A desire to improve.
THE BELIEF
IS HERE
Dudley is a predominantly urban local authority located in the West Midlands conurbation and is made up of four main towns. The borough has over 140,000 residential properties with an average house price of £238,630. Council housing stock equates to 20,952, with the 23,549 claimants in receipt of housing benefit or council tax reduction and £570k awarded in discretionary housing payments.
Dudley has the highest employment rate in the Black Country, the top three employment sectors are health, retail and education.
Dudley Borough Vision 2030
Forging a Future for All
Forging a future for all is a shared vision for Dudley borough built around seven aspirations and developed with key partners and stakeholders.
In 2030 we would like the Dudley borough to be…
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An affordable and attractive place to live with a green network of high-quality parks, waterways and nature reserves that are valued by local people and visitors
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A place where everybody has the education and skills they need, and where outstanding local schools, colleges and universities secure excellent results for their learners
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A place of healthy, resilient, safe communities with high aspirations and the ability to shape their own future
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Better connected with high quality and affordable transport, combining road, tram, rail, and new cycling and walking infrastructure
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Renowned as home to a host of innovative and prosperous businesses, operating in high quality locations with space to grow, sustainable energy supplies and investing in their workforce
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A place to visit and enjoy that drives opportunity, contributing to its ambitious future while celebrating its pioneering past
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Full of vibrant towns and neighbourhoods offering a new mix of leisure, faith, cultural, residential & shopping uses
Council Plan 2024-2025
Dudley Council is constantly striving to improve the way that we deliver our services to meet the needs of local people, and to ensure we can measure and demonstrate our achievements. The Council Plan 2024-2025 sets out Dudley's strategic direction for the year.
The plan has five key priority areas, three inward-facing and two outward-facing:
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Financial sustainability, efficiency and providing best value
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Governance and control
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Leadership and culture
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Delivering for our customers, residents and communities
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Supporting businesses and the local economy
These priorities are supported by additional narrative on the outcomes that the council aims to achieve including the need to improve its governance, decision-making, leadership and financial resilience whilst maintaining the delivery of core services to our residents and communities.
The five key priorities will be measured and delivered through key performance indicators, objectives and projects aligned to the Dudley Improvement Plan.
A new Dudley, the way forward
The past few years have presented unprecedented challenges for local councils. Reduced funding from central government, increasing demands and costs has meant councils have to do more, with less. Alongside these budgetary and demand challenges, Dudley Council was faced with scrutiny reports from external bodies identifying areas for improvement. The council has responded with a determination to make radical changes to the organisation, how it operates and the way in which services are provided.
Over the past year swift, significant and much needed savings have been made and the groundwork has been laid for the longer-term transformation of the council into a leaner, more cost effective, financially sustainable and efficient establishment able to face future challenges. This work has included the design of a new operating model which has community focus at the centre and a strategic action plan which outlines in detail the future direction of the council and its improvement journey – The Dudley Council Improvement Plan.
The needs of local people are at the heart of the plan, as is support to the local economy.
The plan follows a co-design principle meaning leaders will be working together with staff from all levels, and across all functions of the council to redesign the organisation and its services. Cross council working, collaborative working as well as joint working with partners and communities is at the heart of the plan. The plan is based around the government’s ‘Best value standards for local authorities’:
Leadership – development of people, processes and the plan
Culture – development of people, processes and relationships
Governance – development of people, processes and transparent decision making
Use of resources – financial planning/control supported by performance and project management
Service delivery – planning, management, listening to users and external advice
Partnerships and community engagement – developing a vision, planning and delivering continuous improvement
Each of the seven themes is then broken down into fundamental areas for improvement that have been identified, each of these with a series of actions plans.
There is much optimism for the future and the plan provides a solid springboard for the future.
Democratic Structure
Dudley Council is currently in no overall control. The authority operates a cabinet and leader system of governance.
The cabinet members who are responsible for the development of strategy, policy and decision-making are:
Leader of the Council (policy)
Councillor Patrick Harley
Deputy Leader
Councillor Paul Bradley
Finance, Legal & HR
Councillor Steve Clark
Adult Social Care
Councillor Andrea Goddard
Public Health
Councillor James Clinton
Children's Services and Education
Councillor David Stanley
Corporate Strategy
Councillor Phil Atkins
Highways & Environment
Councillor Damian Cornfiled
Housing & Communities
Councillor Ian Bevan
Without Portfolio
Councillor Simon Phipps
Senior Management Structure
The council's senior management structure reflects the commitment to improving our organisation through effective strategy, governance and financial sustainability to enable us to serve our borough residents, create opportunities for all to thrive in a safe and healthy environment.
The council is currently undergoing a senior management restructure which is presently subject to consultation.
