CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Government
has neglected the needs of coastal towns for too long. A greater
understanding and appreciation is needed of the challenges faced
in coastal towns. A national strategy for coastal towns is not
a solution to their needs as a 'one size fits all approach' is
inappropriate, but there are a number of areas that are in need
specific Government action.
NATIONAL POLICY
2. The
Seaside Economy report states "Seaside towns are the least
understood of Britain's 'problem' areas". We concur with
this view and believe the Government does not sufficiently appreciate
the needs of coastal towns . (Paragraph 104)
3. The lack of cross-departmental
liaison on coastal towns is disappointing, indicating that there
is a national policy vacuum on coastal towns. Given the common
characteristics shared by many coastal towns and the cross-cutting
nature of the common issues facing them, cross-departmental joint
working must be put in place. This would be facilitated by greater
understanding and transparency over the situation of coastal towns.
The Government should establish a permanent cross-departmental
working group on coastal towns led by the Department for Communities
and Local Government. Its role should include monitoring and
promoting cross-departmental understanding of the needs of coastal
towns, consideration of the effect of Government policy on coastal
towns and overview of any national initiatives for coastal towns.
(Paragraph 109)
4. Our analysis of
the evidence has demonstrated that coastal towns are diverse but
that many coastal towns do share some common features, including
deprivation. We are convinced that there is a need for greater
Governmental understanding and appreciation of the needs of coastal
towns. The variety of the challenges and opportunities that exist
for coastal towns, however, make it difficult to conceive of a
national strategy that would both an effective tool for delivery
and sufficiently localised to reflect the diversity of conditions
and needs in coastal towns and on this basis we are not recommending
the adoption of a national strategy solely for coastal communities.
(Paragraph 110)
VULNERABLE ADULTS AND CHILDREN
5. There
can be significant drawbacks from placing vulnerable adults and
especially children in care away from their home area; we accept
that there are times when it may be necessary in the best interests
of the individual but it should not be done simply to reduce costs
of the placing authority. Placing authorities should ensure that
they communicate as far in advance as possible with host authorities
about all aspects of the placement of vulnerable children and
adults. Placing authorities should also consider the impact of
placements on the receiving community and host authority, and
they should take responsibility for the financial impact of those
placements. (Paragraph 38)
COASTAL ECONOMIES
6. We
note that there has been employment growth in many coastal towns
and that there is little significant difference between coastal
and non-coastal towns in terms of overall average employment levels.
We note, however, that a number of coastal towns do still have
significantly lower than average employment levels. (Paragraph
47)
7. It is unacceptable
and extraordinary that the Government should have no knowledge
of a potentially significant national trend in which coastal towns
have experienced a disproportionately high rise in the number
of people claiming sickness and disability benefit levels. It
appears likely that the scale of inward migration of benefit claimants
could be a contributory factor. We recommend that the Government
investigates this trend with a view to identifying and addressing
its causes. (Paragraph 53)
8. Tourism continues
to be an economically important sector for many coastal towns,
and it is important that the Government recognises this. We recommend
that the Government conducts an immediate study on coastal tourism,
including evaluating the levels and spend of domestic and inbound
visitors to the coast in comparison to non-coastal areas. We
urge the Government to ensure that action is taken at a national
level to promote visiting the English seaside, and to consider
the merits of introducing a national coastal tourism strategy,
following the example of Wales. (Paragraph 60)
9. Some coastal towns
have successfully diversified their economies and reduced their
dependency upon tourism. Many others would benefit from similar
developments, particularly given the seasonal, low-skill and low-wage
nature of employment in tourism. Economic diversification should
be taken into account in regional and local regeneration strategies
and development plans. We recommend that the Government encourages
the sharing of best practice on economic diversification approaches
for coastal towns. (Paragraph 61)
10. We find it surprising
that the significance of seasonal work in coastal towns was not
recognised by the Department of Work and Pensions, and only became
apparent as a result of further investigation by the Committee.
(Paragraph 64)
11. The seasonality
of the economy in coastal towns presents economic and social challenges
that need to be considered by national and local policy-makers.
The Department of Work and Pensions' failure to highlight the
significance of seasonality in its original evidence is suggestive
of a wider lack of understanding in Government of the specific
employment patterns in many coastal towns and the challenges associated
with those patterns. (Paragraph 67)
HOUSING
12. The
shortage of affordable housing is not unique to coastal towns
but can be exacerbated by the high level of inward migration and
the purchase of second homes. Greater provision of affordable
homes is a key priority in many coastal towns and could be an
important factor in retaining young people in the area. (Paragraph
40)
13. It is clear that
many coastal towns suffer disproportionately from poor-quality
housing and in particular have high numbers of care homes and
HMOs, many of which have been converted from redundant hotels.
We recognise the availability of HMOs can attract a transient
population into an area, which can bring particular challenges,
particularly increasing the difficulty in gaining community involvement
in local regeneration. (Paragraph 43)
14. We welcome the
provisions within the Housing Act 2004 enabling local authorities
to license Houses in Multiple Occupation. We recommend that the
Government encourages local authorities to make full and effective
use of the licensing and statutory planning powers available (including
compulsory purchase) to manage HMOs. We recommend that the Government
examines whether local authorities need additional powers to address
the problems arising in areas with especially large numbers of
HMOs. (Paragraph 46)
COASTAL MANAGEMENT
15. Some
coastal communities face significant and increasing risks from
coastal erosion and flooding. We welcome the Government's consideration
of adaptation measures and the launch of pilot projects. We are
concerned, however, that the pace of Government action is too
slow to meet the needs of those coastal communities where coastal
erosion is at its most aggressive and that delay can only increase
social injustice and uncertainty for those communities. We recommend
that the Government, as a matter of urgency, put in place a fair
and transparent national approach to coastal adaptation for communities
threatened by the consequences of climate change. (Paragraph 17)
16. We welcome the
use of Shoreline Management Plans which are a useful tool for
managing development and coastal flooding and erosion risk. The
Government should make Shoreline Management Plans statutory to
strengthen their use in the planning process. This will ensure
that adequate account is taken of coastal flooding and erosion
risk. (Paragraph 19)
17. We welcome the
measures within the Planning Policy Statement 25 that give greater
weight to consideration of flood risk in the planning process.
