Dudley Council has approved the first phase of a £10 million plan to improve transport links into Stourbridge town centre, with the cabinet giving the green light on July 16. The scheme, developed after extensive public consultation, includes upgrades to cycle routes and extensive revamps to gateway areas into the central area.
Phase One Funding and Timeline
The council's cabinet accepted a report authorising the drawdown of £3 million from the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) to fund the first stage. Councillor Simon Phipps, Dudley cabinet member for economy and infrastructure, said: 'This report enables us to move to the next stage of a multi-million pound project to connectivity improvements. The proposed modifications have been designed through a collaborative approach with ward members in the local area who helped engage with the public.'
The report, signed by Nick McGurk, Dudley group director of communities and growth, noted: 'There is a tight spend window for delivery of the project, as soon as confirmation of the grant award is known, there will be a need to mobilise quickly.'
Concerns Over Delivery and Maintenance
Labour group leader Councillor Shaukat Ali raised concerns about the timeline, asking: 'Have we got all the resources in place to deliver the scheme in a timely way?' Councillor Phipps responded: 'I'm confident we will be able to deliver that within the time frame set out.'
Reform UK's Councillor Rob Clinton questioned whether the council had funding to maintain the improvements, which include extensive planting. He said: 'Often we get the budget for funding projects like this but we don't have any funding set aside to maintain the infrastructure.'
Council's Commitment to Green Care
Councillor Phipps told the meeting the council had recently allocated another £1 million to green care and street scene work after previous budget cuts. He said: 'We are confident of being able to pull ourselves back up with all of the green care requirements within the borough and make up for the losses we have had over the last two years as we have cut budgets to protect social care services. We are looking to put the money back in.'
