Deprivation a serious issue

From: Eric Waters, Ingleside Crescent, Lancing
Bexhill Observer lettersBexhill Observer letters
Bexhill Observer letters

Commenting on a report, which showed that the ‘economic gap’ between coastal and non-coastal communities is growing, Cllr Peter Chowney, leader of Hastings Borough Council said that, while we know that deprivation remains a serious problem in parts of Hastings and other coastal towns, what was less clear was how to put it right.

He mentioned long-term investment in infrastructure, training, leisure facilities, education, and health, as well as new, affordable homes and employment spaces, together with a more progressive approach to reducing long-term unemployment.

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He feels that it needs more research to pinpoint the detailed reasons and potential solutions. Sorry, but it doesn’t require any research at all, as the answer is quite obvious; coastal towns only have half the land mass of inland ones, with 50% of their inhabitants being gill-bearing aquatic craniate animals that lack limbs with digits; in other words, fish.

As far as I am aware none of them require training, educating, leisure facilities, employment and affordable homes, or any of the other things that the councillor mentioned.

(Just a thought at this point; how do people afford to buy unaffordable homes?)

With only the odd sailor or two being able to visit Hastings from the south everyone else has to travel longer distances to get here than would be the case if it was at the centre of an all-round catchment area like Crawley.

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This results in many of them going elsewhere and is the cause of the so-called economic gap for which, I am afraid, there is not a potential solution for Hasting’s council leader to find.

After all, unlike all those fish, he cannot swim against the tide of geography!