LGA Coastal SIG - annual report to LGA Board 2023

• Lead Member: Cllr Ernest Gibson
• Lead Officer: Rebecca Lofts
• Email: [email protected]
• Address: Town Hall and Civic Offices, Westoe Road, South Shields, NE33 2RL
• Telephone: 07787 697832
• Website: LGA Coastal SIG

• Adur District Council
• Arun District Council
• Blackpool Council
• Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council
• Boston Borough Council
• Brighton & Hove Council
• Canterbury City Council
• Chichester District Council
• Christchurch Borough Council
• Cornwall Council
• Cumberland Council
• Devon County Council
• Dorset Council
• Dover District Council
• Durham County Council
• East Devon District Council
• East Lindsey District Council
• East Riding Of Yorkshire Council
• Essex County Council
• Fareham Borough Council
• Great Yarmouth Borough Council
• Hampshire County Council
• Isle of Wight Council
• Hastings Borough Council
• Havant Borough Council
• Borough Council of King's Lynn & West Norfolk
• New Forest District Council
• Lancaster City Council
• Lewes District Council
• Lincolnshire County Council
• Maldon District Council
• Norfolk County Council
• North Devon Council
• North East Lincolnshire Council
• North Norfolk District Council
• North Yorkshire Council
• Northumberland County Council
• Portsmouth City Council
• Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council
• Rother District Council
• Somerset Council
• South Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council (Lead Authority)
• Southend-On-Sea Borough Council
• East Suffolk District Council
• Suffolk County Council
• Sunderland City Council
• Teignbridge District Council
• Tendring District Council
• Thanet District Council
• Thurrock Council
• Hartlepool Borough Council
• Torridge District Council
• Wealden District Council
• Westmorland and Furness Council West Sussex County Council
• Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council
• Worthing Borough Council
• Wyre Borough Council

The number of LGA Coastal SIG Member Authorities has reduced as several of our Member Authorities undergoing unitarisation. However, the remit of the SIG now covers a greater area of coast following unitarisation and areas that were not previously SIG Members.

The LGA Coastal SIG exists to champion and represent the collective interests of coastal, estuarine and maritime communities by increasing awareness and debate on environmental, economic and social issues at all levels in relation to the coast. It works in collaboration with other organisations with complementary aims to raise the profile of these communities direct to the government to ensure decisions support their unique needs to ensure that they become resilient and thriving.

The LGA Coastal SIG Secretariat (hosted by South Tyneside Council) runs an annual health check on strategic priorities and work areas. This year, our review determined a change was needed within our internal reporting to ensure that our priorities are targeted and success is measurable. We are working closely with our working groups to finalise our 2023/24 Workplan to be adopted at our June 2023 meeting. The internal review of our strategic priorities, and their objectives, resulting in minor amendments and an alteration to the order of our priorities. Our 2023/24 Workplan, once agreed and adopted, will be available on our website.

Progress against our 5 Strategic Priorities, in 2022/23 we delivered:

1. We are a resilient hub for knowledge sharing and innovation

Our quarterly meetings have become a hive of activity and discussion attracting high calibre expert speakers who seek out the opportunity to present to our membership. At each meeting our Member Champions and officer leads update the membership on the work of our working groups (Adaptation, Coastal Water Quality (was Bathing Waters), Beach & Water Safety, FCERM Funding & Policy, and Coastal Landfills). Their continued achievements have included presentations to the APPG for Coastal Communities, a Coastal Landfill report accepted by Minister Pow and resulting in the commission of work on the subject via Defra, a Lunch & Learn on Coastal Landfill through the LGA and a highly successful workshop at Flood & Coast 2022.

The website has been redeveloped and has been regularly updated to reflect our key achievements, events, and press releases. Alongside this we are enhancing engagement through the re-establishment of our KHub group and a Team Senior Officers Channel. We also highlight key elements through our Twitter account @LGACoastalSIG to 449 Followers (grown from 368 in our last report).

In partnership with the Marine Management Organisation, we delivered a very successful workshop on Marine Licencing and the Coastal Concordat to officers and planners which will be an annual event alongside a session for elected members. We also delivered a demonstration session with the Environment Agency held a for our elected members on a new product to gain their feedback to influence its development.

2. We are the trusted, go-to voice for the coast with a powerful political influence

As co-Secretariat of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Coastal Communities we work closely with the Chair Sally-Ann Hart MP to deliver the group’s aims. The Coastal Inquiry was developed around focus topics and has been run as a series of parliamentary briefings, roundtables and information events, which have been very successful. Sessions have been held on Coastal Erosion, Coastal Landfill, Ocean Literacy, Levelling Up in Coastal Communities and Year of the Coast as part of our Coastal Inquiry. At our AGM our MP membership expanded and the next series of events have been approved.

Our working group Member Champions and Officer Leads are members of national groups such as the National Bathing Water Group and National Water Safety Forum. We are regularly approached to be involved in national projects and our lead officer represents the Coastal SIG on ~12 groups, is regularly invited to attend meetings such as the Roundtable on Regenerating Coastal Communities attended by Alex Norris MP Shadow Minister Levelling Up and present at conferences including Coastal Futures 2023 and PaCCO.

3. We champion sustainable regeneration for the coastal communities we serve

In partnership, we delivered the Communities on the Edge report by Pragmatix Advisory highlighting the challenges and opportunities raised through Levelling Up. This report has been discussed through the APPG for Coastal Communities leading to its messages being debated as part of a backbench debate on local government funding and has been shared with the Chancellor, SoS for Levelling Up and the Prime Minister.

Our Lead Officer delivered evidence at the House of Lord’s Liaison Committee’s review of the Report delivered on the Regeneration of Seaside Towns and Communities in consideration of Levelling Up.

4. We champion coastal resilience and adaptation in a changing climate

We are part of the National Steering and Technical Advisory groups for the Coastal Handbook, NCERM2, Shoreline Management Plan Refresh, Shoreline Management Plan Explorer, Assets Review, Coastal Concordat, ReMeMaRe, National Marine Parks, National Coastal Framework and the Central Design Group for Offshore Wind. Through these we seek to influence progress to ensure there is net benefit to coastal communities and their environments.

We delivered an excellent Workshop at Flood & Coast 2022

Our Adaptation Working Group Lead was spoke to MPs through the Coastal Communities APPG on the challenges raised through Coastal Erosion.

5. We champion sufficient and sustainable funding for our coast and communities

Please see Priority 3 for cross-cutting highlights.

Ambitions for the LGA Board to be aware of:

1. Ensure LGA are engaged with the APPG on Coastal Communities
2. Build relationship between our Chair and LGA Leadership
3. Build relationships between our Member Champions and relevant LGA Boards/Champions
4. Build our understanding of LGA work and better understand where/how we add value
5. Promote the Motion for the Ocean to all local authorities to embed a source-to-sea approach to support climate resilience, coastal communities and their economies.

• Produce a training package for Elected Members on the areas covered by the Coastal SIG to be delivered in collaboration with our partners