{"id":661630,"date":"2019-07-22T07:39:35","date_gmt":"2019-07-22T07:39:35","guid":{"rendered":"
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\"england<\/"},"modified":"2019-07-22T07:39:35","modified_gmt":"2019-07-22T07:39:35","slug":"englands-seaside-towns-where-young-people-might-disappear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/07\/22\/englands-seaside-towns-where-young-people-might-disappear\/","title":{"rendered":"England’s seaside towns where young people might disappear"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"england<\/div>\n

More than half of England\u2019s coastal communities could see a decline in the number of residents aged under 30 by the year 2039.<\/p>\n

Analysis by BBC News of population projections has found seaside towns in northern England could see the biggest decline in under-30s.<\/p>\n

The Parliamentary Group for Coastal Communities said funding cuts meant seaside towns were \u201cbeing left behind\u201d.<\/p>\n

The government said it had invested more than \u00a3200m in coastal communities.<\/p>\n

The coastline in England is home to some of the most beautiful but also poorest places in England.<\/p>\n

Some young adults living in the North Yorkshire town of Scarborough said they struggled to envisage a future for themselves living by the sea.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere aren\u2019t many career options in Scarborough,\u201d said 24-year-old Kayleigh Wilkinson.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou either work in a care home like I do, or you work in a shop.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s one of the many reasons why people my age are already leaving to work in bigger cities like York and Leeds.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) produces\u00a0population projections based on previous and current demographic trends., including how many people have moved away from areas in previous years as well as birth and death rates.<\/p>\n

According to these figures, Scarborough could see a 10.5% fall in the number of people under 30 living in the area by 2039, meaning a potential loss of some 9,000 young adults over the next two decades.<\/p>\n

Ryan Broadbent, 21, moved from Scarborough to Leeds to study at university and said he could not see himself returning to the town.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you spend \u00a330,000 on going to university the last thing you want to do is move back to a place where you can only find a low skilled job,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just jobs, there\u2019s very little to do at the weekend for young people. We were promised a multi-screen cinema in Scarborough but that hasn\u2019t happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

Twenty-year-old Reece Wilde was more optimistic about the future of the town, having just opened a cafe in the centre of Scarborough.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love this place and I think there are positive things happening,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are people like me setting up independent bars and coffee shops.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut what Scarborough and other seaside places need to do is think of what they can offer people all year round, instead of just in the summer.\u201d<\/p>\n

What could happen to England\u2019s coastline population?<\/h2>\n
\"Ariel<\/figure>\n

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n

Image captionEight million people currently live in local authority areas in England with a coastline<\/p>\n

BBC News has analysed the population projections made by the ONS for 75 local authorities in England with a coastline.<\/p>\n

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  • More than half of the local authorities could see a fall in the number of residents under the age of 30 by the year 2039<\/li>\n
  • The biggest decline in the number of under-30s could be in the north of England, where every local authority with a coastline, except Liverpool, might see a fall in the number of young people<\/li>\n
  • Collectively northern seaside communities might see a reduction of 200,000 under-30s over the next two decades<\/li>\n
  • In contrast, coastal authorities in the south, such as Bristol (+13%), Canterbury (+6.4%) and Southampton (+4.7%) could see substantial rises in the number of young people<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Under 30\u2019s population decline on the coast<\/h2>\n

    Percentage (%) change in u30\u2019s population, 2019 vs 2039<\/p>\n

    Source: Office for National Statistics<\/p>\n

    \n

    A\u00a0report published earlier this year\u00a0by the House of Lords said coastal communities \u201chad been neglected for far too long\u201d.<\/p>\n

    It said most seaside towns still relied on tourism but many in the future would need to diversify their economies.<\/p>\n

    Mike Hill, the Labour MP for Hartlepool and chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Coastal Communities, said coastal communities had not received enough investment from the government.<\/p>\n

    This meant they could not create new jobs that would keep young people living by the sea in the decades to come.<\/p>\n

    \u201cIn my town we\u2019ve created high-skilled well-paid jobs in sectors such as wind energy and carbon capture technology,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

    \u201cBut there is no getting away from it, these population projection figures are frightening, and without action could signal the death of some coastal towns.<\/p>\n

    \u201cGovernment austerity and the underfunding of seaside towns is at the heart of the reason why these communities feel like they\u2019ve been left behind.\u201d<\/p>\n

    \"Hartlepool<\/figure>\n

    Responding last month to the House of Lords findings, the Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government said it acknowledged coastal communities were \u201ccomparatively more deprived\u201d.<\/p>\n

    But it said regenerating coastal towns was a complex issue and that by the next year the government would have invested more than \u00a3220m in projects based in coastal communities that were already having tangible results.<\/p>\n

    Source:\u00a0<\/strong>BBC<\/p>\n<\/div>\n