The search is on for the man or woman who can lead the £50 million regeneration of the Manchester Road corridor.

The job of chief executive of the massive New Deal project, the biggest of its kind in Bradford, has been advertised with a salary tag of £50,000.

The successful applicant will also enjoy allowances worth an extra £2,500.

The job advert has been published after the Government announced it was giving £50 million over ten years to revitalise the inner-city communities of Park Lane, Marshfields and West Bowling.

Jobs will be created, crime tackled, and housing improved as part of the far-reaching plans.

Members of the New Deal for Communities board, half of whom are local residents, will select the candidate.

Today, Councillor Ian Greenwood, chairman of the board, said: "This is a crucial appointment. We are looking for someone with experience and knowledge of bringing a programme like this forward, someone with the ability to enthuse people and have a good relationship with local people and articulate their needs."

Applications are being handled by John Brown of Bradford Council's personnel department.

He said: "There has been a lot of interest from all over the country. We have had about a hundred enquiries so far and the closing date is next Wednesday.

"It has been advertised in the Telegraph & Argus, national press and on the Internet."

He said the New Deal board had set up an Appointment Panel to choose their chief executive and would be interviewing candidates in March, with advice from the council's personnel department.

"The challenge is to turn the area into a place where people choose to live, because of the community spirit, safety and employment opportunities that exist there," the advert for the post states.

Currently local unemployment stands at 15.2 per cent, well above the district average of 6.5 per cent.

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