Meanwhile, Reform UK MP for Clacton, Nigel Farage, said the result was “not a surprise”, blaming poor transport links as well as the closure of Clacton’s Butlins holiday resort in 1983.
He believes Jaywick’s low average income is a problem that can gain momentum.
“Because it’s very cheap housing, people who are very down on their luck move into an area, and with that you get high welfare dependency,” he said.
“We all understand that welfare is there for those that genuinely need it, but I’m afraid the mental health epidemic is putting an awful lot of young people – whether it’s mild anxiety or whatever it is – on to a variety of benefit payments, and once you put somebody aged 22 on benefits, the problem is they tend to stay there.”
However he said things were improving in areas like income and unemployment rates.
“It is considerably better than last year and I think the council deserves some credit for the Sunspot initiative,” he said.
Farage seconded the council’s call to central government for funding, but warned “there are no magic solutions”.
McGovern, the government minister, has said
