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Torbay, Devon, UK
Torbay
lies on the eastern coast of Devon, a county tucked away in
the south-west of England. Geographically, 'Torbay' refers
to the bay itself, which is a relatively safe haven when storms
pound up the English Channel. Sheltered by the coastline and
in the rain shadow of Dartmoor, for shipping it is one of
a few calm places to hide away from the worst Atlantic weather.
However, 'Torbay' is also the collective name given to three
towns in an area of the coast known as 'The English Riviera';
Torquay, the largest and most northerly, Paignton, in the
centre, and Brixham to the south1.
The entire economy of the area is based on tourism, a low-wage,
seasonal and often erratic industry. The fishing industry
in Brixham is smaller scale than ever due to quotas, and lack
of material wealth and poor connections to the rest of the
UK mean that no big business wants to be there. Companies
have tried moving in to take advantage of the low labour costs9
but quickly moved out again. Every business is either directly
involved with tourism or is working in support of tourism.
Consistently, areas like Ellacombe, Upton and Barton (primarily
Torquay wards) show up on lists of the most 'deprived' in
Britain in terms of income and quality of life. The low wages
mean a high proportion of people pay nominal Council Tax,
and to account for this the council makes large yearly rises.
In turn, these are 'capped' by central government, and services
suffer. Perhaps the 'agreeable climate' so loved by the Victorians
somehow makes this all bearable. |
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