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On key measures of poverty, some resorts now had problems as severe as deprived inner-city areas. Living standards in these and other coastal towns had declined beyond recognition and locals were now bearing the brunt of social breakdown.
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Now, old faded guest houses have been turned into bedsits, offering an abundance of cheap accommodation. This attracts people living on low incomes and welfare claimants, as well as less economically-active people such as single-parent families, pensioners, pregnant teenagers, single parents, and the out-of-work. Coastal towns are now veritable dumping grounds for people with substance abuse problems, those with mental health issues, and ex-offenders.
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Saddened by the further decline of places like Clacton-on-Sea, I ponder on what will happen in the future. Like draws like, and predators feed on the resulting hopelessness. I can't help thinking that children raised in this ailing environment don't stand a chance of escape.
My divorced mother raised three girls on a meager income. In the 1940's, we had no luxuries or entertainment, yet I never felt poor. My mother had high expectations, and passed them on to my sisters and me.
Everybody has a story. Did you rise above a humble background?