Chris Webb MP: speeches

Speeches

• 14 Jul 2026 · Coastal Communities: Isolation and Hidden Deprivation · Hansard source

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  I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Isle of Wight West (Richard Quigley) for securing this important debate. Blackpool is a town with huge potential and pride, but we are also a case study in what happens when national policy neglects the specific needs of coastal communities. The decline of traditional industries, the collapse of secure employment and decades of under- investment in housing, education and health have left scars that no one-off funding round can heal. In Blackpool, the impact of deprivation extends far beyond income; it affects health, wellbeing and social connection. Last year’s community life survey found that adults living in the most deprived communities are nearly three times more likely to report feeling lonely than those in the least deprived areas. Loneliness does not exist in isolation from health; people living with disabilities or long-term health conditions are almost three times more likely to experience chronic illness and loneliness. Left unaddressed, isolation and poor health feed one another, deepening inequality and creating a cycle that is difficult to break. Tackling isolation is vital to improving public health, reducing health inequalities and helping people live healthier, happier lives. Against that backdrop, I have seen what is possible when people are given a chance to build that connection. I have seen it at Grow Blackpool at The Grange community centre. I have seen it in The Hub in South Shore with the Monday lunch club run by Brian and Karen, and I have seen it at the Forget Me Not dementia café led by Jenny Fitzsimmons and all her brilliant volunteers. Such places are stepping up to fill that gap. I have seen volunteers, community groups and local organisations build connections and create hope where it is needed. We need a Government who match that determination. We need targeted funding, long-term planning and genuine recognition of place-based disadvantage. That means the scaling up the ambition and speed of projects such as Pride in Place and moving beyond short-term pots of cash and towards sustainable, multi-year investment tied to measurable outcomes in coastal towns, such as better jobs, improved health, higher educational attainment and connected communities. It also means a dedicated coastal communities Minister leading all that change.