MP's Press for More Government Help for Coastal Communities

Communities on Britain’s coastline have fallen behind the rest of the country but the government could unlock their potential by adjusting its Levelling Up policy, according to research published today

 A study commissioned by the Coastal Communities Alliance, the Local Government Association Coastal Special Interest Group and the Coastal Partnerships Network says that household income in coastal areas is almost £3,000 per year lower than in non-coastal communities, with nearly one in five jobs below the living wage – a greater proportion than for England overall.

Low pay is one of a wide range of disadvantages detailed in the "Communities on the edge" report.

Today members of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Coastal Communities discussed the report’s findings, and the need for investment to address the unfair disparities between coastal and non-coastal parts of Britain.

Sally-Ann Hart MP,  chair of the group, told the meeting:

“If we give our coastal communities the right focus and support the opportunities are boundless…rather than coastal communities being a problem they are actually an important resource for the United Kingdom.

“The need for long term funding is key because our coastal communities have challenges which have become entrenched over decades – there isn’t a quick fix.”

The research reveals there is a risk the government’s existing Levelling Up agenda fails to identify the massive challenges faced by coastal communities.  The report says that the 2022 Levelling Up White Paper analyses performance at a regional or city regional level, missing hidden disparities contained in more local data.

For example, the report says that the East of England has the third highest regional average weekly pay, although parts of the region have some of the lowest  earnings in the country. The hidden problem of low pay is revealed in data available at district, rather than regional level.

The report says that Ministers should consider using the more detailed data to target the  communities most in need, and make sure coastal areas do not miss out on Levelling Up.

The study reveals many ways in which it says coastal communities remain in danger of being left behind non-coastal areas. It says:

"In coastal communities:

• A higher proportion of children live in workless households.
• Disabled people are less likely to find work.
• There is a damaging “digital divide” with gigabit broadband and 4G provision lagging behind.
• A lower proportion of children achieve GCSE qualifications in maths and English.
• Children are more likely to be persistently absent from school.
• People suffer poorer health outcomes, with higher rates of depression, suicide, alcohol-related hospital admissions, and emergency admissions for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.
• There are fewer council houses, leading to a greater reliance on the private rented sector where housing costs are higher.
• Cost of living pressures are more keenly felt, particularly in peripheral areas where it is impossible to access cheaper mains gas."

 
The report says some of the challenges faced by coastal communities have developed over years or decades, and will require longer term funding strategies.

It says the government should consider:

• Changing the local government funding formula to better reflect deprivation and the needs of coastal communities.
• Long term, sustainable funding to support projects across their full lifespan – at the moment help for coastal communities is often time-limited.
• Strategic funding which would allow authorities to merge different streams to achieve levelling up in coastal communities.

The report says :

"the right support would boost growth and see coastal areas contribute far more to the wider UK economy.

Increases in home and hybrid working are an opportunity for coastal communities to attract more skilled and highly paid workers.

Coastal areas already generate more renewable energy than the national average, and investment in offshore wind farms, wave and tidal power has the potential for even more sustainable growth.

Investing in year-round tourism would offer coastal communities the chance to benefit from huge growth in the UK’s visitor economy."

The report has been compiled by Pragmatix Advisory who were commissioned by the Coastal Communities Alliance, Coastal Partners, Coastal Partnership Network, East Riding of Yorkshire Council, Essex County Council, Greater Lincolnshire LEP, LGA Coastal Special Interest Group, Lincolnshire Council, South Tyneside Council and Torbay Council to research and report on the coastal levelling up challenge and the opportunities for growth in coastal communities.

 You can read the full report at: https://www.coastalcommunities.co.uk/knowledge-base/category/reports/communities-on-the-edge