Steve Bassam
This year’s general election results were particularly good for Labour in our seaside and coastal communities. Seats we have never taken before in towns like Bournemouth, Worthing, Shoreham, Isle of Wight West, Weston-Super-Mare, Folkestone and along the coasts of Northumberland, Suffolk, Cornwall, and in Wales and Scotland expanded Labours political reach. In all 69 coastal seats changed hands, more than in the Blair landslide of 1997.
Indeed, it could be plausibly argued that without our coastal wins Keir Starmer would not be enjoying the majority he has. In the run up to the election Labour rightly courted the seaside towns but without making specific commitments apart from on coastal erosion and the need to incentivise coastal businesses. The party’s ‘Creating Growth’ arts and culture manifesto did reference coastal communities and seaside towns as places that ‘are struggling’ with a hint that they would benefit from the growth strategy.
The question for Labour now is how to capitalise and build on this broadened political base before this political high tide starts to turn.
The key point about seaside communities is that they can suffer from the same social and economic dislocation that Labours urban and city strongholds do, and some. I chaired a Lords select committee inquiry back in 2019 on the future of seaside towns and last year we produced an updated follow up report. Despite town deals and the coastal communities funds spent by the Tories not much had changed. Our coastal communities are still in many places left behind and left out of the national conversation. Disconnected and depressed they are falling behind on nearly all metrics that measure prosperity, progress and opportunity.
For this reason, Labours promise of stimulating coastal business growth makes sense. Investment is the key. If we look at the seaside places that are doing really well, Bournemouth, Brighton and Hove, there are stand out explanations. It is also worth looking at those doing better like Margate, Folkestone and yes even Blackpool. These offer hope for the future, that intervention and investment can help turn places round.
In Blackpool’s case it has been a long and slow process. A mix of council initiatives with a local business network, persuading Government to create a civil service hub bringing newer, better paid employment. This has been linked to work at improving schools, transport links, and housing through a council run housing company and bringing higher education into the town.
Brighton’s prosperity was never a given. Back in the 1970’s and early 1980’s it had unemployment levels on a par with those of many northern cities, like Liverpool and Newcastle. The foundations of its modern-day prosperity were laid in the late 80’s and early 90’s. Based around the expansion of the two universities based in the city, its arts, cultural and digital sectors have led to a massive growth in small tech and the sole trader sector. The city now has one of the highest business formation rates in the UK.
Bournemouth, though it never experienced decline in the same way as Brighton, has greatly benefitted from the development of its university. It is now a centre of digital excellence and it has a growing reputation in the fashion world.
Many of our coastal communities could benefit from being looked at strategically as centres of excellence in a particular field. Many already are. Places like Lowestoft and Weymouth are home to CEFAS which is working to protect marine life and create sustainable river, seas and oceans. Blackpool, the erstwhile home of ‘kiss me quick’ holidays is fast developing a new reputation for its 2030 Digital Vision. Joining the North Atlantic Loop has meant that the town offers faster transatlantic switching speeds than the traditional routes like London. Expanding the Local Full Fibre Network (LFFN) will mean greater local digital literacy, support for tech start-ups and enable affordable high-speed broadband for Blackpool residents.
Initiatives like these and those in places like Margate, Folkestone, St Ives and Scarborough that focus on the arts and culture show what can be achieved to revive and renew seaside communities. Concentrated investment driven by a strategy that creates new well-paid employment and home-grown talent, linked to infrastructure renewal offers hope to formerly disconnected and depressed seaside towns.
Ten million people live by the coast and they live there because of the promise of a good life.
Economic decline and the absence of opportunity have blighted many of these communities. Labour has a historic, once in a lifetime chance to turn them around. But it does not have long. There are already some signs that the seawall tide might be turning. Worthing, the southern ‘pin-up’ for Labour in winning seats in unlikely places on the coast has just had a couple of local council by-elections – both were lost to the Tories with significant swings against Labour. In September Labour lost to Reform in Blackpool, in Southampton there was a recent defeat to the LibDems.
Ruling parties locally and nationally expect to lose seats periodically. But we live in unforgiving times and voters expect results sooner rather than later. Labour needs to retain its dialogue with disparate communities, which delivered so well in both the general and local elections this year. The era of easy and quick fixes is long gone. From a Labour coastal perspective one part of the answer would be to appoint one of its ministers – from the local government or DCMS team – as a minister with a special responsibility for the seaside, to work across Government to coordinate policies and the business investment Labour wants to bring to the UK’s forgotten places.
The minister could also act as a conduit for channelling much need public realm investment and regeneration that the seaside urgently needs. We might then begin to demonstrate our commitment long term to place making and turn the tide of investment and make these communities feel loved again and part of our national story, connected as they once were to our national life.
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