Personal insolvency rates in England and Wales have been rising over the last 12 years.

A new report from ClearDebt shows coastal areas in the UK are significantly more likely to suffer high rates of insolvency. The report explores why this is the case and whether this situation is likely to change in the foreseeable future.

In total, there are 348 local authorities in England and Wales. Only 88 (25%) of these can be considered coastal.

In 2011, 6 of the 10 areas with the highest insolvency rates were coastal

80% of the top ten in 2010 were coastal, while only 25% of all local authorities are coastal.
The table below lists local authority areas and the number of times their insolvency rate has been among the top ten highest in England and Wales (since 2000).
With the exception of Basildon, all of the most frequently reoccurring local authorities are located on the coast.

Part of the problems for some coastal towns may be their continued dependency on tourism.

However, not all coastal towns are experiencing the same difficulties

The full report compares some of the best and worst performing coastal areas, and identifies organisations seeking to make a difference in these struggling areas.
You can  download the full report here.