Caroline Spelman has launched our plans for the regeneration of coastal towns. The document, entitled "No longer the end of the line", outlines how seaside towns have been failed under a decade of Labour Government and reveals how the Conservatives intend to end this damaging sidelining.
The majority of coastal towns across Britain have lower levels of employment, higher levels of benefit claimants, poorer health outcomes and worse transport links than comparable inland towns. The policy proposals in the comprehensive action plan include:
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Giving local councils and the police new powers to restrict the large number of late licenses and tackle the alcohol-fuelled anti-social behaviour that blights many coastal towns.
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Introducing new tax breaks for local firms - including local business rate discounts, lower corporation tax on small firms, and waiving National Insurance on new firms which create jobs.
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Cancelling Labour’s council tax revaluation which intends to charge residents higher council tax for having sea views.
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Creating a 'Community Right to Buy' to allow local groups to take over and save threatened community assets and buildings.
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Allowing privately owned, listed seaside heritage attractions, such as piers, to apply for Lottery funding.
Caroline accused Labour of sidelining seaside towns, and said our plans would give local councils and communities more power and funding to help create a coastal town resurgence, and she added:
"Our coastal towns present a golden opportunity which Labour Ministers have well and truly ignored. At a time when there's renewed interest in holidaying in the UK and people are looking at living in a way which offers them better work-life balance, coastal towns should be on the brink of a countrywide renaissance."
Members of the Shadow Cabinet will be travelling to various coastal towns across the country to discuss the Conservative Party's proposals.