Latest news with #DudleyCouncil
BBC News
5 hours ago
- General
- BBC News
Tributes to Wolverhampton ex-mayor who served city for 38 years
Tributes have been paid after the death of a "legendary" former mayor and longstanding Wolverhampton Rowley served as a Blakenhall ward councillor for 38 years until November 2020 and was made an honorary alderman by City of Wolverhampton Council in was the city's mayor between 2003 and 2004, and a former cabinet member for communities who also chaired multiple committees and panels for the mayor Craig Collingswood said he was "deeply saddened" to hear about the death of Mr Rowley, who had shown "dedication and commitment to the people of the city". "John served the city as a councillor with great distinction for almost 40 years," he added."Our thoughts are with his friends and family at this time."Dudley Council shadow leader councillor Adam Aston called him a "true son of Wolverhampton" and a "legendary campaigner for Labour".He was "always a friend to Dudley" and would be greatly missed, Aston added. Honorary aldermen are invited to attend full council meetings in a non-participating capacity and invited to various civic names are inscribed on a roll of honour board on the ground floor of the Civic Centre.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Campaign to tackle loneliness backed by popular comedian to return to borough
A NUMBER of benches will be given a new purpose next month, as a campaign aimed to tackle loneliness backed by a popular comedian makes it return to the borough. The 'Say Hello' benches were inspired by the work of comedian John Bishop, who launched the Say Hello campaign in 2021 as part of the Month of Community initiative. The campaign aims to combat loneliness, strengthen communities, and encourage people to just say hello to each other. People are welcome to simply drop by for a chat, get advice, or take part in activities such as chess, gardening and walking tennis. Bishop, comedian and founder of the Say Hello initiative, said: 'It's brilliant to see that Dudley Council is once again encouraging people to say hello to each other with their friendly bench initiative. 'Making that first connection with someone can lead to amazing things, from new friendships and shared ideas to people helping out neighbours who might need it. 'Thanks to Dudley's friendly benches, saying hello is easier than ever - I'm sure this fantastic project will inspire the whole community to have a seat, enjoy a natter and get to know someone new!' The 13 benches across the borough part of the initiative will be located at: Abbey Street Park, Gornal Market Place, Dudley Dudley Street, Sedgley Foster Street, Stourbridge Gornal Library, Gornal Grange Park, Dudley Hagley Street, Halesowen High Street, Brierley Hill Long Lane Library, Halesowen Silver Jubilee Park, Coseley Stevens Park, Quarry Bank The Dell Stadium, Brierley Hill Vicar Street Gardens, Sedgley From Monday 9 June to Sunday 15 June, these benches will be adopted and decorated by local community groups to raise awareness of loneliness. Councillor Andrea Goddard, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health at Dudley Council, said: 'We've been part of the Say Hello campaign for the past four years, helping to connect people across the borough and raising awareness of the mental and physical health impacts of loneliness. 'People of all ages can feel lonely, and these benches are here to help them connect. "We're extremely grateful to the community groups for getting involved, adopting the benches, and giving people the opportunity to see a friendly face.'
