"Plans to regenerate Whitley Bay were raised in Parliament last week by local MP Alan Campbell during a debate on seaside towns. Alan Campbell said £7.5 Million of government money to regenerate the sea front and lever in private investment on the Spanish City site along with work starting on the shopping mall were important steps forward. He said that low interest rates, increased spending power with more people in work and rising property values made seaside towns good places to invest in and he encouraged more businesses to invest in the town. Alan Campbell also said the key to successful regeneration of seaside towns lies in the private and public sectors working together. Public spending is an important part of the equation with the need for funding, such as the £7.5 Million from the Single Programme. But he said local and central government also had to recognise the particular needs of seaside towns and have the will the drive through change. Alan Campbell warned that while private investment was essential, over reliance of housing in some schemes risks fundamentally altering the nature of seaside towns. Alan Campbell called for a Seaside Task Force on the Coalfields Trust model with access to ring-fenced funding and backed calls for a designated Seaside Towns Minister. In a separate development Alan Campbell has backed calls from local traders for better toilet provision at the coast. Whitley Bay Chamber of Trade has called for improved facilities in the town and Alan Campbell is backing their campaign. Alan Campbell said: "”I am on record as criticising public toilet provision at the coast and wholeheartedly back the chambers campaign. Public toilets are one of the first concerns of visitors and must be given a high priority in regeneration plans. He added "“There is £7.5 Million of government money coming to improve the seafront and I hope public toilets are part of those plans. If the new shopping mall does not include toilets, it should. Now that money is beginning to come into the coast we have to make sure it gets spent on those things residents and businesses see as a priority. “ | 
