19/09/2026
THE ROBINSON: £8.3 MILLION SPENT,
BUT LABOUR STILL CANNOT SHOW THE RESULTS
Blackpool’s Conservative councillors are calling for straight answers over The Robinson business hub after council papers confirmed the project was delivered late, cost £8.3 million, and was falling well short of key targets for jobs and business support. The refurbishment has produced improved office space and retail units, but residents deserve to know whether it will provide value for money in the years ahead.
The Robinson is a council owned business hub within the refurbished Stanley Buildings on Church Street. It offers serviced offices, co working space, meeting rooms and related facilities for small businesses. The Conservatives support investment that brings empty buildings back into use and helps local firms grow. Nobody disputes that the building looks better, or that improving a heritage property has value.
But Labour’s job is not finished when the ribbon is cut. It must also show that the project is affordable, well managed and delivering the benefits that were promised.
The original business case put the scheme at around £6.7 million to £6.8 million. That scheme did not proceed, and the council says the later design was materially different. Even so, the final recorded cost of the revised project was £8,306,917.19. The council says this was £91,436.23 over its final revised budget, with the balance met from the Economic Development department. That may be only 1.1 per cent against the later revised budget, but it does not erase the much bigger increase in the overall price from the original proposal.
The timetable also slipped badly. The original plan expected construction to start in July 2022 and practical completion in February 2024. Works did not start until February 2024, and final handover was not until September 2025. The Town Deal report also confirms that the revised contract had initially aimed for completion in April 2025, meaning the project ran on beyond that later timetable too.
After handover, the council was still dealing with defects. Its own report referred to water ingress in office units, heating adjustments, access system work, repairs to damaged doors and ceiling tiles, outstanding masonry and tile repairs, fire safety testing for shop units and further health and safety documentation. The defects period was due to continue until September 2026.
The real question now is whether the building is delivering for Blackpool businesses.
The Town Deal project had a target of 230 permanent full time equivalent jobs. By the January to March 2026 report, the figure recorded was one. The report gave this a red rating and said the target was unlikely to be met. It also recorded zero enterprises receiving non financial support against a target of 150, and zero growth start ups or scale ups supported against a target of 72.
The council has since said that The Robinson did not have a full year of trading and that its financial model remains under review. That is fair enough, but it makes proper scrutiny even more important. If a council cannot yet show the annual running costs, income, net cost to taxpayers, Robinson specific business support or job outcomes, it cannot yet claim the project is delivering value for money.
This could be good for Blackpool, serviced office units, meeting rooms and co working space. It has renovated 1,917.59 square metres of office space, improved retail space and installed low carbon measures. The Blackpool Pier Company became the first named new office tenant in March 2026, although the council report says its financial administration function and two staff relocated from Empress Buildings at the Winter Gardens. The report also said take up of co working was limited at that point.
The council’s own occupancy target was 48 per cent by the end of year one, rising to 72 per cent in year two and 95 per cent in year three. Its FOI response said the confirmed end of August figure was 27 per cent by office units or 33 per cent by floorspace. That is below the first year target whichever measure is used.
Retail occupancy was also incomplete. The council reported six of 12 retail units let, with several units vacant for seven months and one under offer. Those empty units need tenants, activity and footfall, not just fresh shopfronts.
Blackpool Conservatives are asking Labour to publish regular, easy to understand updates on occupancy, rental income, operating costs, net cost to the council, arrears, business support and jobs.
Residents have paid for this investment. They deserve more than a refurbished building. They deserve proof that it is working for local businesses and for Blackpool.
Here’s some questions the Labour leadership won’t want to answer…
1. Labour celebrated the opening of The Robinson in September 2025. Why did the council’s own report later show that the first named office tenant did not take up occupation until March 2026, with that tenant relocating two staff from another council linked Blackpool venue rather than creating a new business?
2. The project was originally presented at around £6.7 million to £6.8 million, but the final recorded cost reached £8.306 million. Why should residents accept Labour’s focus on a 1.1 per cent overspend against a later revised budget when the overall cost was about £1.5 million to £1.6 million higher than the original business case?
3. Labour’s Town Deal papers recorded just one permanent full time equivalent job against a target of 230, with the council itself saying the target was unlikely to be met. Who approved such a high target, when did Labour know it was unrealistic, and why were residents not told sooner?
4. The council reported zero businesses receiving non financial support against a target of 150 and zero start ups or scale ups supported against a target of 72. If The Robinson was promoted as a business hub, what exactly were Blackpool taxpayers funding beyond the refurbishment of a council owned building?
5. The project was declared complete, yet council papers later listed water ingress, heating problems, fire safety testing, unfinished access arrangements, remaining masonry and tile repairs, and an ongoing defects period until September 2026. Why did Labour present the opening as a success before the building was fully ready and all defects had been resolved?
