What it's like to live in Skegness

Social renting is less common here than nationally: 11.3% of homes across East Lindsey are socially rented against 17.1% for England, split between 9% housing association and just 2.3% council. Two thirds of homes are owned outright or with a mortgage, and 20.2% are privately rented, which is higher than average and reflects the seasonal and holiday side of the coast.

Platform Housing Limited is by far the biggest social landlord in the area with around 6,975 homes, followed by Amplius Living, Lincolnshire Housing Partnership, Lincolnshire Rural Housing Association and Anchor Hanover Group.

Rents are low by national standards. Average weekly social rents in the council area for 2024/25 were about £91 for a one bed, £101 for two beds and £108 for three. As for supply, 1,536 households were on the council's housing register at the end of March 2025 and 406 social homes were let through the council in 2024-25, which is a fair sign that a mutual exchange is often the quicker route into a home here.

For a town of this size, Skegness has a decent spread of schools close in. Skegness Junior Academy and Skegness Infant Academy are both about a third of a mile out, with The Viking School, Beacon Primary Academy and Seathorne Primary Academy all within a mile and a half. At secondary level there is a choice between Skegness Grammar School and Skegness Academy, each under half a mile from the centre. Do check current admissions and inspection reports yourself before you commit.

For free days out, Tower Gardens is the closest green space, with Foreshore Gardens, Beresford Park and the Alma Avenue Play Area all within a mile. The beach itself is the biggest asset, and it costs nothing.

Skegness Library is right in the centre, and there is a youth centre nearby plus Winthorpe Community Centre a mile and a half out. Children under 16 make up 14.6% of the East Lindsey population against 18.6% nationally, so this is not a town overflowing with young families, but the facilities for them are close together and easy to reach.

Skegness has its own railway station, roughly a hundred yards from the town centre, which is unusual for a coastal town this size. There is a second station at Walls Lane a couple of miles out. The bus station is also central, so if you do not drive you are not stranded, though services thin out in the evenings and on Sundays as they do across rural Lincolnshire.

On foot, the town is a gift. Schools, supermarkets, the library, the hospital, the parks, the cinema and the shopping centres all sit within a mile of each other. Flat ground helps, whether you are pushing a buggy, using a wheelchair or just doing the shopping.

If you drive, parking in the centre and near the seafront gets tight in high season, and the roads in and out are mostly single carriageway. Journeys inland take longer than the map suggests. Having a car opens up the wider Lincolnshire coast and countryside, but plenty of households here manage without one.

The seafront is the main event, and locals use it far more than visitors realise, especially for winter walks when the crowds have gone. Tower Gardens and Beresford Park give you green space a short stroll from the shops.

Indoors, the Tower Cinema is in the middle of town, and there is a decent choice of gyms and studios including Phoenix Fitness, Evolve Studios, Elite Fitness and Fresh Fitness, all within a mile. Skegness Library is a hub in its own right.

For a night out you have plenty of choice for a town this size. The Red Lion, The Lumley, The Tipsy Cow and Churchills are all central, Roman Bank Bingo and Social Club covers the more sociable end, and The Hive handles later nights. The Pensioners Association and the youth centre run the community side. The honest caveat is that some venues are busiest in season and quieter in winter, so the town has two different moods depending on the month.

Be clear eyed about this one. Across the East Lindsey council area, 45.8% of adults are in work compared with 57.4% for England, largely because so much of the population is retired. Unemployment is actually lower than the national figure at 2.9%, and benefit claimants stood at 3.2% of working-age people in September 2026 against 4% nationally.

The local economy leans on tourism, hospitality and retail, which means a lot of work is seasonal. Summer can be busy with hours; winter is leaner. If you need steady year-round income, line something up before you move rather than after.

The town centre itself provides a share of the jobs, with two shopping centres, five supermarkets and a hospital all within walking distance of the middle. The train station helps if you need to travel for work or training, though journeys inland take time. Remote and hybrid work is realistic here if your broadband and job allow it, and the cost of renting makes the sums easier than in many parts of England.