UK’s ‘least productive’ seaside towns amid ‘sustained slowdown’ – full list

Data has revealed which are in the areas with the lowest in the UK.

Experts has said that the country has been plagued by a “sustained slowdown”, as productiveness grew at a rate of only 0.6% per year from 2009 to 2023.

This compared to 2.2% annually from 1971 to 2007.

Office for National Statistics (ONS) detail which areas of Britain recorded the lowest hours – how many goods and services are produced for 60 minutes worked – in 2022. This is the latest data currently available.

Ranked at the bottom of the pile are the Isles of Scilly, Orkney Islands and Shetland Islands.

These are followed by Na h-Eileanan Siar, which has towns along the River Forth – such as Alloa and Cambus – as it enters its estuary into the North Sea

Adur in West Sussex is also at the foot of the table, recording only 593,170 hours. In the district are the seaside Lancing, Sompting, Southwick and Shoreham-by-the-Sea.

Brighton City Aiport is also right on the coast.

Gosport in Hampshire recorded 640,735 hours. Rochford, which is next to Southend and not technically right on the coast, registered 746,991.

Inverclyde in Scotland – home of Castle Levan, Wemyss Bay, Inverkip, Gourok, Greenock, Upper Ingleston and Port Glasgow – had 774,568 hours.

Maldon, on the Chelmer and Blackwater estuary in Essex, saw 775,965.

The Isle of Anglesey in Wales, which boasts a vast array of seaside settlements, recorded 783,057.

Torridge contains lots of seaside villages, including one famous for having an exclamation mark in its name – Westward Ho! The area registered 844,732 hours in 2022.

The Forest of Dean, in the River Severn estuary, also ranked low (845,886), as did Castle Point in Essex (884,796). The town of Canvey Island is here.

Hartlepool in the north east was also among the least productive places, with a sub-million figure of 969,785 hours.

It comes as a new study has compiled its own list of the UK’s least labour productive areas.

 collected data on each area’s output per hour, defined as the output per hour worked per quarter by industry, also known as labour productivity.

A unit index indicates whether the figure has increased or decreased compared to 2019, which was used as the base year.

West Devon had the lowest labour productivity according to the methodology, scoring 58.7 on the labour productivity index.

The district’s rate change was -41.30%, and was the only one to have a rate change below -40 and an index score lower than 60.

Powys in Wales had the second-lowest labour productivity at 63.1. Its rate change was -36.90%.

Wyre Forest was very close behind in third, with an index score of 63.4 and a rate change of -36.60%. 

Oadby and Wigston, meanwhile, came fourth, with an index score of 64.8, four points below the counties in fifth, sixth, and seventh positions. 

Torridge, Castle Point, and Conwy all scored 66 on the index, with slight variations separating them. Their rate change scores were all separated by 0.10%.

“Measuring productivity is of the utmost importance as it directly impacts profitability, efficiency, and competitiveness,” said Reena Cruz, content marketing manager at Xodo.

Top 10 places with the fewest productivity hours recorded in 2022: