Scarborough and Whitby MP Alison Hume has asked the PM to support calls for a new Minister for Coastal Communities.
A dedicated government minister and a coastal industrial strategy are being demanded to drive sustainable economic growth and tackle deprivation along the Yorkshire Coast.
Seaside towns and villages are frequently overlooked in the current power structure, according to local politicians who are intensifying their push for a Minister for Coastal Communities. The specific cabinet-level role does not currently exist within the government.
A new classification methodology and data portal, developed by the University of Plymouth, has been launched at the House of Lords to highlight the unique challenges facing seaside communities. The project team engaged with local councils, the NHS, and the Office of National Statistics to identify the impact of factors such as second home ownership, education outcomes, and public health.
The Member of Parliament for Scarborough and Whitby, Alison Hume, has called on the new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, to prioritise the needs of these areas.
Scarborough and Whitby MP Alison Hume said:
"In a new report from the University of Plymouth, they are calling for a definition of coastal communities. There is a particular set of data that is common to all coastal communities whether they're in the north or the south, where we perhaps looked in the past in inner city deprivation, we should be focusing on the coast in the same way.
And I believe that the data and the the proof is now coming which will give us the push to get the minister.
I did personally raise it with the Prime Minister. He said he thought it was a good idea, but thinking it's a good idea and having it are two different things, but I will carry on pushing for that."
The push for dedicated coastal representation is gaining traction nationally across different political parties. A minister for coastal communities is also being demanded by Liberal Democrat politicians.
Supporters of the idea say that seaside towns must be properly supported in Government because they often face poorer health and wellbeing outcomes, greater levels of poverty, and lower life expectancies compared to their inland neighbours, according to national campaigners.
The regional leadership is also throwing its weight behind the campaign. York and North Yorkshire Mayor David Skaith believes that recent devolution deals offer a chance to change the narrative for areas outside big urban cities.
York and North Yorkshire Mayor David Skaith said:
"I'm supportive of anything that really emphasizes the different challenges that coastal areas face.
A lot of the time, our areas have been overlooked and ignored and have never been on the radar, frankly, that they haven't been. They just haven't been. If you're not a big urban city, then you have been overlooked and that's where devolution now can go in the direction.
You're going to have soon lots of mayors representing rural and coastal areas, which we haven't had before, and the noise around how we're supported is definitely changing and is ramping up.
And we do need to keep the pressure on and showcase that they do need different support and offerings, but they also add so much more to the economy as well that other places don't.
So anything we can do to promote the needs, the requirements, and the opportunities, frankly, for coastal areas, I'm all for."
The evidence base driving these demands is featured on the new Coastal England Small Area data portal. Researchers from the University of Plymouth's Centre for Coastal Communities spent several years creating the policy-orientated classification.
A better allocation of policy and resources to seaside communities is needed to combat multiple deprivation, isolation, and a lack of infrastructure, according to peers who hosted the recent House of Lords event.
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