Paul Preston Retires After 41 Years of Dedicated Service
Paul Preston began his journey with Blackpool Council in September 1984, fresh out of school and full of enthusiasm (and hair, he jokes).
Starting as an admin clerk based at the Layton Depot, he was made permanent on 10th December 1984. For the first few years, Paul worked in administration until 1987, when he transitioned to the stores department, where his natural flair for numbers began to shine. Remarkably, he can still recall product codes from 40 years ago.
Following this, Paul joined the Illuminations team in a similar administrative role. Alongside the day job, he took on some fun perks too—like dressing up as the Switch-On Clown! He fondly remembers Thursday nights out in Blackpool with colleagues.
In 1990, Paul returned to the admin office at the depot before moving into HR in 1992, working under Richard Nulty. His career continued to grow, and in 1997, he was promoted to manage the wages office.
Later, Paul joined the Street Cleansing team as a supervisor. This marked a major change in his routine—shifting from a traditional Monday-to-Friday role to a four days on, four days off rota, with on-call responsibilities during his days off. This was also when his long-standing working relationship with Jez Evans began.
In 2001, during the implementation of the Best Value Review, Paul returned to a Monday-to-Friday schedule and became the Technical Officer. He was later promoted to Street Scene Area Manager in 2005.
By 2010, the Council was facing budget pressures, leading to the integration of street cleansing, highways, and grounds maintenance into the Neighbourhoods team. It was a tough time for many. Paul faced his own challenges—the demands of the role, the passing of his father, and the birth of his daughter—but credits the support of Mark Anderson for helping him through.
In 2015, with services reorganised once more under Jez Evans, further budget cuts were made—reducing the budget to a third of its previous amount. Despite this, Jez worked tirelessly to protect jobs. Paul’s role expanded significantly, taking on responsibility for alley gates, pest control, office moves, dog wardens, and enforcement in 2020.
That same year, on a quiet Friday afternoon, Paul received a phone call from Jez Evans:
“Paul, I may want you to become the manager for the Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) —there’s someone else I’m considering too.” It probably won’t be you’.
Monday morning the phone rang and Jez said ‘Can you manage the HWRC.’
Paul has managed the HWRC for the past five years, achieving some incredible milestones:
- Creating employment opportunities through partnerships with organisations like The Prince’s Trust and Project Search
- Overseeing the successful Reuse Shop, which has increased its sales year-on-year
- Reaching an impressive 77% recycling rate
- Leading the team to win ‘Team of the Year’ at the Keep Britain Tidy Awards
Reflecting on his remarkable career, Paul simply says:
“It’s gone in the blink of an eye.”
Thank you, Paul for all you have done – we wish you a very happy retirement.