Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to support sustainable economic regeneration in coastal communities; and if he will make a statement.

The Government has provided £1.18 million to help establish 118 Coastal Community Teams along the English coast to empower local communities to drive forward sustainable economic development and regeneration in coastal towns. Every team has prepared an Economic Plan setting out both short term and longer term priorities to promote jobs and growth. I will shortly be announcing more than 20 new Coastal Community Teams.

We are also supporting coastal communities across the UK to deliver sustainable growth and jobs through the Coastal Communities Fund. By 2017 the Fund will have invested £125 million in over 200 projects UK-wide, including £92 million invested in England. This is helping to create or safeguard over 18,000 jobs and attract over £200 million in public/ private sector co-funding.

We have identified at least a further £90 million to support more Coastal Community Fund projects between 2017 and 2021. We expect to announce the successful projects from the latest competitive bidding round (Round 4) by Spring 2017.

The Local Growth Fund is also providing support to coastal communities in England through Growth Deal funding for coastal Local Enterprise Partnerships. Growth Deals for the third round of funding are still being finalised and will be announced in the new year.