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Coastal Towns

Sorry, I mean downsized. We are fighting those changes, but I do not know whether we will get anywhere. I agree also with the points made by the Select Committee about the demography of coastal towns. I end with the point about coastal management and, specifically, the Select Committee’s recommendation. The report pointed out that"““some communities face significant and increasing risks from coastal erosion and flooding””." I do not want to over-egg the situation in Southend, but many years ago there was a very serious flood on Canvey island, which is very near to us, and many people lost their lives. I agree with the Committee’s conclusion that investment in sea defences is linked with the regeneration of costal areas. However, again, the obstacle is the lack of Government funding for sea defences. I understand that the Environment Agency no longer provides funding for sea defences because it is not allocated sufficient funds by central Government. That brings me to the point that I made at the start of my speech regarding the commonality of coastal towns. Many coastal towns suffer from the same problems, but I think that Southend’s problems are worse than those of others—for instance, the local authority must bear the huge cost of tackling coastal erosion, if it is going to deal with it. On top of that, coastal towns suffer from the outward migration of the young, which may mean that the particular problems of the coastal economy are more serious even than any of us realise. The Government must develop a national strategy to help with the serious problems that coastal towns face, the cumulative effects of which put many such towns in a very serious situation. The huge numbers of elderly people in coastal towns do not have the time to wait for action some time in the future.