Cllr Jim O'Neill - Group Leader Reform UK Blackpool

07/09/2026

🚨❌Standby for Official Announcement ❌🚨

04/09/2026

❗️I sat on Planning Committee this week.❗️

The rock groynes application for Blackpool beach was not waved through. The committee deferred it.

That was the whole committee — Labour, Conservatives, Reform UK, all of us. Officers had recommended support. Members would not decide it as it stood.

⏰ Coastal defence on this coast is needed. That is not the argument.

🛟 The argument is whether this design is right, and whether the RNLI’s operational concerns have actually been answered. Launch. Recovery. Reaching someone close to the wall. That is what the committee still needs to hear properly before it votes.

I have not made my final decision. When it comes back I will read the report, hear the evidence and decide then.

If you want your view on the file, do this:

The official neighbour consultation closed in March. The application has not been decided. Further comments can still go on 26/0084 through the planning portal, or to [email protected], and they can still be reported to the next meeting.

If you want to speak when it returns, watch the committee agenda and use the council’s request-to-speak form. That is a separate deadline.

Watch this. Share it. Put it on the file if you have something to say.

Get the defence right. Get the rescue right.

(AI used in one section for illustration only)

29/08/2026

Gutted I couldn’t attend today as I’m down south, but it’s great to see so many others out in Claremont today!

Vote Mark Butcher, Reform UK, for

Your only candidate putting residents first!

Action Day in 🩵

23/08/2026

🚨 This is the truth Labour wants denied and hidden.

They’re not just trying to stop people talking about the social deprivation in Blackpool — they’re complaining about those who create the content that exposes it.

Labour don’t want the reality filmed.

They don’t want it shared.

They don’t want you to see what’s happening with your own eyes.

When you’ve got open drug use on the steps of our own Town Hall, you know we’ve got a serious problem.

Watch this video. Share it far and wide. Don’t let them bury the truth.

15/08/2026

Today we mark VJ Day — the day the Second World War finally ended in the Far East.

It is right that we remember the celebrations, but we must also never forget the terrible cost. The war against Japan was marked by some of the most brutal conditions of the entire conflict.

Thousands of Allied servicemen endured unimaginable hardship as prisoners of war: starvation, forced labour, disease, and cruelty that left scars lasting a lifetime.

I have been privileged to speak with several veterans who were held as Japanese prisoners of war. Listening to them describe what they lived through was humbling and heartbreaking. Their quiet dignity, resilience, and determination to share their stories so that others would understand the true price of that victory has stayed with me.

On this VJ Day, we honour not only the end of the war, but the courage of those who suffered and survived so that we might live in peace. We will remember them.

06/08/2026

🇬🇧🩵🇬🇧Delighted to have attended the Lancaster and Wyre Reform UK branch last week to deliver a speech on how and why I first got involved in politics, and why Reform UK is the only party that can take this country in the right direction.

It was a wonderful evening. A real privilege to share the room with so many dedicated members and supporters.

Particularly good to hear from Lancashire County Councillor Ella Worthington, Cabinet Member for Civic Pride. Her insights into the work being done — and how Civic Pride is already being received in communities under Reform-led councils — were genuinely inspiring. It’s a clear example of Reform delivering practical, positive change where it matters most: on the ground, in our towns and neighbourhoods.

Evenings like this remind me exactly why we’re doing this. The energy, the determination, and the shared belief that Britain can and must do better.

Onwards.🩵🇬🇧🩵

06/08/2026

A busy night last night at the branch meeting as we are readying ourselves for next May’s local elections!

04/08/2026

Wednesday 5th August 7:30 pm
The North Euston Hotel
The Esplanade, Fleetwood FY7 6BN
Closed meeting for Reform UK Members
you may bring a friend.
Light refreshments available.
Hope to see you there 🩵

03/08/2026

Had a constructive meeting this weekend, arranged at very short notice, with Stephen Atkinson, Leader of Lancashire County Council, to discuss the potential future of Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre under local government reorganisation.

Let’s be clear: nobody asked for this, and nobody voted for it. It’s a Tory idea now being pushed through by Labour. There are serious concerns on multiple levels about this poorly thought-out plan.

But if it’s going to be forced on us, we have to be ready. This is a pivotal moment. There is no doubt that any new authority covering this area will be Reform-led — and we will be prepared to run it properly.