Case Study: Blackpool Council achieves lockdown community engagement — 6,600 visitors and nearly 2,000 ideas with Commonplace

Blackpool Towns Fund Engaging with the community during lockdown

Blackpool Council needed to demonstrate broad community involvement in its Blackpool Town Investment Plan during Covid‑19 lockdown to support a bid to the government’s Towns Fund. They enlisted Locality and Commonplace to run digital engagement in place of face‑to‑face events, using Commonplace’s Community Heatmap and Design Feedback tools to gather resident insight safely from home.

Commonplace’s platform and support enabled over 6,600 site visitors and nearly 2,000 ideas, comments and local insights on housing, the town centre, transport, skills, health and homelessness, with overwhelmingly positive feedback and clear priorities for action. Commonplace’s tools increased reach during lockdown, informed the BTIP consultation, and will underpin a further phase of detailed engagement while the outcome of the bid is pending.

Blackpool Council

Scott Butterfield

Strategy & Policy Research Manager