The Slow Decline of the British Seaside

Like many people in their 50s I have a certain level of nostalgia over the seaside - the sandcastles, sandy ice creams and sunburn.

But things are different now....

Cheap flights and package holidays have turned the tide against old coastal towns. Nowadays a week in Benidorm is probably going to be around the same price as a week in Margate.

This shift has gutted the economies of many a coastal towns, which are now some of the poorest places in the country, with lower pay, more people out of work, and worse health than towns further inland.

These towns have been caught up in something of a doom spiral in recent decades: as economies decline, there are fewer jobs, fewer opportunities and more people leave, especially the young...

Plenty of Problems, Few Solutions

This economic slide brings all kinds of social problems with it. Crime climbs, kids slip through the cracks at school, deprivation sets in and just stays. In Hastings and Rye, 63% of children leave school without the basic English and maths GCSEs they’ll need later in life. And this can have generational consequences.

Plenty of coastal areas feel totally “left behind.” Politicians in London don’t seem to see them or care much, and this is why many of these areas are turning away from Labour - these are the battle grounds for Reform vs Green, think the most recent win for the Greens in Margate.

Is There a Way Back?

Not every seaside town is stuck in reverse. Both Brighton and Margate are proper gentrified.

But honestly, those are outliers.

Getting these towns back on track takes more than a fresh coat of paint or a new pier. They need real investment, good planning, and some new ideas about what they can be. Relying on holidaymakers isn’t enough anymore. They need remote work hubs, green tech, schools, and better digital connections.

They need, maybe, another round of more targeted levelling up.... otherwise they just become dumping grounds for the left-behinds....