Withernsea
Key points
- Big Local funding was used to tackle financial exclusion in the community by investing in a local credit union and Citizens Advice, enabling them to expand their services in the area.
- A range of physical improvements were made, including enhancing the seafront for residents to enjoy and to promote Withernsea as a holiday destination.
- Long-term small grants schemes supported diverse projects for community benefit and increased collaborative working between local groups.
About the Big Local area
The Withernsea Big Local area covered the seaside town of Withernsea, a rural and coastal community of just over 6,000 people (ONS, 2022a) above the Humber estuary on the east coast of Yorkshire. The majority of residents in the area identified as White British (ONS, 2023a) and lived either in post-war and modern housing estates, or Victorian terraces. A significant number of caravans in the town’s holiday parks were also occupied as homes (ONS, 2023b). The Big Local area was focused mostly upon the seafront promenade and Pier Towers (the turreted entrance to a long-dismantled Victorian pier). Across the coastal road from the promenade were arcades, cafés, an amphitheatre, and a playground. Slightly inland lay the main street, with independent shops, a covered market, and the Lighthouse Museum.
Once a thriving holiday destination, Withernsea was cut off from the national rail network in 1964. The isolation this caused exacerbated the town’s experience of economic decline, common to British coastal areas. In 2021, Withernsea had a growing older population, with over 30 per cent of residents aged 65 or over (ONS, 2023c). Meanwhile, the partnership noted many younger people were drawn elsewhere following the phasing out of the local sixth form college in 2020. Alongside this, 56 per cent of adults were economically inactive (ONS, 2022b). Many working people in the area also experienced poverty, with Withernsea household incomes standing at £8,000 less than regional averages (ONS, 2023d).
How the Big Local area approached delivery
The Withernsea Big Local Partnership Steering Group was elected at an open meeting of 250 residents in 2015. Throughout the Big Local programme, the partnership supported initiatives to help achieve their vision for “a clean and attractive environment, with a thriving economy, people enjoying active healthy lives, gaining new knowledge, skills and confidence, in a town full of opportunities.”
The partnership included non-members who supported their vision. These included South Holderness Resource Centre (SHoRES Centre) – a charity and the partnership’s Locally Trusted Organisation (LTO), and representatives from Withernsea Town Council, the Department of Work and Pensions, East Riding Voluntary Action Services, and Withernsea High School. The partnership saw Big Local initiatives as mutually supportive to the activities of external bodies, and members contributed to the work of other groups, including the Withernsea Regeneration Committee and Withernsea Housing Group. The partnership also became involved in the County Council’s Withernsea Seafront Improvement Plan, which addressed many themes that were prevalent in their own community consultations.
Initially, the partnership hoped to deliver all Big Local activities themselves. However, they soon realised this would be challenging. So, Big Local funding was used for paid workers and the partnership enabled activity by distributing grants to individuals, groups, and community organisations in line with their priorities and vision.
The partnership made decisions through deliberation, and a vote, and subgroups were formed to handle key areas of focus, such as media and communications, and community grants. Over the years, the partnership felt they had developed a culture of openness and respect where disagreement could be embraced and engaged with.
Although the group experienced setbacks with projects during the programme, they adapted and used the learning to change how they worked. Challenges with the maintenance of one project (splash fountains installed on the promenade) led to them strengthening their internal processes, and when an initiative to transfer Piggy Lane – the local covered market – to community ownership was assessed and deemed unlikely to succeed, the partnership decided not to pursue it.
In the final years of Big Local, the partnership experienced disappointment when their ambition for the redevelopment of the Withernsea Pier was no longer possible, due to rising costs. However, in response to this setback they persevered and Big Local funding was redirected to the Investing in Withernsea and community grant funds. This led to over £200,000 being distributed to projects that would encourage community connections, support local assets and buildings to be sustainable, and increase economic opportunities for residents.
The partnership decided not to continue as a group after Big Local. They reflected on the legacy that would live on in the community and the initiatives they had delivered – from physical improvements to facilities and spaces, to building residents’ employability skills and strengthening people’s financial capacity.
A Big Local partnership was a group made up of at least eight people that guided the overall direction of delivery in a Big Local area.
What the Big Local area did
Local economy
Taking a holistic approach to financial inclusion
Midway through the Big Local programme, the partnership became increasingly concerned about financial exclusion, recognising the low income levels of many residents and the local increase in doorstep lenders. In addition to commissioning Citizens Advice to expand their support in Withernsea from one to three days a week, the partnership collaborated with the Hull and East Yorkshire Credit Union (HEY Credit Union). They awarded HEY Credit Union a social investment loan and a grant to expand their presence in Withernsea. Based at the South Holderness Resource Centre (SHoRES Centre), the credit union employed a Credit Union Development Officer, who engaged with residents through collaborations with the police and health services. They set up adult and junior savings clubs, delivered money management sessions, and provided access to financial management templates for residents.
In 2023, HEY Credit Union reported that they had nearly 400 members in Withernsea. Over the initial four years, members had increased their savings by 293 per cent, avoiding approximately £200,000 in interest charges and collectively putting aside £30,000 in savings. The credit union remained active after Big Local, supporting residents with savings and low-cost loans.
As well as increasing access to support and services in the area, the HEY Credit Union and Citizens Advice projects provided opportunities for residents to train as volunteers. Local people were trained as volunteer advisors to support the delivery of Citizens Advice, and when the first Development Officer moved on from their role, a former volunteer was employed to run the Withernsea branch of the credit union.
