THE BIG HOTEL? LET’S GET IT RIGHT
Why don’t the big Political conferences come to Blackpool anymore? Let me shed some light on it!
As someone who has attended many Party conferences over the years, in many parts of the UK – it obviously frustrates me that in recent years they have failed to return to Blackpool.
I have and do, on numerous occasions meet with Ministers, Cabinet members and MPs and something I always try to bring up and discuss is – “Why don’t we come back to Blackpool?”
The facilities of the Winter Gardens (especially now extensive renovations have been carried out) are not in question. The Winter Gardens has excellent facilities with good sized rooms in abundance. It has an atmosphere like no other. The main problem is security. In this day and age, the recommendation of the Nation’s security forces is that the political conferences are “ring fenced” into a secure hub. Nowadays the choice of a conference venue must include a quality, large capacity hotel directly adjacent to the conference centre within this ring-fence area. This way the Police and Security services can protect the Government (or opposition) of the day in a much safer environment.
Since 9/11 intense security throughout many nations has become part of everyday life. Even now with the threat of ISIL and other extremist groups we must see this as a priority. Modern high profile Party conferences resemble airport security. You are required to take off jackets, belts, watches etc - that then go through the scanner whilst you walk through the infra-red archway. Sometimes you are required to undertake extra body searches etc – all this, to get into the central hub. If you’ve left something in your car or hotel - you have to go through it all again!
So....bearing in mind these modern procedures – how can we be considering paying for a large 4 star hotel on St John’s car park? It would be impossible to securely ring fence this into our only existing large conference facility - the Winter Gardens. This idea is a white elephant before we’ve even laid one brick!
The only way to attract larger conferences of this type back to Blackpool is to fulfil the criteria I’ve already explained. If Blackpool Council has any grand ideas of building a new huge 4 star hotel then it needs to be very near, or next to the Winter Gardens facility.
I am never one to stand in the way of progress or infrastructure for our town, but if the council decides to build a large hotel, please can we just do the homework and get it right first time?
Coronation St – opposite the Olympia has a large plot of land that could fulfil this purpose, this would act as a sandwich between the Hounds Hill and the Winter Gardens which would benefit trade into both venues – could this be an option? There is also land where the old Syndicate nightclub used to be – now earmarked for another car park, and there is car parking land between Alfred St and Leopold Grove, at the top end of the Winter Gardens – Could this be an option for a large hotel which could be in two parts and linked up via a feature glass walkway over the street, as happens in many other towns and cities? Either of these options would fulfil the security recommendations for high profile conferences as set out by the experts.
We cannot just borrow millions of pounds on a large hotel that will (a) take business away from our already struggling hoteliers, and (b) doesn’t even comply with the security regulations of the conferences we would like to win back.
Blackpool used to thrive out of Autumn conferences. They brought a lot of well-needed business to our town – across all classes of hotels, and the town’s shops and restaurants were always booming. I know, from speaking to many party members, that delegates loved coming to Blackpool Conferences. Our town holds a special place in their hearts and they talk with fondness about walking up the blustery prom after a long day with some fish and chips! Blackpool is extremely competitive with its hotel pricing and many people find this an attraction, compared with other conference places in the UK. Time and time again when delegates find out where I come from, the question I am asked is – “When are we coming back to Blackpool?”