The leader of Dudley Council has thrown down the gauntlet to campaigners demanding a new tip in the north of the borough, challenging them to name a specific site for a waste facility. Councillor Patrick Harley's response comes as tensions escalate over household waste disposal in Coseley and Sedgley, with negotiations over access to Wolverhampton's Anchor Lane tip having collapsed.
Reform UK campaigner attacks council
The row intensified after Reform UK's Councillor Sat Sherwani launched a scathing attack on the Conservative administration, accusing it of failing to secure a deal with neighbouring Wolverhampton Council. Sherwani was speaking as he introduced a petition urging Dudley to 'Work with neighbouring authorities to explore access arrangements where appropriate'.
Sherwani claimed: "Years ago Tory Dudley Council failed to negotiate a deal to allow Coseley people to continue using it and recently they failed again. My petition is the way to keep the noise high and get Tory Dudley back on the negotiating table to get a deal done. I've had enough of the waffle from the Tory Dudley Council and their leader and councillors."
Talks collapse over 'adverse impact'
In January 2026, six months of discussions about allowing Dudley residents to use Anchor Lane ended abruptly after Wolverhampton Council concluded that a deal would have an 'adverse impact' on its own residents. The breakdown followed an earlier loss of access in early 2021, when Wolverhampton demanded a 65 percent increase in the annual fee paid by Dudley for use of the tip.
Councillor Harley insisted that serious negotiations had taken place, revealing: "Serious negotiations took place from January until just before May. Officers and politicians thought we had a good business case that suited Wolverhampton and Dudley. For reasons only known to Wolverhampton a political decision was taken to withdraw from talks."
Petition dismissed as 'silly'
The petition, which is hosted on Dudley Council's website and has attracted around 2,000 signatures, was dismissed by Harley as misguided. He argued that it should be directed at Wolverhampton Council, not Dudley, stating: "Any silly petition should be sent to Cllr Simkins of Wolverhampton as only Wolves and no other authority can make the decision for Dudley to use Anchor Lane."
Harley did not mince words in his response to Sherwani, branding the claims as "idiotic and childish". He said: "Therefore, the idiotic and childish assertion from Cllr Sherwani is wrong, misleading and in effect he is taking his residents for a ride."
Challenge to name a site
In a direct challenge, Harley offered to fund a new tip anywhere in the borough if Sherwani could propose a location. "I can, as leader, authorise the borrowing required to fund a tip anywhere he likes. If he would like to let me know where we can discuss," he said. "I repeat if Sherwani or any other Reform councillor can suggest a site I will take it seriously and ask officers to build a business case for funding."
The dispute highlights the ongoing frustration among residents in Coseley and Sedgley, who face limited options for disposing of household waste. With no resolution in sight, the political war of words shows no signs of cooling down.
