In their own words... services for coastal regeneration

Regional Government Offices and coastal regeneration

The Government Office (GO) network brings together central government departments' interests in the regions. The GO's role is to be a key intermediary between local and regional delivery and national policymaking. This includes facilitating the development and implementation of strong local strategies, as well as 'troubleshooting' key issues, and ensuring they reflect the needs of both rural and urban areas. Government Offices are centrally involved in managing existing regional governance structures, working alongside Regional Assemblies and Regional Development Agencies to implement the Sub-national Review and ensuring a smooth transition.

GOs have locality managers allocated to a local authority area. There role is to:

• know the area in order to represent it to Whitehall and give the opportunity for the area to influence government policy and activity;
• represent, interpret and explain government policy and intentions to the area, enabling successful implementation;
• broker agreements between local partners and between the locality and Whitehall;
• manage agreements between government and the local area, in particular Local Area Agreements

GO - East Midlands (GOEM)

GOEM is a member of Defra's Coastal Policy Steering Group. This group works with Defra to advise and support them on the development of coastal change policy - see the earlier section from Defra.

GOEM is a key partner in the Lincolnshire Coastal Study that seeks to assess the future needs of the coastal areas on the Lincolnshire coast, large parts of which are at or below sea level. The study will inform the review of the East Midlands Regional Plan, and will report in March 2010.

GOEM is a member of all seven district Local Strategic Partnerships (LSPs), including East Lindsey, Boston and South Holland, which all contain coastal communities.

GOEM responds where possible to specific requests - for example, securing a consultant who offered support to East Lindsey District Council on neighbourhood management with deprived communities along the coast.

GO - East (GOE)

Recognising the coincidence of high-quality assets, deprivation and physical change on the east coast, the East of England Coastal Initiative is an innovative, multi-agency project started by GOE and guided by a number of regional bodies. The initiative responds to a number of long-term challenges facing the region's coast, including:

• the need to understand the possibilities and tensions created by high-quality natural environments and areas in need of regeneration;
• the additional pressures presented by climate change and the need to identify ways in which the coast and its communities can adapt;
• the need for more consistent approaches to coastal management and for improved policy integration.

GOE has negotiated challenging LAAs with Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Southend and Thurrock. Recognising the adaptation challenge that will be faced particularly on the coast, all of these LAAs include National Indicator 188, adapting to climate change.

A number of the region's coastal localities face regeneration challenges. The Government Office is involved in brokering solutions to enable appropriate development in areas at risk and in supporting these localities in responding to the challenges and opportunities arising from their coastal location.

GO - Yorkshire and Humberside (GOYH)

The national Government Office Coastal Network is led by the GOYH Environment Directorate. Defra has provided support to the network to help regions:

• build up a coalition of engaged partners, work with them to identify future coastal challenges and fill gaps within the coastal evidence and knowledge base;
• ensure that coastal challenges, priorities and evidence are understood by partners and reflected in the Integrated Regional Strategy and other plans;
• support the development, consultation and implementation of Defra's coastal change policy;
• lead and participate in a GO network of coastal leaders, giving feedback to Defra on the region's views and experiences.

GOYH have had discussions with Scarborough regarding specific housing issues, such as a transitional population, people living in poor-quality rented stock, and high levels of incomers who are elderly and may require modifications to properties. A mini regeneration pathfinder approach to areas of Scarborough will be incorporated into the new North Yorkshire Housing Strategy.

Following a GOYH approach, the Home Office held a national Seaside Violent Crime Conference in April 2009. Seaside towns were targeted owing their relatively high levels of violent crime, which are based on a number of factors: high numbers of visitors and concentrations of confined accommodation; tensions between 'locals' and visitors, the capacity of custody resources, and their distance from larger resources in cities.

GO - North West (GONW)

The Blackpool Task Force was formed in March 2007 following a request from the government to look into the long-term regeneration plans for Blackpool, in the wake of the regional casino reversal. Blackpool had hoped to attract substantial private sector investment to the town.

GONW is negotiating a Multi Area Agreement (MAA) with Lancashire, Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde to cover the three geographic authorities of the Fylde coast and around a third of a million people. The MAA objectives include:

• securing the commitment of government to helping Blackpool to scale the socioeconomic challenges of the resort town;
• improving the transport infrastructure to support economic growth;
• growing, diversifying and enhancing the quality of the Fylde coast business base;
• better developing people's skills and employment prospects;
• tackling fundamental housing issues.

GONW is in regular contact with the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) to discuss opportunities for governmental relocations to Blackpool.

The Victoria & Albert (V&A) trustees made an offer to Blackpool to provide a frequently refreshed V&A exhibition for 10 years in a new building that will be branded V&A@Blackpool on the Tower Headland. GONW will continue to work with the DCMS, Blackpool and the V&A to support this initiative. Capital costs are around £20 million and revenue costs £1.9 million. Blackpool has already committed £1.1 million to revenue.