South & East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership projects brings national interest to Lincolnshire Coast

The national group, which brings together members from 57 local authorities across the country who specialise in coastal communities, aims to influence government, national agencies and support local authorities to help deliver on a range of coastal issues.

It will visit the sub-region from Tuesday 12 September until Thursday 14 September to enjoy a showcase of how the area is seeking to overcome some of the challenges faced by coastal communities, and to capitalise on its unique offer to residents and visitors.

Several of the area's major capital projects are on the schedule for the visit, including the Sutton on Sea Colonnade, Mablethorpe Campus for Future Living and Embassy Theatre flagship developments through the Skegness and Mablethorpe Towns Funds, having received over £48million of Government funding which has been focused on providing facilities to improve health in Mablethorpe and cultural regeneration in Skegness.

The delegation will also visit the £100.7million Boston Tidal Barrier scheme, which will provide improved flood protection to over 20,000 homes and businesses, the stunning North Sea Observatory and the Chef Academy at the Butlin's Resort, a comprehensive year-long apprenticeship programme giving ambitious chefs the perfect platform to get into the industry and gain a professional qualification. The Academy is a unique and fun programme working with industry experts to offer clear career growth opportunities with progress paths within the company. On completion each chef is guaranteed a rate of pay above the industry average in relation to their position in kitchen.

The visit follows on from a recent report by the House of Lords Liaison Committee on the future of seaside which recognised the "innovative" and "transformational impact" of investment work being carried out by the South & East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership.

The report praised the Partnership's projects being carried out to tackle local challenges, and discussed the early successes being seen through the Partnership's use of Levelling Up, UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Rural Prosperity Funding, to use its local expertise to ensure the maximum possible benefit for the local area, to help expand the area's cultural and visitor offer and diversify the economy, skills and employment opportunities along the coast.

Councillor Tom Ashton, East Lindsey District Council portfolio holder for planning, said: "We are delighted to welcome this fantastic and varied national group to our Lincolnshire coastline, to share some of the exciting and innovative work taking place to support regeneration, economic growth, the visitor economy, improve the offer and opportunities for our residents and to safeguard the local environment for future generations.

"It is great to see the Partnership recognised for the work we are doing. This is an exciting time to live or work here or to visit our coastline, with numerous transformational pieces of work underway at once. We hope we can continue to advocate for our area and making these improvements a reality through our work with the Coastal Special Interest Group and Select Committee." 

Councillor Ernest Gibson, Chair of the LGA Coastal SIG told us "We are all really looking forward to our visit and to be inspired by all the innovative work that is being delivered across the area".