Dudley councillor insists he 'did not mislead committee' over youth centre plans

Cllr David Stanley, the authority’s cabinet member for children’s services, told the council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee there had not been a youth club at Lower Gornal Youth Centre for 12 years, even though there is one there every Friday night which is doing so well supporters say they need more volunteers.

The Temple Street Centre is set for disposal by the council’s ruling Conservative group in the current budget for next year, the plans were discussed by the scrutiny committee on January 22.

At the meeting Cllr Stanley was asked about youth clubs at the centre by committee chairman, Cllr Shaun Keasey.

Cllr Stanley told the committee: “It hasn’t been used as a youth club for probably 12 years or so.”

His remarks prompted an angry reaction from Gornal people including former Conservative council leader and mayor Anne Millward, who said: “It is being used as a youth club every Friday by volunteers, it’s being used by other groups during the week.

“David Stanley knew because he worked with me on this to try and get that centre back into the control of the local authority, he knows that 12 years was completely wrong, he did mislead the committee.”

The Local Democracy Reporting Service put the allegation to Cllr Stanley who said: “I do not believe that I misled the scrutiny committee, what I said was the council have not run a youth club from there for that time.

“I was aware that at some time the current users have held privately a youth club in the centre not run by the council.”

His explanation was backed by the council’s leader, Cllr Patrick Harley, who also insists Cllr Stanley was referring to council-run clubs at the centre.

Dudley Council has confirmed the last council-run youth club at centre took place in 2017.

Cllr Keasey said: “Although Cllr Stanley’s accuracy is concerning as chair of overview and scrutiny, I’d be more concerned as a resident of Gornal that one of their Gornal councillors, who happens to be cabinet member for children’s services, appears absolutely clueless with what’s going on in his own ward.”

Cllr Stanley added he is having meetings with groups currently using the centre ahead of a crunch budget setting meeting at Dudley Council House on February 24, when the fate of the centre will be decided.