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Coastal Towns

We should be able better to address infrastructure issues through a regional approach. My concern and that of hon. Members is that in doing so, those pockets of deprivation—whether they are in coastal, city or rural areas—can sometimes not be dealt with in the way that hon. Members want. We must ensure that we have that relationship and deal with issues at the appropriate level. Infrastructure must be dealt with at a more regional level. At the same time, we must ensure that local councillors, businesses and the voluntary sector are involved at local level. The best way to strengthen cross-government engagement is through the Government offices that are supposed to represent the 10 Whitehall Departments. They could play a more strategic role, and particular issues that they could look at and work on with local councils on are transport connectivity, employment and skills training, which are crucial. They could also consider housing issues, which were mentioned by a number of hon. Members. My hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, South paid tribute to his regional development agency and the way that it deals with coastal towns and their issues. He also highlighted several problems. My hon. Friend the Member for Cleethorpes made a serious allegation, about which I hope she will give me further information, regarding the misuse of funds by the RDA. I am not aware of the matter, but I will look into it because allegations of the misuse of funds are obviously a serious matter.