Local Headlines

An additional £10 million is to be spent on looking after the most vulnerable in the borough after the budget was approved at tonight’s full council meeting.

Dudley Council is set to have a new Deputy Chief Executive with Balvinder Heran set to join the authority later this month to take up the senior role.

Police in Stourbridge are appealing for for information after two men were assaulted in the town last October. 

A staggering 3,800 people with dementia are estimated to have died from coronavirus in the West Midlands since the pandemic hit the UK in full force in March 2020.

A petition calling for a traffic mirror to be installed at the junction of Windmill Hill and Toys Lane in Colley Gate has been signed by over 100 residents in a matter of days.

Health bosses in Dudley are now encouraging anyone who needs to leave their home for any reason to get regular, rapid symptom-free Covid-19 tests.

Police have launched an investigation after a pedestrian was killed in a hit and run collision in the Black Country yesterday afternoon.

Plans to set-up a second headquarters for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in the city of Wolverhampton has been welcomed by the University of Wolverhampton.

To commemorate Midlands Air Ambulance Charity’s milestone 30th anniversary in 2021, heritage Midlands jewellers, Deakin & Francis, has exclusively crafted a limited edition of cufflinks, which are now available.

Latest annual figures show a 62% reduction in the number of people sleeping rough across the West Midlands Combined Authority area.

A Dudley father has been convicted today of killing his baby daughter more than three years ago.

With the recent government announcement that local elections are set to take place on 6 May people are being reminded they can register to vote by post to make things easier and safer for them during the pandemic.

A scam which preys on people’s hope for a coronavirus vaccine and attempts to obtain their bank details has been reported in Dudley borough.

Police have arrested a ninth person as part of the investigation into the shooting of Mohammed Haroon Zeb in Dudley last month.

A dream property, worth £1.1 million, is up for grabs in a once-in-a-lifetime competition to raise funds for the Beacon Centre.

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A Wolverhampton community group is helping local people discover the fun of cycling after setting up its own cycling hub using a Transport for West Midlands funding grant.

The first cameras on a new CCTV network for Lye have been installed as part of a £1.7 million scheme.

The new intake of Dudley Youth Council has announced that young people’s mental health is one of their priorities for 2021.

BIMM group is opening two new colleges in the West Midlands this year to meet the spectacular demand for industry-ready graduates in the creative sector.

West Bromwich East MP Nicola Richards has called on Sandwell Council to roll over unused visitor parking vouchers to 2021, after the Council refused to do so for residents with vouchers that they could not use because of travel restrictions during the pandemic.

People who are clinically extremely vulnerable and carers who have not yet been vaccinated against Covid-19, are being asked to contact the NHS to arrange a jab.

Amid growing concerns about the impact of Covid-19 on children’s safety and mental health and wellbeing the NSPCC is holding a second virtual ‘Speak Out. Stay Safe’ assembly on Facebook at 10am tomorrow morning.

More than 95 per cent of people aged 70 and over in the borough have now received the first jab of the coronavirus vaccine, delighted health chiefs have said.

The leader of Dudley Council has welcomed the announcement that work will start soon on a major expansion to one of the borough’s biggest tourist attractions.

Communities Secretary, Robert Jenrick MP, has confirmed that the government will bring at least 500 Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government roles set to the West Midlands by 2025.

Police and ambulance staff locked down a Black Country street today after a man was found with a serious head injury.

Two public spaces protection orders (PSPOs) that help tackle dog fouling and nuisance drinking in Sandwell are set to be renewed. 

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The Severn Valley Railway has confirmed No 2999 Lady of Legend as the star guest at its Spring Steam Up between 15th and 18th April.

Support for Fairtrade continues during lockdown with shoppers being encouraged to put a Fairtrade item in their real or virtual shopping trolley this month.

Detectives investigating the fatal shooting of Mohammed Haroon Zeb in Dudley have charged a man in connection with his murder.

Census Engagement Managers across the Black Country have been helping organisations, charities, faith groups and community leaders to raise awareness of the Census and the value to residents in taking part.

Stourbridge MP Suzanne Webb has spoken of her joy after hearing the vaccination centre at the Black Country Museum is now giving over 1000 Covid jabs every day.

Facebook have apologise after a local history community were told their group has broken 'community guidelines' and risked closure after members had a discussion about faggots on the platform.

New figures show the average monthly number of referrals made by the NSPCC Helpline about parental substance misuse in the West Midlands are up 72% on pre-lockdown levels.

A major milestone has been reached in the Very Light Rail programme in Dudley with the completion of the test track.

Dudley Council remains committed to boosting the borough’s affordable housing stock despite the pressures of building during a pandemic.

MPs have urged the Government to invest in a Midlands-wide ‘tap and cap’ smart ticketing system for public transport, to boost passenger numbers, convenience and safety post-COVID-19.

2021 marks the 30th anniversary of the rapid response, pre-hospital emergency service provided by Midlands Air Ambulance Charity.

West Midlands Combined Authority leaders have given the go ahead for the new £24 million Dudley Interchange.

Black Country residents are being warned after a series of calls were received across the borough from a female claiming to be a police officer working from Halesowen police station.

Stourbridge MP Suzanne Webb has welcomed Dudley Council receiving £663,000 of government money to support and house victims of domestic abuse.

Patients, carers, and members of the public are being encouraged to nominate staff who have gone above and beyond and provided outstanding care, as part of the annual staff awards held by Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.

Dudley Council’s cabinet member for children and young people dropped by Revive Project in Dudley to meet volunteers putting together food parcels for families in need.

Detectives investigating the fatal shooting of Mohammed Haroon Zeb in Dudley have charged a man with his murder.

The development of HS2 in the West Midlands is set to turbocharge the economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic as it brings forward 175,000 new jobs and generates some £20 billion investment.

The first eleven apprentices recruited by the organisers of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games have been settling into their new roles which will see them play a key part in helping to organise the biggest event ever to be held in the West Midlands.

People across the region are playing their part in a virtual forest, in a bid to plant a new tree for every West Midlands resident by 2035.

From the 13th to the 16th May, diesel fans will be able to experience a special event of epic proportions at the Severn Valley Railway.

Councils in the West Midlands have received more than £462 million in new funding since March 2020 as part of a total of £859 million of extra support that West Midlands has received.

Symptom free testing capacity across Dudley borough had a boost this week as another five new testing locations were confirmed.

One of the West Midland’s oldest charities has launched a new fundraising drive to help boost donations and combat the devastating impact of Covid-19.

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Another significant milestone has been reached at the Sandwell Aquatics Centre in Smethwick after the dive tower was completed at the end of last month.

Birmingham MP - and candidate for West Midlands Mayor - Liam Byrne has called on ministers to provide an urgent action plan to stem the collapsing number of apprenticeships across the West Midlands.

The NHS is launching a new campaign to urge families in West Midlands to talk about organ donation following research that less than half of adults in England have had the conversation.

West Midlands Mayor, Andy Street has joined forces with Sir John Peace, chairman of Midlands Connect to urge the Chancellor to support the “nationally-critical” Midlands Rail Hub infrastructure project.

During National Apprenticeship Week, Dudley Council is sharing success stories of people the local authority has taken on and helped onto the first rung of a career ladder.

Rent has been halved for stall holders still operating on Dudley Market through lockdown, council bosses said today.

Sandwell council refused to let a vulnerable mother have her representative present at an important meeting and made serious and unsubstantiated allegations about both of them during an investigation by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.

A 20 year-old man’s been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder following a shooting in Bartley Green on Sunday.