England invented the seaside resort as a place of pleasure and these towns became iconic in the nation's sense of identity for over a century, but for over four decades the rise of package holidays and cheap flights have eroded their economies. This has resulted in a 'salt fringe' of deprivation, low pay, poor health and low educational achievement and the worst social mobility in the country.
Despite persistent affection for many of these resorts which still attract millions of visitors, their chronic plight has failed to capture political engagement and investment. How can these resorts, with their wealth of cultural heritage, forge a new future?
Meet our speakers and chair
Madeleine Bunting is an award-winning writer and journalist, and Visiting Professor in Practice at ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ International Inequalities Institute. For many years she was a columnist and Associate Editor on The Guardian before leaving to focus full time on book writing. Her book Labours of Love, the Crisis of Care was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize. Her latest book is The Seaside: England's love affair.
Sheela Agarwal () is Associate Head of School of Research and Innovation for Plymouth Business School and Co-Director of the Centre for Coastal Communities, having previously been Head of the Department of Tourism and Hospitality and Acting Head and Deputy Head of the School of Tourism and Hospitality.
Steve Bassam () is a British Labour and Co-operative politician and a member of the House of Lords. He is currently Director of Business in the Community’s (BITC) Place Programme. In 2018/19 he chaired and authored a report as Chair of the Lords Select Committee on The Future of Seaside Towns, which recommended the expansion of town deals and argued for improved connectivity and levelling up.
Mike Savage () is Martin White Professor of Sociology at ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳. Between 2015 and 2020 he was Director of ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳’s International Inequalities Institute, which hosts the Atlantic Fellow’s Programme, the largest global program in the world devoted to challenging inequalities. Mike is the author of eight books, including most recently The Return of Inequality: social change and the weight of the past.
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