Coastal towns, including Mablethorpe and Skegness, are most economically at risk from the coronavirus crisis, according to new research from the Centre For Towns and the University of Southampton.
According to Sky News, the data shows that coastal and ex-industrial towns are most economically at risk, and the data also indicates that Wales is worst affected, while the South East is faring best.
Half of the coastal towns are among the top 10% most at risk. The top five most at risk coastal towns are Mablethorpe and Skegness in Lincolnshire, as well as Clacton-on-Sea, Bridlignton, and Kinmel Bay in Wales.
Mablethorpe is ranked as the most at risk. According to mablethorpe.info, pubs, restaurants, caravan sites and all but essential shops are now closed to help prevent the spread of the virus, and no events can currently take place.
Commuter towns are found to be economically safe places, with 65% of them in the least at risk section.
The higher in the ranking the more at risk the town is. Photo: Centre for Towns and the University of Southampton/Sky News
The risk ranking was produced by calculating the proportion of a town’s population employed in industries that are temporarily shut down, including the accommodation industry, the arts and sports sector, hospitality, travel and tourism.
This was then cross referenced with other indices of depreciation, including social and economic well-being, isolation and the proportion of the population that are elderly and dependent.
Proportion of places at highest risk and lower risk. Photo: Centre for Towns and the University of Southampton/Sky News
In response to the research, Councillor Steve Kirk, Portfolio Holder for Coastal Economy at East Lindsey District Council, said: “The visitor economy is vital to our coastal resorts so it’s no surprise that the research shows that the current lockdown is hitting both Mablethorpe and Skegness hard, along with many of our smaller resorts and market towns.
“Quite rightly for the time being people have heeded the message to stay away and stay safe and that has to be the immediate priority.
“Once lockdown restrictions are altered and a level of normality resumes, we will be working hard to ensure our district continues to be a leading visitor destination.
“As a Council the impact of COVID-19 is already hitting our own finances hard, which depending on how long the current restrictions last may impact our ambitious regeneration plans for both resorts, which are very much about supporting business and job creation. We are continuing to engage with businesses to understand the detail of the challenges impacting them at present and what policy decisions we might be able to take in the short term to support them.
“At the same time we continue to develop transformation proposals for both Skegness and Mablethorpe for the Government’s Towns’ Fund which presents a huge opportunity for our area.”
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Coal is the dirtiest of all the green house gases, which is why even the present government has committed to phase out coal power completely by 2024 and driving forward power generation based on renewables with a decarbonised power system by 2035.
The development of wind and solar power means that clean energy is now cheaper than coal generation in most countries, and the cost of new coal based energy plants is well above the cost of new wind and solar farms.
Sustainable non-carbon sources of energy are essential to tackle global warming, and just as essential for hard pressed consumers who are currently paying far more than they need to for their energy use.
District councils in Lincolnshire are already supporting low income households with the Home Energy Upgrade scheme to help them insulate their homes and install low carbon heating for the coming winter.
This is no time for complacency. The rapid acceleration of global warming is evident to everyone just now, andthe time for prevarication is over.
There is no contradiction between tackling global warming and making sure that we can all pay our energy bills.
A Lincoln woman was hospitalised for six months after giving birth whilst having coronavirus, enduring multiple strokes and spending five weeks in a coma. Now, she is fundraising for private treatment to speed up her recovery.
Josie Busby had coronavirus in September last year before testing positive for it again in November. After a dizzy spell, and due to being heavily pregnant, she phoned NHS 111 and an ambulance was sent out.
Josie, now 40, was taken to Lincoln County Hospital where the baby’s heart rate was seen to be high. After waiting to see if her condition improved, doctors decided that for the safety of her and the baby an emergency c-section would be performed.
William, 5, became a big brother to George two days later when Josie’s new baby was born in November 10 last year.
However, Josie suffered multiple strokes and was sent to Glenfield Hospital in Leicester on November 13 for specialist treatment as she was “desperately poorly”, her husband Rob said.
Josie with her sons William, 5, and George who is now around nine months old.
Josie returned to Lincoln County Hospital four days later but her condition continued to deteriorate. She was put into an induced coma for five weeks, where she said she had a lot of tubes inside her. During her time in hospital, her new baby George was looked after at home by her husband Rob and his mum.
Josie came out of the coma in December, but remained in hospital until June 20 this year and she is determined to speed up her recovery by fundraising for private treatment.
Josie is determined to become more mobile again.
She is now having NHS stroke recovery treatment (physio and speech therapy) and also has carers coming to her house at least twice a day to help her with personal care and to get dressed, while family and friends have been helping with batch cooking.
An emotional Josie told The Lincolnite that she is desperate to have the joy of being able to look after her children properly as she has really struggled with not being able to physically do much for them.
She said: “It’s all a blur. I can’t remember much until around February of this year. Although I was awake in December I wasn’t aware of what was going on as I was on a lot of medication.
“I’ve only been home six weeks and my left side is still weak. I can’t hold George in the way that I want to and should, so I am still working on that bond, and I can’t even change his nappy at the moment.
“The physio is coming to the house four to five days a week, helping with my speech, handwriting and physio work. That has been really upsetting for me as I had beautiful handwriting before and now it’s like I’ve never written before, it’s gone completely. I am like a baby learning from the beginning.
Josie (right) with her sister Alice (left).
“I can’t walk across the living room, clean or cook, and when I am in bed I feel like a prisoner as I can’t roll over. My main objective is to be more mobile again so I can do normal activities and look after George and William.
“Because I’m more aware of things now, I am feeling more emotional. I am having counselling to work on that. I think once you’re home in a lot of ways it’s harder as you are more aware of what you can’t do at home, whereas in hospital you get a lot of help with things.
“The support we have had from our parents has been amazing, and above and beyond.”
Josie has felt upset about not being able to look after her baby boy George properly and is trying to raise money to speed up her recovery.
Josie set up a GoFundMe page as the NHS treatment she is having is for a shorter period of time and she said “not being with the kids properly is killing me at the moment”.
She said: “Having children really motivates me to want to get better soon. It is horrible being at home and not being able to look after them, or myself, properly.
“I want to say a massive thank you to everyone who has donated. It really means a lot to us and the boys. I also want to thank the hospital staff who were amazing.”
Josie feeding her baby boy George.
Josie’s husband Rob said: “At the very beginning it was very much a shock. When I saw her for the first time after George was born she was essential vacuum packed with tubes coming out of her. It was really scary.
“There were a lot of uncertain weeks at the beginning and I was being given updates from ICU – at one point she was given a 10% chance of survival. It is definitely good that she is home. The help she is getting is really good, what she is after with the GoFundMe page is to add to that.
“Even in this short space of time she’s been home she’s had marked improvements. There is still a long way to go, but she is determined.
“What we’ve had so far (support from hospital and carers) has been really good. All the support from the maternity and Ashby wards, and ICU, was excellent, and from my perspective they couldn’t do enough for me (when I was on the maternity wing with George).”
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