LABOUR members claim more than 8,500 low paid Wyre Forest workers would benefit under their plans for a £10 per hour living wage.

The party released an online calculator which enables people across the UK to see how many workers in their area would see their pay packets increase if the plan was implemented.

Stephen Brown, of Wyre Forest Labour, said the “poor” pay across the district was down to Tory austerity measures and the economic system the Conservatives have created.

He said: “In Wyre Forest 24 per cent or 8,667 of the 36,000 employed workers would benefit from a pay rise under Labour, making a huge difference to people’s living standards.

“Labour believes Wyre Forest deserves a pay rise. Wyre Forest has struggled with poor wages thanks to Tory austerity since 2010 and it must stop.”

He added: “Mark Garnier declared Theresa May’s public register on top bosses pay will somehow make a difference. It won’t. Only regulation will.

“Top bosses earn 400 times that of those workers at the bottom on minimum wage. It's disgraceful but this is the system he, his Party, and his votes has created.

“Whilst Mark's right about the struggles and due rewards for small business and small traders, the Tories are not creating an economy for them to thrive.”

Mr Garnier said: “Conservatives have already introduced the national living wage so are ahead of Labour on this anyway.

“But whilst Wyre Forest has always had a lower than regional average wage, we suffered very badly under Labour's financial crises and the differential between us and the region widened alarmingly.

“Since being elected we have brought down the local unemployment from 4.8 per cent to around 1.8 per cent and the differential has narrowed.

“However, I have argued many times that this is not good enough and indeed fought the local campaign in June based on improving local wages through attracting more higher payers and better training.”