BOLTON council has been unable to fill a top post despite the lure of a £40,000 pay packet.

Town hall bosses had included a car allowance and relocation package in a bid to find a "dynamic individual" to lead urban regeneration projects in Burnden, Breightmet and Tonge.

The advert for the post declared: "The rewards are considerable and only the best need apply."

But it was decided that none of the applicants for the post of SRB6 director -- who will oversee schemes funded by the Government's Single Regeneration Budget to boost deprived areas -- fit the bill.

The council has agreed to bump up the financial package for what is seen as a demanding job to make sure a top calibre candidate is found.

They will also extend the scope of the job so that it includes a role in shaping the East Bolton Regeneration Partnership which will tie together various government grants awarded to tackle social deprivation.

Council leader Bob Howorth said the changes had been necessary to find the right person.

He said: "With other places getting regeneration money, there are quite a number of opportunities for people to seek this type of post so there is quite a lot of competition.

"We are in the market for a qualified and specialist people so we will have to pay the market rate.

"It's a matter of bringing all the different strands of regeneration together and making sure they are worth more than the sum of their different parts. That's something which requires skill and imagination."

The council's priorities for regeneration are described as tackling crime, improving educational opportunities, restoring the image of worse-off areas and enhancing local services.

Schemes are supposed to involve community members at every level.

The SRB6 director's post will exist until 2007, the date when the Single Regeneration Budget cash expires.