Traditionally seaside resorts have been one of the least understood of Britain’s ‘problem areas’.
This thesis breaks new ground by reporting on an exploratory data analysis to probe the
influence of resort decline on social exclusion in England’s seaside resorts. Drawing on a wide
range of socio-economic datasets and quantitative methods of data analysis and GIS software,
the study investigates the scale, nature and extent of multiple deprivation in English seaside
resorts, differences in socio-economic structure between deprived and non-deprived resorts and
the factors that may explain these differences, and the nature and incidence of localised problem
complexes. A combination of univariate, bivariate and multivariate empirical analyses,
undertaken at several geographic scales, illuminates the differential incidence of deprivation.
The study findings reveal that the majority of seaside districts, small areas and resorts are
experiencing similar types and high levels of multiple deprivation. Various facets of population
composition (worklessness, education and skills, health, family stability, connectivity, and
poverty) and place factors (employment base, economic prosperity, housing, and community
safety) are significant for deprivation in seaside resorts. Four types of highly deprived resort
areas emerged from the cluster analysis. Not only are the research findings of paramount
importance in understanding both the pattern of socio-spatial disadvantage and the prospects
for socio-economic regeneration, but they also contribute to an understanding of the outcomes
of post-mature resort development, particularly in relation to the internal dynamics of resort
change