Calls for Blackpool Council leader to resign
It's after the authority was handed an ‘inadequate’ rating, following an Adult Social Care inspection
A leading opposition member on Blackpool Council has called for the leader to resign, after the authority was handed an ‘inadequate’ rating following an Adult Social Care inspection.
Cllr Paul Galley, who heads the council’s Conservative opposition group, said the report by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) into the council’s care for the town’s more vulnerable adults was “damning”.
He pointed to the failures in human rights, data management and leadership and said council leader, Cllr Lynn Williams, should take responsibility for those failures and resign.
But Coun Williams defended her leadership of the council, saying it took vision, and the drive to deliver it, to helm the massive regeneration projects which were currently underway in the town, offering new jobs, new homes and a brighter future for the resort.
She said she would take onboard the findings of the report, and would “lead a comprehensive and transparent improvement programme”.
The CQC, noting that Blackpool had the lowest life expectancy in England, gave the authority the lowest possible overall rating in its report, part of its new remit to assess local authorities’ delivery of their adult social care (ASC) duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014
It looked at nine different areas and gave Blackpool the lowest score – one – in six of those areas.
The report concluded that the Labour-led authority wasn’t able to ensure vulnerable people had access to the care or support they needed, which was having a negative impact on their health and wellbeing.
What Cllr Galley says:
Cllr Galley said: “The findings are damning: Blackpool’s Adult Social Care has been rated “Inadequate” overall – the lowest possible rating a service can receive including failures in Human Rights, data management and our Leadership of the service.
“In response, the Labour-run Council appears to be downplaying the seriousness of this judgement. They argue, despite the inadequate rating, that no cases of direct harm were raised. This is, frankly, an astonishing attempt to whitewash what is a clear and unequivocal failure.
“An “Inadequate” rating from the CQC does not happen by chance. It is not semantics – it reflects deep-rooted failures in leadership, governance, effectiveness, safety, and respect for the people who rely on these essential services.
“To suggest otherwise is a betrayal of public trust .The CQC identified a lack of strategic direction, outdated policies, poor use of data, and a systemic inability to tackle performance issues across Blackpool’s adult social care system.
“Most concerning of all, the CQC had no confidence in the Council’s leadership and governance.
“Under the leadership of Councillor Lynn Williams, Blackpool’s adult social care has descended into crisis. There is no beacon of excellence to be found – only systemic failure, mismanagement, and a shocking lack of accountability.
“One of the most devastating consequences of such a rating is the loss of confidence and revenue. Care services now have just six months to turn this around before re-inspection.
“.Councillor Williams must now accept responsibility for this failure. Her leadership has led us to this point. I am calling on her to do the right thing: take responsibility and resign.”
Council leader’s response:
Coun Williams said: “Cllr Galley is right that Blackpool needs strong leadership.
“It needs someone who not only has a vision for the future of our special town, but the drive to deliver on it.
“The kind of strong leadership that builds productive working relationships with Government, that has brought hundreds of millions of pounds of funding into Blackpool.
“The kind of leadership that works with the private sector, building the infrastructure that enables their investment. The kind of strong leadership that is already transforming our town centre, bring more jobs and a new vibrancy, with the Multiversity to come.
“Our community needs the kind of strong leadership that creates hundreds of new, quality, affordable homes, Mereside, Grange Park and across the town, that is about to bring a new hope to the community in Central Blackpool, with our £90m investment.
“Our children need the kind of leadership that can bring a vision of the future, like Silicon Sands, thousands of jobs in technology and AI, to our Enterprise Zone.
“Our town needs leadership that cares about its people, not political soundbites, that doesn’t only want to be here for the good days, but for when things don’t go so well when we need to refocus our efforts and go again.
“The wellbeing of our residents is our utmost priority, we will absorb the feedback from the CQC and I will lead a comprehensive and transparent improvement programme. It is particularly important that we engage more deeply with our residents on this journey, to ensure that all voices are heard and their needs met.
“All our people deserve compassionate, respectful and high quality care.. This town and this Council is full of people of passion and commitment and I am proud to lead them.”