A former colleague recently tweeted that "what UK really needs is Cambridge on the Coast; a new University for the Coast..." Certainly, we need something. England’s coast is largely poorer than the rest of England and the UK. Skills levels and wages/productivity are typically lower than the English and UK average, as are progression rates…
It was a privilege to join Labour Coast and Country recently to talk about how Labour can rebuild support in towns, rural areas, and coastal communities. Currently, the electoral map shows England as a sea of blue, with small clusters of red in and around our cities. Our road to power must encompass towns and…
We're delighted to announce that Rachel Reeves MP, who leads the Shadow Cabinet Office team, has agreed to join us for our next Zoom session on Tuesday 23rd June at 6pm.Rachel has a broad brief which spans devolution and the constitution, Brexit, and aspects of the Coronavirus response. She's interested in speaking with members about how these…
‘Winning England’ drinks, in partnership the English Labour Network | Sunday 22 September, 12:00 - 12:30 Ahead of our annual gathering at 12:45, start conference in style by joining us for a drink at the seaside Tempest Inn to meet other like-minded Labour members who recognise that our party must win outside of the major cities to form…
The recent publication of the Lords Inquiry into the rural economy (explored here by Baroness Young) reinforces the need for a Rural Strategy as proposed by the Rural Services Network, its partner organisations and many others, including LCC. As we often find many MPs and political leaders are surprised to find that more people live in rural England than live in Greater London…
The Lords Select Committee on ‘The Future of Seaside Towns’ paints a familiar picture of what can happen to communities that get left behind in a two speed economy. Many of us watched in the 80’s as the Thatcher government ruthlessly deconstructed the industrial economy through a mix of privatisation, state disinvestment and plant closures.…
While much of the Labour family is rightly occupied with their local election campaign for tomorrow, some of the early steps in preparing for ‘The English election’ of 2019 (elections in 192 District Councils, 47 Unitaries and 33 Mets on 2nd May '19), began last week. Labour:COAST&COUNTRY (LCC) brought together seven of our newer MPs…
Rural and coastal communities face a number of unique problems that are often misunderstood by the politicians in London who set national policy. ‘Coast and Country: Have your Say’ is a free public meeting, giving you an opportunity to share your concerns about the challenges of living in rural and coastal South West Devon and…
The local elections are fast approaching across the UK and Plymouth City Council is one of two key targets for Labour outside of London. Only two seats are required to take control back from the Conservatives in this historic coastal city. Since its formation as a unitary authority in 1998, control has swung between Labour…
There are few more quintessentially English postcard images than deckchairs lining a sandy beach with a pier in the background. I am lucky that in my constituency there are many fantastic coastal towns that attract thousands of visitors on holiday. But for years now they have been faced with a real and growing set of…
