A mothballed adventure course in Blackpool has cost council tax payers £390,000 it has emerged – with one councillor branding the spending as ‘shocking’.
Coun Paul Galley, leader of the Conservative group on Blackpool Council, has questioned why a loan to build the high ropes course in Stanley Park was paid off by revenue from Blackpool Sports Centre, with the final payment due in the next few weeks.
He said as a result the sports centre had lost out on £390,000 which could have been invested into other facilities.
Council leader Coun Lynn Williams said the high ropes had received 17,500 visits since 2016 but this had not been enough to sustain it, and schools had not used the course as much as expected.
Coun Galley told a meeting of the full council: “It turns out that the sports centre had to pay £390,116 of that loan. That to me was absolutely disgraceful and shocking.”
Coun Galley said : “We are being told constantly that we have borrowed and all those things will return on the investment. No-one ever tells us how those loans are going.”
He said it was only due to asking questions it was revealed council tax payers had paid “£390,000 of their money to support something that is mothballed.”
He asked “how many other loans are being repaid by the revenue that should be going into the services we pay for?” and called for the matter to be referred to the external auditor.
Coun Williams said high ropes “were extremely popular across the country” when the decision was made in 2024 to invest in the course.
She added: “This decision was part of a wider offer including orienteering and other outdoor activities. A sound business case was made, consultations took place with the friends of Stanley Park, head teachers and others.
“Schools indicated a demand and a willingness to pay to access adventure facilities as accessing facilities outside of Blackpool was very expensive for schools.”
She said: “It is very disappointing the high ropes have never reached the usage that was envisaged. In particular schools were initially very keen and supportive but obviously that didn’t come to fruition.”
The high ropes, rising to 11 metres in height, includes a zip wire, bridges, a rock climbing wall and obstacles.
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