Issues and SWOT

strength

Make the restored business hub support lasting work

The Robinson is already providing business space in a reused landmark building.

Workspace needs viable businesses and connections to local people.

Evidence

strength

Make room for homes people can afford

Average private rent is £719 a month (August 2026) in Blackpool council area. This is £740 lower than the England average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 14.6% in Norbreck to 56.7% in Talbot — a gap of 42.1 percentage points.

Housing costs matter most alongside earnings and the number of affordable homes available. A local average cannot tell us whether a particular household can afford its home.

weakness

Keep housing advice accessible under pressure

The housing advice page describes staffing pressure and busy phone lines.

People facing homelessness need a usable route to support.

Evidence

weakness

Bring support closer to people in poor health

9.1% of people reported bad or very bad health in Blackpool council area (21 March 2021). Across England, the figure was 5.2%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 6.5% in Marton to 11.7% in Claremont — a gap of 5.3 percentage points.

This is how residents described their health in the census. It can reveal differences between neighbourhoods, but does not diagnose illness or measure current waiting times. Age profiles differ between places, so these shares do not measure service quality.

opportunity

Make the new campus useful to local residents

Construction has begun on the town-centre Multiversity.

New training should connect residents to real opportunities.

Evidence

opportunity

Plan homes and care around an older population

20.7% of people in Blackpool council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 12.8% in Bloomfield to 34.2% in Anchorsholme — a gap of 21.4 percentage points.

Age alone does not mean poor health or a need for care. Accessible homes, reliable transport and support close to home matter as people get older.

opportunity

Connect local skills to local opportunities

22.5% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Blackpool council area. Across England, the figure was 33.9%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 18.1% in Marton to 32% in Bloomfield — a gap of 13.9 percentage points.

Qualifications show one part of the skills available locally. They do not show whether people have secure jobs or work that uses those skills.

opportunity

Target safety work where problems repeat

Mapped police records are available for neighbourhoods in Blackpool council area.

Published locations are approximate and some crimes are not mapped. Counts show recorded incidents, not the chance of an individual becoming a victim.

opportunity

Turn published plans into visible progress

4 named local projects or plans have official evidence in this collection.

A published plan makes responsibilities and intentions easier to inspect. It does not prove that funding is secured or that promised benefits have arrived.

opportunity

Target support where disadvantages overlap

Households facing two or more measured disadvantages ranged from 15.4% in Norbreck to 40.2% in Bloomfield — a gap of 24.9 percentage points.

These households met at least two census conditions covering education, employment, health and housing. This is not an income or poverty measure.

threat

Protect the coast while checking environmental effects

The council identifies falling beach levels and erosion risks in North Shore and Bispham.

Homes, infrastructure and public access depend on resilient coastal defences.

Evidence