Exclusive Interview: Simon Blackburn, Blackpool Labour Group

TODAY, BLACKPOOL Aloud speaks with Simon Blackburn, the leader of the Blackpool Labour Group.

Hello Simon, many thanks for taking the time to talk to the readers of Blackpool Aloud.

For those that don’t know, you are the leader of the Labour Group in Blackpool. What made you get in to politics?

I’ve been interested since I was about 10 – I remember watching Michael Foot on the TV, and saying to my Dad that I thought he was very good, and I hoped he’d win the 1983 General Election.  Dad said that he wouldn’t (and he was right!) but I recall thinking that it was strange that everyone seemed to know who would win, 3 weeks before polling day!  In terms of getting actively involved, I remember living in a council flat, on the outskirts of Edinburgh, with my partner when our first child was six months old. That flat above us had alcoholics living in it – the one below had drug addicts – both were regularly visited by the Police, and they had loud parties into the small wee hours, people peeing in the stairwell, injecting, smashing bottles, fighting etc. (you get the picture!) – the local council didn’t want to know – and the local councillors were worse than useless (the attitude seemed to be that as we could only afford to live on a sink estate, we had no right to expect anything).  We were lucky, as we were able to scrape together enough money to move back down to Lancashire and start again here – but hundreds of thousands of decent, hard-working people are trapped in places like that, and politicians need to address their needs.  Another key driver was that my family were steelworkers, and my partners were miners – we’ve both seen how a vindictive Tory Government can destroy whole communities with the scourge of unemployment, and stripping away the dignity of once proud working families – something which I have been conscious of ever since.

If the Labour Group wins next May’s local elections, what would your main priorities be?

I and my colleagues on the Labour Group have compared notes, on the things that people come to see us about at our surgeries.  We have also invited people to contact us through our websites, by email, phone and letter, to give us their ideas as to what they would like us to do.  The results have been very clear – people want the Council to concentrate on bread & butter issues – pot-holes, car parking charges, wheelie bins, bins on the street corner, dog fouling, graffiti, the condition of back alleys, fly tipping, boy-racers, and noisy neighbours, as well as anti-social behaviour and crime (where they want, as I do, the Police to start being truly responsive to their needs).  What they don’t want (and people have been very clear about this) is any more multi-million pound ‘regeneration’ schemes – they want a Council that listens to them, when it takes decisions over planning and licensing, and that consults and involves them in a meaningful way, rather than engaging in ‘consultation’ exercises which never seem to affect the outcome of their plans.  I also want to see less senior managers on 6 figure salaries, an end to first class travel and year-in, year-out rises in Councillors allowances.

There is much talk about public sector spending cuts at the moment, how do you think this will effect Blackpool and key projects like the Talbot Gateway Project?

Government (local or national) is about making choices.  These choices will become more difficult over the next few years, but if the Council and the Government bear in mind that needs of the people, when making these choices, they won’t go far wrong.  I don’t think many tears would be shed if the Council didn’t go through with the Talbot Gateway scheme, frankly.  I’d rather see the Council working harder to support those businesses already in the Town Centre – supporting our hoteliers, not taking them out of the holiday zone, and condemning them to a future as grotty bedsits – I’d rather see them investing in the roads and schools we’ve got, not building offices in the town centre that we don’t really need, for council employees who’d rather stay where they are at Progress House.  The Talbot Gateway scheme, as it is now, simply doesn’t stack up without major investment from the Council – that investment would be better directed to dealing with the problems we can all see around us.

Are you optimistic about Blackpool’s future and what would you like to see improved in Blackpool?

One of the happier side-effects of the recession, has been to persuade people to holiday in Britain, rather than go abroad.  This has given Blackpool a major boost – but one that we will capitalise on in the long-term only if people come here and have a good experience.  Hotels and Guest houses in Blackpool are significantly better than they were a decade ago – and the Council needs to support hoteliers to make further improvements – but we also need to come down hard on the drunks and crooks who spoil the holiday experience of families and pensioners with their lewd and inappropriate behaviour – that means a joint approach between the council and the Police, which I would encourage.  The public ownership of the Tower and the Winter Gardens has the potential to be a good thing – providing the Council has got it’s sums right, and managed the risks appropriately.  The other major challenge which we face is finding sustainable employment for our young people – my three children, if things remain as they are, will probably go to college or university, then leave Blackpool for higher earnings and better prospects elsewhere.  That is something I want to change – we have to provide a sustainable future for our kids, so they don’t end up moving to Manchester, Liverpool or London in search of work.

There has been talk of possibly closing Blackpool South Railway station, what are your thoughts on this?

The short-sighted nature of the proposed closure (which we opposed, and continue to oppose) is demonstrated by Blackpool’s promotion to the Premier League – 6 months ago, this station was (according to the bigwigs) surplus to requirements, and was (so they said) standing in the way of some grandiose plan to alter the road network in the area - a change for which there was neither a call, nor the money to deliver it!  Now, that station will provide an ideal berth for the tens of thousands of fans who will flood the town over the next year (and hopefully beyond), and will show itself to be the asset which it has always been.  If it ain’t broke – don’t fix it!

Finally Simon, everyone is still celebrating Blackpool’s promotion to the Premier League,  what do you think the win means for the town?

Confession time!  I was born in Blackburn – and have been a lifelong Blackburn Rovers fan, and my son and I are season-ticket holders.  I therefore know at first hand how important it is to a town, and it’s football club, to gain promotion to the top flight.  The £90 million which will flow into Blackpool’s coffers over the next few years will transform both the team, and the stadium – and (if the Council handles it right) transform the town.  People come to Ewood Park for 90 minutes – then get back on the bus and go back to Chelsea, Fulham, Portsmouth or Birmingham – folk won’t do that here – they’ll come up for the weekend – and hopefully bring their families with them.  Not only will this be a great boost to the local economy, it will also introduce Blackpool to a whole new market – a generation of people who’ve never been here before, but will come for the football – see how much the town has changed over the last 30 years, and hopefully come back for their holidays.  The Oyston family, along with Ian Holloway, have created that rarest of sights – a sustainable and successful football club – which isn’t in hock to the banks, or paying crazy money to it’s players.  I can’t pretend to be anything other than a Wild Rover – but I hope that Blackpool stay up (and Burnley stay down) for a long time to come!

Simon, thank you so much for taking the time to speak to the readers of Blackpool Aloud

The Blackpool Labour Party are currently putting together their manifesto for the 2011 May council elections and if anyone has any ideas or suggestions on things that they would like to see in it then then contact Simon on 01253 477060 or email him at brunswicklabourcouncillor@googlemail.com or write to him at the Town Hall:
Councillor Simon Blackburn BA(Hons)
Leader of the Opposition
Labour Councillor for Brunswick Ward
PO Box 1066, Town Hall,
Blackpool FY1 1AD

Equally, if you don’t want to contact Simon directly, feel free to post in the discussion on the forum and Blackpool Aloud will pass all the suggestions on to Simon.