The Local View

Weymouth and Portland

Over recent years it has become clear that the longstanding economic activities of virtually all of our coastal communities have faced rapid and unprecedented change. Centuries of fishing, ship and boat building and repair, coastal shipping activity, traditional family seasonal holidays and even military operations have largely gone. The result is frequently an imbalance of financial wellbeing between the resident population and those who move in for leisure or retirement.

With the possible exception of the established conurbations, coastal communities tend to share a number of distinct differences from their inland counterparts. In general they experience significant shifts in both population and economic activity according to the season. Not only does this mean that work opportunities fluctuate between summer feast and winter famine, but it can also mean that local facilities provided for the seasonal visitor are closed in the off season for refurbishment or their operators take their break in the sun. Service providers find it hard to plan a steady or even predictable income stream, not least local authorities. In turn, these fluctuations also make it hard for employers to provide longer term training for their workforce, leading to seasonal recruiting, sometimes from abroad, for trained personnel.

Many coastal towns are literally at the end of the line. Not for us the motorway leading virtually to the centre of town, the main line railway connections giving a choice of direction to travel or even a reliable and high-capacity broadband link. Instead we are more likely to be hours removed from potential customers or even cut off completely from certain economic activities. Property prices are frequently distorted by a near constant stream of cash-rich second-home or retiring buyers, while clusters of old-style boarding houses being converted for multiple occupation can generate problems of their own. Some have been fortunate to switch from minor polytechnic to modern university with the boom in tertiary education or even become a Mecca for followers of certain fish restaurateurs, but most have to deal with the situation as best they can.

In Weymouth and Portland we have been able to take advantage of a fine harbour recently vacated by the Royal Navy with immediate access to challenging open-water sailing conditions. With help from our friends in the Royal Yachting Association, the South-West RDA, many local businesses and London winning the right to stage the Olympic and Paralympic Games of 2012, we gained a major advantage for inward investment at a crucial time. We will host the sailing events for both games and are proud to be able to report that the venue is ready with over three years to spare. With our partners we are seeking to maximise this opportunity to expand our share of the leisure marine sector, its technology and enhanced skills base. Even so, there is much to be done to switch a whole economy from one significant strand to a more diverse but hopefully more resilient option. Not only that, it would be foolish in the extreme to switch from one dependency to another.

I have no doubt that the leadership of all councils face similar problems in shifting priorities from one discretionary spending area to another without alienating the electorate and the established business community. In two-tier areas this is where we must ensure that adjacent districts and the county council join the campaign for our mutual benefit and to expand their own markets. We know it must be done; there is no pot of gold to enable spending to increase and for most, if not all, we will also be under pressure to cut costs at the same time.

We have taken every opportunity to network with those who have been successful in managing change from a historic economic pattern to something entirely different. Our team, led by a councillor well versed in the world of big business, has travelled all around the country taking soundings and stealing ideas. The experience I shared with him on a visit to the inward investment team at Sheffield clearly demonstrated the key elements that are essential in changing the future. First and foremost is a detailed analysis of all the strengths in the old system that can be built upon plus an unshakeable faith in the place itself. We all produce our Local Plans and more recently our Core Strategies to allocate space for the business and people of the future; but unless we have a development, investment, infrastructure and marketing plan to show to potential new businesses we will not be in the best situation to compete for their investment.

Where there is a clear deficiency locally we have got to minimise its effect or use it to our advantage. If, for example, our local age profile is heavily biased towards the high end, we can try to rebalance by developing training and education establishments, or we could consider using it to our advantage by increasing direct provision for the needs of the elderly. Either way, the essential element is to recognise the situation and deal with it. It is no good ignoring a problem and hoping that change will occur naturally; the only natural occurrence is decline.

Another key tool to explore is that of partnership. The most successful companies and service providers are those that can identify common objectives, not only with potential clients but also with other providers to get the competitive edge. It is no coincidence that most new computers come pre-loaded with popular software; it is because both hardware and software manufacturers see commercial value in the arrangement. Local authorities need to be able to do the same. Thus a new sports facility might be impossible to fund by a school or a district council, or even a leisure company alone, but together they may be able to generate the necessary capital and even find that together they can share revenue costs and maybe even profits! In looking for investment partners it may be advantageous to look beyond our immediate area. I am sure that we have all experienced at some time a sense of frustration when dealing with local small businesses and chambers of commerce, wedded to the past and unable to see the inevitable change coming towards them. How often has a poor season been put down to the weather when it is just as likely to be the progressive change in customer expectations of a holiday that is the real reason?

There will always be a place for the providers of seasonal services around our coasts, but without some positive effort now to generate alternative year-round economic activity it is hard to see how such services can be improved to the extent that they become the reason for the visitor to come at other times. Not only that, central government needs to be aware that coastal towns need to be treated differently from their inland counterparts; a coastal resort is not a market town with a beach! First, the grant formula must reflect the population, public service demand and economic activity shifts that occur seasonally. Second, the effects of being at the end of the line must be countered as much as possible; it is not just a question of average traffic flows by road, rail or the internet, it is more a question of what is holding up future development. And finally, it is an acknowledgement that enhanced economic development along the coastal fringe will generate more cash for the exchequer from balanced and contented communities who live, work and take their leisure all in the same place.

Improvement and Development Agency for local government (IDeA) – Economic Developmenr Support

The IDeA supports improvement and innovation in local government. It works with local authorities and their partners to develop and share good practice. It does this through networks, online resources, and support from councillor and officer peers.

Economic development

Contact: Kamal Panchal

 Previous Chapter
 Next Chapter