(Paragraph 20)
18. It is important
that investment in sea defences is linked to the regeneration
of coastal areas, and we welcome the steps now taken by the Environment
Agency to ensure that the social and economic implications of
sea defences works are considered at the outset and that the work
contributes to the improvement of the public realm. We urge the
Department for Communities and Local Government to work more closely
with the Environment Agency and other bodies to ensure that opportunities
for regeneration of coastal towns, afforded by investment in sea
defences, are realised. (Paragraph 21)
19. We agree with
the Environment Agency that the information provided to those
considering purchasing a property in a coastal area must draw
attention to the risks arising from flooding and coastal erosion,
and therefore welcome the Government's intention for coastal erosion
risk maps to be available in the public domain in 2008 on a similar
basis to existing flood risk maps. (Paragraph 22)
PHYSICAL ISOLATION
20. The
physical isolation of many coastal towns is often a significant
barrier to economic growth, development and regeneration. (Paragraph
12)
DEMOGRAPHICS
21. The
inward migration of older people to coastal towns can bring benefits
but it also places significant additional demands on public services,
particularly in the areas of health and social care. (Paragraph
25)
22. Many coastal towns
have higher than average levels of outward migration of young
people which can contribute to a skewed demographic profile.
(Paragraph 39)
REGENERATION
23. Differences
of opinion over regeneration between different groups within the
community can occur in any settlement. The demographic profile
of many coastal towns, where a significant proportion of the community
may have chosen to move to the area specifically because they
like it the way it is, can exacerbate these tensions and represent
a greater barrier to regeneration than may be experienced in some
other areas. (Paragraph 79)
24. While we recognise
that there are particular challenges in coastal towns, there is
no substantive evidence to demonstrate that they generally experience
lower cost-benefit ratios or higher costs in regeneration projects
than other areas. (Paragraph 81)
25. Leaving responsibility
for the sharing of best practice on coastal town regeneration
with regions and sub-regions is not an adequate response, as coastal
towns would benefit from the sharing of best practice and experiences
at a national level. We welcome the recent events which have facilitated
such exchanges but regret that these have been ad hoc. The Government
has a role to play in supporting and encouraging coastal towns
to share experiences and expertise. We recommend that the Government
supports a permanent network to facilitate the spread of best
practice in coastal town regeneration. (Paragraph 84)
FUNDING
26. Given
the number and complexity of the funding streams available for
regeneration in coastal towns, there is considerable scope for
their simplification and integration. We are not persuaded, however,
that a specific funding stream for coastal town regeneration is
warranted. We recommend that the Government evaluates the impact
of the termination of various funding streams on coastal town
regeneration, with a view to addressing any funding gap. (Paragraph
91)
27. We agree with
witnesses that it is important that the Revenue Support Grant
calculations take into account the levels of elderly and transient
populations in an area, and recognise the geographical variation
in demands placed on services by these groups. (Paragraph 92)
28. We agree with
witnesses that Government funding to local authorities should
reflect the impact of day visitors on the costs associated with
maintaining the public realm in the formula for funding allocations.
We suspect that witnesses are correct in their assertions that
the funding formula methodology needs to be improved and recommend
that the Government ensures that the data on day visitor numbers
is both localised and up to date. (Paragraph 94)
EDUCATION
29. The
evidence suggests that a high number of young people in some coastal
communities have low educational attainment levels and low aspirations.
While we accept that raising educational achievement and career
aspirations is an important element in local regeneration, we
have no evidence to convince us that the experience of coastal
communities in this regard is significantly different from other
areas, such as inner cities or areas of deprivation, where the
aspirations of young people and their level of educational attainment
are lower than the national average. Any national initiatives
to increase educational attainment levels in targeted geographical
areas, should ensure that coastal communities with low attainment
levels are included. (Paragraph 71)
FURTHER NATIONAL AND REGIONAL ACTION
30. We
note that RDAs have adopted a variety of approaches towards supporting
coastal towns and that a number of these has been welcomed by
local regeneration partners. We are not convinced that any mandatory
requirement for RDAs to adopt a specific approach towards coastal
towns would be beneficial. We do recommend, however, that one
RDA (such as SEEDA, owing to its expertise) has lead responsibility
for facilitating the sharing of best practice on coastal towns
across regions, and that RDAs establish regional forums for coastal
towns. (Paragraph 99)
31. Given that the
Government does not collate or analyse data on the investment
levels and business growth in coastal towns it is difficult to
see the basis for any confidence that coastal RDAs are effectively
meeting the economic needs of the coastal towns in their respective
regions. We note that currently RDAs disaggregate their output
data on a rural/urban basis. We urge the Government to require
RDAs to disaggregate their data in relation to coastal areas in
their region. This would enable the Government to evaluate the
effectiveness of RDAs in developing the economies of coastal towns
within their regions. (Paragraph 101)
32. Fragmentation
within the tourism support sector is a national issue and not
specific to coastal towns. Coastal towns, as well as other tourist
areas, would benefit from a more coherent and streamlined national
structure. (Paragraph 102)
33. The
Minister for Local Government stated that, in his view, further
research on the impact of policy would help the Government to
understand fully the needs of coastal towns and inform policy-making.
We agree. (Paragraph 103)
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