Sitting on a bench waiting for her retail shift, 22-year-old Emily Voller jokes about staying in Gosport long term. “I hope not,” she smiles. Her town in Hampshire was forecast to have the largest population decline of any local authority in England from 2025 to 2035, with its 80,000 people set to reduce by 2.1%, the Office for National Statistics predicted.

The reason is quite clear, according to residents. Once heavily reliant on the Royal Navy and industrial jobs, some of the town’s major employers have declined or disappeared, leaving little choice for younger residents. Nicky Brown, 67, says there is huge potential, with “amazing” architecture and beaches, but she sees the struggles for young adults.

“I think they tend to leave, there’s not many jobs actually in Gosport,” she tells the Express as we chat on the high street, where she points out that major retail chains and banks have now left.

Latest statistics show 82.3% of working-age residents in Gosport were employed, but residents say most people search for work in places like Fareham, with Gosport mainly offering retail or hospitality opportunities.

Nicky says the town can feel isolated. Gosport is the largest town in England without a railway station, while the road in and out is often gridlocked with traffic, though locals often get the four-minute ferry across from Southsea, Portsmouth. “It’s a bummer of a place to get to, you have to pick your times.”

Emily recalls the town differently when she was a child, with more family-friendly activities, a bustling high street and a sense of community. Now, she sees teens hanging around at the end of the high street while she’s at work.

“That’s the only place they can go and it’s slightly antisocial because they are blaring speakers. People live down here.” Her friend Gabe Goulding, 23, agrees the town has changed “drastically”.

“Ten years ago, I remember, the high street used to be really busy. There used to be a youth club every Friday evening where everyone used to be, kids would just go and play. That got cancelled and it just slowly died.”

Others, however, believe Gosport deserves more credit, like Dave Lewis. “Gosport’s got quite a bad reputation,” he says. “But it’s not anywhere near as bad as its reputation. There are rough areas. But it’s not bad bad. There are far worse places.”

The council points out that 33 new businesses opened across the high street and Stoke Road in 2025, which was a “clear sign of growing confidence in the local economy”.

He points to a town shaped by the decline of its traditional employers, with the Ferguson TV factory disappearing in the 90s, triggering 2,000 job losses, and the departure of medical manufacturer Covidien in 2008.

“So this is an area where there’s not a lot of opportunities,” he says. “But there again, that’s not different to other areas.”

Plus, fewer people are turning to the Navy. Between the end of mandatory National Service in 1960 and 2025, personnel numbers fell by 66,000 (67%). Though HMS Sultan, Gosport’s engineer training site, remains a large employer after being saved from closure in 2022.

Youth charity Motiv8 has spent years supporting young people aged nine to 19 in Gosport and across Hampshire. Vicki Llewelyn, Head of Quality and Services, coordinates drop-in sessions, business experience days and skills programmes, like bike maintenance classes that now attract nearly 30 young people a week.

“So many are still impacted by COVID,” she says. “We’re still having young people who aren’t really leaving their house, aren’t accessing education, so actually the ability to come here and engage in groups or larger groups is massive. To then see that they’re linking up with their peers and doing things outside of what we’re delivering is fantastic.”

But she explains one of the biggest problems is what happens as teenagers transition into adulthood, when support often drops away.

“There’s a missing gap there for those young people,” she says. “If you’re already struggling… it makes finding a job even harder, and then I think you can find yourself going in this loop of not really knowing where to turn.”

Vicki says a lack of Government funding in youth services is being felt across the country, but points out they are “saving the economy further down the line in terms of getting people into employment or reducing antisocial behaviour“.

Local authority spend on youth services fell by 10% in a single year in England and Wales in February — the sharpest annual reduction since 2016–17 — according to analysis by YMCA England and Wales.

Money, it seems, it the key. Mike thinks huge investments are needed to bring in a wider range of employers, while Vicki stresses the need for youth services before children get to working age. Still, there is resilience in the work being done locally.

“We’ve had parents come back and say to us, you’re the only people who we can trust, you’ll be there,” says Vicki. “I think that’s why we do it, and we don’t give up hope.”

A spokesperson for Gosport Borough Council said: “The People’s Park project is now moving into delivery and will create a new green space and bandstand for community events, activities, and families. Regeneration of the waterfront is also progressing, including plans for the historic Rum Store, which could create new jobs and support creative and commercial uses.

“The facts show a town moving forward, with new businesses opening, public spaces being improved, and long-term regeneration creating opportunities for residents.

“While we recognise the national challenges facing high streets, we remain ambitious for Gosport’s future and know there is more to do. By taking a joined-up approach to regeneration, infrastructure, and investment, we are working to create a vibrant town centre that stays true to Gosport’s heritage while supporting jobs, businesses, and the wider community.”