Council spat costs taxpayers £1m as one leader vows not to support tram extension

A fall-out between Black Country councils has cost taxpayers more than £1 million, it was claimed today.

The Black Country Plan said more than 7,000 homes needed to be built on green belt land

That is the estimated cost of Dudley Council's decision to withdraw from the Black Country Plan, according to other councils.

The money has been spent to put together the plan, aimed at deciding where housing should go in future years and what areas of green belt should be protected. The plan had set out a need for over 77,000 homes with around 7,700 set for the green belt land.

Now Councillor Mike Bird, leader of Walsall Council, said he alongside other leaders are trying to claw back the figure after the major proposals fell-through.

And he has vowed to no longer support the ongoing Wednesbury to Brierley Hill Midland Metro extension as he called for a "rethink" of it as the fallout continues.

Conservative-run Dudley Council pulled the plug on the combined plan, which has now been split into four, after concerns its green belt would be built on. Sandwell, Wolverhampton and Walsall have now decided to go it alone, but will work together on sites of common interest.

Labour leaders in Sandwell and Wolverhampton hit out at Dudley Councillor Patrick Harley's "sudden" decision alongside fellow Conservative leader Councillor Bird.

The Walsall chief, who said sites will now have to be reviewed and costs could increase moving forward, said: "We're trying to recover some of our costs from Dudley and that's a common thing through Wolverhampton, Sandwell and Walsall, because we've been thrust into this position – and it's not only the money we've spent it's the costs incurred now and moving forward.

"And as a result, I'm sad to say we've lost a lot of trust with Dudley. There's been collaborative work between us for decades and Patrick has blown a hole in that. I think recovering the costs is a decision to be had between officers the at the councils who feel aggrieved."

He said the arguments surrounding sites in Dudley, including for 533 homes on Swindon Road and 330 homes on land off Holbeach Lane, had not gone away – and it was his belief the overall plan would be found to be "unsound" by an inspector who could demand the sites are used.

Councillor Bird said pressure from residents was "not enough" and sites must be removed on planning grounds, adding he was now "going to paddle my own canoe" after the three remaining authorities went their own separate ways on the scheme.

And he added another assessments of locations within the borough would take place, with previously excluded sites potentially brought back with one of them potentially being at The Rising Sun pub in Brownhills.

"I've been brownfield first from day one, but even if we build on every inch of brownfield land we would still be short on that an employment land," the chief added.

The original Black Country Plan identified a need to build more than 76,000 homes across Dudley, Walsall, Wolverhampton and Sandwell with 7,700 earmarked on green belt land.

Councillor Ian Brookfield, leader of Wolverhampton Council, said Dudley's withdrawal would lead to "delays end extra cost" and disappointing after authorities had collaborated over a number of years.

And fellow council leader Councillor Kerrie Carmichael, who heads up Sandwell Council, said they are all "disappointed" the joint-approach taken by the four authorities had fallen through.

Asked about The Walsall chief said: "I would not support it, certainly. I went out to bat for the Brierley Hill and Wednesbury extension and there was no benefit to Walsall at all, but I instead looked at the benefits it would have for the region.

"I think myself, Sandwell and Wolverhampton are having second thoughts on that – it's money we haven't got. I supported the cause originally but the project now needs a rethink. I'm sure Patrick (Harley, Dudley Council's leader) will not like that, but someone has to stand their grand."

When asked about the Metro extension, Councillor Bird said: "I would not support it, certainly.

"I went out to bat for the Brierley Hill and Wednesbury extension and there was no benefit to Walsall at all, but I instead looked at the benefits it would have for the region.

A computer generated image of how the Metro will look on the Brierley Hill extension

The project, which has spiralled in cost, will stall if the majority of leaders of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) – the heads of Birmingham, Coventry, Solihull and Wolverhampton, Walsall, Sandwell and Dudley – vote against it.

"It was a 'red line' for Pete Lowe (former Dudley Council leader) when he signed up to the combined authority, but the money is not available for it. I have to say even since the last meeting, the cost has moved on a bit already with inflation," Councillor Bird added.

The line has already been plagued by issues with the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) announcing the almost seven-mile route will be split into two, after costs increased by 22 per cent to £550 million.

It means Wednesbury to Dudley will proceed as planned – albeit at an increased cost of £385m – while the rest of the route to Brierley Hill is put on hold. But West Midlands Mayor Andy Street insisted it would be delivered in full earlier this year. The shortfall for the project currently stood at around £240m as of July this year.

Meanwhile, on housing plans for Walsall, Councillor Bird added the Government needed to show its working over the number of homes needed for the region – and said he was a supporter of plans for 3,000 homes on green belt land off the M54. Two days have been set aside for inspectors to discuss the major housing development on land west of Tong and north of Junction 3 of the M54.

The Walsall chief added the development could "relieve some of the pressure" on Black Country authorities and he had been a supporter of the development.

Councillor Patrick Harley, who leads Dudley Council, told the Express & Star earlier this month the decision was "regrettable" but necessary in order to protect the green belt – with the borough able to just about meet its housing requirements without relying on the green belt.

He added the housing needs of other authorities – mainly Wolverhampton – had meant the vital spaces, including The Triangle on Swindon Road and land south of Holbeach Lane in Kingswinford, would be swallowed up for housing.

Meanwhile the Levelling Up Secretary Simon Clarke MP said local plans could be torn up and "reworked" under the Government's plans to revamp the UK's housing strategy.

He vowed to end the "top down imposition of targets" on councils and told the Express & Star that following his intervention in the coming weeks, local housing plans "may want to be reworked".

Proposals to develop individual local plans will be discussed by Wolverhampton Council on October 19, at Sandwell Council's cabinet November 16 and at Walsall Council's cabinet on December 14.