# Blackpool Council

Blackpool Council is the local authority of the Borough of Blackpool, in the ceremonial county of Lancashire, England. Since 1998 it has been unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council; it is independent from Lancashire County Council.
The council has been under Labour majority control since 2023. It meets at Blackpool Town Hall and has its offices in the adjoining Municipal Buildings and at Bickerstaffe Square.

## History

Blackpool's first elected local authority was the Layton with Warbreck Local Board, established in 1851 and named after the historic township that included the nascent town of Blackpool. The board was renamed the Blackpool Local Board in 1868. In 1876 the district was elevated to become a municipal borough, governed by a body formally called the "mayor, aldermen and burgesses of the borough of Blackpool", but generally known as the corporation, town council or borough council.
From 1904 to 1974, Blackpool was a county borough, independent from Lancashire County Council, whilst remaining part of the geographical county of Lancashire. In 1974 Blackpool was reconstituted as a non-metropolitan district under the Local Government Act 1972. It kept the same boundaries, but became a lower tier district authority with the county council providing county-level services to the town again.
The council became a unitary authority on 1 April 1998. The way the change was implemented was to create a new non-metropolitan county of Blackpool covering the same area as the borough, but with no separate county council; instead, the existing borough council took on county council functions. Blackpool remains part of the ceremonial county of Lancashire for the purposes of lieutenancy.

## Governance

As a unitary authority, Blackpool Council provides both district-level and county-level functions. There are no civil parishes in the borough.

### Political control

The council has been under Labour majority control since the 2023 election.
Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms took effect has been as follows:
Lower tier non-metropolitan district
| Party in control | Years |
| Conservative | 1974–1987 |
| No overall control | 1987–1991 |
| Labour | 1991–1998 |
Unitary authority
| Party in control | Years |
| Labour | 1998–2007 |
| Conservative | 2007–2011 |
| Labour | 2011–2021 |
| No overall control | 2021–2023 |
| Labour | 2023–present |

### Leadership

The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Blackpool. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1991 have been:
| Councillor | Party | From | To |
| Ivan Taylor | Labour | 1991 | 5 Jun 2000 |
| George Bancroft | Labour | 12 Jul 2000 | 11 Jul 2001 |
| Roy Fisher | Labour | Aug 2001 | 6 May 2007 |
| Peter Callow | Conservative | 21 May 2007 | 23 May 2011 |
| Simon Blackburn | Labour | 23 May 2011 | Jun 2020 |
| Lynn Williams | Labour | 20 Jul 2020 | |

### Current Composition

Following the 2023 election, and one by-election since, the composition of the council is as follows:
| Party | Party | Councillors |
| | Labour | 27 |
| | Conservative | 14 |
| | Reform UK | 1 |
| Total | Total | 42 |
The next election is due in 2027.

## Elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2023 the council has comprised 42 councillors representing 21 wards, with each ward electing two councillors. The whole council is elected together every four years. The wards are listed at List of electoral wards in Lancashire#Blackpool.

## Premises

The council meets at Blackpool Town Hall on Talbot Square. The building was completed in 1900.
The council's offices are split between the Municipal Buildings on Corporation Street, immediately adjoining the rear of the Town Hall, and One Bickerstaffe Square, a modern building near Blackpool North railway station, completed in 2014.