A BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR COASTAL TOWNS

The Conservative Party has recently announced new policies to support the way of life and economic activity of coastal towns.

In a document entitled 'No Longer the End of the Line', the Party sets out its vision for thriving, lively coastal towns. David Willetts, one of the Conservative Party's senior politicians, visited the south coast recently as part of the launch of the document.

The new policies aimed at coastal towns include allowing privately-owned listed seaside-heritage attractions, such as piers, to apply for lottery funding, to help people living in seaside areas to obtain flood insurance more easily and to introduce a 'Community Right to Buy' for existing local community assets which may be threatened.

The document also talks about the need to help coastal areas become less economically dependent on the 'bucket and spade' trade and to encourage diversity in economic activity, which can last all year round. For example, the Conservatives want to see much more use made of tidal energy to help support Britain's energy use and to reduce the country's dependency on imported energy. Coastal towns can play a massive part in bringing that vision to life through Marine Energy Parks. This programme would not only create jobs in local areas but help reduce carbon emissions as well.

Many coastal businesses are small enterprises and the Conservatives want to give a national insurance 'holiday' on the first ten employees taken on during a new business' first year in operation. The Party, in addition, proposes cutting corporation tax on companies and giving local councils a simple, direct incentive to boost economic activity through a new Business increase Bonus.

As well these economic 'shots in the arm', the Conservatives acknowledge that for young people, economic activity is key to them getting their first job or step up on the training ladder. So coastal town will also benefit from a £100m fund to help young people who do not have a job, a training place or not in education. Apprenticeships will be enhanced as well by the creation, nationally, of 400,000 apprenticeship places.

Local councils have an important role to play in enhancing the importance of coastal towns. However, too often in recent years, money has been transferred from the South of England to northern towns and cities. The Conservatives plan to allow an existing national independent audit body to report to Parliament each year on the proposed local government finance settlement, with a view to ensuring that the allocation of money by Parliament to local authorities is fair and based on clear facts.

The Conservatives will work hard to enhance the lives of coastal towns and the policies outlined above give a vision of a better future, one that relies on the traditional strengths of coastal towns but helps them look to the future and the new opportunities that await.