Community assets and spaces
Improving community facilities and spaces to benefit the community
Throughout the programme, Big Local funding was invested in upgrades and improvements to existing community spaces and facilities in Withernsea. Among these were improvements to damaged equipment at the Millenium Green and Belveder Play Parks and, alongside investment from the Town Council, improvements to Valley Gardens (an open-air space used for events). Big Local funding was used for upgrades to the electrics and lighting, creating a safer and more attractive space for event goers, and enabling more community events to be delivered.
Big Local funding was also used for improvements to community buildings. For example, solar panels at the South Holderness Resource Centre (SHoRES Centre) to increase energy efficiency in response to the cost of living crisis. At the St. Matthews Church Cultural Hub, new chairs and the construction of a stage enabled it to be used as a performance space.
Developing and improving seafront amenities for the benefit of the community
A large part of the Big Local area was the seafront, and the Withernsea Big Local partnership focused their attention on improving the promenade for residents and visitors. In one of their early ventures, they supported the installation of large prints of old photographs on hoardings along the seafront, creating a local history project and visitor attraction. The partnership felt that this project supported community spirit and demonstrated the potential for Big Local projects to improve residents’ lives and benefit local tourism. As the Big Local programme came to an end, the prints were re-located to the Italian Gardens further along the seafront to become part of a walking route.
Following this initial project, the partnership pursued bigger projects along the seafront. They secured match-funding from East Riding of Yorkshire Council and Tesco Community Fund towards the installation of 14 illuminated splash fountains and seating on the promenade. Despite some challenges maintaining the fountains, the partnership recognised the positive impact they had on children who enjoyed playing in them.
One of the partnership’s most ambitious projects was working with the Withernsea Pier and Promenade Association, supporting their ambition to rebuild Withernsea’s 500 metre Victorian Pier, which had once been a popular tourist attraction. Big Local funding was used for feasibility studies and architectural drawings, before rising costs meant it was no longer possible to move forward with the rebuild.
Investing in young people
Supporting young people by developing skills and increasing their opportunities
The Withernsea Big Local partnership wanted to support the younger generation to build their skills, develop the confidence to access opportunities, and build a life in the area. As well as supporting the creation of a new youth organisation – Withernsea Youth Action Group – Big Local funding was used for a pilot project, the TEN (Teen Employment Network) Youth Job Club at the South Holderness Resource Centre (SHoRES).
The club was created to support residents aged 14 to 16 to develop skills and confidence to gain employment, in response to feedback from SHoRES that young applicants often demonstrated low confidence and struggled with communication skills. Over 35 young people used the club while it was delivered, 15 went on to secure employment locally and 18 began an apprenticeship or moved into further education. The club also influenced a local school, which went on to offer health career training opportunities to young people.
Community engagement
Strengthening local capacity and building a culture of mutual support and collaboration
Over the course of the Big Local programme, the Withernsea Big Local partnership distributed community grants to support resident-led projects that were in line with their priorities and vision for the area. In addition to small grants of up to £500, they provided larger grants of up to £5,000 under the theme of Investing in Withernsea, which funded project costs and feasibility studies for more ambitious ideas. Paid workers promoted grants to local groups, helped with applications, and supported groups to apply for funding from other sources.
As well as helping the partnership to deliver their plan and meet community needs, the community grants helped strengthen the culture of collaboration and mutual support in Withernsea. For example, funding supported local parents to set up a school uniform exchange and create a new support group for children with autism. Grants were also used to fund collective community resources which encouraged cooperation. These included a large energy efficient freezer at South Holderness Resource Centre (SHoRES) which enabled the Community Pantry and Café to bulk buy produce together, and a marquee for events, which was available for hire to all community groups through the Town Council.
Over the years, Withernsea Big Local’s community grants funded a range of activity that the partnership felt had made a difference to individuals and to the community. It also helped to leverage new money into the community, with the partnership estimating an additional £950,000 drawn into the area.
How the Big Local area spent their funding
Each Big Local area received approximately £1.2 million (ranging from £1.199 mil to 1.209 mil) to spend over 10–15 years, depending on how much additional funding they accessed from Local Trust to address specific needs. For example, to bring people together at the start of the programme or to access training and support. This has been categorised for areas and at the programme level based on reports received from areas.
Partnerships chose their own priorities and categories for reporting, and were encouraged to use broad categories so they could use the funding flexibly. All areas spent a significant amount of money on ‘Big Local delivery costs’ such as workers’ salaries, stationery and IT equipment. You can find out more about programme level spend in this article. This is how Withernsea Big Local told Local Trust they used their Big Local funding.
References
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2022a) ‘UK Census 2021: All persons’. Available at: ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/datasets/populationandhouseholdestimatesenglandandwalescensus2021 (Accessed 17 October 2024)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2022b) ‘UK Census 2021: Economic activity status, England and Wales’. Available at: ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/bulletins/economicactivitystatusenglandandwales/census2021#economic-activity-status (Accessed 17 October 2024)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023a) ‘UK Census 2021: Ethnic group: White: English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British’. Available at:
ons.gov.uk/datasets/TS021/editions/2021/versions/3 (Accessed 17 October 2024)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023b) ‘UK Census 2021: Accommodation type: A caravan or other mobile or temporary structure’. Available at: ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/housing/bulletins/housingenglandandwales/census2021 (Accessed 17 October 2024)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023c) ‘UK Census 2021: Age structure of the population: Aged 65 years and over’. Available at: ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/datasets/populationandhouseholdestimatesenglandandwalescensus2021 (Accessed 17 October 2024)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) (2023d) ‘Total annual household income estimate: financial year ending 2020’. Available at: ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/personalandhouseholdfinances/incomeandwealth/bulletins/smallareamodelbasedincomeestimates/financialyearending2020 (Accessed 17 October 2024)