🌊 Coastal Communities

• Overview of Coastal Challenges: Steff Aquarone highlighted the often overlooked divide between coastal and inland communities, emphasizing the unique economic, health, and environmental challenges faced by coastal areas. He expressed frustration over the lack of a dedicated Minister for coastal communities to address these issues holistically.

• Health Disparities: Coastal communities face significant health challenges, with higher rates of poor health and diseases like cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Data from Hull shows residents spend 25% more of their lives in poor health compared to the national average. There is a call for more government attention to these health inequalities.

• Economic Contributions and Challenges: Coastal areas contribute significantly to the UK economy through tourism, which was worth £17 billion annually pre-pandemic, and other industries like hospitality. However, these communities often suffer from seasonal employment, lower wages, and economic decline. The debate mentioned the need for more sustainable job opportunities and support for local businesses.

• Second Homes and Housing Crisis: The issue of second homes and holiday lets was a recurring theme, with North Norfolk and Cornwall cited as areas heavily impacted by empty homes. A 100% council tax increase on second homes was introduced in North Norfolk, generating funds to support affordable housing. There were calls for further regulation and potential licensing schemes for short-term lets.

• Environmental Concerns: The sewage dumping scandal was highlighted as a major environmental issue, damaging coastal ecosystems and tourism. Climate change and coastal erosion were also significant concerns, with communities in North Norfolk and the south-west facing ongoing threats from rising sea levels.

• Government and Policy: There was a strong call for a dedicated Minister for coastal communities to represent and address the unique challenges these areas face. Suggestions for policy changes included a comprehensive coastal strategy, support for renewable energy, and better public service provision.

• Local Initiatives and Opportunities: Several MPs praised local efforts and opportunities, such as the potential for renewable energy and skills development in their constituencies. Examples included marine autonomy hubs, wind farm expansions, and educational initiatives aimed at training future workers.

• Government Response: Alex Norris, speaking on behalf of the government, emphasized the shift of power and resources to local communities through devolution and neighbourhood plans. He highlighted investments like housing redevelopment in Blackpool and funding for coastal areas in the plan for neighbourhoods. The government expressed commitment to working with coastal communities to build their future.

The session on coastal communities showed a moderate level of disagreement, characterized more by policy differences and critiques rather than direct confrontations. Here is a detailed breakdown of the disagreements observed during the session:

1. Second Homes and Holiday Lets:
   • Disagreement Example: The issue of second homes and holiday lets saw varied perspectives. Ms Polly Billington called for a licensing scheme for short-term holiday lets, to which Steff Aquarone responded with a nuanced view, emphasizing practicality over ideological stance. Melanie Onn expressed concerns about the impact of Airbnbs on local businesses, again receiving a response from Steff Aquarone supporting further action. This indicates a discrepancy in the approach to regulating short-term rentals and second homes, where some members pushed for stricter measures while others emphasized the need for a pragmatic approach.
2. Economic Policy and Taxation:
   • Disagreement Example: Rebecca Smith criticized the new government’s increase in employer national insurance contributions, citing its negative impact on local businesses and community services. Paul Holmes echoed these sentiments, stating that the policy would stifle local businesses. Conversely, Alex Norris defended the government’s actions, highlighting plans to reform and invest in the economy for the benefit of coastal communities. This shows a clear policy disagreement between the government and the opposition on tax measures.
3. Environmental and Infrastructure Concerns:
   • Disagreement Example: Richard Tice raised concerns about the visual impact of pylons on coastal landscapes and suggested burying cables to mitigate this. Steff Aquarone supported the sentiment but suggested an even more ambitious offshore solution, showing a divergence in proposed solutions to the same issue. Additionally, Edward Morello’s proposal of a dedicated clean water authority was implicitly at odds with the government’s current regulatory framework, indicating a disagreement on the appropriate regulatory response to environmental degradation.
4. Healthcare in Coastal Communities:
   • Disagreement Example: Members like Kevin McKenna pointed out unique health challenges specific to coastal communities, including disparities in health outcomes identified in Professor Chris Whitty’s report. While there was agreement on the issue itself, responses to these challenges revealed differences, with some advocating for significant government intervention, and others suggesting more localized solutions. Alex Norris mentioned the government’s 10-year health plan, which was criticized as not enough by the opposition, indicating a disagreement on the scale and focus of government intervention.
5. Calls for a Dedicated Coastal Communities Minister:
   • Disagreement Example: Multiple members, including Steff Aquarone, Lorraine Beavers, and others, called for the appointment of a dedicated Minister for Coastal Communities to address the unique challenges these areas face. Alex Norris responded by explaining that the government’s approach was to devolve power to local communities rather than having a centralized minister, highlighting a fundamental disagreement on the approach to governance and decision-making.

Despite these instances of disagreement, the overall tone of the session remained constructive and focused more on proposing solutions and expressing concerns about current policies rather than engaging in outright conflict. The disagreements centered around the best approaches to tackle shared challenges, rather than the acknowledgment of the challenges themselves. Therefore, the rating of 2 reflects a moderate level of evidenced disagreement, showing divergences in policy approaches but also areas of potential cooperation.