BITC’s Blackpool Pride of Place partnership leads refresh of Digital Vision for 2030

BITC’s Blackpool Pride of Place partnership leads refresh of Digital Vision for 2030 

February 16, 2026

BITC’s Blackpool Pride of Place partnership leads refresh of Digital Vision for 2030 

Blackpool’s Digital Vision for 2030[2] has been relaunched at The Robinson, following a meeting of the town’s Digital Steering Group. The Digital Vision refresh marks the next phase of work to drive digital-led growth across the Fylde Coast, building on four years of progress and delivery across Blackpool.

The refresh was led by Business in the Community’s Blackpool Pride of Place partnership,[3] bringing together organisations from the public, private, and voluntary sectors to drive digital change across the town. The Digital Vision reflects growing opportunities in cyber security and data-driven industries, building on Blackpool’s connectivity, skills base, and role within the North West’s digital economy. The updated Digital Vision shows how skills, jobs, health, sustainability, and tourism connect, with Blackpool and its people at the centre. 
 
Blackpool’s location, connectivity, and access to clean energy position it well to support cyber-secure digital infrastructure and attract businesses operating in regulated, data-intensive, and security-critical sectors. The refreshed Digital Vision aligns with the Blackpool 2030 Town Prospectus[4] and reflects the shared ambitions of local partners. It also builds on wider regeneration and skills investment already secured for the town, such as the Town Deal Fund, Levelling Up Fund, and UK Shared Prosperity Fund. 
 
In Blackpool, one in eight people are considered digitally excluded.[5] Since its launch in 2021, the Digital Vision has helped improve internet connectivity and digital skills in communities, as well as bringing businesses, community groups, education providers, and public services together to think about new ways of working. As a result of the Digital Vision, positive progress has already been made in Blackpool and the Fylde Coast area, including: 

  • Building early cyber skills pathways through initiatives such as Cyber Girls First in schools throughout the Fylde Coast. 
  • Businesses working together across the Fylde Coast and nationally to develop the case for a Blackpool Tech Hub, designed to support innovation and entrepreneurship and help digital and cyber businesses to establish, shape, and collaborate. This builds on wider work undertaken by Blackpool Council and NorthernReach, including activity to strengthen digital infrastructure, skills pathways, and enterprise support across the town. 
  • Creating the opportunity to test new markets and put Blackpool on the map as a credible E-sports destination, including the EuropaHalo Blackpool 2023 event. 
  • A series of workshops hosted to review progress and plan the next stage of Blackpool’s digital journey, including new priorities for the future, such as AI and cyber security. The Digital Vision is now shaped around a clear goal: a smart, safe, and sustainable Blackpool.
    Smart: using digital tools and data to improve services, jobs, and visitor experience, including AI, digital skills, tourism, and public services. 
    Safe: with a focus on cyber security, digital trust, and data sovereignty, supporting secure, resilient digital infrastructure and the creation of the conditions for a growing cyber economy rooted in the North West. 
    Sustainable: bringing together clean energy, net zero goals, and inclusive growth, so digital progress delivers long-term benefits for communities and the environment. 

A core part of the Digital Vision is Silicon Sands – a wider digital and clean energy initiative located at the Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone. The initiative includes the development of a data centre alongside supporting infrastructure and activity. It combines fast global connectivity with renewable, low-carbon energy to support future industries such as AI, cyber security, and data services. It also reuses waste heat to help heat homes, businesses, and public buildings. Alongside Silicon Sands, the refreshed Digital Vision focuses on: 

  • Reducing digital exclusion and improving access to skills, jobs, and services. 
  • Supporting digital and tech-enabled businesses. 
  • Strengthening tourism through smart, sustainable technology. 
  • Using digital tools to support health and wellbeing. 
  • Supporting clean growth in line with net zero goals. 

Tara McDaid, Chair of the Blackpool Pride of Place partnership’s Digital Steering Group, said: 

Given the pace of technological change, particularly in areas such as artificial intelligence, cyber security, and data, it was the right time to refresh Blackpool’s Digital Strategy. Advances in AI present significant opportunities to deliver real benefits for residents, from improved data insights to more targeted and effective health initiatives, while also driving economic growth. At the same time, the growing importance of cyber security highlights the need to expand skills and capability to support a resilient and trusted digital sector. This refreshed strategy ensures Blackpool is focused on the areas that will deliver the greatest impact for people, public services, and businesses, now and in the future.

Councillor Mark Smith, Cabinet Member for Economy and Built Environment for Blackpool Council, said: 

Making Blackpool better and creating a town of the future is imperative to this council’s objective of maximising growth and opportunities for local people. This Digital Vision complements our ambitions for a tech-first town in Blackpool, spearheaded by our game-changing plans at Silicon Sands, which could create thousands of well-paid, high-tech digital jobs. We already have a fast-growing technology cluster, and this vision will help ensure that they can expand and hire local talent, while giving our young people another reason to believe they can succeed in Blackpool.

Andy Charles, Blackpool Pride of Place Director at Business in the Community, said: 

This is a great time to relaunch Blackpool’s Digital Vision, which is a core part of our Town Prospectus, seeking to drive long-term transformation. It acts as a blueprint for opportunity, enabling us to innovate, build, and grow the digital economy on the Fylde Coast.

ENDS

Notes to editor

For further information, please contact Polly Dacam, Senior Public Affairs and Media Officer, on 020 7566 6638.

For further information on Blackpool’s Digital Vision and work, please contact Chelsea Brown, Blackpool Digital Lead at chelsea.brown@bitc.org.uk. 

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