Adam Thompson

I thank the hon. Member for North Norfolk (Steff Aquarone) for bringing this discussion to the Chamber. He might be asking why, as an inland MP, I am speaking on this Bill—I intend to cover that in the coming minutes. Before I begin, though, I will say that it was lovely to hear from the hon. Member for North Devon (Ian Roome). He reminded me of a holiday I had in his constituency many years ago, which I had more or less forgotten, so it was lovely to be reminded of the weekend I spent in Ilfracombe. I strongly respect the goals of the Bill, but I cannot directly support it. I do not believe that the problems the Bill diagnoses and seeks to recognise are limited to coastal communities, which is why I have chosen to speak today. The issues covered in the Bill and as part of this discussion are ones that affect communities up and down the country, whether they are next to the sea or—like mine—many miles from it. It is not living on the coast that inflicts particular problems on a place; it is people and economy. However, because of the fundamental imbalances that have plagued our country for decades, it is difficult for me to read that a specific strategy is needed to tackle child poverty in coastal communities. My community is nowhere near the sea, but there are children in poverty in Erewash who desperately need help all the same. Half of all the children in Ilkeston live in low-income households—that is nearly double the national figure. Opportunity needs to be created for young people right across the country.