Social Exclusion, Resort Decline and the English Seaside

Abstract

Traditionally seaside resorts have been one of the least understood of Britain’s ‘problem areas’. This thesis breaks new ground by reporting on an exploratory data analysis to probe the influence of resort decline on social exclusion in England’s seaside resorts. Drawing on a wide range of socio-economic datasets and quantitative methods of data analysis and GIS software, the study investigates the scale, nature and extent of multiple deprivation in English seaside resorts, differences in socio-economic structure between deprived and non-deprived resorts and the factors that may explain these differences, and the nature and incidence of localised problem complexes. A combination of univariate, bivariate and multivariate empirical analyses, undertaken at several geographic scales, illuminates the differential incidence of deprivation. The study findings reveal that the majority of seaside districts, small areas and resorts are experiencing similar types and high levels of multiple deprivation. Various facets of population composition (worklessness, education and skills, health, family stability, connectivity, and poverty) and place factors (employment base, economic prosperity, housing, and community safety) are significant for deprivation in seaside resorts. Four types of highly deprived resort areas emerged from the cluster analysis. Not only are the research findings of paramount importance in understanding both the pattern of socio-spatial disadvantage and the prospects for socio-economic regeneration, but they also contribute to an understanding of the outcomes of post-mature resort development, particularly in relation to the internal dynamics of resort change.