Transport minister tells how the government can help Dudley grow

The government’s transport minister believes investing in the Midlands Metro shows Westminster is confident of economic growth in Dudley.

During a visit to the borough on February 6 the Secretary of State for Transport, Heidi Alexander, called on private companies to splash the cash on regeneration projects.

The visit coincided with a cut in their forecast on UK growth by the Bank of England for the year from 1.5 percent to 0.75 percent.

Mrs Alexander said: “The government is investing in new public transport infrastructure.

“It is a vote of confidence in the economies of the Black Country and, of course, this has to be a partnership between the government and the private sector.

“This is a country hungry for investment and investors are looking at us with a fresh pair of eyes.

“When I speak to the leaders of the industry, they say we want certainty about what the government wants to achieve.”

Dudley Council is currently working on a number of major regeneration plans for the borough which will require major private investment including the creation of a new ‘urban quarter’ in the Portersfield area of Dudley and the development of a new ice rink and a £13m upgrade to Castle Hill.

The authority is also struggling to balance its books and planning £42m in savings from its budget for the next financial year.

Dudley makes most of its income from council tax and business rates but around a quarter comes from grants and, while Mrs Alexander would not promise any more cash from central government, she had some ideas which may be welcomed in the local corridors of power.

She said: “We will move to longer terms for settlements so that local authorities can plan with more certainty.

“You can offer better value for money if you have got some sense of where the money is going to be coming from.

“It is hard across a lot of public services at the moment but we recognise the value that local authorities provide.”