and issues in the labour market.

The pride and passion among the delegates in Blackpool, its history and its future was evident and there were calls for more studies to consider the social value that the town creates over and above its gross domestic product to better show the work of the non-profit sector in the resort.

 While the health and social issues locally are widely reported, those present were keen to balance the narrative as Blackpool is one of the world’s most visited destinations.

The resort welcomes 21 million people every year to see attractions including the iconic Blackpool Tower and its famous ballroom, one of the world’s best theme parks, Pleasure Beach Resort, the 130-year-old Frank Matcham-designed Grand Theatre, three piers and award-winning parks.

And Blackpool has ambitious business plans for the future in developing the Silicon Sands programme, using renewable energy to power immersion-cooled data centres with the excess heat then being repurposed.

Clare Lombardelli said: “It is important that the Bank of England understands how the economy is working in different parts of the country and it was helpful to hear about issues such as how the local labour market is performing and business investment.

“Our community forums also convene stakeholders to discuss a broader set of issues where they might be able to work together locally to bring about positive change.”

The residents of Blackpool benefit from the services of more than 150 VCFSE organisations in the town, among them Social Enterprise Solutions CIC which has projects and partnership working arrangements in health, employment and enterprise.

Alistair Clarke, chair of Social Enterprise Solutions CIC, who hosted the event, added: “I’m pleased Clare and her team were able to come to Blackpool to hear from the people about living and working in the town. In particular we wanted to focus on the extent of good work undertaken by charities and social enterprises in Blackpool to help people with everyday life; work which often goes unnoticed.”