Councillors pay tribute to retiring head of Blackpool’s Adult Care in Full Council

Councillors have paid tribute to the work of Blackpool’s Director of Adult Social Services following her retirement from the role.

Karen Smith, who worked for the authority in a variety of roles over the past 25 years, announced in December that she was retiring after reflecting on her future.

At Blackpool Council’s Full Council meeting on Wednesday, members from across the board thanked her in her absence for her work in one of the authority’s toughest jobs.

Ms Smith admitted “the pressures on Adult Social Services are many and great”, and her move came four months after Blackpool’s Adult Services were rated “inadequate” in August this year.

However, she said the department had successfully weathered some “really tough times” and the Care Quality Commission report was not said to be behind her decision.

At the meeting, Cllr Neal Brookes, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, said: “Karen Smith spent 25 years serving the people of Blackpool, as the Director of Adult Services for the last 11 years.

“For the last three years she had the joint role of Adult Social Care and the ICB, getting Blackpol’s opinions and views met within the health service and the ICB.

“She’d done many jobs over the last quarter of a century but the most stark example of her commitment to Blackpool and its residents was during Covid.

“When most people were locked down and were at home being fearful during the pandemic, Karen was at front and centre, helping to coordinate, lead Blackpool’s response, ensuring people were safe, ensuring people were fed, ensuring supplies were available for medical staff.

“Blackpol’s Covid response was so good it became replicated across Lancashire and Karen and her public health teams deserve our thanks for that.”

Cllr Anita Cooper, who said: “I would like to echo Cllr Brooke’s sentiments, having worked for Karen, her heart and soul was in adult social care.

“When you’re the Director of the whole service, you hold yourself personally responsible for everything.

“But I felt she didn’t always acknowledge when everything was going right and the massive contribution she made. 

“I hope she has a successful and long retirement. She was an excellent manager, certainly from where I sat as a member of staff,”

Ms Smith began working for Blackpool Council in August 2001 in a variety of roles, and for the past 11 years has held the role of statutory Director of Adult Social Services (DAS).

The long-serving employee said she believed that now was the time to hand over the reins as the authority headed into a period of further changes for local government and health & social care services, both nationally and locally.

In her retirement announcement, Ms Smith said:  “The pressures on Adult Social Services are many and great. Together, we have weathered some really tough times – and continue to do so – but we have also achieved many things and even in our darkest days, we must never lose sight of those and the positive differences we make to people’s lives every single day. I am proud to have been able to serve my community.’

The council is putting in place an interim plan over the short term, with a view to recruiting a new DASS early in 2026.