Dudley regeneration projects hit by staff shortages and spending cuts
Dudley borough’s regeneration projects have been hit by staff shortages and spending cuts that are costing the authority income.
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Dudley Council’s director of regeneration, Helen Martin, issued the warning in a report for the authority’s cabinet.
The council says around £1bn of investment began in 2019 however since then the authority suffered financial shocks which this year means the it must slash £42m in spending.
The report warns that quick cash from selling buildings and land could remove opportunities for longer-term projects that could make the council money.
Helen Martin said: “There will be times when the best capital receipt for a council asset being sold may not be compatible with the regeneration aims.”
The report goes on to say the council is facing significant problems recruiting qualified and experienced regeneration staff due to ‘competition around salaries’.
The report added: “It is important to recognise that most staff involved with economic regeneration project delivery are not 100 per cent project staff and have other responsibilities such as supporting the development of the Dudley Local Plan, assessing planning applications, undertaking enforcement actions, partnership work and stakeholder management.”
The cabinet was also given an update on which projects are expected to be completed by the end of 2025.
In Brierley Hill £9.9m from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) will have been spent on a number of projects in and around the High Street including refurbishment of the library and improvement of transport links.
Phase one of improvement work in Dudley town centre for the launch of the Midland Metro Link in Flood Street will be finished.
The work will cost £9.1m, as provided by Dudley Council.
The council and MHCLG have invested a total of £21.6m in the Health Innovation Dudley project to bring a new college for medical staff on the site of the old Hippodrome theatre on Castle Hill.
Construction work is expected to be complete by March 2026, the end of the current financial year.
Another project predicted for completion by the end of the financial year is the new public transport interchange in Dudley and work on highways for the new building should be finished by May 2025.
The road works have been funded by £4m from Transport for West Midlands.
A total of £3.9m from the West Midlands Combined Authority will be spent on a variety of projects around the borough including £150,000 on a revamp of Dudley Market.
