'It's really thriving': Cabinet minister lauds Black Country town during visit to promote £20m investment

Mr Reed was joined by cabinet colleague and local MP Pat McFadden as he went on a walkabout in Bilston town centre, chatting to shopkeepers and market traders about plans to revive the town’s carnival and improve the appearance of the high street as part of a £20 million government funding package.

Councillor Stephen Simkins, leader of Wolverhampton Council and ward member for Bilston South, also joined the cabinet ministers as they chatted with members of the public.

Kevin Evans, who keeps Dixon’s Butchers in the town, recommended that Mr Reed paid a visit to Major’s fish bar across the road to sample the famous orange chips.

However, he was heckled by a woman who told him ‘the sooner Nigel Farage gets in the better’.

Mr Reed said he was impressed to see a thriving town, and was delighted to hear that market traders would be among those deciding how £20 million would be spent over the next 10 years improving the town.

“They were telling me about their ambitions to spend that money on things like bringing back the carnival, people are very excited about that, improving security and safety,” he said.

“They were talking about maybe upgrading the paving, the paving has apparently been here since the 1980s, and there’s quite a few bumps and trip risks in it.

“So there's a lot you can do with £20 million. But it's great to see people that are really proud to be from Bilston and want to build on that.”

Mr Reed said the Government was investing in areas that had been neglected by the Conservatives, leading to an angry rebuttal from Tory group leader Councillor Simon Bennett, who said the majority of the investment in the town had been approved by the previous administration.

The £20 million was initially allocated in 2023 under the Tories ‘long-term plan for towns’, but the scheme was relaunched last year, with a local board set up to decide how it would be spent.

Mr Reed said Labour had expanded on that programme considerably, committing £5.8 million which would be distributed across 300 areas.

“I think Wolverhampton has got three different areas that are getting Pride in Place funding, it's not just Bilston.

“They were denied support to grow businesses and local economies. So it looks great here in Bilston, but there's too many of our high streets that look rundown on derelict, closed shops boarded-up, litter, graffiti.

“People want don't want to see that. So we're not just giving areas funding, we're giving them power because it's local people through their neighbourhood boards that will take the decisions about how the money is spent.”

But Councillor Bennett said it was the Conservatives who provided the funding for the new Bilston Market, which is due to open in June.

“That’s a visible, tangible project that has improved the town centre and supported local traders, and it was delivered with Conservative government backing,” he said.

Councillor Bennett said it was also the previous Conservative government which had brought his own department to the city, opening the new offices a the i10 building. He said the previous government had invested £2.3 billion into the city over a five-year period.

“Of course, any new funding for Bilston is welcome,” he said. “No one is going to argue with more investment coming in.

“But it shouldn’t be presented in a way that ignores what’s already been delivered. There’s been a steady flow of funding into Wolverhampton over a number of years, across a whole range of services.

"I will not let Steve Reed throw wild, baseless accusations out there and ignore the significant investment our city has received from a Conservative Government, which he takes for granted.

Bilston is one of six towns in the region to be bidding for Town of Culture status, and Mr Reed said he had been most impressed by what he had seen.

“I'd be foolish if I was to try and predict who's going to get the Town of Culture, but I think it's a great initiative,” he said.

“And Bilston clearly got an awful lot going for it, it's really thriving. Just talking to some of the local people, they're really proud to be part of this area. “