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One year, 17 towns, dozens of voices: what we heard along the coast of England and Wales
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.
In short
- 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.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Young people in coastal communities face concentrated deprivation and acute service cuts—with youth service funding falling 73% and nearly a million young people disconnected from education and employment. These outcomes reflect specific policy choices that have disproportionately harmed these communities. Young people's systematic exclusion from decision-making that affects them represents a democratic failure requiring political accountability, meaningful engagement with young people themselves, and reinvestment in the services and opportunities these communities have lost.
The case against
Whilst coastal deprivation is real and troubling, framing it primarily as a problem of recent austerity and political neglect obscures deeper economic realities. Long-term shifts in industry, labour markets, and the decline of traditional coastal economies reflect broader structural changes beyond recent policy decisions. Solutions likely require more than increased government services—they demand private investment, economic development, and skills strategies that address the fundamental lack of employment opportunities.
Explained simply
Young people living in coastal towns across England and Wales are experiencing significant hardship, including poor housing, weak transport links, and limited job and education prospects. Many feel isolated from decision-makers and point to long-term government funding cuts and deprivation as underlying causes.
Youth services funding in England has been cut by 73% over 12 years, whilst nearly one million young people aged 16 to 24 are not in work, education or training. Coastal areas have been particularly hard hit, with nine of England's ten most deprived neighbourhoods located in coastal towns.
Young residents and local campaigners are calling for politicians to meaningfully engage with their communities and involve them in decisions that affect their futures. The Guardian's year-long project aims to amplify these voices and examine the policies that have reduced support to these areas.
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