BUSINESSES offering better-paid jobs must be attracted to Redditch to help residents cope with the rising cost of living, a town councillor claims.

Conservative leader Carole Gandy says the ruling Labour group is failing to entice firms which pay higher salaries to the town.

She said many of the wages paid by businesses in Redditch were not enough to keep up with the dramatic increase in the price of houses.

Mrs Gandy said that during a recent report on the town's housing needs it was revealed the price of houses in Redditch had risen by 98 per cent in the last three years. In the same period, the price of flats had gone up by 118 per cent.

"It does not take a genius to work out that salaries in Redditch have not gone up by that much," she said.

Figures for the town's "right to buy" scheme were also down because council tenants could not afford to take on a mortgage, despite the discounts.

"We are not a town that pays particularly high wages. Much of the employment on offer is either unskilled or semi-skilled, which does not pay enough to compete with the increase in property prices.

"The Labour group really should be making more efforts to attract businesses into the town which would provide better paid jobs."

Mrs Gandy said that cuts made by Labour to the council's economic department were "very short sighted".

"They are the people who know Redditch best and can attract the right businesses to the town. We should not leave these kind of decisions to people at county level," she said.

But council leader David Cartwright said: "We are doing all we can as a borough council to encourage new employment into the town.

"Initiatives such as the Construction Training Scheme help workers enter the industry at a higher level.

"We are also keen to promote new developments which will bring jobs - such as the Abbey Stadium development.

"There is a misconception about the leisure industry that they are all low paid jobs. A massive amount of work will be created just in the building of the project."