Eric Ollerenshaw, Fleetwood’s Conservative Party Candidate, has said the Government is ‘hindering’ efforts by Wyre Council to regenerate Fleetwood after officials announced a £10 million cut to ‘VisitBritain’.

VisitBritain, the national body responsible for attracting visitors to UK tourist destinations such as Fleetwood, will loose just over a 5th of its budget by 2011.

Since being selected as the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Lancaster and Fleetwood, Mr Ollerenshaw has shown a keen interest in bringing more tourists to Fleetwood.

In a recent letter to the new Prime Minister, Eric called on Gordon Brown to provide extra funds for seaside town.

Eric has expressed his shock at this “massive cut by Gordon Brown to VisitBritain. Marketing by a body like VisitBritain is absolutely essential for seaside and tourist towns.”

“Wyre Council is making a real effort in starting the process to improve Fleetwood for the better, with the ‘Masterplan’ consultation.

I am shocked by this massive cut by Gordon Brown to VisitBritain

Eric Ollerenshaw

“However, there is only so much Russ Forsyth and the Council can do – we also need support, centrally, in helping to get Fleetwood back on the tourist map, yet with every move Gordon Brown seems to move the goal posts.

“I get really disappointed when the Government seems to bend over backwards to help and pump money into their big urban heartlands, like Liverpool and Manchester, whilst ignoring seaside towns, like Fleetwood and Blackpool.”