The Guardian view of young people in coastal cities: it is time to invest in their future | Editorial

WIsh you were here? In recent years, the fate of coastal cities has become one of the most urgent social problems in Great Britain. The fishing and domestic tourism industries have been declining for decades. The communities by the sea are regularly at the bad end of the national league tables in terms of deprivation, employment, education and mental and physical health.

As shown in the new Guardian reporting project on young people from coastal cities, the result for many children aged 16 to 25 is acute frustration combined with unwanted dilemmas. Most remain fiercely faithful to places whose geographic isolation tends to generate a strong sense of belonging. But going out to continue is, too often, perceived as the only option. The constant flow of departures in turn eliminates the skills and dynamism of young people, further reducing the prospects of those who have remained.

Those who grow up in the middle of natural beauty and social challenges of British coastal communities deserve better. But as a recent study points out, the failure of past regeneration strategies suggests that a political rethink is necessary. Successful urban transformation projects, such as the reimagination of the post-industrial seafront of Liverpool, will not be givine in smaller places unable to draw the possibilities of global investment. Likewise, the extent of the Renaissance led by the culture of Margate – triggered by the opening of the Turner Contemporary Gallery in 2011 – is out of reach for most cities, especially those further from London.

Over next year, the Guardian will continue to ask young people on what can be done to build better future in British post-industrial port cities and pressed seaside resorts. But an early conclusion can already be drawn: release the energy, imagination and local pride of young people can be a vital catalyst for a positive change.

In Blackpool, for example, where 28% of the population was classified economically inactive last year, a small -scale dance club founded in 2006 has become a versatile arts center, offering a direction and a myriad of activities to hundreds of adolescents. Its co-founder told The Guardian: “Optics are all false. You have to show young people that there are people in town who make creative and inspiring things.”

Writing big, this approach would mean a sustained and gaminal investment in share capital as well as in physical infrastructure. The advantages of the offshore wind revolution have not yet had a significant impact on the economic prospects of cities such as Great Yarmouth or Newhaven. It is necessary to do much more to ensure that young people have access to the skills that will allow them to benefit from the transition to renewable energies. In seaside resorts, where the interests of free expenditure tourists have priority and the dry work out of season, the closure of young locals and the cuts in other leisure facilities has deepened a feeling of negligence and abandonment.

For too long, the struggles of the communities with rich stories and a powerful feeling of identity have wired near the bottom of Westminster’s priorities. “Growing up, I have always been told to get out of Grimsby,” said a young man responding to our journalists. With the right mixture of long -term investment and empowerment in our coastal cities, this does not need to be so.