New coastal towns pledge welcomed

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A committee of MPs has welcomed a "change of heart" by the government on its proposals to help coastal towns.

The Commons local government committee published its recommendations in March, but said it was met with a "complacent" and "belittling" government response.

It said English coastal towns need help to face challenges such as deprivation and increasingly elderly populations.

Committee chairman Phyllis Starkey said she was pleased ministers now agreed a coastal towns working group was needed.

The committee had urged the government to do more to improve the economy and quality of life in run-down English seaside towns.

'Nothing new'

It pointed out challenges including housing shortages, the influx of elderly people and exodus of young people, physical isolation and deprivation facing some towns.

It is difficult, in polite circles, to accurately describe to you the depth of displeasure that the government response has created Peter HampsonBrada

But the government's response angered committee members, who said it rejected many of its recommendations and "failed to recognise the need for specific government action" to tackle coastal towns' challenges.

Peter Hampson, director of the British Resorts and Destinations Association was also infuriated.

He wrote to the committee that the "complacent" response offered "little or nothing new", agreed only "with those few things which had no actual government duty or action attached" and responded to all major issues with "vague, or on occasion, inaccurate descriptions of individual actions being taken by others".

'Deep dissatisfaction'

He wrote: "It is difficult, in polite circles, to accurately describe to you the depth of displeasure that the government response has created among many elected members from all parties, public sector officers and our colleagues and partners in the private sector."

The committee wrote back to the Department for Communities and Local Government, expressing its "deep dissatisfaction" with its first response.

In its supplementary response, the government said it wanted to improve co-ordination of policies which impact on coastal towns, investigate the issue of seasonal employment - which had been raised by the committee - and look at coastal towns "as part of the wider framework for regeneration".

It also pledged to set up a cross-departmental working group to look at coastal towns - something which pleased the committee's Labour chairman, who said it was important departments worked together on the "cross-cutting issues faced by coastal communities".

Dr Starkey said: "I am pleased that the government has had a change of heart and finally accepted the need for government action to tackle the common challenges faced by coastal communities."