Living in England's top seaside resorts is not as cheerful as the music hall song suggests, according to a new study by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The analysis reveals that these once-thriving tourist destinations now suffer from above-average levels of deprivation in health, employment, and income compared to the rest of the country.
Skegness, home to the first Butlins holiday camp, recorded the highest deprivation of 57 large and medium-sized seaside towns in 2010. Blackpool, which still attracts more visitors annually than any other UK coastal town, had the second highest deprivation overall and the highest among towns with populations over 40,000.
The study was conducted to test the perception that seaside resorts have declined due to the rise of package holidays abroad. The report noted that during the 2010 election campaign, all three major political parties discussed the problems facing British seaside settlements, highlighting the perceived extent of their decline.
In larger seaside towns, 26.9% of the population fell into the most deprived group, compared to a national average of 20%. Twenty-five of the 31 larger towns had higher than average deprivation, with exceptions including Christchurch, Poole, Lytham St Annes, Southport, Worthing, and Bognor Regis.
The main areas of deprivation were health and disability (34.9% of the population in the most deprived group), employment (32.2%), living environment (26.7%), income (25.3%), and education, skills, and training (25%). Crime deprivation stood at 16.6%, while barriers to housing and services were 10.6%.
Phil Humby, the report's author, said the study was the start of a continuing analysis. He noted that while health deprivation was highest overall, it was not necessarily due to an elderly population, as towns like Lytham St Annes and Poole had older populations but low health deprivation. He added that the loss of tourism and fishing were relevant factors for some towns, and that a decline in one industry had not always been replaced by another.
