Dudley Council has been forced to close its network of family hubs as a safety measure after heavy snowfall from Storm Goretti blanketed the borough. The severe winter weather has caused widespread disruption to key services, including school closures and suspended bin collections.
Key Council Services Suspended
The authority confirmed that all five of its family hubs, located in Stourbridge, Lye, Brierley Hill, Coseley, and Dudley town centre, were shut on Friday, January 9, 2026. These facilities provide crucial one-stop support and advice for families with children and young people up to the age of 19, or 25 for those with special educational needs or disabilities.
Parents are being contacted directly about school closures. The council has already confirmed several schools will be closed, including:
- King Edward VI Form College
- Cotwall End Primary School
- Halesbury School
- Oldswinford Church of England Primary School
- Church of the Ascension in Wall Heath
- Mount Pleasant Primary School
- Cradley Church of England School
The council's housing repair service is also affected, with teams prioritising emergency repairs to ensure resident safety. All council-run leisure centres are closed, and scheduled bin collections have been cancelled.
Councillors and Residents Battle the Elements
As the storm intensified on Thursday night, January 8, local councillors and residents took to the streets in an effort to keep roads clear. In the Caroline Street area of Dudley, Councillors Shaukat Ali and Qasim Mughal worked for hours in extreme conditions.
Councillor Ali described the challenging task, stating: "We went out last night at around nine o'clock and it took us two-and-a-half hours to make two tracks from the top to the bottom of the road. Because the snow was still coming down, by the time we finished it was almost covered again." The conditions were so tough that at least one snow shovel broke during the efforts.
Ongoing Disruption and Council Response
Disruption is expected to continue throughout Friday. Despite the freezing conditions, council teams have been working to mitigate the impact. Gritting crews have spread approximately 510 tonnes of salt on roads across the borough.
Refuse workers managed to empty 91 percent of bins scheduled for collection before the worst of the weather hit. Residents awaiting waste or recycling collections are advised to leave their bins and bags at the kerbside, as crews will collect them as soon as it is safe and possible to do so.
The council is urging people to check its website for the latest service updates and safety information as Storm Goretti continues to affect the Black Country region.
