Calls for UK coastal economic zone as youth jobs crisis deepens

A group of UK parliamentarians is advocating for the country's coastline to be designated a "special economic zone" and for a cabinet-level minister to oversee it, aiming to reverse decades of economic stagnation.

The proposal highlights a deep regional imbalance. Nine of the ten most deprived neighbourhoods in England are coastal, a geographic reality that limits employer options and transport routes. This isolation has helped push nearly 1 million 16- to 24-year-olds out of work, education or training.

Ben Cooper, who authored a report on the issue for the Fabian Society, warned that policy alone will not fix the disconnect. "There is a feeling of disconnect in many of these places," he said. "It is not enough to just have good policy."

Funding cuts have compounded the labour market challenges, with a 73% decline in English youth services over the past 12 years. While the government has introduced its first national youth strategy in 15 years and is rolling out young futures hubs, critics argue the administrative approach remains fragmented.

Avril Keating, a youth studies professor at University College London, highlighted the structural bottleneck. "There are so many people and different government departments responsible for delivering objectives for the coast," she said. "The question now is: who is joining that up to make sure there is a strategy in place?"

Polly Billington, the Labour MP for East Thanet, is leading the political response. She wants the area within 5km of the shore to have its own economic rules to support growth sectors. "We need to start talking about what our opportunities and potential are," she said. "We shouldn’t be seen as places that are too difficult to develop and grow."

Young residents are demanding a direct role in shaping these economic interventions. Francesca, an 18-year-old from Blackpool, warned politicians against merely listening. "Having debates and public speaking is good for young people, so we should keep doing events," she said. "But we can also do events where [those in charge] take on board our plans. We do actually have plans, you know!"

Some locally led initiatives are already demonstrating measurable economic and social returns. In Fleetwood, Lancashire, a redesign of early mental health intervention led to a 54% reduction in referrals to specialist child services and a similar drop in emergency hospital visits.

Lord Kamlesh Patel of Bradford, who chairs the network behind the Fleetwood project, argued that the model should be scaled immediately. "We don’t need more research or more evidence on this," he said. "We just need practical projects led by local people created within a system that listens to them and links them together."