James Ford is a public affairs consultant who has previously worked as a policy adviser to Boris Johnson as Mayor of London (2010-12) and as head of strategic communications and public relations for Lancashire’s Local Enterprise Partnership (2020-21).
At first glance, the omens for the forthcoming Blackpool South by-election are ominous for the Government. The seat, which was held successively by the Labour Party at six general elections between 1997 and 2017, only narrowly returned to the Conservative fold in 2019 with a narrow majority of 3,690. Given Labour’s mammoth poll lead, the by-election scheduled for 2 May should be a cake-walk for the opposition.
But, whilst Blackpool South may be a marginal seat enduring a by-election under a dark cloud of scandal, it is also a case study in how levelling up can work. The seaside town, long neglected and left behind by the last Labour government, has benefitted from an enormous amount of investment under this government in recent years. Key projects have included:
It should be clear from this laundry list of government largesse that Blackpool has been one of the big winners from this Government and the Levelling Up agenda. The commitment to investing in areas that had previously been neglected, marginalised, and overlooked by past governments is not just creating jobs, boosting business and improving homes, it is transforming lives.
Just as importantly, there is no sign that Blackpool’s appetite for government funding is going to end anytime soon. Blackpool’s Pride of Place Partnership – a local coalition of public, private and voluntary groups – recently published an ambitious new prospectus for investment that will create 10,000 jobs and add £1bn to the local economy by 2030.
This by-election should be seen as an opportunity for the government to bang the drum about the tangible, real-world achievements of levelling up. Local Conservatives have a great opportunity to tell a positive story of change and renewal on the doorsteps. Ministers should descend on the seat in great numbers to visit the many projects that their funding and support is delivering. Rather than the usual photo opportunity of eating an ice cream on the promenade, campaigning politicians can visit the newly opened Showtown Museum or IMAX cinema complex, tour the £10.7m Lancashire Energy HQ, or walk the 3.2km of new seawall between the Sandcastle and North Pier.
Other Conservative seats that have been lost in recent by-elections may have had bigger majorities, but they will have been on the receiving end of much less Whitehall benefaction. The type of campaign that is waged in Blackpool South over the next few weeks will be sign of the party leadership’s confidence. An energetic, positive campaign may yield positive results and could even serve as a template for the forthcoming general election.