National policy context
1. No settlement in England is more than 70 miles
from the coast.[1] The
Indices of Multiple Deprivation (see figure 1) show that many
coastal areas suffer from high levels of deprivation, and that
this is not a phenomenon limited to inner-city areas. Many coastal
towns also face specific environmental challenges arising from
coastal erosion and climate change.
2. Our task in this inquiry has been to examine current
Government policy affecting English coastal towns. There is
no specific national strategy or policy framework for coastal
towns or coastal communities. Coastal towns are affected by a
range of policies administered by many Government departments.
3. The Government has stated that the Department
for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) "leads on
coastal policy".[2]
That, apparently, is a reference to DEFRA's responsibilities
for flood and coastal erosion risk in England.[3]
DEFRA also has departmental responsibility for implementing the
Government's policy on the spatial planning system for the sea
and coast. The Government intends, through the introduction of
a Marine Bill, to rationalise the spatial planning system, as
currently there are a number of different policies and decision-making
structures for coastal areas. [4]
4. In its evidence, the Government also outlined
a range of policies and legislation within the remit of the Department
for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) that affect coastal
towns (though not specific to coastal towns). These included:
- neighbourhood renewal;
- the Housing Act 2004, and
- the Local Enterprise Growth Initiative.[5]
5. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)
has lead responsibility for tourism and heritage; areas significant
to many coastal towns, particularly in traditional seaside resorts
where tourism is the dominant industry.
6. Other central Government departments with policy
remits relevant to coastal towns include:
- the Department for Trade and Industry (DTI),
which has lead policy responsibility for the Regional Development
Agencies (RDAs); these in turn are responsible for economic development
and regeneration within their regions, including for coastal towns;
- the Department of Health (DoH), in relation to
the demographic profile of many coastal towns;
- the Department for Education and Skills (DfES),
in relation to skills and attainment levels, and
- the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), with
its responsibilities for the benefit system.
OUR INQUIRY
7. We published our terms of reference and issued
a call for evidence in December 2005. We received 66 memoranda
and held five oral evidence sessions between June and October
2006. We thank all those who contributed to our inquiry by providing
evidence or more informally during our visits to the coastal towns
of Exmouth, Whitstable, Margate and Hastings. We are particularly
grateful to our two specialist advisers for this inquiry, Helen
Hayes, Joint Managing Director at a specialist urban regeneration
and planning consultancy, Urban Practitioners, and Professor Fred
Robinson of Durham University.
8. Throughout our report the term 'coastal towns'
refers to English coastal towns, unless otherwise stated. There
is no standard definition of English coastal towns for either
policy-makers or practitioners: within the evidence we received,
different bodies, including Government departments, use a variety
of definitions.[6] The
implications of this are discussed in paragraph 104. Our inquiry
has sought to consider coastal towns in the broadest sense, including
both small and large scale urban settlements on the coast. The
adoption of a limited definition at the start of our inquiry could
have risked excluding relevant evidence. We have, however, deliberately
excluded consideration of the Government's ports policy as this
has recently been examined by the House of Commons Transport Committee
in its inquiry - The Ports Industry in England and Wales.[7]
Figure 1: England - Average Score District Level
Summary of the Indices of Multiple Deprivation
2004
Data Source: House of Commons Library, February 2007
1 Ev 22, Coastal Town: Written Evidence, HC
1023-II of Session 2005-06 (hereafter HC 1023-II) Back
2
Ev 167, HC 1023-II Back
3
See www.defra.gov.uk. Flood and Coastal Risk Management Back
4
Ev 168, HC 1023-II Back
5
Ev 169, HC 1023-II Back
6
Ev 166, HC 1023-II Back
7
Transport Committee, Second Report of Session 2006-07, The
Ports Industry in England and Wales, HC 61-I Back