Regeneration is key for Dudley Council leader as he outlines priorities for year ahead
The leader of Dudley Council today said the future of the borough was bright and "regeneration, regeneration, regeneration" would be his priority for the next 12 months.
Councillor Patrick Harley released a video outlining the main aims of his administration for 2023-24 after the Conservatives retained their majority at the recent local elections.
The leader said investors and developers were "queuing up" to do business in Dudley ,and promised residents diggers would hit the ground over the next 12 months and 'change the skyline' in the borough.
Councillor Harley also pledged to deliver a library service 'fit for the 21st century' after a recent protest at planned cuts, and vowed to continue investing to update old and tired park and play equipment.
He said senior councillors would be working with officers and local MPs 'around the clock' to lobby government for funding to improve town centres, and pledged continued investment in road maintenance and street cleansing.
He said: "In terms of priorities, it will be for us regeneration, regeneration, regeneration to coin a phrase from the past.
"We have lots of investors and developers that are now queuing up to come and do business with Dudley and over the next 12 months residents will see these deals come to fruition.
"People will realise all the hard work over the past couple of years in trying to attract those partnerships and that investment will come to fruition as we see the diggers hit the ground and start to change the skyline in Dudley.
"We also have a commitment to continue to invest in our town centres. I will be lobbying, along with local MPs, the Government to ensure we get our fair share of funding from the Levelling Up projects.
"We will work with officers and MPs around the clock to make sure our town centres get the investment that they require.
"And we have made a big play in the last few years about investing in parks and open spaces. We give that commitment over the next 12 months to continue to invest in equipment – it is not right some of it is over 20 to 30 years old.
"We have put in our budget that we will continue to invest in upgrading that equipment and making improvements, as well as investing more money in street cleansing, roads maintenance and also the public realm."
