Seaside resorts share £5m pot in drive to improve fortunes

A total of 25 coastal areas will share 5m to help boost business and jobs, while Lottery funding could be used to revive historic piers.

A Government strategy for "seaside success" also highlights recent licensing changes to allow councils to tackle low-quality rented accommodation, and Ministers have vowed to extend the SeaChange Programme of funding for resorts beyond 2011.

Communities Secretary John Denham said: "Our coastal areas are rich with history and a high quality of life that makes them attractive places to live and many seafronts have been transformed with Government investment and support.

"Places like St Ives, Hastings and Scarborough are showing they can thrive once again through strong local leadership and dynamic businesses, no longer dependent on British weather, attracting visitors all year round. There is no reason why our other seaside towns can't flourish in the same way."

The Minister for Yorkshire and the Humber, Rosie Winterton, said Cleethorpes was a "treasured destination for many" and said Scarborough had much to celebrate, such as winning the national Enterprising Britain 2008 award and the Enterprise Europe Award in 2009.

The Tories said hundreds of port businesses were being hit by backdated tax rises.

Shadow Communities and Local Government Secretary Caroline Spelman said: "This is a drop in the ocean compared to the 124m tax bombshell that the Government is dropping on coastal towns in its new ports tax.

"Local firms in coastal towns across the country face going to the wall thanks to unfair new retrospective taxes being levied by Labour's tax inspectors."