Blackpool - has it always been like this or do I have rose-tinted specs?

Yes it's terrible

Really deprived

Sadly you're not wrong OP.
My DH was working in Blackpool when I first met him in 1990. There were some very rough parts even then, and of course it was never a sophisticated resort even at the height of its popularity, but it wasn't all bad and I've got some very happy memories of the time we spent in the area.
But we went back last year to a reunion at my DH's old work having not visited for many years and I was really shocked how run down the town is now and how much was closed even on the front. I think most seaside resorts have suffered in recent times but Blackpool seems to have fared even worse than most. It's very sad.

Very similar to another seaside town. The seaside town in question has what I can only describe as a "ghetto" full of eastern European illegal immigrants living in squalor. Cases of TB have risen to a frightening degree in recent years.

I've only ever been once and that was for a long weekend mid 1990s.

The seafront bit was ok and we stayed in a quite a nice hotel, but OMG it was surrounded by rundown, shabby homeless hostels.

There were houses either side and opposite the hotel that had drunks and druggies going in and out all night. The noise was awful and cars were pulling up all night dealing drugs to the people in the hostels.

Prostitution was also blatant down the side streets, even during the day.

I live in Blackpool . Tourism here, as in many seaside resorts, suffered from cheap holidays overseas. Ironically the motorway that brings people in means they can now just come for the day rather than stay . Not much in the way of employment. Some people work seasonally but hang around in the closed season getting into trouble. Lots of HMOs.People head here to disappear. Work is underway to improve and clear areas round the town centre and a new civil service hub has just opened. Investment is needed in education and creating good employment opportunities.

Poverty and Deprevation have hit Blackpool hard.

Like you we used to go in the 80s .. we had a week there every year. It was great for families.

For lots of reasons, things have got bad .. it’s a complicated picture. There are attempts at regeneration now, there are some building projects ongoing which will hopefully help. The problem is, work out of season is not easily come by, unless you can travel.

TBH, I think the front is better now that it has been in a while. There’s a lovely cocktail bar near the Comedy Carpet. We were last there during the Northern Soul weekender, which was great fun,

One road back from the front though .. drugs & poverty

Same - great memories of day trips as a kid in the late 70s to see the illuminations, long walk along the prom, fish and chips foe supper, ice cream and a go on the penny falls. Took DH about 10 years ago (he's Aussie and never been before - I'd been waxing lyrical about traditional British seaside hols). Whole place was a miasma of dope, within the first half hour we'd seen a hen throwing up outside a pub and a couple shagging in a seafront shelter. Never been back 😁

I experienced the same, and I thought it was a dive and in the dark ages. I wouldn’t visit again

They shipped a lot of homeless people up there years ago, lots of drugs and violence - the council took the money to take them all.

It’s not surprising anymore.