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Park upgrade paid for with stashed cash
Thousands of pounds stashed in Dudley Council's coffers for years is to be spent on upgrades at a borough park. Work at King George V Park, Wordsley, will go ahead using £24,800 from property developers who agreed to pay for improvements in areas where they build homes. Dudley is to splash cash in the Lawnswood Road green space from agreements linked to applications approved as far back as May 2004. The deals, called planning obligations, are enforced under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act. Councillor Damian Corfield, Dudley cabinet member for neighbourhoods, said: 'Section 106 contributions are often multi-faceted with large sums allocated to many different projects. In this case we have held on to and combined several smaller elements of these S106 payments together to generate a significant total amount. 'That amount is now being used to fund this hugely beneficial project for the community in Wordsley, and an example of very smart use of section 106 money.' The park will get upgrades including resurfacing of the multi-use games area, the reinstatement of the bowling green and a revamp of the children's play area. The cash will come from four developments which were approved between 2004 and 2011. Latest figures published by Dudley Council show at the end of March 2024 a total of £2.8m of unspent S106 money was sitting in the authority's bank. In the financial year which ended on the same date the council's income from S106 payments was £61,580. In the same financial year the council spent £1.05m of S106 cash, mostly on education facilities while a further £956,810 had been allocated but not spent. Hoarding S106 funding is common practice for local authorities despite most agreements having a time limit which means the money has to be spent within a specific period or paid back to the developer. According to a report published by the Home Builders Federation (HBF) in autumn 2024, a total of around £6bn of unspent S106 cash was held by councils in England and Wales – with the average council holding £19m. The HBF is calling for greater transparency in local government about why spending is delayed and how long councils are holding on to cash for. Neil Jefferson, CEO at HBF, said: 'Each year developers contribute around £7 billion to local authorities for the provision of local infrastructure, affordable housing and education, recreational and health facilities but some councils are increasingly failing to invest this cash into the services that so desperately need it. 'Investment in new housing delivery brings unrivalled economic and social benefits to communities but too many of these advantages are going unseen by local people. With the government desperate to find money to invest in infrastructure to drive growth, it is nonsensical to have billions sat in council bank accounts. 'Furthermore, a lack of infrastructure provision is often cited as a reason to oppose development, yet this pipeline of billions of pounds of unspent infrastructure funding is too often underappreciated in debates about the impact of new development.'
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
MP takes health centre fight to Westminster
Dudley MP Sonia Kumar has taken the fight for answers on the future of a Sedgley health centre to Parliament. Ms Kumar presented a petition containing over 1,600 names to the House of Commons, telling MPs the number of signatures shows the strength of feeling among people in Dudley. Campaigners are calling on Dudley Council to finalise a deal to keep services at the Ladies Walk Health Centre and library by renewing a lease on the property, which is set to expire in March 2026. Ms Kumar told MPs: 'This facility is a vital community hub and a treasured lifeline for local people accessing essential care. 'The petitioners request that the House of Commons urge the government to communicate urgently with the owners of the Ladies Walk centre property, Dudley Council and the NHS to secure the centre and stop its closure.' Campaigners fear, if the lease is not renewed, services will be relocated. They are calling for the council to either renew the lease or buy the centre under a compulsory purchase order. Dudley council's leader, Cllr Patrick Harley, says the situation has moved on substantially and negotiations are underway. Clr Harley said: 'We are all around the table and things seem to be moving at pace. Talks are ongoing, and I am confident we will come to an agreement at some point and things will stay as they are. 'We need to let the people who know what they are doing negotiate a good deal.' The centre was opened 25 years ago, it was constructed from 72 steel-framed modules which were craned into position. The centre was the first Private Finance Initiative (PFI) project to be constructed off-site. Under a PFI deal the private sector pays to construct public buildings and the public sector pays to use the building over a long-term contract. A public meeting to discuss progress on the Ladies Walk centre will take place at the Parish Church of All Saints, Vicar Street, Sedgley, on May 21, starting at 6.30pm. Anyone wishing to attend the meeting must pre-book at
BBC News
12-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Bill to fix Dudley Castle tram stop could cost £350k
It could cost up to £350,000 to alter the height of a road at a tram stop after it was discovered it could bring the West Midlands Metro to a a temporary surface is removed near the new Dudley Castle tram stop, the tracks will be at the wrong level for the road for West Midlands (TfWM) discovered the mix up last year and Dudley Council has approved spending of up to £100,000 towards fixing the issue at the Very Light Rail Innovation the worst-case estimate to fix the issue is £350,000, said the council. It said if external funding could not be found, the council would have to pick up the bill alongside BBC has contacted TfWM for comment. Findings 'largely inconclusive' A council document authorising spending of £100,000 said work had been undertaken to understand how the problem occurred, why it had only recently been identified and what work would be needed to rectify it. It said: "The findings are largely inconclusive with no one party able to identify a single set of drawings with sufficient detail and approvals of the drawings and works delivered by all parties."Councillor Paul Bradley, deputy leader of the council, said the authority was working on the best said: "Part of this work has been exploring routes to secure funding for any required changes. "We are looking at the possibility of using grant funding to cover the work required or utilising project efficiencies to make a contribution towards the works from existing budgets."We are also reviewing the construction drawings to understand how the issue has arisen." This news has been gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
