A REPORT by the house of Lords says seaside communities - including Clacton and Jaywick - have continued to see a lack of progress in tackling "entrenched problems".

The House of Lords Liaison Committee has this week published a follow up to the 2019 'The future of seaside towns' report.

The report examines the progress made by the Government in the implementation of the recommendations made by the Select Committee on Regenerating Seaside Towns and Communities.

The report said that the Government's Levelling up agenda, which aspires to target areas in the most need, is welcome but more needs to be done to reach seaside towns and communities which are yet to receive the support they need.

It added that the responsibility for seaside towns and communities ought to be allocated to a Levelling Up Ministerial portfolio, which will give the areas the recognition they need and add a necessary voice in discussions on levelling up.

The Lords said the Government also needs to work with the Local Government Association, coastal interest groups and the private sector to develop a coastal communities strategy to address the long-standing disadvantages.

In the course of the original inquiry, the select committee visited six coastal communities, including Clacton and Jaywick.

Lord Steve Bassam, who grew up in Great Bentley and was a student at the former Clacton's Colbayns High School, is the former chairman of the committee.

Following the latest report, he said: "Four years on from our original report we have seen little progress in seaside towns and communities and their endemic problems continue to persist.

“The Government's Levelling up agenda wasn’t really a thing when we carried out our inquiry, but the aspiration to target areas in the most need aligns with many of the conclusions and recommendations in our 2019 report to support seaside towns and communities.

“What these communities need now is urgent action to address the combination of deeply entrenched issues they face.

"This demands a long-term strategy from the Government. Not a succession of short-term initiatives.

"It must find a way to provide the support needed for effective regeneration and to address systemic challenges.”

Speaking to the Gazette, Lord Bassam added: "I went to school in Clacton in the 60s and early 70s and the decline of the seaside had been a lifelong interest."