THERE is a distinctly foul odour in Blackpool. It emanates from the Town Hall and is not likely to get any better.

The SRB6 funding was granted to Blackpool based on a bid put in by Blackpool Challenge Partnership which included a convention centre.

It did NOT refer to it being part of a casino complex planned by big business.

I wonder what those granting it would think about it if they realised that Blackpool was not using the funding for the purpose for which it was intended?

The SRB6 funding has been available for over two years and by now an independent conference/exhibition centre should be up and running. Unfortunately the economic development officer for Blackpool, certain councillors and council officials are very quick to state that conference centres are not viable and it begs the question, why?

When asked about the Harrogate International Centre they are very quick again to jump in and say that that too does not make a profit. However, after speaking to the head of marketing at Harrogate International Centre, I can now tell the people of

Blackpool that there is more to this than the councillors and council officials are prepared to admit.

Harrogate International Centre was built at a cost of about £35 million and was totally financed by short and long term loans. There was no grant aid available to them! Now the centre has a turnover of £5 million per year and this produces a net operating surplus of about £1 million, most of which goes to the council to pay off the loans.

They concentrate on the kind of business which generates, in their words, bed nights or, as we in Blackpool say, heads in beds. This generates about £100 million business in the local community. There are NO Casinos or 1000 bedroom hotels involved with the International Centre.

There are three fundamental points of which people need to be aware:

(1) Harrogate did not receive funding to build a conference centre -- Blackpool has SRB6 funding.

(2) Harrogate does not have to pay £1 million per year to an outside business to provide conference facilities -- Blackpool does.

(3) If the Blackpool Conference Centre was made part of a resort hotel casino complex there would be NO benefit whatever to the local business community.

The big stink comes from the fact that Blackpool Council are tied to an agreement to pay £1 million per year to Leisure Parcs to provide conference facilities for the next nine years whether there are any conferences here or not!

Come on, Leisure Parcs, you expect too much from Blackpool Council and Blackpool people. You want the money, you want the Central Car Park Site, you want the police station and Law Courts sites and you expect uncontrolled acquiesence to your resort hotel casino proposals.

Relinquish the £1 million per year and let the people of Blackpool have an independent conference centre using the SRB6 funding for the purpose for which it was granted.

Alan Duxbury-Campbell,

May-dene Hotel,

Dean Street,

Blackpool.