Coastal Communities

Summary

The debate will be led by Steff Aquarone MP.

This briefing outlines issues facing coastal comunities and how coastal communities compare to inland areas on a range of socio-economic indicators. 

Population

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates that around 8.7 million people lived in coastal settlements in England and Wales in 2021.[1] This figure is based on analysis of 2021 census data for ‘built-up areas’ that the ONS classifies as coastal. According to this estimate, people in coastal settlements made up around 15% of the population resident in England and Wales in March 2021. [2]

The ONS’s analysis includes further statistics on the characteristics of people living in coastal settlements. The median age of people in coastal settlements (42 years) was higher than in non-coastal settlements (39 years). 21% of people living in coastal settlements were aged 65 or over, compared with 15% of people in non-coastal settlements. [3]

Equivalent analysis has not been published for Scotland or Northern Ireland.

Health

Various reports have highlighted that people living in coastal communities are likely to have poorer health outcomes than those living in other areas. These health inequalities are thought to be driven by factors such as deprivation, limited access to healthcare and workforce shortages.

Labour market

In October 2023 to September 2024, people aged 16-64 living in coastal constituencies were slightly less likely to be in employment and slightly more likely to be economically inactive than people living in inland constituencies. They were also less likely to be claiming unemployment related benefits.

Businesses

In July 2024, 22% of businesses in the UK were in coastal constituencies and 78% of businesses were in inland constituencies. These proportions largely reflect where people live in the UK – there are more inland constituencies than coastal, and the average population of inland constituencies is higher than coastal constituencies. However, there are also more businesses per person in non-coastal constituencies than in coastal constituencies.

Housing

Coastal communities face the same housing challenges as many other areas of the UK. In some coastal areas these can be exacerbated by high concentrations of second home ownership and Houses in Multiple Occupation.

Government support for coastal communities

There are no current government funding schemes specifically for coastal areas, though coastal areas have previously received various forms of targeted financial support in recognition of specific challenges that coastal areas face owing to their location – the Coastal Communities Fund, the Coastal Revival Fund and Coastal Community Teams.

[1]      ONS, Coastal communities, characteristics of built-up areas, England and Wales: Census 2021 (dataset), Table 2a, 7 February 2024

[2]      Total population as reported in ONS, Population and household estimates, England and Wales: Census 2021, unrounded data, 2 November 2022

[3]      ONS, Coastal communities, characteristics of built-up areas, England and Wales: Census 2021 (dataset), Table 2a, 7 February 2024