Martyn Smith

Dudley Council approved Burger Boi’s application to open until midnight from Sunday to Thursday and until 2am on Fridays and Saturdays. Ward councillors, led by Peter Drake, raised concerns about noise, antisocial behaviour, vandalism, fly-tipping, public defecation and unsafe U-turns near the Coseley takeaway. Manager Dinesh Singh said most sales came through delivery apps, denied assumptions linking customers to local problems and noted that police, fire and environmental health officers had not objected. The licence was granted subject to voluntary conditions, with a review possible if problems arise within six months.

Dudley Council is set to resume building council homes after changes to Right to Buy funding rules increased its ability to retain and spend sale proceeds. The council plans to review stalled sites, submit several for planning and potentially complete new homes by winter 2027. It has also agreed to buy an eight-flat, two-bedroom apartment block on Summer Hill in Halesowen for £1.51 million, as part of a £10 million 2026/27 budget for acquiring housing, while continuing to replace properties that are no longer fit for purpose.

Dudley Council rejected plans for a 46-square-metre detached unit behind an existing four-bedroom HMO on Tansey Green Road in Pensnett, intended for a disabled occupant. Planners raised concerns about the proposed resident’s access to shared kitchen facilities via a sloped, uneven garden and cycle shed, as well as emergency access, refuse collection, privacy and the lack of inclusive-design information. They concluded that the structure would operate as a separate planning unit and represent inappropriate backland development rather than an additional HMO bedroom.

Dudley councillors were warned that reducing grass-verge cutting could increase fire risks, particularly because discarded cigarettes and dry vegetation may threaten residential areas. Reform UK councillor Rob Clinton urged the council to increase cutting and account for climate change and changing weather conditions. Cabinet member Damian Corfield defended the earlier reductions, saying £9 million had been removed from environmental spending to protect vulnerable residents and statutory services during financial pressures. He said the council’s finances had improved and £1 million was being reinvested in the service.

Dudley Council is spending more than £500,000 a week on external residential placements for 76 children in care, at an average of £6,900 per child. The council is also facing rising child protection demand, heavy social-worker caseloads, agency dependency and delays in special educational needs assessments. It plans to invest £5 million over two years to strengthen services, increase fostering capacity and reduce the number of children placed in external residential settings.

Dudley Council conducted 407 waste enforcement investigations in 2025/26 but issued only 31 fixed penalty notices, with fewer than one in ten cases leading to a penalty. Budget cuts left the enforcement team with five full-time staff while managing 150–250 active cases, covering issues including fly-tipping, litter, abandoned vehicles and unlawful waste disposal. The council’s Street Scene team handled 2,602 fly-tipping incidents, though many minor cases may have been recorded as litter. An improving financial position is expected to fund two additional enforcement officers, replacement cleaning machinery and deep-clean teams for hotspot areas.

Users of the Crystal Gateway dementia centre in Stourbridge and their families say they were surprised and upset by Dudley Council’s decision to end the traditional day service and replace it with individually selected activities. The centre was saved from closure in 2025 after a campaign and a unanimous council decision to retain dementia provision. Councillor Andrew Tromans criticized the latest changes as insufficiently transparent and lacking democratic scrutiny, while Dudley’s adult social care director Emma Matthews said the offer was being changed rather than reduced, that the building would remain open, and that the revised activities reflected users’ preferences. Families are concerned about losing the structured support and respite previously provided by centre staff.

Dudley Council’s adult social care chief Emma Matthews denied that changes to services amount to plans to close the Crystal Gateway dementia centre in Stourbridge. She said the council is replacing the centre’s geographically limited day-service model with a borough-wide offer allowing users to choose activities at Crystal Gateway and other community hubs. Existing users can continue accessing services, although new clients cannot currently book a standard day-service place at the centre. The council said it will retain the Crystal Gateway building and continue providing services in the short and medium term, while councillor Andrew Tromans questioned whether the changes represented a managed decline of specialist dementia support.

Old Park School in Brierley Hill will join Dudley Academies Trust on 1 September, while Milking Bank Primary School will transfer to Invictus Education Trust. The moves were approved by Dudley Council cabinet member Wayne Little. Staff at both schools will transfer under TUPE regulations, along with their respective financial positions: a projected £158,000 deficit at Old Park and a £74,000 surplus at Milking Bank. Old Park is rated outstanding by Ofsted, and Milking Bank is rated good.

