Blackpool Transport - the future?

[Bletchleyite]

With the new unitarised Lancashire area moving to a Combined Authority with control over transport in the whole of Lancashire, and with Blackpool Council to be disbanded as part of the unitarisation of the County, what is the future of Blackpool Transport likely to be? Recent controversies seem to imply that it isn't in the best financial condition, hence why it has struggled to fund things like the heritage tram operations, and would a new Lancashire Combined Authority actually be interested in owning a bus company?

Therefore is Blackpool Transport likely to be reduced to a brand of franchised services within the Combined Authority, or even abolished entirely?

Given that the company is wholly owned by the Council, what happens when the Council ceases to exist as an entity? Would it automatically pass to the Combined Authority, to the new larger unitary, or would it too cease to exist by virtue of its owner having done so? Or is this all up for negotiation?

Arguably it would be a real shame to lose something a bit special with a real local feel in favour of it just being a livery or indeed just having red roses all over everything.

 

[mangad]

When councils are re-organised, then the functions and assets of the predecessor councils are taken over by the successor councils. How this is done depends on the nature of the re-organisation. Which - as far as I know - hasn't been decided for Lancashire. But if we look at neighbouring Cumbria, two unitary authorities were formed. The district councils transferred to the relevant unitary authority, and the functions/assets of Cumbria County Council were split between the new two authorities. Blackpool Council is already a unitary authority, so in any re-organisation, everything it owns and does would move to the new authority. On that basis, Blackpool Transport would transfer.

What would happen to it as a company would be then dependent on a whole heap of factors in the successor council. Such as its financial state, it's operating area and who controls the council. Some political parties are more likely to want to flog it off for a fast buck than others who are more likely to want to maintain it. Some think private is best, some public can be better. This isn't just an issue for Blackpool Transport, but also for all manner of things councils are involved with. Every council has their own contracts, their own ways of doing things, their own websites.

Realistically it takes years to sort all this out. Cumberland Council still runs different planning websites based on predecessor councils, and that council has been in existence for nearly three years for example. They have different leisure centre contracts. All sorts of stuff to deal with.

Then there's the factor of the Combined Authority. Lancashire Combined Authority is basically a group of representatives of the different councils in Lancashire. Following any council reorganisation, the Combined Authority will end up being restructured and the structure of it will only really be known once the reorganisation has been completed. Still in its current shape it's working on a transport strategy. As it stands, Lancashire is a deregulated area so Blackpool Transport would continue as it is - an arms length run council owned operator. If the Combined Authority wanted to move to a franchised different model, then what happens next would basically be dependent on the model the Authority agree on. And - it must be said - what the current Combined Authority decides could change if the Authority is restructured and changed following other changes in the area.

All of which is a very long way of saying it depends. There's so many unknowns and variables is this that what the future of Blackpool Transport is impossible to say. To my mind, it will only start to come close to becoming clear once a) the current Combined Authority have worked out their transport strategy, b) the new councils are formed and there have been elections, and c) the reformulated Combined Authority have signed up to the previously agreed transport strategy. (c may be a formality but I wouldn't be surprised if a political change throws it all up in the air again.)

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

The reorganisation propsals for Lancashire range from two to five separate unitary authorities. Blackpool will still have a dominant role in four of the options - the simple N-S split not so much.

I would expect Blackpool Transport to continue - but with a new name to reflect the new authority. In some ways the tramway operation will be simplified - Fleetwood is currently in Wyre - and perhaps expansion to Lytham (Fylde) would be easier?

 

[Bletchleyite]

What would happen to it as a company would be then dependent on a whole heap of factors in the successor council. Such as its financial state, it's operating area and who controls the council. Some political parties are more likely to want to flog it off for a fast buck than others who are more likely to want to maintain it. Some think private is best, some public can be better. This isn't just an issue for Blackpool Transport, but also for all manner of things councils are involved with. Every council has their own contracts, their own ways of doing things, their own websites.

Fair enough, thanks.

One thing that does spring to mind in terms of other stuff is that Lancaster City Council presently does its own bin collections internally. That's a bit unusual these days, most Councils having contracted it out. Though it's done internally, not as an arms length business, so is a bit different from Blackpool Transport.

 

[Man of Kent]

The reorganisation propsals for Lancashire range from two to five separate unitary authorities. Blackpool will still have a dominant role in four of the options - the simple N-S split not so much.

I would expect Blackpool Transport to continue - but with a new name to reflect the new authority. In some ways the tramway operation will be simplified - Fleetwood is currently in Wyre - and perhaps expansion to Lytham (Fylde) would be easier?

Special arrangements have been made in the constitution of the Lancashire Combined County Authority for Blackpool Transport.

From https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...english-devolution-area-factsheets#lancashire:

Future distinctive governance arrangements: LCCA will continue to have different governance arrangements when it comes transport and local infrastructure functions. Firstly, a number of LCCA’s public transport powers are also held concurrently with its constituent councils to ensure that transport services owned and operated by Blackpool Council can continue to operate. Ordinarily, these functions would be held solely by the Strategic Authority. Secondly, any votes on the following matters must include the member appointed by Blackpool Borough Council in the majority for it to pass: a) any question which could result in a financial liability accruing to BTS Ltd; (b) any question which could have an impact on BTS Ltd which is significant, material and direct, as provided for in the Combined County Authority’s standing orders.