Supplementary memorandum by the East Riding
of Yorkshire Council (CT30(a))
Following the Oral Evidence Session, held on
Tuesday 27 June 2006 at the House of Commons, East Riding of Yorkshire
Council would like to submit additional written evidence with
examples of specific initiatives undertaken in our coastal towns.
Additionally and as requested by the Chair, we are enclosing maps
of the Yorkshire and Humber coastal zone, which depict economic
indicators at Super Output Area (SOA) level in order to demonstrate
and explain the nature of deprivation, where it is and who is
affected by it.
1. MEASURES TO
ASSIST YOUNG
PEOPLE
The Select Committee asked for examples of initiatives
to help young people achieve economic well-being and stay in coastal
areas. In Bridlington we have established a "Young Aspirations"
project. This started as a multi-agency programme to provide bespoke
curriculum and support to young people in danger of being excluded
from school. It has been very successful.
After three years its "progression"
stage was intended to provide the platform to enable higher-achieving
students to access suitable training and employment opportunities.
However, the needs of the underachieving cohort and some organisational
difficulties (ie one of the participatory secondary schools being
in special measures), have meant that this element of the programme
has had to be put on the "back burner" for now.
Several young people have, however, accessed
the "Opportunity Knocks" programme (funded through Yorkshire
Forward and European Regional Development Fund), which assists
business start-ups.
2. OTHER INNOVATORY
PROJECTS
In terms of innovatory projects, we would point
to the extent to which we have integrated highways schemes with
the town centre redevelopment programme in Bridlington. The regeneration
impacts were a significant feature of an "LTP Exceptional"
bid (up to £5 million) and we are very hopeful of a positive
announcement soon, which will enable a package of measures to
ease the "seasonal surge".
Another key success was the "Synchronised
Swimming" approach to partnership working and programme management.
This has been instrumental in creating one Partnership and one
delivery team to manage all the funding streams. The latest challenge
is to mesh an allocation for the Neighbourhood element of the
Safer and Stronger Communities Fund with existing funding, particularly
European Regional Development Priority 3 (Community Economic Development)
Funding.
3. INDEX OF
MULTIPLE DEPRIVATION
(2004) MAPS
The attached maps show a very clear pattern
of multiple deprivation in the coastal towns with widespread economic
deprivation in their rural coastal hinterlands. The additional
commentary relates mainly to the East Riding area.
3.1 Overall
Within the East Riding area pockets of deprivation
are interspersed among relatively affluent areas with the highest
concentrations of deprivation evident in the coastal and estuarine
towns of Bridlington, Withernsea and Goole. There are parts of
Bridlington ranked among the 3% most deprived areas of the country.
Almost the whole town of Withernsea has been allocated scores
placing it within the 15% most deprived areas in England. Goole
is a port town, but is situated 60 miles inland on the Humber
Estuary and did not, therefore, feature in our response to the
Coastal Towns Inquiry. However, it is referred to here to provide
context.
3.2 Employment
Ten SOAs in the East Riding are in the 10% most
deprived areas in the country and are found in Bridlington, Withernsea
and Goole. Six of these are located in Bridlington, with a further
two effectively covering the whole town of Withernsea. All of
the other towns along the Yorkshire and Humber (Y&H) coastal
strip contain SOAs within the 20% most deprived areas, with the
majority falling within the 10% most deprived.
3.3 Income
The East Riding SOAs which feature in the 10%
most deprived areas in England, can exclusively be found in Bridlington,
Withernsea and Goole. The scores mean that between 32% and 38%
of people within these SOAs are income deprived ie that they receive
either Income Support, asylum subsistence support or have an income
which is below 60% of the median calculated using benefit claims.
Similar trends are also apparent with the other Y&H coastal
towns.
3.4 Education
In terms of education, skills and training deprivation
(education deprivation for children and young people, in addition
to lack of skills and qualifications among the working age adult
population), 13% of the SOAs in the East Riding are ranked within
the 25% most deprived in the country. This is a relatively high
figure for an area generally regarded as affluent. Most of these
deprived SOAs again cover the three towns of Bridlington, Withernsea
and Goole.
3.5 Barriers to Housing and Services
The indicators fall into two sub-domains: "geographical
barriers" and "wider barriers" which also includes
issues relating to acces to housing, such as affordability.
Here the rural nature of the East Riding is highlighted through
the high numbers of SOAs ranked within the 25% most deprived in
the country. In the main all of the coastal towns across the Yorkshire
and Humber area score well in this domain, although the connecting
strips of coastline and their outlying villages do not.
3.6 Crime
This domain measures the incidence of recorded
crime (burglary, theft, criminal damage and violence). Bridlington
and Goole contain SOAs, which are located in the 10% most deprived
areas nationally, a situation which is mirrored in the other major
coastal towns of Whitby, Scarborough and Grimsby/Cleethorpes.
3.7 Health
This domain measures those areas, which have
relatively high rates of people who die prematurely or whose quality
of life is impaired by poor health or disability. Again Bridlington
and Goole contain SOAs, which are located in the 10% most deprived
areas nationally, as well as Whitby, Scarborough and Grimsby/Cleethorpes.
Their hinterlands also record low levels of health deprivation.
3.8 Living Environment
Again Bridlington, Goole and Withernsea feature
within the 10% most deprived areas for this domain, which concentrates
on housing conditions (social and private) as well as more "outdoor"
aspects such as road traffic accidents and air quality. There
are only 269 SOAs in the country with a higher ranking than the
harbour area of Bridlington. The same picture of a poor "living
environment" is also strongly evident across the other coastal
towns, with the larger settlements of Whitby, Scarborough and
Grimsby/Cleethorpes faring particularly badly.
3.9 Income Affecting Children and Income Affecting
Old People
This domain measures the same principles as
the overall Income domain, but enables a picture for both young
and old people to be established separately. It is not surprising
that income issues for older people are evident across the board,
given the large number of retirees to the coastal towns. The prevalence
of income deprivation in young people reflects the low wage, low
skill, part-time and seasonal employment that is often the mainstay
of the tourism industry in the coastal towns and the itinerant
households that the cheap and rented accommodation, which is readily
available in these locations, tends to attract.
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