'People do feel entirely separate' - Plan to spread out Dudley council resources around five towns welcomed by councillors
Dudley councillors welcomed a proposal to spread the authority’s resources around five townships in the council.
The borough was formed in 1974 from areas around Dudley, Halesowen, Stourbridge, Brierley Hill and Sedgley.
At the March meeting of the council’s Communities and Growth Scrutiny Committee, members debated a new hyper-local plan which aims to locate teams of Dudley Council officers delivering services in individual areas to reduce central control.
The plan aims to promote local identity for each of the areas, an idea supported by Cllr Hilary Bills who remembered the local government shake-up of the mid-70s.
Cllr Bills said: “Sandwell was made up of six towns and they chose the name of a valley that went through the middle – Sandwell.
“They don’t say they come from Sandwell, they say they come from one of the six towns whereas in Dudley they chose to have the name Dudley.
“The idea you are loyal to your town has always been confused because we say we are Dudley Council.”
Cllr Bills added she believed the hyper-local plan would mean resources like housing would be distributed more fairly rather than concentrated in particular areas.
Cllr Parmjit Sahota, who represents Halesowen North, agreed, he said: “It feels long overdue, we tend to feel like the forgotten part of Dudley in Halesowen.
“We border the second city, we have got a motorway junction and a lot of heritage in Halesowen.
“It’s about recognising the different strengths of each town and building on those, we need to make sure each town gets its fair share.”
The strategy presented to councillors also encouraged members of the community to get involved in planning and delivery of services to create greater transparency in decision making.
Committee chairman, Cllr Ryan Priest, from Cradley North and Wollescote, said: “This is exactly how I feel local government should be structured.
“Dudley is not a place I feel connected to as a town, it is a place I was born into as a borough – people do feel entirely separate.
“This is a good way to get people to buy into the work of the council.”
