A GOVERNMENT minister has suggested a community which had its heart ripped out with the mothballing of the Corus steelworks should reinvent itself in the image of other seaside towns.

Communities Secretary John Denham said Redcar could adopt a similar scheme to Margate, in Kent, which, as part of its regeneration, now boasts a multi-million arts centre.

In an effort to improve other run-down towns, the Government has allocated £52,632 to each of 107 councils from a £5.6m pot.

Councils in the North-East which have received funding include Redcar and Cleveland, Stockton, Darlington, Durham, Gateshead, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, North Tyneside, South Tyneside and Sunderland.

In Darlington, the council has used the money to provide extra signs and redecorated some of the vacant shops.

Stockton Borough Council has put on performances or art workshops in empty shops. North Tyneside has introduced dummy shop fronts in Whitley Bay to improve the look of premises no longer in use.

During the tour of Darlington, Mr Denham said the scheme would help “pump prime” town centres through the recession.

He said: “When we have a recession as we have during the last year, if you have empty shops it can be less attractive.

This scheme makes towns look brighter.

“In the course of time, the shops will reopen.”

He said wider economic policies, such as the reduction in VAT and smaller business rates, would help maintain public spending and allow shops to reopen.

When asked how the funding would help Redcar, which has been devastated by the mothballing of its biggest employer Corus, which led to the loss of 1,600 jobs and fears for many others locally, Mr Denham said: “Some seaside towns like Margate have gone a very big way to say let’s make the place a sort of arts centre.

“Some people have taken the challenge to reinvent a seaside town.”

A spokesman for Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council said the authority had provided similar schemes to others in the North-East.

He added that money was being spent on a “creative hub” to regenerate the seafront, including assisting business start-ups and improvements to the sea defences.

Mr Denham was in Darlington ahead of a conference to discuss how to improve town centres.

One in eight shops in Darlington town centre is vacant – the same figure as 12 months ago.

Council leader John Williams said: “Where there were empty shop units, this funding has meant these premises remain alive with activity and interest.”