The term ‘coastal towns’ is too vague a definition to create the policies needed to regenerate England’s struggling seaside communities, a leading academic has warned.

As a result, large industrial and commercial centres like Sunderland and Portsmouth are effectively put in the same category as resorts like Scarborough or Great Yarmouth that bear little relation in terms of their economies, character and scale.

Steve Fothergill, professor at the Centre for Regional, Economic and Social Research at Sheffield Hallam University, said traditional seaside towns tended to be differentiated through specialist infrastructure like promenades, piers and holiday accommodation.

They also share similar characteristics such as a reliance on seasonal work and an older population.

There are 62 places that could be defined as coastal towns, but just 37 seaside resorts. Focusing attention on this narrower category would result in more effective policy aimed at areas with the greatest poverty.

The report was commissioned in November in response to pressure from the communities and local government committee to provide tailored support for coastal towns. It marked a U-turn by ministers having first rejected the calls (New Start, 23 November).

At the time, communities secretary Hazel Blears also backed the creation of a coastal areas network led by regional development agencies to share best practice on seaside regeneration.

South East England Development Agency has been leading work to create the network, which will stage its first meeting next month.

As part of new measures announced by the government this week, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport will invite its tourism partners to examine alternative ways of measuring the importance of tourism in seaside towns.

DCLG has also agreed to look into the way council funding is allocated. Professor Fothergill questioned whether the current formula took sufficient account of the pressure on local services brought about by high numbers of visitors to seaside resorts.

According to figures cited in the report, 21% of seaside residents are over 65, compared to the national average of 16%. Poor housing in some towns results in families on low incomes living all year round in holiday caravans, he said.

‘The population of some seaside towns rises and falls with the seasons because of visitors, and this is seen as putting strains on services such as policing, cleansing and the health service,’ he said.

Professor Fothergill will now conduct a more in-depth study into coastal resorts, focusing on employment, economic activity, welfare dependency and housing.

by Barry McCarthy
barry@newstartmag.co.uk