A new report has highlighted the deepening economic and social divide between Britain's coastal towns and the rest of the country, with seaside communities experiencing some of the highest unemployment, lowest wages, and poorest health outcomes. Research by the Social Market Foundation (SMF) found that in 85% of the 98 coastal local authorities analysed, employees earned below the national average in 2016, with typical annual pay lagging by around £3,600.
The study identified areas such as Torbay, North Devon, Gwynedd, Hastings, and Torridge among the ten lowest-paid local authorities in Great Britain. Meanwhile, Hartlepool, North Ayrshire, Torridge, Hastings, South Tyneside, and Sunderland featured in the top ten for unemployment in the first quarter of 2017. The data also revealed significant health inequality, with Neath Port Talbot, Blackpool, Bridgend, and Sunderland among the local authorities with the highest proportions of residents in poor health.
Educational attainment is also lagging. Great Yarmouth and Castle Point recorded the smallest share of over-16s holding qualifications at level four or above, such as degrees or higher apprenticeships. The report notes that economic output per person in coastal areas was 23% lower than in non-coastal areas in 1997, a gap that had widened to 26% by 2015.
The SMF attributes this growing disparity to poor infrastructure and weak transport links, which make it difficult for residents to reach major employment centres. The thinktank's chief economist, Scott Corfe, said many seaside communities were “poorly connected” to job opportunities, compounding the lack of local work. He also highlighted that there is still no official definition of a 'coastal community', leaving some of the most deprived areas overlooked, particularly in the south-east, where pockets of deprivation sit alongside affluence.
The government has pledged £40 million to support coastal areas in boosting employment and tourism, but researchers argue that more needs to be done to track and address the specific economic challenges faced by these towns. The report calls for a clearer policy focus on seaside communities to prevent the gap from widening further.
