Dudley Metropolitan Borough | |
|---|---|
| Leader & Cabinet | |
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Founded | 1 April 1974 |
| Preceded by | Dudley Borough, Stourbridge Borough, Halesowen Borough |
| Leadership | |
Leader of the Council | Patrick Harley, Conservative |
Deputy Leader | Paul Bradley, Conservative |
Chief Executive | Kevin John O'Keefe LLB |
Deputy Chief Executive | Balvinder Heran |
Mayor | Andrea Goddard |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 72 councillors |
 | |
Political groups |
|
| Elections | |
| First past the post | |
Last election | 4 May 2023 (one third) |
Next election | 2024 (all seats due to ward boundary changes) |
| Motto | |
| Unity and Progress | |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Council House, Dudley | |
 | |
| Dudley Metropolitan Borough shown within West Midlands | |
| Website | |
| www | |
Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council is the local authority for Dudley metropolitan borough. It is more commonly known as Dudley Council or Dudley MBC.
The present authority was formed as a result of further reorganisation of local government in 1974. It incorporates the areas of Dudley, Brierley Hill, Stourbridge and Halesowen.
History
The council’s origins are from 1865 when it was incorporated as a municipal borough which allowed the development of an elected town council. This consisted of a mayor, alderman and councillors.[1]
In 1888 Dudley Council became a county borough and so the council took responsibility for neighbouring towns and districts.
In April 1966, under the West Midlands order of the borough, Dudley was extended to take in former Brierley Hill and Sedgley Urban Districts as well as parts of the Coseley Urban District.
Governance
Dudley Council has its main offices in Dudley town centre (where Dudley Council House is located), along with additional smaller offices throughout the borough. The council is made up of 72 councillors representing 24 wards.
On its formation in 1974, the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley was controlled by the Labour Party. Since then the controlling party has frequently changed, sometimes with no political party having a clear majority.[2]
The Tories currently have control of Dudley Council as a majority run administration. After a no overall control result in the previous local elections the Tories gained control of Dudley council in the 2021 local elections.[3][4]
| Party | Councillors | |
| Conservative Party | 43 | |
| Labour Party | 27 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 1 | |
| Independent | 1 | |
Wards
The 24 wards of the Dudley Borough are each represented by 3 councillors. The council groups wards together into 5 Community Forums to enable community engagement under the banner 'Your home, your forum'.[5]
| Community Forum | Ward name |
|---|---|
| Brierley Hill | Brierley Hill |
| Brockmoor and Pensnett | |
| Kingswinford North and Wall Heath | |
| Kingswinford South | |
| Wordsley | |
| Stourbridge | Amblecote |
| Lye and Stourbridge North | |
| Norton | |
| Pedmore and Stourbridge East | |
| Wollaston and Stourbridge Town | |
| Dudley | Castle and Priory |
| Netherton, Woodside and St. Andrews | |
| Quarry Bank and Dudley Wood | |
| St. James's | |
| St. Thomas's | |
| Dudley North | Coseley East |
| Gornal | |
| Sedgley | |
| Upper Gornal and Woodsetton | |
| Halesowen | Belle Vale |
| Cradley and Wollescote | |
| Halesowen North | |
| Halesowen South | |
| Hayley Green and Cradley South |
During 2023 The Local Government Boundary Commission England carried out consultation on the ward boundaries in Dudley borough. Final recommendations are due to be published in October 2023 and come into effect for elections in May 2024.[6]
Members of parliament
Current members of parliament for constituencies within Dudley MBC area are:
| Constituency | Member of Parliament | Political Party |
|---|---|---|
| Dudley North | Marco Longhi | Conservative |
| Dudley South | Mike Wood | Conservative |
| Stourbridge | Suzanne Webb | Conservative |
| Halesowen and Rowley Regis | James Morris | Conservative |
| Wolverhampton South East | Pat McFadden | Labour |
Chief Executives
| Dates | Name |
|---|---|
| 1973-1986 | John Francis Mulvehill |
| 1986 | Leslie Thomas Barnfield |
| 1986-1988 | Tom Headley Meredith |
| 1988-1999 | Alistair Vivian Astling |
| 1999-2008 | Andrew Sparke |
| 2009-2015 | John Polychronakis |
| 2015-2019 | Sarah Norman |
| 2019–present | Kevin John O’Keefe |
Mayor of Dudley and Civic Awards
The Mayor presides over meetings of the full Council to ensure that business is carried out properly and efficiently, with due regard to the rights of Councillors and the interest of the Community.[7] The Mayor of the Borough is elected at the Annual Meeting of the Council (usually in May each year) from the existing elected councillors.
The Mayor also nominates charities they wish to support during their mayoral year[8] and hosts the annual Mayors Ball and Civic Awards. The Civic Awards aim to recognise individuals and groups who make a difference in the borough. Each award is named for a local personality in that field.[9]
- The Frank Foley award for community spirit
- The William Shenstone award for environment
- The Duncan Edwards award for sport
- The Cedric Hardwicke award for arts
- The Thomas Attwood award for education
- The Mike Holder award for business
Civic arms and motto
Dudley’s coat of arms was designed in 1975.[1] It symbolises each of the authorities that came together to form the present borough. Key themes on the civic arms reflect the area’s pride in its industrial past.
The council adopted “Unity and Progress” as its motto in 1974.[1]
City status bid
In 2021, the council proposed the borough (rather than simply the town) of Dudley become a city, as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.[10] The bid was unsuccessful,[11] having also been unsuccessful in 2011.[12]
References
- 1 2 3 Dudley's Little Book of History (Heritage open days booklet published by Dudley MBC)Dudley's little book of history
- ↑ "Local elections 2019: What happens when councils change hands?". BBC News. 30 April 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
- ↑ "Elections 2021: 'Amazing night' for Tories as they take control of Dudley". BBC News. 7 May 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
- ↑ "Midlands Election 2021: Conservatives Take Control of Dudley". ITV News. 7 May 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
- ↑ "Community Forums". www.dudley.gov.uk. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
- ↑ "Local Government Boundary Review". www.dudley.gov.uk. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
- ↑ "Dudley MBC, Mayor of Dudley". Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council.
- ↑ "Charities | Dudley | Mayor Of Dudley". mayorofdudley. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
- ↑ "Mayor's Ball and Civic Awards | Dudley | Mayor Of Dudley". mayorofdudley. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
- ↑ "Dudley – A City In The Making". www.dudley.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
- ↑ Vukmirovic, James. "Disappointment as Dudley misses out on city status". www.expressandstar.com. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
- ↑ "Dudley fails to get Queen's Diamond Jubilee city status". BBC News. 14 March 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2022.