COASTAL communities are set to lose almost half of their young people amid employment concerns, according to a new poll.

Jobs were cited as the overwhelming reason, with 70 per cent of 18-24 year olds surveyed saying they would be more likely to stay if the right career opportunities were made available.

The poll, commissioned by Maritime UK and conducted by Survation, also revealed the almost half of young people are yet to see evidence of new investment, or improvement in living standards.

Maritime UK and the Local Government Association Coastal Special Interest Group have now urged Gove to come up with a coherent plan for the coast, through the launch of a new Coastal Powerhouse manifesto.

The document sets out proposals to boost connectivity to the rest of the country, extend freeports benefits to all coastal areas, install a shore power network across the coast to charge tomorrow’s Teslas of the seas and develop new skills in coastal communities.

Ben Murray, chief executive of Maritime UK, said: “Today’s polling should come as a stark warning to Michael Gove, who must prioritise coastal communities from day one in the job to make levelling up a success.

“As our Coastal Powerhouse manifesto shows, there is a real opportunity to make a difference for people in these areas. But with the majority of young people already planning on leaving the coast behind, the Minister has no time to waste.”

However, Mary Newton, Tendring councillor responsible for business and economic growth, said there were many reasons young people should stay in the area.

“Although nationally there are links between coastal towns and a lack of opportunity, this is a really exciting time to be growing up in Tendring,” said Mrs Newton.

“Plans for the development of Freeport East around Harwich aim to bring job opportunities to the town and wider district, and is perhaps the biggest opportunity for our area.

“But through Tendring4Growth and our Economic Development Strategy we are also working hard to bring and create many jobs in the area.

“We are working really hard with our partners at a county and regional level to not only develop these opportunities, but also to make sure the skills and training is available for young people so they are in the best possible place – geographically and in terms of their education – to grasp these with both hands.”