Dudley residents needing adult social care reviews faced significant delays, with 1,123 people waiting in July 2025, a median delay of 160 days and a maximum of 899 days. The Care Quality Commission rated Dudley Adult Social Care as good overall but identified shortcomings in timely reviews and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. The council has reduced the DoLS waiting list and plans a major service redesign, though progress since the inspection has been limited and officials warn that maintaining current arrangements could increase risks to service users, staff and statutory compliance.

Dudley Council planners rejected an application to convert the former Upper Gornal Pensioners Centre on Kent Street into a 36-seat restaurant. Highways officers said the site lacked sufficient parking and offered inadequate space for vehicles to manoeuvre safely onto the A459, creating risks of pedestrian and vehicle conflict. A neighbouring Methodist church offered six parking spaces for a six-month trial, but officers found this did not resolve the concerns. The centre had closed after the council cited £100,000 in repair costs and was later sold at auction despite a campaign to save it.

Dudley Council’s Planning Committee deferred a proposal to convert a vacant former car and motorcycle showroom at Mucklow Hill and Long Lane in Halesowen into a convenience store, tanning salon and veterinary surgery. Councillor Hilary Bills argued that the site was unsuitable because of traffic, limited footfall and road-safety concerns. Although 59 residents objected, council planning officers said the scheme would not have a severe residual impact on the highway network, subject to conditions and improvements. The committee postponed its decision until accident figures can be provided and a highways officer can answer further questions.

Dudley Council is preparing to ban privately owned e-scooters from town centres following a serious collision that injured a 73-year-old woman. Councillors supported a motion citing rising national casualty figures and widespread misunderstanding about e-scooter legality. The proposed measures include Public Spaces Protection Orders and enhanced enforcement supported by drones under a new antisocial behaviour policy. Council leaders and members of multiple parties urged stronger action against illegal riders while maintaining support for regulated, legal e-scooter use.

Dudley Council approved an amended motion targeting holiday companies that significantly raise prices during school breaks, arguing the practice disproportionately harms working‑class families. Labour councillors shifted the focus from relaxing term‑time absence rules to highlighting the impact of inflated travel costs. Conservative and Reform UK councillors supported the amended approach, citing concerns over educational attainment and affordability for parents.

Dudley Council approved the first phase of a £10 million plan to upgrade transport connections and gateway areas in Stourbridge, supported by £3 million in funding from the West Midlands Combined Authority. Councillors raised concerns about tight delivery timelines and long-term maintenance costs, while cabinet member Simon Phipps expressed confidence that the project can be completed on schedule and noted additional funding recently allocated for green care and street work.

A Dudley Council charity cricket match was inspired by Pakistani cricket legend Hanif Mohammad after councillor Mohammed Hanif’s name sparked a conversation at Stourbridge Cricket Club. The event has evolved into an annual fixture pitting councillors against council officers, with entry fees, raffles, and auctions raising money for several local charities. This year’s match will feature senior political figures including council leader Patrick Harley and mayor Pete Lowe. The fundraiser supports seven community organisations, with organisers encouraging strong public attendance.

Dudley Council unanimously voted to award the Freedom of the Borough to England footballers Jude Bellingham and Morgan Rogers ahead of their World Cup semi-final match against Argentina. The decision recognises their achievements as local sporting role models, alongside honours granted to armed forces veterans, Lowell Williams, Priory Park Boxing Club and former councillor Michael Evans. Council leaders and opposition members welcomed the awards, noting the recipients’ contributions to the borough.

Councillor Peter Drake has resigned from the Black Country Party to sit as an independent on Dudley Council, citing disagreements over the party’s progressive stance on migration and diversity. Formerly a Labour councillor before joining the Dudley Independent Group, he said his concerns over mass migration conflicted with the party line. His departure leaves the Black Country Party with two councillors, including current Dudley mayor Pete Lowe.

Dudley Council approved converting a vacant clothes factory on Blackacre Road into a community centre with classrooms for Islamic education, a prayer room and a library. One local objection raised concerns about parking, traffic and noise, but planning officers said the scheme would revive an unused building without harming residential amenity. Revised plans increased access width, adjusted parking and removed a proposed food bank, with most users expected to arrive on foot or by bicycle.

Labour minister Jacqui Smith said Andy Burnham’s plan to establish a northern base for the prime minister would strengthen rather than sideline the West Midlands, enabling greater devolution and support for local training and employment initiatives. She rejected claims that the agenda would favour Labour strongholds. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch criticised Burnham’s proposals as overly centralised and hostile to private enterprise. Local MP Cat Eccles backed the model, arguing Burnham’s record in Manchester offers a template for national regeneration.