A £1 million project to replace hundreds of windows and doors in Redditch Council properties is to be reviewed and replaced with another scheme costing almost £350,000 less.

The new scheme will cost about £665,000 and involves, in some cases, replacing just the glass in windows as opposed to the whole frame.

At a full council meeting on Monday, Redditch councillors were embroiled in a heated debate over plans to alter the works schedule for Lodge Park, Greenlands and Batchley.

Councillor Mark Shurmer angrily commented if the replacement programme was altered in any way, he would have lied to residents about when work was being carried out.

And Councillor Bill Hartnett agreed, stating there was a moral argument for keeping the scheme as it was and it was a matter of trust as the programme of work had been printed and distributed.

But after the meeting Tory leader Gavin Smithers said: "We agreed to look again at the whole schedule of work.

"There appears to be a situation where tenants believe they will get their windows and doors replaced by the end of March regardless of the immediate need to replace windows in particular."

Mr Smithers said the council needed to re-prioritise work based on the need for repairs not the age of the property as before.

And he said the saving meant more houses across a larger part of the town could have work done quicker as a result of the new programme.