The York North Yorkshire and East Riding (YNYER) Strategic Economic Plan (SEP) recognises the importance of the economic success of the Yorkshire Coast, and that Scarborough and Bridlington fulfil their role as principal towns in the planning hierarchy, as major centres of employment, housing, tourism, education, skills, leisure and entertainment.

They are home to a high proportion of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), with good rates of new business start-ups, and also some larger firms that support the local economy with much needed year round employment.

Priority 4 of the SEP “Successful and Distinctive Places” includes the core activity

“A strong and growing coastal economy” and recognises that Scarborough and Bridlington have the greatest potential for growth.

Scarborough Borough is a More Developed Area, while the East Riding is a Transitional Area.

Therefore, the Index of Multiple Deprivation (2010) has been applied to determine priorities for Lower Super Output Areas (LSOAs) within the proposed CLLD area.

This shows that the CLLD Area is composed of 75 Lower Super Output Areas (LSOA):

• 23 (30%), of these LSOAs are ranked as being within the 20% most deprived nationally, according to the 2010 IMD
• 53 (70%), of the LSOAs are ranked as being within the 50% most deprived nationally

Following structural changes to tourism markets in recent decades both towns have significant investment plans to broaden and upgrade their visitor offer, and to strengthen non tourism related aspects of their economies.

The CLLD approach provides the opportunity to ensure that residents of communities that are more remote from large urban, economic centres are able to overcome the barriers to employment such as poor transport links and limited local employment opportunities.

Scarborough Borough Council has set out its economic development strategy for the period to 2030 “An Era of Opportunity – An Employment and Skills Plan for Scarborough Borough” which outlines significant economic opportunities, and how the Council will work with public and private sector partners to deliver economic growth.

The East Riding of Yorkshire Council has prioritised regeneration in Bridlington (the largest town in the East Riding) through the Strategy for Regenerating Bridlington (2004). This is a 20 year masterplan approach to significant physical regeneration of the town centre which will deliver the necessary step-change required to achieve a growing and sustainable local
economy.

Both local authorities, and their strategies, recognise the need to tackle welfare to work issues and the fundamental requirement to resolve skills deficits in the local area, raise the levels of aspiration, and associated educational performance.

The process will also target specific sectors with greatest potential for growth in the local area:

• manufacturing and engineering
• potash mining and associated supply chain
• offshore wind and renewable supply chain
• construction and house building
• public health and community healthcare
• education and skills development
• technology and cyber security

Therefore, the Yorkshire Coast CLLD approach is being developed as the preferred delivery model to tackle the specific issues of coastal deprivation because it adds value in the following ways:

• focuses strongly on localities where worklessness is most persistent and concentrated
• enlists support from a wide range of local partners, all of whom have special expertise and resources to contribute, through mature local community networks
• creates a growing momentum of improvement because of the sense of local involvement and ownership, and the boost to local social enterprise and entrepreneurial activity

For further information please view the Local Development Strategy