Appendix 2: Letter to the Rt Hon. Hazel
Blears MP, Secretary of State, Communities and Local Government
I am writing on behalf of the Communities and Local
Government Committee to express my Committee's deep dissatisfaction
with the Government's response to our report on Coastal Towns.
The response appeared to fail to grasp the central premise of
our report, that many coastal towns face significant challenges
based on their combination of characteristics, and that as such
coastal towns warrant specific attention and action by Government
to address their challenges.
My Committee's dissatisfaction reflects that felt
by many other MPs and organisations. The British Resorts and
Destinations Association (BRADA) has written to us on behalf of
its members to express its displeasure and states that in its
view, the Government's reply "offers little or nothing new;
agreeing only with those few things which had no actual Government
duty or action attached".
The level of participation in the Westminster Hall
debate on my Committee's report reflects the level of concern
over the Government's approach to coastal communities and the
issues we raise in the report. During this debate several MPs
voiced their dissatisfaction quite strongly. Mr Gordon Marsden
MP stated, "I see no reason why the Government should not
go back and think a little bit more about the recommendations
of the Committee. Some of the details of the response strike me
as rather complacent".[5]
Shona McIsaac MP viewed the Government's response as fragmented
and incoherent.[6]
The unfocused nature of the response seems at odds
with the Prime Minister's recent comments: he said "Because
the focus is sometimes on inner-city regeneration, people forget
that some coastal towns have large numbers of people who are either
socially excluded or unemployed and that such local economies
can be difficult. It is precisely for that reason that we are
looking at what more we can do to support our coastal towns".[7]
Similarly, Mark Simmons MP called for the Government to take
action to support coastal towns just as it has done for inner
cities; stating "we have the same problems, exacerbated by
distances, isolation, an ageing population and declining public
services, including transport".[8]
In light of this debate and the strength of feeling
on the matter, I invite you to provide a further, more considered
response to my Committee's report and in particular our recommendations
on worklessness, seasonal employment and co-ordination of policy.
We drew attention to the Government's own statistics
which showed a disproportionately high rise in the number of people
claiming sickness and disability benefits in coastal towns. These
statistics show that since 1997 there has been a 2.2 per cent
increase in the number of people claiming incapacity benefit,
special disability allowance or income support for disability
but a 12.3 per cent rise in the number of claimants in coastal
towns (paras 48-53). The Government does not dispute these statistics
but rather belittles our conclusion, countering with other statistics
that avoid dealing directly with our central premise on this issue.
I do not disagree with the information provided but the Government
needs to give greater consideration to our recommendation that
this trend be investigated. It is not unrealistic to expect the
Government to conduct research into benefit dependency in coastal
towns given the hard evidence we provided.
The second area in relation to the economy that I
would like to urge you to reconsider is the response given on
seasonal work. My Committee called for Government recognition
of the significance of seasonal work in coastal towns, and for
this to be considered by national policy-makers given the economic
and social challenges this brings to coastal towns. Our recommendations
were based on clear evidence demonstrating that seasonal work
in coastal towns was more than double the English average.[9]
The response disregards the substantive body of evidence that
demonstrates that seasonal work is significant in coastal towns.
Indeed, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Angela Smith
MP, in the Westminster Hall debate showed recognition of the problems
seasonal work stating, "Hon. Members also referred to low
skills, low pay and seasonal employment. There is an urgent need
to tackle those problems".[10]
Given that the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State has recognised
that seasonal work is a problem that needs to be tackled I would
be grateful if you could clarify whether this view is shared by
the rest of Government and the action that will be taken to ensure
that this is reflected in the work of Government departments.
The third issue that I wish to draw to your attention
specifically is the Government's rejection of our recommendation
for a cross-departmental working group to be established to examine
the implication of policy for coastal towns and how to address
best the needs of coastal communities. This is an entirely reasonable
and proportionate request given the cross-cutting nature of the
challenges faced in coastal towns and the body of evidence that
my Committee has presented on the common challenges faced by many
coastal towns. As Mr Gordon Marsden MP pointed out that "we
do not need to create an enormous, expensive bureaucracy to ensure
that a few civil servants from some of the main Government Departments
can sit down together two or three times a year to discuss an
agenda put to them by BURA, BRADA or other outside groups to look
at some of these issues".[11]
Dr Phyllis Starkey, Chair
Communities and Local Government Committee
19 July 2007
5 HC Deb, 7 June 2007, col 150WH [Westminster Hall] Back
6
HC Deb, 7 June 2007, col 161WH [Westminster Hall] Back
7
Official Report, 6 June 2007; Vol. 461, c.254. Back
8
HC Deb, 7 June 2007, col 176WH [Westminster Hall] Back
9
Communities and Local Government Committee, Second Report of Session
2006-07, Coastal Towns, HC 351, para 64 Back
10
HC Deb, 7 June 2007, col 187WH [Westminster Hall] Back
11
HC Deb, 7 June 2007, col 151WH [Westminster Hall] Back
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