Report details Dudley Council's plan to save town centres

The document, prepared for a meeting of Dudley Council’s Communities and Growth Scrutiny Committee on February 9, says retail accounts for 21,000 jobs in the borough which is 19.9 percent of total employment.

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The retail sector contributes £794m of economic activity (referred gross value added or GVA) to the borough’s economy which is 12 percent of Dudley’s overall GVA .

According to The Economic Intelligence Unit, which produces data for the midlands region, Dudley’s overall GVA increased from £5.9bn in 2022 to nearly £6.2bn in 2023, a rise of 4.9 percent compared to 9.1 percent nationally.

The report for the scrutiny committee, from Anne Boyd, Dudley director for economy and infrastructure, concluded Halesowen and Stourbridge have more resilient town centres while Dudley has higher shop vacancy rates and needs regeneration to generate footfall.

Ms Boyd said: “Across the borough, the council has set out regeneration intentions through town centre action planning and wider town centre regeneration programmes, including public realm improvement and mixed-use development, reflecting a strategic approach to retaining viable centres while adapting to long-term retail shifts and changing visitor patterns.”

The report notes Brierley Hill (including the Merry Hill Centre) is Dudley’s principal retail centre and apart from the three big town centres, the borough also has distinct centres in Kingswinford, Lye and Sedgley which provide ‘locally-focused day-to-day shopping and services’.

The council has a range of processes for consultation with communities and businesses as part of its ‘place-based’ strategy.

Dudley will also be getting £20m from the government as part of its Plan for Neighbourhoods scheme launched in June 2025 while Labour’s new Pride in Place initiative may also provide support.

As he launched Pride in Place, which aims to provide £20m each to 40 neighbourhoods, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “It is the same story in towns across the country. Youth clubs that have been abandoned, shops boarded up and high streets decimated.

“We must reverse the devastating decline in our communities and give power, agency and control to the very people who want to improve their community – those who have skin in the game.”