New political party launched by Dudley ‘Diggers’

The Black Country Party has been formed by six borough councillors who currently make up the Dudley Independent Group, known as ‘the Diggers’.

By forming the new party, led by former Labour group leader, Cllr Pete Lowe, the councillors believe they can take their community-based politics out of the council chamber and onto the streets.

Cllr Lowe, who quit the Labour Party after 41 years, said: “We aim to reach out to the tens of thousands of people who think the political system is broken and more interested in Westminster party politics.

“We are going to put party politics to one side, we will be a voice for the alternative.

“If it is radical to believe we should be on the side of working class people then The Black Country Party is proud to be radical.”

Another former Labour Party member, Cllr Karl Denning, added: “We want better for the people who voted for us, we want to be able to speak out and with the chains from a national party it was impossible to do that.”

The Black Country Party will officially launch on June 22 by hosting an event at Fens Pool Community Centre in Pensnett where families will be invited to get together for live music, refreshments and charity fundraising.

Group members also include Cllrs Karen Westwood, Matt Cook and Peter Drake who all left the Labour Party after becoming disillusioned with Sir Keir Starmer’s government and Cllr Steve Edwards who was expelled by Labour for criticising the Prime Minister.

One of the party’s strongest messages is opposition to austerity which they say hits the working classes hardest.

Cllr Lowe said: “We will challenge that austerity is inevitable, there should be a progressive system where you put the most vulnerable first.”

The new party will lobby for changes in the way government cash is distributed to local councils so deprived areas get what they call a ‘fair’ allowance compared to richer parts of the country.

Cllr Edwards, who represents Brockmoor and Pensnett, said: “We are here to upset the apple cart because the apples are stacked firmly in favour of people who are more affluent.

“In Brockmoor and Pensnett we get a turnout of 20 percent in local elections – 80 percent of people don’t vote.

“Let’s change that so we can bring people along with us – let’s scare the other parties.”

He said Labour, the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats only want to keep the status quo and pledged to be ‘a plague on every one of their houses’.

Cllr Drake added: “We are proud to be disruptors.”

Black Country Party councillors will be standing for re-election in three wards during next May’s local elections and believe they already have enough pledges of support to put up candidates in another three wards.

Cllr Lowe said: “We are proud to be from the Black Country and we are going to shout that from the rooftops at every opportunity.

“We are confident we are going to get hundreds of people to come and join us very quickly.”