Opportunities to be had at seaside

Ufi Ibrahim, chief executive of the BHA said: “We look forward to the appointment of a Seaside tsar. “Our members, who invest in and operate hospitality and tourism businesses recognise the problems facing many coastal communities, but we also know there are fantastic opportunities to boost these places and help revive the Great British Seaside holiday. 250 million visits are already made to the coast each year, generating £17bn to the economy. But we know there is a lot more to do – and that can only happen with a concerted effort by a committed government and the private sector. and nature of economic change had had on coastal communities and its cumulative effect on their life chances.”

It says its members are too often presented with jobseekers “who are not job ready, who lack basic social and self-management skills”.

The report, Creating Coastal Powerhouses, calls on the Government to create Coastal Enterprise Zones to encourage businesses to move to and invest in the coast.

It wants to bring in a seaside tsar to co-ordinate a coherent response across departments and spending; Coastal Action Groups to develop a co-ordinated response and investment strategy, a sliding scale in taxes to help small businesses and more apprenticeships for youngsters.

Cllr Andrew Jenkison, Scarborough Council’s portfolio for Leisure and Tourism said he thought that Scarborough was not affected by the issues impacting other locations.

He added: “When I see what’s going on in Scarborough I think it is terrific and we will never say no to funding, but I don’t want to sell the borough short. We’ve got a new water park on the way, Open Air Theatre ticket sales are fantastic, the Tour de Yorkshire. Things are looking good.”