The Government has given the green light to ambitious plans to tackle congestion in Blackpool town centre.

The £17m Town Center Access Scheme had faced an uncertain future despite being allocated £15.3m of Leveling Up funding by the previous Government.

Blackpool Council bosses had warned that the works could not be completed before the deadline of March 2026, which is when the money had to be spent, putting the investment at risk.

But Blackpool South MP Chris Webb has now received confirmation from Alex Norris, local growth minister, saying the funding had been included in the budget.

Webb said: “I have been lobbying hard for this money, which is vital to the transformation of the town centre, so I am delighted we can confirm it.

“Our current infrastructure does not take into account the level of traffic we are seeing now, and with 4,000 additional public servants coming to the city centre, we need to make these improvements.

“The scheme will also improve pedestrian access to support increased footfall in the city centre, which is essential for our high streets.”

Blackpool Council has agreed to contribute £1.7 million to the project, representing 10% of the total cost.

Detailed plans have not yet been drawn up, but work is expected to include upgrading key road junctions to avoid city center congestion and encourage more environmentally friendly travel, such as the use of buses, pedestrian paths and bicycle lanes.

It will also support regeneration, including new civil service center will open next year on King Street, plus proposed office development on Talbot Road and the multi-university education campus earmarked for a site on Cookson Street.

The project also aims to create environmental improvements in terms of air quality and support the introduction of electric buses.