A COMMUNITY development organisation has issued an urgent jobs plea to Wrexham's businesses to help the Caia Park estate get back on its feet.

Members of the community are trying to rebuild the estate after it was rocked by two nights of violent disturbances between Iraqi Kurdish refugees and residents in June. Rosemarie Williams, chief officer for the Caia Park Partnership, believes Wrexham's businesses can play an important role.

She said: 'What would be very good would be to get the private sector to come and invest in the area.

'If you look at the economy of the estate, we haven't got many jobs for people. We haven't even got a launderette and drying facilities on the estate, so there's plenty of scope for creating employment.

'We can't just rely on people mobilising themselves from the estate, we need support from different levels. They need to earn a living and they need to earn a substantial wage.

Male unemployment on the estate stands at 16%, and Mrs Williams added: 'In the past, paid work has been

so poorly paid that some people have resorted to being on benefits because they receive more from benefits than they do on a lower wage.'

Caia Park is the largest local authority housing estate in Wales, and is home to nearly 14,000 people.

However, Steve Bayley, chief economic development officer for Wrexham Council, believes the estate will struggle to attract new investors.

'It is very unlikely that new major employers can be attracted into Caia Park,' he said. 'Inward investment is very limited and most growth in employment these days comes from the expansion of existing firms.

'Obviously, they will expand where they are, rather than move, if it all possible.'

During the disturbances, said to be race-related by North Wales Police, residents voiced their anger at the number of refugees living on the estate who were given jobs and cars.

But Mrs Williams said it was not an issue of race: 'Because traditionally people have had low-paid jobs, they

310984. find it difficult to get off the estate because of lack of transport. Sometimes that leads to jealousy of groups who do have transport, but it is not racially motivated.

'People do genuinely want to get out, but there are lots of barriers to that.

'One of the main problems is child-care. There's no affordable childcare on the estate so people would need to earn a lot of money to afford it.' For more information about the Caia Park Partnership call (01978)