# One year, 17 towns, dozens of voices: what we heard along the coast of England and Wales

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/one-year-17-towns-dozens-of-voices-what-we-heard-along-the-coast-of-england-and-wales/
- Published: 2026-07-24T06:00:06+00:00
- Updated: 2026-07-24T06:12:27+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jul/24/one-year-17-towns-dozens-of-voices-what-we-heard-along-the-coast-of-england-and-wales
- Topics: Business, Culture, Travel, UK, World

## Key points

- Coastal young people say deprivation and service cuts restrict their opportunities.
- Many feel excluded from political decisions affecting their towns.
- The project will document their experiences over the next year.

## Summary

Young people in coastal communities across England and Wales describe feeling isolated, overlooked and unfairly blamed for problems rooted in long-term deprivation and cuts to public services.

- Youth-service funding in England has fallen by 73% over 12 years, while nearly 1 million 16- to 24-year-olds are not in work, education or training.
- Reporting from 17 coastal towns found that young people often face poor housing, weak transport links, limited education and employment prospects, and reduced local services.
- Nine of England’s 10 most deprived neighbourhoods were coastal in recent data, including seven in Blackpool; Rhyl was Wales’s most deprived small area.
- Young residents and campaigners say coastal communities are disconnected from decision-making and want politicians to engage meaningfully with them.
- The Guardian’s year-long Against the Tide project aims to centre young people’s voices, showcase positive local initiatives and scrutinise policies that reduced support.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.