Arts leaders in Blackpool are working with the local authority to draw up a five-year Cultural Plan - so now is the right time to set out big aspirations.
The Blackpool Lead teamed up with the Blackpool Gazette to host a hustings ahead of the Blackpool South by-election on 2 May
Grange Park is one of hundreds of housing estates built after the Second World War. Life has changed in the decades since; here The Blackpool Lead speaks with residents past and present
Scott Benton finally stood down after a recall petition was called - meaning the national spotlight will again be on Blackpool as it goes to the polls on 2 May
The decision to house refugees in Blackpool was contentious with local Conservative politicians - here two families from Hong Kong share their experiences and how some of that rhetoric made it more challenging to settle in
Both Amazing Graze and Mark Butcher, the Reform UK candidate in the Blackpool South by-election, have defended themselves against the complaint
The South Shore Romany Gypsies were central to the development of Blackpool as a tourist town, but as the town grew they were forced off the land they had occupied for generations. Is enough being done to recognise their contribution?
Much of the conversation on the night centred around whether Reform could take second place - they couldn't
The MP for Blackpool South lost his local party, his Westminster colleagues and his final appeal against suspension, but is resisting all calls to resign. If he wants a recall petition, let's give it to him in spades.
Organisers and volunteers for Reclaim Blackpool, a project to physically map instances of harassment towards women and girls, know that the Young Farmers DIY AGM will be one of the worst weekends of the year for women. The only justification for allowing it isn't good enough, they argue
Pregnant people of colour are far more likely to experience abuse, trauma and death during and after childbirth. Even the doula sector is overwhelmingly white - but some professionals are pushing against the grain.
Anthony Williams, a prominent voice in the campaign for Windrush justice, has died in Jamaica after losing faith in the government of the country he once served.
The trailblazing MP was attacked by the Tories and silenced by the Speaker - but her own party has been keeping her in the cold for 11 long months, over hurtful remarks she has retracted long ago.
The dog whistles - and fog horns - about Muslims in Britain will only get louder as the general election approaches. The murkiness of what does and doesn't amount to Islamophobia is not helping.
The persistent denial of legal aid to Windrush compensation claimants is just the latest insult added to the injury -making tributes seem even more hollow.
NHS funding cuts are exacerbating inequalities in IVF outcomes - with Black women starting fertility treatment later, experiencing lower rates of success, and even being excluded altogether due to inaccurate metrics.
The parallels between the Post Office scandal and the Windrush scandal are clear. As the headlines die away, it’s all too easy for those in power to quietly revoke their promises. Windrush has shown us that public outrage can only ever be a starting point.
His writing felt like a door swinging wide open, light pouring in and illuminating new ideas where other poets seemed to put up barriers. Zephaniah will live on not only in his own works—but in the works of so many creatives he mentored, supported and inspired.
Brits can’t name a single Black British historical figure - with our flawed education system, this isn’t surprising.
Nearly 2,000 people died "during or following" contact with police in the UK since 1990. Only 10 charges of manslaughter or murder have ever been brought forward, resulting in just one conviction. And the killings are just the tip of the iceberg of institutional racism.