Inequality faces Whitby town despite high popularity ratings with visitors

There is great inequality within Scarborough Borough. A recent government Report on Social Mobility made for uncomfortable reading on the Yorkshire coast. It rated Scarborough Borough down at number 290-ish out of more than 300 areas. The cold wind off the North Sea has hidden this cold spot for a number of years.

Lack of investment has taken its toll, with the slow decline of both infrastructure and services, but I would highlight further the inequality that exists within Scarborough Borough itself. Over the past few years there has been a constant stream of ‘Good News’ stories issued by Scarborough Borough Council (SBC), to try to overcome the negativity. Here are a few examples:

£10 million SBC subsidy of Aquamare water park, in Scarborough
£3 million spent on refurbishing the Open Air Theatre, in Scarborough
£1 million spent on the Indoor Market, in Scarborough
£4 million to develop the Futurist Theatre site, in Scarborough
£16 million on the Spa / South Bay Cliff Stabilisation scheme, in Scarborough

In addition to the above list, there is also a new Sports Village with Olympic standard swimming pool, new athletics track built to international standards, new tennis and squash courts – all in Scarborough.

By now you will have noticed the theme to my point: Everything is being developed in Scarborough Town, not in Scarborough Borough.

So when looking at inequality, you have to ask ‘What has Scarborough Borough Council done to affect this inequality in their own back yard?’ Writing as a resident of Whitby, I have to say ‘Not much!’

Peter Croft, Sandpiper House, Whitby

[With thanks and acknowledgements to the Whitby Gazette, which published this Letter on 22 Dec 2017]

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *